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Friday

י"ט אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

Friday
י"ט אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

חיפוש בארכיון

Mitzvah 602) Not to keep inaccurate weights and measures

Parshas Ki Setzei

“You may not keep in your pocket different stones; big and small!” (Devarim 25:13)

It is a negative commandment that one may not keep weights and scales which are too small in one’s house even if one is not intending to use them for business purposes in case it will be a “stumbling block”. About this it says “You may not keep in your pocket different stones; big and small!” and it also says “You may not have in your house a big and small “Eiphah” (measuring container for dry produce)!”. Chazal said that a person must not keep inaccurate measuring stones in his house even if one is using them as a normal utensil and not for weighing.

The root of this commandment is to ensure the continuation of honesty and the distancing of theft and trickery between people. This is obvious to any person with sense.

This commandment applies in all places and at all times both to men and to women. One who keeps an inaccurate weight or pair of scales in his house even if he never uses it for measuring has transgressed this commandment.