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There is a concept called malicious compliance in the secular world. A typical example would be when your boss is in a bad mood, and has a go at you for a mistake and says you are no longer allowed to conduct that operation anymore. They haven't thought it through, and if you were to really follow their instructions, it would damage the business.

In the secular world, it is often considered a triumph when the person actually follows the bosses instructions to the letter, and watch them get fired / the business burn, and nobody can "blame" them because they "were only following instructions".

This is clearly forbidden in halacha. What would be the correct approach to genuine situations where the boss is being unreasonable, stubborn and threatening, but you know they are wrong and you just want to follow halacha and not do something you know is of damage to them or the business? To what extent should they accept personal consequences for this?

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    I would expect that factors such as 1) the extent with which the anticipated damage would have/should have been obvious to the boss/manager, and 2) the degree of insistence or diligence with which the employee attempted to inform/warn the boss/manager, would have to be considered. It's hard to give a one bill fits all response to this type of question, each case is unique and has its own context and parameters. +1 for thought provoking question :)
    – Deuteronomy
    Dec 15, 2022 at 13:59
  • @Deuteronomy thank you. Indeed. And I'd imagine there would be a difference between the shura of the din, and midda chassidus on this. "Halachicly, you can just do it, but it would be going above and beyond to risk getting fired than doing it" etc
    – Rabbi Kaii
    Dec 15, 2022 at 16:21
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    There are a few relevant concepts that come to mind. Lo Samod Al dam reacha, hashavas aveida (if they are losing money and you can save it, your obligated to do so), yored lsadeh chavero shelo bereshus, chayecha kodmim, if your loss is greater than the aveida then there’s no obligation to return it. To name a few.
    – Chatzkel
    Dec 16, 2022 at 2:56
  • It seems to me that the main principles governing your main question (choshen mishpat issues related to agency) and your bonus question (duty to honor parents) are likely completely separate, so I would recommend splitting the bonus question of into a separate post.
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Dec 30, 2022 at 16:31

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