Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection

You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of TORCH in Houston, Texas. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.

Welcome back everybody to the Jewish Inspiration Podcast. To the Musser Masterclass. We are in the middle of the Gate of Falsehood in the Ways of the Righteous in the Orcha Tzadikim in the Treasure for Life edition. On page 691 in the middle of the page. Previously we mentioned in day number 119 and 120, we were talking that there are nine different categories of liars. We said the first is one who denies
taking a loan or repaying a loan. We said secondly that there's one who lies in a way that doesn't involve any injury to another person. But where there is the intent to deceive one's fellow man into believing and trusting and not guarding himself. The third category consists of those who lie to their fellow man not to steal from him what is his, but eyeing their perspective good and preying upon it to seize it through falsehood and deceit. So like steering their client list. I'm not stealing your business.
Just stealing your potential business. Number four, the fourth category of falsehood is consists of those who lie in relating things they heard, deliberately distorting some of them. They derive no benefit from these lies nor do they damage others. And sometimes it's a total make-believe story. It's made up. We have the fifth category consists of those who tell their fellow man that they will benefit him and give him a gift or assist him in some way.
Not saying so in a manner that reassures him and while speaking thinking in their heart that they will not give it. You know, if you bring me this business, we'll give you a cut of the deal. And they know in the back of their mind, they're never gonna fulfill this. They're not gonna do this. If you work for me in my company, you have the potential to make a gazillion dollars. How many people have I spoken to and they come to me to say they're looking for a job?
I'm like, what's going on in your current company? I thought this was a good idea. He says, yeah, they promised me the world. But then when it comes to it and I deliver what they say and what they expect or beyond their expectation, they're never ever gonna give me the money that they told me they would or the money that I could earn if I were to succeed. So it's again, it's trying to get something out of someone in a dishonest way leading them on a path
falsely. And now we're up to way, day number 121 and we're dealing with the sixth category. So the sixth category, HaShishi HaMaftihas Chavera Lehe Tivlo V'Hivticho Kol Kah Ad Shi Yivtach Bo Leiv Chavera. The sixth category consists of one who assures his fellow man of some benefit assuring him until he is implicitly trusted. I'm gonna do this. You got it. I'm covering you. I've got I'm gonna assist you. I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna hire you. You got it. It's a done deal.
Eyn Lo Lechal Hafto Chaso. This trust should not be violated. And if one is false in this, he incurs great punishment than the previous falsifiers who only speak in general terms and he is like one who breaks a covenant. V'imu Mishakir Bazeh Yeish Be'Onesh Godol Yosim Menarishon Sh'lo Ossa Eladibur Ba'alma. The previous ones we spoke about, they're just talking talk and they're not, they didn't make a commitment. They led you to believe certain things, but this is here. Someone actually makes a commitment.
I am going to do this and they don't follow through. This is a really devastating thing and it incurs a great punishment. V'hu Kah Adam Overbris. It's like someone who forgoes or breaks a covenant. V'ha Omer L'chav'er L'haseh Sh'lo Matonu Mu'etes. And if one told his friend that he will give him a small gift, even though he used no term of assurance about this, our rabbis have stated retracting one's word constitutes a breach of faith.
Av Farpish Sh'lo Hisgir Lo Lashnav Tocha. I never made a promise. I never swore. Oh, I swear I'm gonna give you this. He didn't do that. He just said I'm gonna go give it to you. It's a, you know, he didn't say it with a promise. Still, someone who says that, the Talmud says, Kol Ha'chozer B'dvarav Yeish Bo Mishum Michus Re Amona. It's someone who is a person who has a complete breach of faith in his words. Why?
Ki Le'ev Chavei Rosomachola V'boteach Bo. For his friend relies upon him and trusts him. Since the gift in question is only a small one. He says, oh, it's a small gift. He's gonna follow through. It's not a big deal. He'll do it. And then he doesn't remember. Remember we spoke about this a few chapters ago. We spoke about the gate of remembrance. Sometimes people don't follow through, not because they don't want to, not because they're ill-willed, but rather it's because they forget.
They're forgetful. So, but still, when someone gives a word, they should follow through on it. V'im Ish Anihu Afa Pishamatanu Merubah Hu Choseh Bo Ra'aso Rabah Ki Noda V'Avar Al Ya'chel D'varah. He says, if his friend, the person who was promised, is a poor man, although the gift pledged is a large one for for them, for the poor person, it's a large gift, for a vow has been made and he transgresses, he shall not break his word. The verse states in the Torah, you shall not break your word.
Lo Ya'chel D'varah. Nechein Mi Sheh Yispor Befdei Rabim Lo Seis Matonu Lo Odom, Dehevi Kimo Avtocho Keivon Shuhum Yishalel Al Nidivuso. Ein Nochum Sheh Yoshuv Midvoru Achar Sheh Niskabed Un Yishalel Badovar. Similarly, and this I know someone who's actually done this and it's devastating, someone who boasts in public about a gift that he will give to another, he says, yeah, I made a big pledge to this and this institution. I made a big pledge to my synagogue.
I made a big pledge to, you know, to support this or that cause. Since he praised himself already for his generosity, it is not right that he go back on his word since he has already derived honor and praise through his words. So he already took the credit as if he did it, but he didn't actually follow through. Sometimes people want that recognition. They want that that praise and that honor, but now that they got it, why should I fulfill it? And it's a really devastating thing.
So that's it. That's the sixth form of falsehood. The seventh, Hashvi, Hamat Echaveiro Lomar Ki Oso Imo Tova Odiber Olov Tova V'lo Oso, is when someone deceives his fellow man by telling him that they have done for him a favor or they spoken well. Oh, I spoke about you in front of all those people. I told them how great you are. I told them how trustworthy you are, etc, etc, but it's not really true. V'alzeh Omra B'Seinu Z'chon HaLabroch, it's not really true that he actually said those things.
