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Alex is the director of the chemicals division of a large company. He is informed that
a team of internal auditors from headquarters will arrive at his door for an audit in 48
hours. His staff prepares as best they can.
The day before the auditors arrive, one of his assistants discovers some disconcerting
news: Woody, a 30-year veteran of the plant, has been systematically altering accounts for
years. Month by month, Woody has been shipping products to customers without billing
them--and then billing customers without shipping anything.
Alex is stunned. Seeking an explanation, he learns that Woody was not lining his own
pockets. He was simply trying to be helpful. His goal was to smooth out the cyclical
nature of the orders so that, month by month, the figures sent to the home office appear
level and consistent, with no peaks and valleys. No money has been lost or gained - it
all balances out in the end, and the ‘fudged numbers’ only apply to 5% of the division’s
annual earnings.
It is clear to Alex that the practices must stop immediately. The question is how: if Alex is
honest, he will tell the auditors immediately of his discovery, and Woody (who happens
to have a large family to support) will lose his job. If Alex decides to protect the career
of a very loyal employee who only meant to help, he has to mislead the auditors. What
should he do? 2
* * *
The telephone rings while Laura is sitting on a couch in her apartment, hanging out with
her roommate, Jen. As Laura picks up the phone, Jen says, “If that’s Robbie, tell him I’m
not here.”
The next words Laura hears are: “Hi, this is Robbie. Is Jen there?”
Laura believes very strongly in the importance of honesty, but knows that a truthful
answer will lead to a fight with her roommate. What should she do?
POINTS TO PONDER: * * *
~~ Is lying wrong?
~~ Is it ever OK to lie?
~~ In a personal relationship?
~~ A professional relationship?
~~ When facing injustice?
~~ On a tax form?
~~ On a singles’ Web site?
1 Winston Churchill once said‘ :Men occasionally stumble over the truth ,but most of them pick
themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened’.
2 Closely based on a dilemma from globalethics.org
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OUTLINE
THE SOURCE
DOES G-D ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH? THE WHOLE TRUTH?
COMPLIMENTING THE BRIDE?
SELF-PROTECTION, HUMILITY, ETC
THE SEAL OF G-D AND THE MEANING OF TRUTH
THE LESSON OF THE LETTERS
THE SOURCE
Exodus 23:7
Keep far from falsehood שמות פרק כג
(ז) ִמ ְּד ַבר ׁ ֶש ֶקר ִּתרְ ָחק
Consider also:
Leviticus 19:11
You shall not steal, you shall not make false ויקרא פרק יט
denials, and you shall not lie to each other.
:(יא) לא תגנבו ולא תכחשו ולא תשקרו איש בעמיתו
Many other injunctions 4 about honesty appear in the Torah and Talmud.
In fact, it has even been pointed out that the first, middle and last letters of the alephbeis are Aleph, Mem,
and Tav – spelling Emet (Emes), or Truth – meaning that Truth is a running theme in all of Judaism!
3 On the one hand ,it seems that lying is so bad that it should be kept far away from ,something that is not
emphasized in all commandments .On the other hand ,the verse says“ ,keep far from falsehood ,”which suggests that
one should have an orientation towards truthfulness and honesty ,but does not state definitively that it is forbidden to
lie in all circumstances( ie it doesn’t say ,Thou Shalt Never Lie.)
4 Lying in court
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Knowing how important honesty is in Judaism, what do you notice about the following episode in the Torah?
Genesis 18:9-15
[And the angel said to Abraham]: בראשית פרק יח
Now, Sarah was listening at the entrance of the והנה בן לשרה אשתך ושרה שמעת פתח האהל והוא
tent, while Abraham was on the other side. And :אחריו
Abraham and Sarah were elderly, and had lived
long years, and the way of women had ceased
(יא) ואברהם ושרה זקנים באים בימים חדל להיות
from Sarah. :לשרה ארח כנשים
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, after I (יב) ותצחק שרה בקרבה לאמר אחרי בלתי היתה לי
have ceased to have my period—and while my :עדנה ואדני זקן
husband is so old…?
