Rationalizing Government Fraud

Satmar School (VIN)

After I read the story of yet another Orthodox Jew that committed fraud against the government, I had my usual fit of anger.  Another Chilul Hashem! It seems like there is an unending continuum of fraud being committed by some supposedly bright people that  think they can get away with it. Their attitude seems to be that the employees that work for these government agencies are too ‘dumb’ to figure out what they are doing. 

Unfortunately I know one such individual that was caught; went to prison; ...and after completing his sentence thought up another scheme (with the same attitude about those ‘dumb’ government employees not catching on); and is currently serving time in prison after being convicted a second time.

I truly do not understand this guy. He is quite intelligent and a genuinely nice guy who was active in the community - willing to jump in and help out his fellow Jew when he saw the need. And yet he had no compunction - no moral issues about stealing form the ‘Goyim’ as long as he didn’t get caught. But as I said, he got caught and is now helping out his fellow Jewish inmates.

The latest Orthodox Jew to get caught with his hands in the public till was the executive director of the Central United Talmudic Academy (Central UTA), located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This is a Satmar facility. 

I wish I could say I was surprised.  But I wasn't. I have almost come to expect this kind of thing from this community.

Does that make me prejudiced against Satmar type Chasidim?  I truly don't think I am. Here’s why.

The sad truth is that Satmar type Chasidim or other types of Charedim do not have a monopoly on defrauding the government. Modern Orthodoxy has its share of  those. Big time. And that makes me angry too. But when a the executive director of a Satmar school does it, I find myself to be even angrier. 

Why is that? Why does it make me angrier when I see news about a Satmar official defrauding the government than I am when a Modern Orthodox individual does exactly the same thing?

After asking myself that question and after thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized what my problem was. It has nothing to do with prejudice. It has to do with the rationale by each for the crime they committed.

When someone commits that kind of crime, it is almost always about greed. They just want to enrich themselves and lead ‘the good life’. Although I believe it is a Chilul HaShem when any kind of Jew does this kind of Chilul HaShem, I can nevertheless understand greed. There is no rationalizing it as being in service to a greater good. 

That is my problem with this Satmar Chasid. There clearly was such a rationalization. The same kind that  a Chasdic Rebbe who defrauded the government a few years ago had. He was doing it for his Mosdos - his religious institutions. The Satmar Chasid in this case took the money designed specifically for one purpose and - knowing it was illegal - redirected for another purpose. 

What this tells me is that greed had nothing to do with it. He actually thought he was being moral and ethical according to Jewish law. By diverting those government funds illegally - he was furthering a righteous cause. He must have thought something along the following lines: It was morally superior to use that money for his religious institution than it would have been giving it to - say... and unwed single mother who doesn't even know who the father of her child is. Whose values should this money go to? The values of furthering Torah study and observance of Mitzvos? ...or to feed some ‘tramp’ who has no values at all?

That is what enrages me. The idea that his Torah values override the law and makes stealing money form the government a Mitzvah. He surely thought he was doing a good thing by doing that.

Stealing government money is one thing. But doing so thinking it's a Mitzvah is an outrage! Someone that steals because of greed has no such reasoning. There is no thought that the money he is stealing is being used for Mitzvah purposes. 

Making things worse is the fact that the US - this Malchus Shel chesed - has been so good to us. But instead of being appreciative of that - he took advantage of it! Thinking his own religious needs make it OK. As long as he can get away with it.

The fact is that they never get away with it. They get caught by those ‘stupid’ government employees. Because those employees are not really that stupid. Surely not as stupid as those who try and get away with such crimes.

When will they ever learn? Never, I guess.