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Jewish World Review August 29, 2003 / 1 Elul, 5763 How you play the game (of life) By Rabbi Berel Wein
A little known Biblical concept about fair competition in business — and life in general
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Competition is an accepted condition in our society. In commerce, sports,
government, and the arts and sciences, competition is the fuel for the
engine that drives our society forward. Without competition we would be at
the mercy of monopolists, cartels and a controlled society that would stifle
all progress, efficiency or incentive for personal reward.
The Talmud itself
speaks highly of competition, at least in educational and scholarly matters,
when it states "competition amongst scholars increases wisdom and
knowledge." Nevertheless, like all seemingly positive attributes,
competition should have its limits. Unrestrained, cutthroat, vicious
competition is immoral, wrong, and eventually counter-productive.
This week's Torah (Bible) reading, "Shoftim," introduces the prohibition against the concept of
"hasagas gvul" — unfair and immoral competition. Literally, the Hebrew words mean "overstepping or illegally encroaching on one's
neighbor's border." Just as it is obviously wrong to move one's border fence
to gobble up a piece of ground of the neighboring lot, so too is it wrong to
engage in unfair competitive practices in order to injure someone's business
to benefit one's own enterprise.
As naive and altruistic as this may appear
at first glance, there is sound social and economic sense behind this Torah
policy. The Torah is interested in creating a fair, just, harmonious and
compassionate society. Unfair competitive practices, when practiced
regularly, openly and without shame, prevent the achievement of such a
society.
In the words of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, the great philosopher, poet
and biblical commentator of the twelfth century, "for such unfair
competition [such as border encroachment] automatically leads to quarrels,
violence and even murder." Rapacious economic practices in the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries led to the reactions of socialism, communism and
other state-controlled economies in the twentieth century.
The prophecy of ibn Ezra of "quarrels, violence and even murder" was thus
fulfilled in front of our horrified eyes. Excess begets excess and greedy,
exploitative, unfair competition begets unfair state-controlled, repressive
monopoly and tyranny.
Thus the Torah frowns on negative remarks regarding
competitors' products and personalities. Negative advertising, whether in
politics, commercial services or manufactured products, is not allowed and
is definitely a form of loshon harah — evil speech.
One may describe
accurately and even boast about the wonderful and unique qualities of one's
own products or services, but it is unfair competition to knock the other
person's. I know that this sounds strange to twentieth century American
consumers, who are bombarded by telemarketing, incessant advertising and a
terrible amount of negative competition. But Jews and their Torah
understanding of life always were bidden to swim upstream against the
current.
I think that the prohibition about "encroaching on the border" affects many
areas of life. Following this precept guarantees the sanctity of privacy,
the holiness of confidentiality and the civility necessary for a fair, civil
and trustworthy marketplace. There is unfair competition in families and
institutions for time and attention, for wealth and opportunity, even for
love and caring. In fact, it is probably within the family circle, at the
very beginnings of life itself that the seeds of destructive competition are
planted.
A wise parent is aware of the dangers of pitting sibling against
sibling, of unfair comparisons of abilities and attainments. It is the
individual, unique human being that counts, and though competition in human
life is unavoidable, the destructive aspects of competition can and should
be controlled and minimized.
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Rabbi Berel Wein is one of Jewry's foremost historians and
founder of the Destiny Foundation.
He has authored over 650 tapes, books and videos which you can purchase at RabbiWein.com.
Comment by clicking here or calling 1-800-499-WEIN (9346).
© 2003, Rabbi Berel Wein
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