"Honesty Pays, But It Doesn't Seem To Pay Enough To Suit Some People" [Kin Hubbard - Journalist]
Stay FAR away from falsehood - cries out the Torah in this weeks parsha. The commentaries point out that normally the Torah lays down the law and the Rabbis create a fence. But with respect to falsehood, due to its severity the Torah itself creates the fence. Stay FAR away!!
My Top 7 contemporary examples. [Please feel free to send me your own. I'd love to hear.]
1] "We'll keep in touch".
2] [Answering machine] "Please leave a message and I will get back to you AS SOON AS POSSIBLE". [Really? Better say "Please leave a message" and leave it at that. You don't even have to mention the beep. Everyone knows already.]
3] [Advertisement] "Lowest prices anywhere" [Have they looked EVERYWHERE to verify that claim?]
4] [Shidduchim] "He comes from a wonderful family!!" [Father currently serving 15 to 25 in prison. Brother a not yet recovering drug addict. Sister living somewhere in California. Nobody knows where. Including her. Mother has dubious distinction of having fulfilled - due to all of her tzoris - all three signs of a mentally impaired person mentioned at the beginning of Maseches Chagigah. Only the family's pet lizard has remained normal [for a lizard]. But the family has a PET LIZARD!!].
5] I would like to make Aliyah some day. [Indeed. In the event that America sinks into the ocean. Better say "I really admire those who do but I am going to support Israel by praying for its safety, donating money and rooting for the Israeli teams in the Olympics].
6] [From our prayer liturgy] "Ki hem chayainu etc." [Don't know if I can offer an alternative. Maybe we should change our attitude so that the words emanating from our mouths ring true.]
7] [Politician] "I will bring a lasting peace to the Middle East". [One should only make such a claim if his first name is Moshiach and his last name is Tzidkainu.]
I would add the Israeli wedding invitation which reads "Chuppah will be promptly at 6:00 PM" which means that the Chuppah will begin at approximately 7:40. But the Poskim say that since everyone knows that 6:00 PM means 7:40 this is not falsehood!!
[For more insight into the topic I refer you to the shiur in the Seminary Girls section entitled "Truth". See also Alei Shor Chelek Beis at length. Incidentally what is the "g" doing in length??????? To be truthful maybe we should start pronouncing the "g".]
My Top 7 contemporary examples. [Please feel free to send me your own. I'd love to hear.]
1] "We'll keep in touch".
2] [Answering machine] "Please leave a message and I will get back to you AS SOON AS POSSIBLE". [Really? Better say "Please leave a message" and leave it at that. You don't even have to mention the beep. Everyone knows already.]
3] [Advertisement] "Lowest prices anywhere" [Have they looked EVERYWHERE to verify that claim?]
4] [Shidduchim] "He comes from a wonderful family!!" [Father currently serving 15 to 25 in prison. Brother a not yet recovering drug addict. Sister living somewhere in California. Nobody knows where. Including her. Mother has dubious distinction of having fulfilled - due to all of her tzoris - all three signs of a mentally impaired person mentioned at the beginning of Maseches Chagigah. Only the family's pet lizard has remained normal [for a lizard]. But the family has a PET LIZARD!!].
5] I would like to make Aliyah some day. [Indeed. In the event that America sinks into the ocean. Better say "I really admire those who do but I am going to support Israel by praying for its safety, donating money and rooting for the Israeli teams in the Olympics].
6] [From our prayer liturgy] "Ki hem chayainu etc." [Don't know if I can offer an alternative. Maybe we should change our attitude so that the words emanating from our mouths ring true.]
7] [Politician] "I will bring a lasting peace to the Middle East". [One should only make such a claim if his first name is Moshiach and his last name is Tzidkainu.]
I would add the Israeli wedding invitation which reads "Chuppah will be promptly at 6:00 PM" which means that the Chuppah will begin at approximately 7:40. But the Poskim say that since everyone knows that 6:00 PM means 7:40 this is not falsehood!!
[For more insight into the topic I refer you to the shiur in the Seminary Girls section entitled "Truth". See also Alei Shor Chelek Beis at length. Incidentally what is the "g" doing in length??????? To be truthful maybe we should start pronouncing the "g".]
Wow...well-put חריפות.
Posted by
WillWorkForFood |
4:04 AM
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