Q. A scribe was hired to copy a complete book. Is such a scribe permitted to resign before he has completed his task? A. A contractor, a worker hired for the completion of a certain task and not hired by the day or week, is not permitted to resign before his task is completed. A scribe, however, is not permitted to resign even though he was hired for a specific period of time, and was thus not classified as a contractor; for the resignation of a scribe involves a definite loss of money to the person who hired him, as a book copied by two scribes is not uniform in appearance and, thus, commands a low price. SOURCES: Cr. 247; L. 123; Mord. B. M. 343.