A certain Rosh Yeshiva was in the process of moving from one apartment to another. He was charged a flat fee for the move and even though two movers could have done the job, he was told by the moving company that three movers would be working to make the move go faster.
As the move got underway, the Rosh Yeshiva noticed that only two workers were carrying boxes and furniture upstairs. He inquired about the whereabouts of the third mover and was told that the man was downstairs by the moving truck.
The Rosh Yeshiva went downstairs and found the third employee leaning against the truck - not doing much work at all. He gently asked the young man what he was doing. The mover explained that he was watching the illegally parked truck so that the movers would not get a parking ticket which would need to be billed to the client.
The Rosh Yeshiva expressed his appreciation to the young man for his kind gesture. Then, in a measured and respectful manner, he advised the young man that there was a matter of integrity to be considered. He said that even though he was paying a flat fee for the move so from a pricing perspective it did not matter how many movers were on the job, he was told that there would be three workers who would be moving his belongings. If one of those workers was stationed outside, leaning against a truck and not doing any moving, then he would not be receiving what he was entitled to. Even if that worker was well-intentioned, good intentions, while admirable, would not be sufficient if he did not receive what had been promised to him.
The Rosh Yeshiva’s words made an impression on the mover. He promptly went upstairs to join his fellow movers who were hard at work.
