The merchant stood behind his scales as the customer waited.

The goods were placed on one side, the weight on the other. The balance settled. The customer paid what was asked and walked away, never knowing that the weight had been false.

No one had seen what the merchant had done.

At the close of Parashat Ki Teitzei, the Torah warns against keeping dishonest weights and measures:

לֹא־יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּכִיסְךָ אֶבֶן וָאָבֶן גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה You shall not have in your pouch........

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