Hard to be a shopkeeper – K’doshim
A shochet once came to Rabbi Yisrael Salanter and said, “I want to change my job. It’s too hard to be a shochet – too great a responsibility.
“Imagine, if I do something wrong the community will be eating t’refah!”
Rabbi Salanter asked, “So what job are you planning to move to?”
“I think I’ll open a shop,” came the answer.
“Not a good idea at all,” replied Rabbi Salanter.
“You’re worried about the responsibility of being a shochet? It’s even harder to be a shopkeeper!
“Parashat K’doshim is full of commandments for shopkeepers – ‘Do not steal’, ‘Do not defraud’, ‘Do not deal falsely’, ‘Do not exploit others’, ‘Do not have false weights and measures’… running a business is so demanding, and God expects so much of you!”
