Q: I work at a Jewish day school and we have some old computers that were sitting in the hallway. I took them, fixed them up and continued to use them. I am about to take a new job and have to clean out my classroom. I’d rather not leave the computers to be trashed. Is it okay for me to take them and either sell them on the Internet or donate them to charity? Or are they not my property at all?

Q: I am the department head of a Jewish nursing home and am in the process of interviewing candidates for a job. I eliminated a great candidate because she had piercings in her nose and a few tattoos on her arm. That decision doesn’t necessarily reflect my personal opinion, but I felt it might be inappropriate for our agency and its clients. Was I wrong in my thinking to prejudge her?

Dear Potentially Prejudiced,
Your decision to not hire this candidate was based on the way she looked and you’re feeling guilty. Let’s challenge the cliché, “Do not judge a book by its cover.”  Picture a Bible, in your mind. Now imagine it with a cover of a romance novel.
  
Cover design is an important part of marketing any book.  So too, the way we dress and comport ourselves sends messages about our values and identity, intentional or not.  Those messages matter, even if they send a message that doesn’t match what’s “in the book.”

Dear Rabbi Ari,
I work in a local Jewish organization. The other day, my boss inadvertently left a document on her desk listing the salaries of all our employees. I read only the header, not the contents, and then returned it. I felt I did the right thing, but now I’m having regrets. Reading it would not have harmed anyone and ironically, the information might have helped me negotiate a long overdue raise. Would that have been unethical?
Signed,
Honest Jewish Professional

Rabbi,
I am Orthodox Jew who is really into baseball. When the Cardinals played the final game of the World Series, I have to admit that I watched it at a friend’s house so my parents wouldn’t find out. They assumed I was at synagogue observing Shabbat. Is this wrong? What do you advise I do/say to them or should I just be quiet about it?

-Orthodox Cardinals Fan