More on Job Transitions (Menachot 16a)

There's an interesting disagreement cited in today's Talmud page. The original disagreement appears in Yoma 49b and basically boils down to this: if the Kohen Gadol (high priest) dies or is disqualified in the middle of the Yom Kippur sacrifice and you must replace him what do you do with the substance of his sacrifice? Does the next Kohen Gadol pick up right where he left off or does he have to provide his own? This dispute matters in a case where the original Kohen Gadol did most of the work and slaughtered his offering but died before pouring the blood on the altar. Does the new Kohen get to use the blood from the first's sacrifice or does he have to bring a new animal?

A few weeks ago I wrote about mentorship and job transitions. It seems that one can apply this case to job transitions as well. If your predecessor leaves suddenly is it ethical to pick up right where he left off, finishing the work he began and getting the credit for having done it (all of it)? Or do you need to begin anew, knowing that you should only get credit for the work you do. This assumes that only the person who finishes the work gets the credit. However, if your predecessor leaves on bad term this just might be what happens.

It's a tough question and I'm not sure I have the answer. Maybe that's why it's been in the air for at least 2,000 years.