Rabbi Belsky then quoted the Rambam suggesting that such a person seek out the help of others to eradicate his middos ra’os (bad traits).
There may be technical halachic differences between these two situations but they become irrelevant when discussing the ethical behavior of feeling another’s pain and doing the right thing.
I’m confident that most of us know right from wrong and act accordingly. Yet I think our rabbis and educators should be concerned about an apparent major weakness in our education system. Something is flawed when thousands of people don’t mind exploiting the errors of others for their own gain.
I hope this well-publicized case triggers a greater public awareness among both laymen and those in leadership positions. Otherwise, people may begin to ask: Is “gotcha!” a Jewish value?
Meir Weingarten is president of Ariel Tours, a leader in group travel to Israel, with close to 30 years’ experience in the Israel travel industry. He is also a public speaker and commentator on Israeli affairs heard on the nationally syndicated “Mike Gallagher Show” and internationally on “JM in the AM” with Nachum Segal.