Swindler’s End (Ekev)

“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” — Benjamin Franklin

At the close of 2008, one of the most infamous financial frauds in history came to light. It was a massive investment scam that defrauded thousands of people of their savings. The scheme’s architect, Bernie Madoff, promised steady, high returns, but instead used money from new investors to pay earlier ones. When it collapsed, billions were gone.

The victims were a cross-section of society: universities, charitable trust funds, non-profits, retirees, and high-net-worth individuals. Even the family of the perpetrator was not spared. In the aftermath, legal teams sought to recover as much as possible. They went after everything from bank accounts to artwork to silverware. This included not only assets tied directly to the fraud, but also property belonging to Madoff’s family that had been legally acquired and was unconnected to the scheme. All of it was used to help repay the victims.

Centuries earlier, Rabbi Ovadia Sforno might have predicted exactly how this story would unfold.

In Deuteronomy 7:25–26, amid instructions about conquering the Land of Canaan, we read:

“The carved images of their gods you shall burn in the fire; you shall not covet and take for yourself the silver and gold that is on them, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination of Hashem, your God. And you shall not bring an abomination into your home and become banned like it; you shall surely loathe it and you shall surely abominate it, for it is banned.”

Sforno offers a striking interpretation. He explains that anyone who desires and takes wealth acquired illegally will suffer two losses. First, they will see no benefit from the dishonest gains. Second, they will also lose what they had rightfully earned beforehand. In other words, corrupt funds will infect honest funds until all of a person’s wealth becomes worthless.

In the business world, greed and fear often drive people to cut corners or justify questionable practices. Sforno reminds us that deceit is not only morally wrong but also self-destructive. Dishonesty can unravel both our reputation and our resources.

May we always walk the truly golden path, so we can enjoy the rewards, financial and otherwise, in this world and the next.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the launch of my Aftermarket Rabbi series.

Introductory article can be found here: https://ben-tzion.com/the-aftermarket-rabbi-introduction-and-blog-experiment/

WhatsApp group can be joined here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J8w0OBz9ppi7HgXrEEswnq