A “shiviti” sign (a page featuring the text of Tehillim 16:8 along with other select verses and artistic motifs, usually representations of a menorah, designed to inspire the recognition of God’s presence) on one’s desk, or the study of Torah during breaks, might serve as a similar reminder.
In Rav Soloveitchik’s formulation, one reciting Vidui should pound his chest at “lefanecha – for the sin committed before You,” because every sin is a denial that we are in God’s presence. That distance from God –the chasm brought about through fraudulent conduct – is another form of Gehinnom and can induce even more misbehavior.
“A person is recognized through three things: his cup, his pocket, and his anger”(Eruvin 65b). That is to say, one’s true character emerges first when he is under the influence of alcohol, third when his emotions are running wild – and second when he is doing business with other people (i.e., whether or not he deals honestly with them).
We need to realize that how we treat money, people, businesses, partners, clients, government, investors, employers, and employees is also part of our divine service –perhaps even the defining element of our divine service.
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These issues are not new in Jewish life. The Talmud teaches that “most people are guilty of theft, a minority is guilty of sexual sins, and everyone succumbs to some form of evil talk” (Bava Batra 165a).
Rav Yisrael Salanter perceived in the juxtaposition of the first two transgressions the necessity for similar safeguards: “Just like it is forbidden to seclude oneself with another man’s wife because of a fear of sin, so too it is forbidden to seclude oneself with another man’s money for fear of theft; in fact, it is an even more stringent requirement, as few surrender to sexual immorality but most people are guilty of theft.”
Apparently, Chazal recognized that the temptation to take liberties with someone else’s money – by stealing, cheating, cutting corners, employing shtick and the like – is too great to resist. It is a failing to which the “majority” succumb. That, of course, is meant as a challenge rather than a rationalization.
We could use a renaissance of the Mussar movement in terms of making the reality of God a tangible presence in every aspect of our lives. Yeshivot must be especially sensitive about teaching Seder Nezikin or Choshen Mishpat and leaving the impression that neither is applicable to modern life but represents an idyllic vision of conduct best suited to angels. Rabbis in shuls should make pursuit of integrity a consistent theme in their drashot and shiurim, and as something realistic and expected rather than merely aspirational or the realm of tzadikim. That can only be done by the study of the great mussar works – Chovot Halevavot, Mesilat Yesharim, Orchot Tzadikim, etc.
And something else:
We need to stigmatize criminal or unethical conduct. The offender should feel the disdain of the community, much like the spouse or child abuser is (or should be) scorned. Granted, it is not always simple in practice, as often the spouse and children of the offender are innocent and need public support. But they can be supported financially and/or emotionally without our putting on ethical blinders or minimizing the gravity of the offense. Ethical lapses that presage a criminal bent – e.g., not paying employees on time – should be pointed out to the offender in a direct way with the expectation that the matter be rectified immediately.
Part of the reason why unethical conduct has not been stigmatized is that there has arisen in Jewish life an execrable correlation of money and honor. Money plays too dominant a role in Jewish life, and gives too much standing to those who donate it. As organizations proliferate and depend on money as their lifeblood, more and more attention is paid to who gives and how much, and there is less and less interest in the provenance of that money.
