A Presentation of Partners in Torah & The Kohelet Foundation introduction NOTE source material scenario discussion question Introduction: ittle white lies. They re not always little and they re not always white: and even L when they are, they have a tendency to grow. In fact, in a U.S.-wide survey in the early 1990 s, recorded in the bestseller The Day America Told the Truth, 1 93 percent of Americans admitted that they lie regularly and habitually at work. On the other hand, being totally truthful also doesn t isn t who hasn t blushed with embarrassment by their child s candid questions ( Mommy, why is that woman so ugly? ). In this study session, we offer a uniquely Jewish perspective on the subject. Read and discuss the following scenario. SECTION ONE scenario: O uch! The steaming coffee scalds Jen s tongue and burns her throat. I don t really have time for this, she says, glancing at her watch and leaning her head back on the lumpy couch. 1. James Patterson and Peter Kim, The Day America Told the Truth (1991: Prentice Hall Press) series 1 volume 2 copyright 2012 Partners in torah page 1
Insomnia again? asks Laura, Jen s roommate, sympathetically. Jen nods and takes another gulp. I need a caffeine fix badly, she says. The phone s shrill ring echoes through the apartment. As Laura reaches over to the receiver, Jen gets off the couch, mug still in hand. If that s my boss, tell him I ve already left for work, she says as she disappears into her bedroom to get dressed. As Laura claps the receiver to her ear, a slightly irate voice greets her. Hello, this is Mr. Johnston. Is Jen there? Uh Laura does not want to get Jen into trouble with her boss; nor does she want to compromise her personal integrity. What should she say to Mr. Johnston? L aura s dilemma is one that most of us face fairly often. If you were Laura, how would you respond? Think about your options. Would you protect your friend and tell Mr. Johnston that Jen already left for work? Would you get Jen into trouble with her boss, by telling him that she is still around? Or, would you try and wiggle your way out of the situation somehow, perhaps by saying something like, She was here a while ago, and ask for a message? Integrity versus loyalty. Is it one or the other or is there some way to dance between the raindrops and leave both values intact? Let s read on. SECTION TWO The prohibition against lying and deception is based, in part, on the following two Biblical verses. Source 1a: Leviticus 19:11 ל א ת ג נ ב ו ו ל א ת כ ח ש ו ו ל א ת ש ק ר ו א י ש ב ע מ ית ו. You must not steal; you must not deny falsely, and you must not lie to one another. Source 1b: Exodus 23:7 Distance yourself from a false word. מ ד ב ר ש ק ר תּ ר ח ק. series 1 volume 2 copyright 2012 Partners in torah page 2
E very word written in the Torah is carefully measured, and no word is repeated unnecessarily. The injunction not to deny falsely [or] lie to one another seems to say it all. What do you think is added by the command, Distance yourself from a false word? Section Three Read the following carefully, taking note of the two opposing opinions. Source 2: Talmud, Ketubot 16b-17a תּ נ ו ר ב נ ן: כ יצ ד מ ר ק ד ין ל פ נ י ה כ ל ה? ב ית ש מ אי א ומ ר ים: כ ל ה כ מ ות ש ה יא. וב ית ה ל ל א ומ ר ים: כ ל ה נ א ה ו ח ס וד ה. א מ ר ו ל ה ן ב ית ש מ אי ל ב ית ה ל ל: ה ר י ש ה י ת ה ח יג ר ת א ו ס וד ה? ו ה תּ ור ה א מ ר ה מ ד ב ר ש ק ר תּ ר ח ק. א מ ר ו ל ה ם ב ית ה ל ל ל ב ית ש מ אי: ל ד ב ר יכ ם מ י ש ל ק ח מ ק ח ר ע מ ן ה ש וק, י ש ב ח נ ו ב ע ינ יו א ו י ג נ נ ו ב ע ינ יו? ה ו י א ומ ר י ש ב ח נ ו ב ע ינ יו. T he Rabbis teach: How should one dance before [i.e., compliment] a bride? The Academy of Shamai says: [Speak of the bride] as she is. The Academy of Hillel says: [Say that] the bride is beautiful and virtuous. The Academy of Shamai said to the Academy of Hillel: What if she is lame or blind do we still say the bride is beautiful and virtuous? What of the Torah s statement: Distance yourself from a false word? The Academy of Hillel said to the Academy of Shamai: According to you, if someone made a bad