The purpose of this blog is to raise spirits at the Shabbat table. Please print and share.
Last
week's theme of lightning generated great interest. There were,
however, several typos, including one significant error that crept in (haste makes waste),
regarding the chemicals generated by lightning. The blog version of this email has been corrected.
This week, in honor of "Purim Katan", an ethical dilemma by our friend, R' Yitzi Weiner.
First, take a look at these five wine bottles.
In your judgment, which one contains the best wine?
According to World of Wine columnist Ron Smith, many consumers subconsciously make quality judgments based on bottle shape alone.
If you were a wine maker, you would want to know and exploit this fact.
What if you are a wine consumer?
Zev was a wealthy businessman. His "10-20 percent to tzedaka" was always large amounts of money.
He was also a generous host.
Every year he invited his three neighbors and their families to his Purim feast. He would serve the most expensive kosher wine available. He did this as a means of beautifying the mitzvah. Zev was renowned for having these wines.
Sadly, one year Zev’s business dried up. He was struggling financially but was embarrassed to let any of his friends or neighbors know.
Purim time came and Zev felt obligated to Invite his neighbors once again. When it came time to buy the wine, he shuddered. He could no longer afford such expensive wine. But if he used regular or cheap wine, it would be obvious to his neighbors that something was wrong.
In desperation Zev went to the owner of an elegant kosher restaurant. He asked the restaurateur if he could give him the empty bottles of expensive wine that they saved, for a Purim project. Zev washed out the bottles, bought cheap wine, and poured the wine into the expensive bottles.
Zev figured that on Purim his neighbors wouldn't realize that the wine tasted different, as long as it was poured from the expensive bottle.
The meal went well. The guests loved the wine. But as his neighbor was complimenting Zev for the delicious wine, Zev was struck with an anxiety-producing thought.
Was I allowed to serve them this wine, giving them the impression that it was expensive, when it was not?
Was that considered genevat da’at, unethical deception?
Or would that perhaps be permitted, to avoid embarrassment?
What do you think? Was Zev ethically permitted to serve his guests cheap wine in an expensive bottle?
Shabbat Shalom
Last
week's theme of lightning generated great interest. There were,
however, several typos, including one significant error that crept in (haste makes waste),
regarding the chemicals generated by lightning. The blog version of this email has been corrected.This week, in honor of "Purim Katan", an ethical dilemma by our friend, R' Yitzi Weiner.
First, take a look at these five wine bottles.
In your judgment, which one contains the best wine?
According to World of Wine columnist Ron Smith, many consumers subconsciously make quality judgments based on bottle shape alone.
If you were a wine maker, you would want to know and exploit this fact.
What if you are a wine consumer?
Zev was a wealthy businessman. His "10-20 percent to tzedaka" was always large amounts of money.
He was also a generous host.
Every year he invited his three neighbors and their families to his Purim feast. He would serve the most expensive kosher wine available. He did this as a means of beautifying the mitzvah. Zev was renowned for having these wines.
Sadly, one year Zev’s business dried up. He was struggling financially but was embarrassed to let any of his friends or neighbors know.
Purim time came and Zev felt obligated to Invite his neighbors once again. When it came time to buy the wine, he shuddered. He could no longer afford such expensive wine. But if he used regular or cheap wine, it would be obvious to his neighbors that something was wrong.
In desperation Zev went to the owner of an elegant kosher restaurant. He asked the restaurateur if he could give him the empty bottles of expensive wine that they saved, for a Purim project. Zev washed out the bottles, bought cheap wine, and poured the wine into the expensive bottles.
Zev figured that on Purim his neighbors wouldn't realize that the wine tasted different, as long as it was poured from the expensive bottle.
The meal went well. The guests loved the wine. But as his neighbor was complimenting Zev for the delicious wine, Zev was struck with an anxiety-producing thought.
Was I allowed to serve them this wine, giving them the impression that it was expensive, when it was not?
Was that considered genevat da’at, unethical deception?
Or would that perhaps be permitted, to avoid embarrassment?
What do you think? Was Zev ethically permitted to serve his guests cheap wine in an expensive bottle?
Shabbat Shalom
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