What’s worse, dishonest business practices or forbidden sexual relations? TB Baba Batra 88

 According to Rava when a person dies he/she is asked five questions to gain entry in the world to come. “Rava said: After departing from this world, when a person is brought to judgment for the life he lived in this world, they say to him in the order of that verse: Did you conduct business faithfully? Did you designate times for Torah study? Did you engage in procreation? Did you await salvation? Did you engage in the dialectics of wisdom or understand one matter from another?” (Shabbat 31a, Sefaria.org translation)

Rabbi Telushkin in the Appendix B in his book Jewish Wisdom, (1994) writes:

“Note that the first question asked in heaven is not ‘Did you believe in God?’ or ‘Did you observe all the rituals?’ but ‘We’re you honest in business?’ Unfortunately, despite many texts that insist on the primacy of ethics, most Jews associate being religious solely with observing rituals. Throughout the Jewish community, when one asks ‘Is so-and-so a religious Jew?’ the response invariably is based on the person’s observance of ritual laws: ‘He (or she) keeps kosher, and observes the Sabbath; he is religious’, ‘She does not keep kosher or observe the Sabbath; she is not religious’.

“From such responses, one could easily conclude that Judaism regards ethical behavior as an “extracurricular activity”, something desirable but not essential.

“The above passage unequivocally asserts that ethics is at Judaism’s core; God’s first concern is with a person’s decency.”(https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/564079.6?lang=bi&p2=Shabbat.31a.11&lang2=bi&w2=all&lang3=en)

TB Baba Batra 88 emphasizes the importance of honesty in business by comparing it to sexual immorality.

“§ Rabbi Levi says: The punishment for using false measures is more severe than the punishment for transgressing the prohibition of forbidden sexual relations. As in that case, forbidden relations, it is stated with regard to them a shortened term for the word “these”: “El,” in the verse: “For all these [el ] abominations” (Leviticus 18:27). And in this case, false measures, it is stated an expanded term for the word “these”: “Elleh,” in the verse: “For all that do these [elleh] things, even all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 25:16). And from where may it be inferred that this expression “el” indicates that the prohibition is severe, based on which it is understood that the form this word takes indicates a level of severity? As it is written: “And the mighty [eilei] of the land he took away” (Ezekiel 17:13).

The Gemara asks: But with regard to forbidden relations isn’t it also written: “For whosoever shall do any of these [elleh] abominations” (Leviticus 18:29)? If so, why is the punishment for using false measures considered harsher? The Gemara answers: That expression of “elleh” (Leviticus 18:29) in the context of forbidden relations does not serve to emphasize its severity. Rather, it serves to exclude one who uses deception in measures from the penalty of excision from the World-to-Come [karet].

“And Rabbi Levi says: Robbing an ordinary person is more severe than robbing the Most High, i.e., taking consecrated property. As with regard to this regular robber, the verse states “sin” before “me’ila”: “If any one sin, and commit a trespass [me’ila] against the Lord, and deal falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of pledge, or of robbery, or have oppressed his neighbor” (Leviticus 5:21). And with regard to that one who misuses consecrated items, the verse states me’ila before sin: “If any one engages in misuse [timol ma’al] and sins unwittingly” (Leviticus 5:15).

“The Gemara asks: But if the punishment is in fact less severe, what is the advantage, i.e., the greater severity, in the case of false measures? The Gemara answers that there, in the case of one who engages in forbidden relations, he has the possibility of repentance. But here, in the case of one who uses false measures, there is no possibility of repentance because he has no way of knowing whom he cheated, and is therefore unable to return the stolen money.”

Honesty should be one of the most important measuring sticks when you’re deciding who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election. For me, the choice is clear.