For Good Measure

This week’s second Torah portion, Kedoshim, tell us “Do not falsify measurements, whether in length, weight or volume. You must have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest dry measure, and an honest liquid measure."

The Talmud explains that although in any case one is guilty of theft when one sells something weighed with a false measure, the Torah states this command explicitly.  This is to teach us that the prohibition is not only against using false measures, but against even the making of a false measure, though it is never used.

Clearly, then, the violation of the prohibition does not begin when a person uses false measurements to defraud someone; it begins from the very moment the false weights are made and kept in the person's house.

With regard to all other aspects of theft, the transgression only begins at the moment of theft.  Why does the law against false measurements differ from all other laws of theft; why does a person transgress just by making or having an object that may eventually be used dishonestly?

The Talmud further explains that if a person had sold goods using inaccurate weights and later wanted to do Teshuvah, to make amends, there would be no way to know how much they owe the victims.  In a case of straightforward theft, whilst obviously still being wrong, there would be a path of restitution, involving repaying the stolen amount.  In the case of inaccurate measures, we do not even know how much was stolen.

With regard to purely spiritual matters, the evil inclination may agree that the "measure" must be in accordance with Jewish law. With regard to more mundane matters, however, it encourages us to succumb to the standards and practices of the world around us, whatever they may be at a given time.

The Torah therefore teaches us that we must employ the same "complete and honest" measure with regard to all aspects of our lives.