Priorities: Business or Clients?
Providing good customer service is an important part of any successful business. However, to what extent should a company be ready to accommodate a client's request or perhaps absorb a financial loss? What if the loss came as a result of extraneous circumstances such as a pandemic which is beyond the control of the business or the client?
While educating children, parents and teachers establish rules of proper conduct and set up a reward system to motivate children/students to behave appropriately. How flexible should parents and educators be with regards to children who have learning disabilities or display rebellious behavior?
Obviously, each scenario and challenge is unique. Generally, the proper response would be to work on each situation on a case by case basis. Business managers may take many factors into consideration such as the past relationship with the client or the amount of potential financial loss. Good educators will endeavor to best address the specific needs of the student without disrupting the school environment.
Perhaps the issue has to be addressed from a broader perspective. Are clients meant to serve the needs of the business or is the business there to provide for the client? Are students meant to serve the interests of the school or is the purpose of the school meant to serve the students? Are people only meant to enhance the system or is the system there to assist people?
The answer to these questions has important ramifications in our daily lives and in regards to how we treat one another and value our unique purpose in life.
Among the many teachings in this week’s Torah portion, Ki Sisa, we learn about a seemingly disturbing and perplexing event that occurred less than forty days after the Jewish people heard the Ten Commandments from G-d on Mount Sinai.
Moses had ascended the mountain and went up to heaven for forty days and nights to study the entire Torah from G-d in order to teach it to the Jewish people both in the written form and orally. When Moses does not return when expected from Mount Sinai, the people made a golden calf and worshiped it. G‑d proposed to destroy the Jewish nation, but Moses interceded on their behalf. Moses descended from the mountain carrying the tablets of the testimony engraved with the Ten Commandments; seeing the people dancing about their idol, he broke the tablets, destroyed the golden calf, and had the primary culprits put to death. He then returned to G‑d to say: “If You do not forgive them, blot me out from the book that You have written (Exodus 32:32).”
G‑d ultimately forgave the Jewish people and instructed Moses to prepare a new set of tablets and once more ascended the mountain, where G‑d reinscribed the covenant on these second tablets.
While, at face value, the story seems to be demonstrating the disloyalty of some of the people towards G-d and Moses, however, the response and aftermath to this event also demonstrates the greatest qualities of the Jewish people and leadership.
Although G-d is united with the Torah, His connection with His people is even more profound, as evidenced by the fact that the Jewish people preceded the Torah in creation. As a reflection of this, the bond between Moses and his people also transcended his bond to the Torah; therefore, if the Jewish people were to be annihilated, Moses saw no reason to remain part of the Torah. The same holds true for the bond between all true Jewish leaders and their flock. This essential bond remains intact even when the Jew disregards his connection to the Torah: “Even when a Jew sins, he still remains a Jew (Talmud).” Moses was therefore ready to sacrifice his connection with Torah and be removed from its pages for the sake of his people—all of his people, even those who worshiped the Golden Calf.
The lesson here for us, first of all, is that we must strive to emulate Moses' self-sacrifice for the Jewish people. It is not sufficient to simply fulfill the commandment to "love your fellow as yourself"; we must be ready to sacrifice everything, as was Moses, for the benefit of the Jewish people in general and for every single Jew in particular—no matter how far away he or she may seem at that moment from G-d and His Torah.
A Jewish leader once visited the Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch and shared a difficulty he had with a specific Talmudic statement: “Our Sages state that even ‘the sinners of Israel are filled with Mitzvot like a pomegranate is filled with seeds.’ Why would the Sages dwell on the virtues of ‘the sinners of Israel’?” And he proceeded to criticize those who have abandoned Jewish belief and practice.
The Rebbe replied to him: ‘I have a different problem with that statement. If those individuals are filled with Mitzvot, why do the Sages call them the sinners of Israel?’”
Ultimately the system is meant to serve the people and G-d gave us the Torah and His Mitzvot so that we have the inspiration, guidelines and ability to develop a relationship with Him and transform this world into a home for G-d. Our involvement and dedication to Judaism should only enhance our connection and love with our fellow Jews and not, G-d forbid, lead to the contrary.
While businesses and organizations do their best to accommodate the needs of their clients and constituents, care must also be taken not to compromise the quality, integrity and values of the service or information being offered. For that would be counterproductive and ultimately harm the interests of the recipient.
While the Torah itself outlines when exceptions must be made, especially when it pertains to life and death situations, care must also be taken not to change Judaism based on one’s personal preferences and opinion. Since, ultimately, changing or compromising Jewish values and beliefs, even with the best intentions in mind, may actually cause more assimilation and confusion G-d forbid.
The fact that every Jew will forever remain an indispensable part of his or her people is the reason why our Sages declare that in the future Redemption, no Jew will be left behind. The positive quality that is present within every person will come to the surface, enabling each member of our people to merit the Redemption.
As the Mishnah states: “All Jews have a share in the World to Come, as it says, (Isaiah 60:21), “Thy people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.”
