Bribery inside and outside the Bet Din By Dayan Yosef Greenwald, Bet HaVa’ad, Yerushalayim Bribery in its most obvious form is when a person offers a judge money so that he will decide the case in his favor. However, there are many other – more subtle – ways in which bribes can be offered, and in many cases these bribes are also included in the prohibition of Shohad … [Read more...]

Charging for lost income due to missed appointments By Dayan Yehoshua Grunwald, Dayan at the Bet HaVa’ad                                                                            Delinquent Clients Query: As a professional consultant, I service my clients for half-hour appointments scheduled in advance. Many times, clients miss appointments, causing loss of my time that … [Read more...]

Is one allowed to borrow from the Tzeddaka box? By Rav Yaakov Rappaport, Dayan for Bet HaVa’ad, South Bend, Indiana The Cohens, just like the rest of us, have a plethora of Tzeddaka boxes in their house, from Yeshivas to Bikkur Holim and various other Tzeddaka organizations. One of these Tzeddaka boxes comes with a convenient plastic cover, which can be removed and put back … [Read more...]

In the not-so-rare case of food poisoning, who pays who? By Dayan David Grossman Eli walked into Glatt Smart and ordered a large assortment of salads, dips, and mazza for Shabbat. After taking his packages, he began to walk out, when he was stopped by Eddie, the owner of the store. Eddie said to him, "Sir, please excuse me, but you forgot to pay." Eli replied emphatically, … [Read more...]

Fair Trade and Monopolies in Halacha By Rav Yaakov Rappaport Long before the establishment of the Federal Trade Commission, there were debates regarding trade regulations. Is the government responsible to protect consumers, or is it the responsibility of “buyer beware”? There is a plethora of government agencies that strive to produce rules and regulations to produce a fair … [Read more...]