purchase at the market, should you praise or denigrate [the item] in front of him? You have to say that you should praise it in front of him. (The halachah is such because the purchaser already bought the item and is unable to return it. Thus we should praise the item, for what is the purpose of denigrating it and thereby making the purchaser feel bad? [The case is different if the person is open to and able to return the item.]) T he academies of Shamai and Beis Hillel seem to have radically different approaches to rules surrounding false speech. What underlying theme seems to govern their differing approaches? series 1 volume 2 copyright 2012 Partners in torah page 3
SECTION FOUR Now take a look at how the Tosafists, who together authored one of the classic commentaries on the Talmud, understood the stances of Beis Hillel and Beis Shamai. Source 3: Tosafot, Ketubot 17a ו א ם י ש ב ה מ ום י ש תּ ק ו ו ל א י ש ב ח וה. א י נ מ י י שב ח וה ב ד ב ר נ א ה כ ל ה כ מ ות ש ה יא, ש י ש ב ה, כ ג ון א ו ב ע ינ יה א ים ה ם י פ ות. וב ית ה ל ל א ומ ר ים: י ש ב ח וה ל ג מ ר י, ד כ ש מ ז כ יר ין מ ה ש י ש ב ה ל ש ב ח, מ כ ל ל ד ש א ר ל ג נ אי. T he bride as she is. According to the Academy of Shamai: If she has a defect, one should keep silent and not praise her. Alternatively, one should praise some other aspect of her beauty, such as her eyes or hands, if they are beautiful. According to the Academy of Hillel: One should praise her totally. Singling out particular features or characteristics could imply that the rest of her is deficient. B ased on what we have seen so far, what advice would the Academies of Hillel and Shamai give to Laura? B ased on what we have studied until now, would you agree that the Torah allows for a certain measure of leniency in truth telling? You may want to hold off answering this question until you ve read the next source. series 1 volume 2 copyright 2012 Partners in torah page 4
SECTION FIVE The following source is a fascinating Talmudic account that takes place in the unique town of Kushta. Be prepared for the unexpected! Source 4: Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a א מ ר ר ב א: מ ר י ש ה ו ה א מ ינ א ל יכ א ק וש ט א ב ע ל מ א. א מ ר ל י ה ה וא מ ר ב נ ן, ו ר ב ט ב ות ש מ י ה, ו א מ ר י ל ה ר ב ט ב י ומ י שמ י ה, ד א י ה ו ו י ה ב י ל י ה כ ל ח ל ל י ד ע ל מ א, ל א ה ו א מ ש נ י ב ד ב ור י ה. ז ימ נ א ח ד א א יק ל ע י ל ה ה וא א ת ר א ו ק וש ט א ש מ י ה, ו ל א ה ו ו מ ש נ י ב ד ב ור י יה ו, ו ל א ה ו ה מ י ית א ינ י ש מ ה ת ם ב ל א ז ימ נ י ה. נ ס יב י א יתּ ת א מ ינ ה ון, ו ה ו ו ל י תּ ר ת ין ב נ ין מ ינ ה. י ומ א ח ד, ה ו ה י ת ב א ד ב ית ה ו ו ק א ח י יפ א ר יש א. א ת אי ט ר פ א א ד ש א. ס ב ר ל או א ור ח א ר ע א, א מ ר ל ה: ל ית א ה כ א. ש כ יב ו ל י ה תּ ר ת ין ב נ ין. א ת ו א ינ ש י ד א ת ר א ל ק מ י ה א מ ר ו ל י ה: מ אי ה אי? א מ ר ל ה ו ה כ י ה ו ה מ ע ש ה. א מ ר ו ל י ה: ב מ ט ות א מ ינ ך, פ וק מ א ת ר ין, ו ל א תּ ג ר י ב ה ו מ ות נ א ב ה נ ך א ינ ש י. R aba said: I used to think that there is no truth in the world. Whereupon one of the Rabbis, Rabbi Tabuth (others say, Rabbi Tavyomi) who would never lie even if he were given all the treasures of the world, told me that he once came to a place called Kushta. [In Kushta], no one ever told lies and no man ever died before his time. Now, he married one of their women, and they had two sons. One day, his wife was sitting and washing her hair, when a neighbor knocked at the door. Thinking that it would not be etiquette [to tell the neighbor that his wife was washing herself], he called out, She is not here. [As a result of this] his two sons died. Then, people of that town came to him and questioned him, What is the cause of this? He related to them what had happened. We pray thee, they said, quit this town, and do not incite death against us. Note: Y ou likely will find several aspects of this excerpt troubling. Take some time to review the selection, consider the questions that it raises and hold on until the next session, when we ll continue with this fascinating exploration. series 1 volume 2 copyright 2012 Partners in torah page 5