- Torah and Jewish Thought
- Repentance
Question
I would be very grateful if you can answer my following questions:
1. What if an employer orders a Noachide employee to cheat a customer about how much the Noachide has worked for the customer (e.g. one worked only 4 hours for the customer, but the employer wants the employee to write 6 hours). Who is responsible for this stealing? What if the Noachide does not himself lie to the customer, but the employer lies that the Noachide worked more than he actually did? What about rounding the own work time up in a way that seems to be usual in a particular business field?
2. What if the employer wants the Noachide employee to lie to a customer or potential customer about a product or service? What if the Noachide employee does not do it, but the employer?
3. Is a Noachide allowed to work for an employer who the Noachide is certain of that he is stealing or in other ways cheating his customers? What if the employer is not paying enough taxes to the state as he is ordered? What if one is not certain about these things, but they are likely?
I have the feeling, that it is difficult to find an employer who does not at least from time to time want one of these above things from an employee.
Answer
The answer to all of your questions is that one must be honest, not cheat nor deceit. Only if a certain action is commonly known and actually accepted in a particular business field, is it allowed. Obviously, it's sometimes difficult to define such guidelines, but if in doubt, you should take the more stringent approach.