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Jewish World Review
Jan. 2, 2006
/ 12 Teves, 5767
Decent Working Conditions, Part III: Generosity
By
Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir
Sometimes charity begins in the workplace
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Q: My workers get a low wage and have trouble making ends meet, but they don't really have other options. Do I have to pay them a "living wage"?
A: The Torah educates us towards an attitude of concern for and empathy with the needy. "When there will be a needy person from one of your brothers in one of your gates in your land which the Lord your G-d gives you, don't harden your heart nor shut your hand to your needy brother. Surely open your hand and lend him, enough for his need which he lacks... Surely give him and let not your heart grieve when you give him, for because of this will the Lord your G-d bless you in all your acts and in all your endeavors" (Deuteronomy 15:7-10).
The best way of fulfilling the mitzvah to help a needy person is to do this in a way that maintains both his dignity and his independence. One way we can see this is from the verse we just cited. While it is possible to help a needy person either through a gift or a loan, the verse states "lend him", hinting that this is the preferred way of giving aid since it encourages independence and transmits a vote of confidence that the person will emerge from his troubles.
The Torah also tells us, "When your brother falls and his hand declines with you, strengthen him, whether the stranger or the resident, that he may live with you" (Leviticus 25:35). Rashi explains that the expression to "strengthen" or "support" him means not to wait until he actually falls (financial collapse) but rather to empower him beforehand so that he shouldn't fall in the first place.
And the mishnah states: "Have poor people as members of your household." (1) The Talmud implies that this means we should preferably hire poor people as household help, so as to help them out of their predicament. (2) Here too we see that hiring someone is a preferred way of helping them. In fact, some authorities suggest that while normally a job offer may be revoked, an offer to give a job to a poor person can be considered like a promise to give charity, which is considered like an oath or vow. (3)
Every person has a limited budget as well as definite priorities for charity. It is not always practical to give charity to one's employees by giving them a higher salary than they could be bargained into. But the fact that decent salary and working conditions is an ideal fulfillment of the commandment to help others should have some weight in the question of what working conditions to provide, if the employees are needy. Normally we give precedence in charity to people in our community and circle of acquaintance; for most employers workers would fit this category and are worthy charity recipients if they are needy.
This is especially true in the case of a company which has a commitment to give a certain amount of money to charity. Employees should be a high priority; any excess salary given to a poor worker can be considered a contribution to charity from a Jewish point of view.
Like the other considerations we have discussed in previous weeks (see archives below), the obligation to be generous to the needy doesn't create any definite obligation to provide minimal working conditions and benefits to workers. But it does add one more good reason to be thoughtful and generous regarding the work environment, particularly for someone who employs poor workers.
SOURCES: Mishnah, Avos 1:5. (2) Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 60b (3) Sources found in Pischei Choshen Sechirus 7:5, 8:29
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JWR contributor Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, formerly of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Reagan
administration, is Research Director of the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem, Jerusalem College of Technology.
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Previously:
Decent Working Conditions, Part II: Dignified treatment
Decent Working Conditions, Part 1: Equitable Treatment
Stand up for elders' rights
Garage sale gem
By taking my relative in, am I helping or making the situation worse?
Public Service or Public Relations?
Do professionals need to strive for complete objectivity?
Does future reward make ethical behavior selfish?
The whole truth — Even in the marketplace?
Judaism and the afterlife: Reincarnation, heaven and hell
The Jewish belief in resurrection of the dead affects how will live in the here and now
Ethical guidelines on what to say and what's proper to keep to yourself
Is it wrong to get credit for something you didn't do?
Ethics and sportsmanship
The ethics of forwarding email
Must a supplier honor a discount offered by a rogue sales representative?
Should I boycott my daughter's fashion show?
Should you respond to all those annoying email pop-up requests?
Do I have to reimburse someone who tried to do me a favor?
Seeking credit card debt settlement
Can I threaten to spread the word about someone who cheated me?
How can the terminally ill tap into their life insurance?
Is there value in an unhappy marriage?
Where does the Almighty fit into your corporation's mission statement?
Does an expert witness have to be impartial?
Should I give recognition to a modest man who did a great deed?
In representing my firm, can I tell a white lie?
Defrauding insurance to save a life
Can top level management unilaterally give away money to corporate dollars to charity?
Loans to Family Members
How much worker supervision is too much?
Should I turn in a colleague for inappropriate acts?
Priority in charitable giving
Trolls and ogres
How many hours of work is too many?
Can I promote my product by having it unobtrusively written into a story?
He's not heavy he's my brother
All's fair in war?, II
All's fair in war?
Girth vs. worth
Is it proper to tax bequests?
Ethics of Being Overweight
Penalized for working swiftly
When is it a bluff?
'Rate and switch'
My paycheck is late!
Should schools cater to an elite?
All's fair in love?
Comfort and Competition
Do I need the caller's permission to put a call on the speakerphone?
Overtime for lost time
Is it unethical to play suppliers against each other to get the lowest bid possible?
Do family members have precedence in charity allotments?
What the world of business can teach us about our annual process of repentance and renewal
Are religious leaders subject to criticism?
Vindictive Vendor: How can I punish an abusive competitor?
Blogging Ethics: Is the blogger responsible for defamatory posts?
© 2005, The Jewish Ethicist is produced by the JCT Center for Business Ethics
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