Most petty crimes affect only individuals, but false measures can spread distrust through an entire community. Talmudic law recognises this by noting that while many crimes can be repented for, no one can fully repent for cheating with measures as they can never account for the full impact of their actions. As soon as the crime is committed, it spreads like slander, eroding trust and fomenting suspicion. ‘The punishment for unjust measures is more severe than the punishment for immorality, for the latter is a sin against God only, the former against one’s fellow man,’ says the Mishneh Torah.9
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