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Signing A Contract Without Reading It

Question:

I recently applied for life insurance, which involved signing several documents in the presence of an agent. I basically just signed them without reading them, following the directions of the agent. But then I saw that one of the papers said something like “I have read and understood the foregoing document. The agent has fully explained to me all the terms, conditions, etc. and I understand them.” Then there is a line to sign. The fact is, I didn’t read it nor did the agent explain it, nor do I understand all of it. Is this a problem either of sheker, or dinei mamonos, assuming I get the policy without having technically followed the procedure. I should point out that I think most people don’t read all the documents.

Answer:

The Halachah obliges a person to a carry out the terms of a contract that he signs, whether or not he has read it. Even if we were to know for sure that he did not actually read it before signing, his actual signing is a commitment to whatever is stated in the contract.

Therefore there would be no problem claiming according to the terms of the contract.

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