Oso Lignov Da Sabrios, it is forbidden to delude others, even Gentiles. Afilo Dato Shogoi, right? So what does that mean? That means you cannot trick someone. What does that mean? Something called Dat, Dat is intellect. You can't fake something that someone will think that it's one way in their mind, but really your intention is another way. I'll give you an example. You know, there's a famous halachic question that was asked, okay, in Israel, in Jerusalem, sometimes it could be really, really hot in the summer.
You're waiting for a bus. You're waiting for the train for the, you know, to come and it's really, really hot. It could be a hundred degrees, high humidity, like in Houston, and you'd like to be anywhere but in the street waiting for the bus. So what do you do? You go into the local shop, the gift shop, and you walk around the gift shop and the seller of the gift shop comes and says, oh, what can I get you? And you say, no, I'm just browsing around.
Really, you're not there to browse around. You're not planning to buy anything. You're just there for the cool air conditioning. That is stealing intention. You're leading them on to believe that you're there to be a client, to buy something, but really you have no intention whatsoever to do so. That's stealing intention, and that's also considered one of the prohibited forms of falsehood. It is forbidden to delude others, and there is transgression here. Excuse me.
And there's a transgression here. For we are obligated to speak words of truth. For being one of the foundations of the soul. Truth is one of the foundations of the soul. So this is critical, critical for us to realize that we have to find a way to have no alternative understanding to the words that we're saying. It's clear. We're not trying to delude anyone. We're not trying to confuse anyone. We're not trying to trick anyone. We're being straightforward. We're being honest, and that's the seventh
falsehood that one should avoid. What's the eighth? Hashmini. One who takes praise for qualities that they do not possess. He says such a thing, such praise, that one praises, takes the compliments that really don't belong to them. It's a great sin, even if what one says is true. So here's the problem. Let's say someone is very generous and people praise him. Oh such and such is such a generous person. There's such a big giver or someone who's righteous.
Say, oh, he's so righteous. Or someone is a great, leads the prayer and synagogue so nicely. And they, yeah, I'm the best chazan in my congregation. I'm the best one who leads, right? Be very, very careful because are you doing that for your own praise? Or are you doing that to honor the Almighty? If you're making that donation and taking the credit for yourself, then you're doing it for the wrong cause. You're stealing what you're doing it for. You're supposed to be doing it for the Almighty.
Doing it because this is the will of God. Because I'm fulfilling his will and now I'm running around taking credit for it. So you're not even doing it for the right cause. Well, our Rabbis and our sages of blessed memory said, Right? The Talmud says that if people praise you for knowing two tractates of Talmud, but you only know one. They're praising you. Oh, you got to meet my rabbi. He's something special. He knows all the Torah inside out and he, and it's not true.
They say he knows, you know, all of the Talmud or all of this and all of that and he really doesn't know that. You have to correct them. You have to correct them. Definitely if someone is being honored for traits that they don't possess. Oh, he's so truthful. Oh, he is so kind. Oh, he's so giving. Oh, he's so forgiving. Oh, he's so you know, this or that, whatever the trait is and it's really not true, you also have to correct them and say, no, no, no.
I appreciate it. Thank you so much. It makes me feel good, but it's not true. Not true. I don't possess these traits that you claim I possess. Now some might say, oh, you see that that makes him even more modest. No, a person has to be truthful and a person has to say if it's true, it's true. If it's not true, it's not true. The ninth category consists of those who lie about what they have heard and change the facts according to their needs
without causing injury to anyone. So they change the facts. Now, obviously if there is damage to someone that's obvious and it's all the more so. Even if he doesn't have financial benefit from it, from this lie, changing some of the facts, some of the details, but there is a benefit to him for whatever reason. The Talmud says a story of Rav and his wife. When he would ask her for lentils, she would make him peas and when he would ask her for peas,
she would make him lentils. He and his son reversed his father's words. When Rav wanted peas, he told his mother make lentils and she made peas. Now, what was the son's idea here? This son was motivated by his father's honor that he have the food that he desired. Yet in spite of this fact, Rav exhorted him not to do so again. Why? They have taught their tongues to speak lies. You don't teach yourself to speak lies.
Now, we can ask the question of why his wife did the opposite. That's not our place right now. It's not our topic to discuss it in this class. Maybe we'll do it in our Thinking Talmudist series. But the idea of you don't teach your tongue to speak falsehood. However, however, the punishment for this kind of falsehood is not as great, is not as severe as the punishment for those who lie in vain. As we mentioned in the fourth category, thus far are the nine categories of liars.
So this is what we mentioned, the nine different categories of those who speak falsehood. The overriding idea is that we should never, and this is why he finishes with this story of Rav, to tell us one should not train their own lips to speak words that are untrue, even if it's inconsequential. I'm not hurting anybody. It's not gonna do anything good. It's a big deal. It's not a big deal. No, don't train yourself to speak falsehood.
Because right now it's for insignificant things, and then it very quickly goes, because you're, a person could be in the habit of speaking falsehood, that then he goes right into the things which do have significance. So this, my dear friends, concludes day number 121.

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