The Danger of Bribing
Mishlei Chapter 17 Verse 8:
ח אֶבֶן-חֵן הַשֹּׁחַד, בְּעֵינֵי בְעָלָיו; אֶל-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר יִפְנֶה יַשְׂכִּיל.
bribe is a charming gem in the eyes of its owner; wherever he turns he will succeed.
When a person makes a bribe he not only becomes attached to the utility that he gains from the bribe, but also to the bribe itself as an object of power. He begins to view the bribe as a source of power, a gem in its own right, that can solve any of his problems. He will lose his perception of the workings of the system to which he is subject to, and instead will believe that he can manipulate the system according to his will. In his overestimation of his powers he will make decisions that will overall bring him more pain and suffering than the pain he would have experienced if he had not made the bribe.
here is an alternative summary written by my chavruta:
When a bribe is effective, it allows a person to circumvent the system by which he is bound and avoid undesirable consequences. It does this by blinding the recipient to the binding nature of the system. Ironically, the bribe-giver can easily become charmed and blinded by his own bribe – charmed into thinking he can succeed wherever he turns, and blinded by his true chances of success. Ultimately, a bribe-giver will fall prey to the same types of consequences he seeks to avoid.
ח אֶבֶן-חֵן הַשֹּׁחַד, בְּעֵינֵי בְעָלָיו; אֶל-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר יִפְנֶה יַשְׂכִּיל.
bribe is a charming gem in the eyes of its owner; wherever he turns he will succeed.
When a person makes a bribe he not only becomes attached to the utility that he gains from the bribe, but also to the bribe itself as an object of power. He begins to view the bribe as a source of power, a gem in its own right, that can solve any of his problems. He will lose his perception of the workings of the system to which he is subject to, and instead will believe that he can manipulate the system according to his will. In his overestimation of his powers he will make decisions that will overall bring him more pain and suffering than the pain he would have experienced if he had not made the bribe.
here is an alternative summary written by my chavruta:
When a bribe is effective, it allows a person to circumvent the system by which he is bound and avoid undesirable consequences. It does this by blinding the recipient to the binding nature of the system. Ironically, the bribe-giver can easily become charmed and blinded by his own bribe – charmed into thinking he can succeed wherever he turns, and blinded by his true chances of success. Ultimately, a bribe-giver will fall prey to the same types of consequences he seeks to avoid.
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