One may not buy wool, milk or kids from shepherds. Nor may one buy wood or fruit from the watchmen of orchards.
Mishna, Bava Kamma 10:9
It is against Jewish custom to buy goods from a person who is ostensibly responsible for watching over the goods. In these cases, the shepherd and the watchmen are not the owners of the goods, but the overseers of them. Telushkin suggests that one should refrain from questionable purchases, to the point of assuming the seller is ‘guilty until proven innocent.’ Err on the side of caution, is the lesson here. If the deal seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. He concludes with a quote from Proverbs, “He who shares with a thief is the enemy of his own soul.”
Three days in - the wisdom is pretty straightforward. Take a moment to think about that siren you hear; treat your business affairs scrupulously; don’t take any deals that seem too good to be true. Simple as these ideas might be, how much more civil would the world be if we all acted on these truths? Shabbat shalom!
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