What is the maximum profit a seller of wine or oil may charge under court regulation?
Courts regulate prices for life necessities — wine, oil, flour — setting a maximum profit of one-sixth. This applies to the marketplace regardless of honest disclosure.
Question 2
A merchant buys eggs and wishes to resell them with a profit. His purchaser also wishes to resell them. Who may take a profit?
The rule is that profit may not be taken twice on eggs. The first merchant may profit; the one who buys from him must resell at cost only.
Question 3
Storing produce purchased from the market in Israel during a drought — is this permitted?
Storing purchased produce in a drought is forbidden even for small quantities — it brings a curse on market prices. Hoarding in Israel or in a majority-Jewish community is compared to ribbit (lending at interest).
Question 4
A city's trade guild sets a rule that no craftsman works on a day his colleague is working. A craftsman violates this. Who determines if the penalty is enforceable?
Trade guild agreements require the approval of the distinguished sage (chakham chashuv) of the city to be enforceable. Without that approval, anyone who causes a loss based on such an agreement must pay damages.
Question 5
Why is verbal ona'ah (hurtful speech) considered more severe than financial ona'ah?
Financial damage can be repaid; emotional and reputational harm cannot. Additionally, financial ona'ah involves a person's possessions, while verbal ona'ah harms the person himself — making it inherently more severe.