How was your Shavuot?
We studied the contrast of the letter of the law and the spirit of the law in Judaism. We focused on 3 areas: A specific story in the Talmud, Kashrut and War.
Is it acceptable to follow just the letter of the law? Or is it just the spirit of the law? Or do you have a tension?
So here is a scenario. You have some people come in and do some cleaning of your house. You are well-to-do and the workers you have come are barely getting food on the table. One of the guys breaks a hundred dollar vase and you cannot repair it. You owe him one hundred dollars for the work. Do you keep the hundred dollars for direct compensation of the vase?
Technically speaking keeping the money would be payment for replacing the vase. Ethically speaking what should you do? Should you pay him the money and forget about the vase? Is doing the “right” thing more important than being right?
Do the right thing.
