לֹא־תְקַלֵּ֣ל חֵרֵ֔שׁ וְלִפְנֵ֣י עִוֵּ֔ר לֹ֥א תִתֵּ֖ן מִכְשֹׁ֑ל וְיָרֵ֥אתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
Do not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind; you shall fear your God. I am the Eternal.
ולפני עור לא תתן מכשול שאף על פי שלא תזיק בידים הנה תגרום הנזק. ואחר כך באר חלק המשפט הנופל בין השופטים להמון ואמר:
Nor put a stumbling-block before the blind: indirect damages, for who knows if the blind will trip over the obstacle? The one causing even indirect damage is held responsible by the Torah.
ולפני עור לא תתן מכשול לפני סומא בדבר. היה נוטל ממך עצה אל תתן לו עצה שאינה הוגנת לו. אל תאמר לו "צא בהשכמה" שיקפחוהו לסטים, "צא בצהרים" בשביל שישתרב, אל תאמר לו "מכור את שדך וקח לך חמור" ואת עוקף עליו ונוטלה הימנו. שמא תאמר "עצה טובה אני נותן לו!" והרי הדבר מסור ללב שנאמר "ויראת מאלקיך אני ה' ".
Do not put a stumbling block before a blind person: Before one who is "blind" in a certain matter. If he asks you for advice, do not give him advice that is unfit for him. Do not say to him "Leave early in the morning," so that robbers should assault him. "Leave in the afternoon," so that he fall victim to the heat. Do not say to him "Sell your field and buy an ass," and then follow him and and take it from him. Lest you say "But I gave him good advice!" — these things are "known to the heart," hence. "And you shall fear your G d; I am the Eternal."
(יח) שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק׃ (יט) לֹא־תַטֶּ֣ה מִשְׁפָּ֔ט לֹ֥א תַכִּ֖יר פָּנִ֑ים וְלֹא־תִקַּ֣ח שֹׁ֔חַד כִּ֣י הַשֹּׁ֗חַד יְעַוֵּר֙ עֵינֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽם׃ (כ) צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (ס)
(18) Judges and police officers shall you appoint in all your gates, which the LORD your God is giving to you, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. (19) You shall not pervert judgment; you shall not show favor; neither shall you take a bribe; for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous. (20) Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may live, and inherit the land which the Eternal your God is giving you.
א"ר פפא לא לידון איניש דינא למאן דרחים ליה ולא למאן דסני ליה
R. Papa said: A man should not act as judge either for one whom he loves or for one whom he hates; for no man can see the guilt of one whom he loves or the merit of one whom he hates.
Unconscious Causes of Ethical Breakdowns in Business
Ill-conceived goals
Goals set to encourage positive behavior inadvertently reward bad behavior.
Indirect blindness
Unethical behavior is easier to overlook when it is carried out by a third party.
The slippery slope (AKA normalizing deviance AKA ethical fading)
Lapses in standards are easy to miss if the standards erode slowly.
Overvaluing outcomes
When the end result turns out well, the means are less likely to be scrutinized.
Motivated blindness
The tendency to overlook information that works against our own self-interest.
(Adapted from Harvard Business Review April 2011, “Ethical Breakdowns,” by Max H. Bazerman and Ann E. Tenbrunsel)
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” - Upton Sinclair