Q. A college student is taking a math class that is very difficult for him, so he paid his brother to do the homework assignments for him. (His major is law, but they require taking this math class). Did he transgress by doing this, and if so, what should he do now? Should he go to the professor and confess and instruct the professor to take off points?
A. Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is that this student certainly engaged in a forbidden behavior that involves a number of prohibitions such as gneivas daas or deceiving others, midbar sheker tirchok, avoiding falsehood etc.
However, the Rov pointed out that we are after all dealing with a homework assignment, that students take home and can usually consult books and the internet or ask teachers and others. Therefore, depending on the case, "confessing" may create an unnecessary chilul Hashem, and common sense should prevail.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
Important Numbers
