The Old Testament ( Torah) on Measurement

We all know that there are laws and regulations regarding measurement. It's surprising, though, how far back these go. We can locate some measurement rules in Jewish law, in fact! Okay, the Old Testament doesn't have the equation for orifice flow in it, but measurement is mentioned.

There are various items in "The Laws" relating to measurement. They boil down to the following:

• You can't have a good and a bad weight or measure kicking around.
• You shall have a good weight and measure on hand.
• You shall not cheat people in measurement.

This isn't surprising. Since theft is forbidden, cheating people would logically be fobidden also. However there is one aspect of this that is a bit surprising. The first two points apply whether or not the measurements are for use in commerce. The reason for this is that you may become used to the hinky measurement and thereby fool yourself over time into believing it is accurate. The most damaging misinformation is the misinformation we feed ourselves!

So, next time you get a yawn at a dinner party talking about measurement, you can say you're doing God's work. It's a mitzvah (no, actually it's three mitzvot).