And G d said to Abraham, why did Sarah (יג) ויאמר יקוק אל אברהם למה זה צחקה שרה לאמר
laugh, saying, ‘will I still bear children while I :האף אמנם אלד ואני זקנתי
am so old’? Does G d betray his word? At the
appointed time, I will return to you, and Sarah
(יד) היפלא מיקוק דבר למועד אשוב אליך כעת חיה
will have borne a son.’
:ולשרה בן
And Sarah denied this, saying, ‘I did not laugh;
rather, I was afraid.’ (טו) ותכחש שרה לאמר לא צחקתי כי יראה ויאמר לא
:כי צחקת
And He said, ‘no, you did laugh.’
Torah commentators usually question redundancies in verses, the assumption being that information in Torah verses is
conveyed using the most concise language. Thus, when there is “extra” language in a verse, there is usually additional
information that is being conveyed. Hence, the question here is why the verse has to list two quantitatively equal
measures, when one could have been derived from the other. Notice the homiletic interpretation of the word hin, which
is a liquid measure. The word hin in Hebrew is almost identical to the word hen, which means “yes” in Aramaic, the
language in which the Talmud was written.
5 Notice what Sarah really said and compare it to what G-d quoted her as saying.
6 Clearly, He was trying to protect Abraham’s feelings by not mentioning that Sarah also referred to Abraham being
old
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?Are His words to Abraham consistent with his ‘criticism’ of Sarah at the end
Is there a difference between honesty and Emes (the Hebrew word for Truth)? 7 Keep this question in mind
as we continue learning.
One is permitted to alter one’s words for the sake וא”ר אילעא משום רבי אלעזר בר’ שמעון מותר לו
of peace 8 לאדם לשנות בדבר
The Academy of Shammai says: the bride is as ? כיצד מרקדין לפני הכלה:תנו רבנן
she is.
ובית הלל, כלה כמות שהיא:בית שמאי אומרים
The Academy of Hillel says: the bride is beautiful . כלה נאה וחסודה:אומרים
and virtuous.
The Academy of Shammai said to the Academy , הרי שהיתה חיגרת או סומא:אמרו להן ב”ש לב”ה
of Hillel: what if she is lame or blind - do we say מדבר: כלה נאה וחסודה? והתורה אמרה,אומרי’ לה
“the bride is beautiful and virtuous”? The Torah !שקר תרחק
states: keep far from falsehood!
How do you understand the view that a bride ‘is as she is’?
Does this mean that we should be ‘brutal’?
Tosafos, ibid.
THE BRIDE IS AS SHE IS: תוספות מסכת כתובות דף יז עמוד א
Alternatively, he should praise her in some other ואם יש בה מום ישתקו ולא ישבחוה
element of beauty that she actually possesses,
such as her eyes or hands, if they are beautiful.
אי נמי ישבחוה בדבר נאה שיש בה כגון בעיניה או
However, the Academy of Hillel says that one בידיה אם הם יפות
should praise her completely, since if one singles
out a particular quality for praise, the implication
וב”ה אומרים ישבחוה לגמרי דכשמזכירין מה שיש בה
is that the rest of her is lacking.
.לשבח מכלל דשאר לגנאי
9 Here ,the question is not literally how one should dance before a bride ,e.g .whether to juggle or do cartwheels;
rather ,the question is ,when one is dancing before the bride and extolling her virtues ,what one should say?
10 Because he has already bought it and it is too late to change it ,so what is the point of denigrating it ?The case is
different if he can and is open to returning the item and really wants your opinion…
11 Rashi ,loc cit ,explains this to mean that one should act in a manner that is pleasing to others .Interestingly,
Maimonides ,in Hilchos Deos 6:1 understands this to mean that one should choose to associate with righteous ,rather
than wicked ,people.
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In this case, does Jewish tradition side with the Academy of Hillel or Shammai?
We have seen that the Torah espouses an ideal of honesty, but recognizes that there are certain exceptions.
Can you think of any more?
Rashi, ibid.
LEARNING: “Do you know such-and-such רש”י מסכת בבא מציעא דף כג עמוד ב
tractate perfectly or not?”, even though one may
, יש בידך מסכת פלוני סדורה בגירסא או לאו- במסכת
know the tractate perfectly he should answer
ומדת ענוה, יאמר לו לאו- ואף על גב שסדורה היא לו
“no”, for this is the attribute of humility.
