Paying on Time1, Part 12
In this article, we will discuss the people to whom bal tolin does and does
not apply.
Bal tolin applies to any worker, whether he is a man, woman or child.
However, bal tolin does not apply to a non-Jew. Nonetheless, a person must
be extra vigilant to conduct himself with honesty and integrity in paying
wages to non-Jews. Failure in this area can easily cause a chillul HaShem,
(a desecration of G-d’s name). This is so serious because it causes great
damage to HaShem’s ‘reputation’ so to speak. Needless to say, this does not
harm HaShem himself (because He is all-powerful and cannot be hurt in any
way), but it causes people to turn away from Him and His Torah, because they
feel that the Jewish people are not conducting themselves in an appropriate
way. Accordingly, such behavior is despicable in His eyes.
Bal tolin applies to salaried employees, service providers, craftsmen and
professionals, and also applies to rentals. We will discuss the laws
relating to them in the coming weeks.
Salaried employees are usually hired for a long-term, with some kind of
agreement that requires payment at a set period, such as monthly. Each and
every payday the employer is subject to bal tolin. Even if the payday is not
the last day of the work period, nevertheless bal tolin applies.