.היא
FRUITFULNESS: “Have you used this bed
14?”—he should say “no”; this is the attribute of
modesty.
12 There are parameters to this‘ dispensation to lie ,’and one should direct questions in this area to a competent
Orthodox rabbinic authority.
13 The values that need to be weighed in this case are protecting one’s spouse’s feelings on the one hand and giving
helpful feedback on the other .At times ,a person may appreciate an honest answer that constructively guides them
towards a better look .On the other hand ,if honesty will devastate the one seeking it ,it may be better to say“ ,darling,
you look radiant in that”.
14 In this case ,the question surrounds the use of the bed for intimate relations.
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HOSPITALITY: If one is asked regarding one’s . מדת צניעות הוא, יאמר לאו, שימשת מטתך- בפוריא
host, if the host treated him in a pleasant manner,
שאלוהו על אושפיזו אם קבלו בסבר פנים- באושפיזא
and he responds “no”, this demonstrates a
כדי שלא יקפצו, מדה טובה היא- ואמר לאו,יפות
positive attribute for it protects the host from
being constantly overburdened by unsavory
ויכלו את,בו בני אדם שאינן מהוגנין לבא תמיד עליו
people; offering such a high volume of hospitality .ממונו
could bankrupt the host. 15
What does this passage indicate about the relative worth of these values? 16
What role do these three values have in modern society as contrasted to what we see here?
Note: this does not apply to the IRS! There is a general principle in Torah that, “the law of the land is the
law”, i.e. that Torah Jews must respect abide by local laws. 19
15 Tosafos poses some objections to Rashi’s formulations as to how one should alter one’s words ,but not
fundamentally that it is permissible .For example ,with regard to learning ,Tosafos states that if a person approached
another to ask about a point of Jewish law because he wanted to know what practically he or she should do ,the person
asked should not respond by feigning ignorance.
16 Clearly ,they are held in very high regard because even the great value of honesty is neglected for them!
17 Terumah is a mandatory tithe to be given to kohanim, members of the priestly class. Once it is separated for this
purpose, it takes on an additional level of sanctity in that it belongs exclusively to the kohanim, and is restricted from
use by anyone else. In fact, a person who uses terumah is liable to pay back its value plus one-fifth as a penalty. For
this reason, it becomes less desirable as an item to steal.
18 This case was included for theoretical discussion ;please check with your local Orthodox rabbi about its
application.
19 In a country not governed in accordance with Jewish law, local monetary laws generally take precedence over
Jewish monetary laws. This is not the case, however, with regards to ritual law or other areas of local law that conflict
with Jewish law. Note:
מצוה עד- חלק מצות עשה- סמ”ג
כבר דרשתי לגלות ירושלים אשר בספרד ולשאר גליות אדום כי עתה שהאריך הגלות יותר מדאי יש לישראל להבדיל מהבלי העולם ולאחוז בחותמו
יג) שארית,של הקב”ה שהוא אמת ושלא לשקר לא לישראל ולא לגוים ולא להטעותם בשום ענין ולקדש עצמם אף במותר להם שנאמר (צפני’ ג
ישראל לא יעשו עולה ולא ידברו כזב ולא ימצא בפיהם לשון תרמית וכשיבא הקב”ה להושיעם יאמרו הגויים בדין עשה כי הם אנשי אמת ותורת
כה) וזרעתיה לי בארץ,אמת בפיהם אבל אם יתנהגו עם הגויים ברמאות יאמרו ראו מה עשה הקב”ה שבחר לחלקו גנבים ורמאים ועוד כתוב (הושע ב
כלום זורע אדם כור אחד אלא למצא כמה כורים כך זורע הקב”ה ישראל בארצות כדי שיתוספו עליהם גרים וכל זמן שהם מתנהגים בהם ברמאות
עוד אני מביא ראיה מירושלמי דפרק אלו מציאות, יא) ותמלא הארץ חמס,מי ידבק בהם והרי הקפיד הקב”ה על גזל הרשעים שנאמר (בראשית ו
(ה”ה) שאומר שם רבנין סבייאי זבנין חד כרי דחטין מגוים ואשכחן ביה צררא דזוזי והחזירום להם ואמרו הגוים בריך הוא אלההון דיהודאי וכיוצא בזה
:מספר שם מעשים הרבה מאבדת הגוים שהחזירום מפני קידוש השם עיקרי מצות השבת אבדה בפרק אלו מציאות
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Come and hear: [the verse states] “and they cried ? ויזעקו בקול גדול אל ה’ אלהיהם מאי אמור:תא שמע
out with a great voice to the Lord their G d” 20
What did they say?
:אמר רב יהודה ואיתימא רב יונתן
Rabbi Yehudah—and some say Rabbi
Yochanan—says: ,בייא בייא! היינו דאחרביה לביתא וקליא להיכלא
ועדיין, ואגלינהו לישראל מארעייהו,וקטלינהו לצדיקי
They moaned, [saying] “[our drive for idolatry] .הוא מרקד בינן
21 caused the destruction of the Temple and the
Holy of Holies, caused the death of the righteous,
and caused the exile of the Jewish people from לא איהו- כלום יהבתיה לן אלא לקבולי ביה אגרא
their land—and it still dances among us! יתבו. בתר דאביקו ביה- !בעינן ולא אגריה בעינן
. בעו רחמי,תלתא יומא בתעניתא
You only gave it to us so that we could receive
reward; we don’t want it or its reward!” 22 [This
was said] after they had been steeped in this sin. . דהוה כתיב בה אמת,נפל להו פיתקא מרקיעא
They sat fasting for three days and prayed for
Divine mercy. שמע מינה חותמו של הקדוש ברוך:אמר רבי חנינא
הוא אמת
A note fell from Heaven, upon which was written
“truth”.
20 Nehemiah9:4
21 This cryptic passage from the Talmud is referring to a time when the lust for idolatry was rife amongst the Jewish
people .Given that idolatry is probably the worst sin mentioned in the Torah ,the lust for it resulted in significant
destruction and exile .Thus ,the people cried out to G d to have the desire for idolatry removed from their psyches.
22 The Talmud( Avodah Zarah3 a )states that G d does not plan evil schemes against His creations .The question
then is :If idolatry is SO bad ,why did He create man with a lust for it ?Although the full answer to this question is a
subject unto itself( free will—)it is important to have a basic understanding :G-d gives reward to those who refrain from
committing sins ,but does not necessarily remove the temptation .This is to enable the individual to act in accordance
with the Torah out of his or her own free will .In this case ,the desire for idolatry was felt to be too difficult to
overcome ,and the Jewish people asked that it be removed by Divine agency .It is noteworthy that since then ,idolatry
has not been a widespread phenomenon amongst the Jewish people.
23 In Tractate Shabbos ,the Talmud mentions another way that the seal of G d is truth .In the Sefer Yetzirah ,an early
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Take a good look at the Hebrew words for Truth and Falsehood:
אמת שקר
What do you notice about how the letters are formed?
Kabbalistic work ,we are told that G-d created the world using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet .They function,
therefore ,as the DNA of the universe .The Hebrew alphabet has a first ,middle and last letter ,namely aleph, mem, tav.
These three letters together spell the word emes, which means truth. In other words, the concept of truth is inherent in
G d’s creation of the universe, and His creation of it is in this way is His “seal”.
24 Here truth seems to mean more than accurate facts – truth describes a situation where something is “right in the
eyes of G d”
25 The word for falsehood in Hebrew is “sheker”, whose three letters each have one leg, which, understood in a
physical sense, would cause an object or person to wobble and fall. Falsehood is a concept that is akin to a building
with an inadequate foundation that will fall in a matter of time. By contrast, the Hebrew word for truth, “emes”
contains three letters that have two legs, indicating stability, dependability, and permanence.
26 As someone once put it, lies have speed – but truth has endurance. This is symbolized by the strength and
endurance of the letters of Emes, compared to the shakiness of the letters for sheker.
27 Historically ,many point out that while many fads ,philosophies ,religions ,laws ,moralities ,etc have come and
gone ,Judaism has passed the test of time – for in it are the ultimate truths of the world.
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