Questions tagged [emes-truth-honesty]
The emes-truth-honesty tag has no usage guidance, but it has a tag wiki.
65 questions
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Why did Yitzchok give perhaps the worst answer to eisavs question [duplicate]
When Eisav asks Yakov Avinu where did my Bracha go, Yitzchok answers him and says your brother Yackov came to me cunningly and stole your bracha. There were a lot of much better answers Yitzchok could ...
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Story about the Chofetz Chaim being sworn in as a witness in a secular court
I remember hearing a story about the Chofetz Chaim being sworn in as a witness in a secular court. Can anyone tell me a source for this story, or give me more details? I'm 90% sure it was the ...
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What do colors represent in Chassidus and Kabbalah
BH
Is there a more deeper explanation to colors in Chassidus and Kabbalah?
Like hidden meanings of different colors or more higher explanation of them in Seder hishtalshelut or in the spiritual levels?...
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What does "shoresh neshama" mean
BH
I heard the concept called "shoresh neshama" that every person has. Is this the same as your reincarnation?
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Who spoke the truth?
In the last chapter of the book of Job G-d tells Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar that they have not spoken truth about Him. G-d does not mention Elihu which implies that whatever Elihu said about G-d is ...
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If HaShem truly sent רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר in [1 Kings 22], Why does G-d need humans to lie?
In [Derekh HaShem 3.4.11], Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) validates the vision by Mikayahu of G-d fooling Achav with lying spirits in [1 Kings 22:22-28] as true.
If HaShem knows trust in humans is ...
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Why did שמואל הנביא need permission to save his own life?
In יבמות ס״ה,ב׳ it brings the story of when Hashem told שמואל הנביא to go and anoint דויד, and שמואל asked Hashem what he should do in order not to arouse Shaul’s suspicion, thereby endangering his ...
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May a Jewish actor playing a role swear "falsely"?
Avraham the Jew from New Jersey puts on a costume, takes off his head covering, walks onto a stage, or movie set ... action! And says "I, John Jacob Schmidt of Oklahoma, do solemnly swear that I ...
- 136k
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Question about degrees of honesty
I have been reflecting on some things I have done, and have begun to wonder whether my 'honest' words were simply a (subconsciously) clever way of gaining a person's trust, and thus of gaining power.
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Have any Rabbis discussed hating Hashem as being part of a deeper level of a relationship with him?
There's a belief that the people you love the most are the ones who can make you hurt the most. Friends & family have a closeness to us which can hurt us in a deeply personal way. The anger and ...
- 1,413
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Yaakov, Lavan, and the sheep deal(s)
Yaakov tells Lavan that "You changed my wages ten times." [Chazal: actually a hundred times.] It's a sad story. If Lavan had just given Yaakov normal wages, מחצית שכר - splitting the outcome ...
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Cheating on tests, when all students are doing it
This seems to be a common issue in the Corona era when tests are administered remotely. The teachers have no way of enforcing the students not to discuss the questions among themselves or to look up ...
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Is one allowed to say that a girl is simpleminded when giving shidduch information? [closed]
If a person is trying to help another make a shidduch (assist in arranging a potential marriage), they may know that a particular boy would be looking for a smart girl. If the person has information ...
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Is it forbidden to buy bad merchandise in order to get a refund?
The background:
I bought neodymium magnets from China off of ebay.
The magnets were NOT neodymium and the item was not as good as I expected.
This is a common Chinese practice on ebay. The Chinese ...
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Who is rich in matters of courtship?
The Mishna says: If a man says to a woman, "Marry me. I am rich.", and she agrees, but it turns out he is poor, the betrothal is not valid. If a man says to a woman, "Marry me, even though I am poor."...
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What is the first (or any) explicit source for Yaakov being epitome for "truth"?
This idea appears over and over again, and I failed to find where does it come from. I know that the sefirot are matched by the Ushpizin by the Arizal, Abraham stands for chesed, Yitzchak for gevurah/...
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Why doesn't Yaakov ( תתן אמת ליעקב) object to his mother's plan on the grounds that it does not reflect truth?
Yaakov is the prototypical man of truth
"תתן אמת ליעקב" (מיכה ז, כ)
When his mother proposes a deception so that Yaakov can get Yitzchok's blessings, Yaakov's objection is strictly practical (...
- 48.7k
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The tradition of a Gezeira Shava
A number of questions and answers (here is one, for example) have pointed out that expounding text by means of a gezeriah shava requires a mesorah, a teaching from one's teacher, and that different ...
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Additional examples of Appealing to Bat Kol?
Besides Tanuro Shel Akhnai story (B"M 59b) where R' Eliezer appealed to the Heavenly voice to prove him right, what are additional examples of Chachamim appealing to the Bat Kol to prove their ...
- 28k
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Is there a concept of "peer review" in Rabbinical Judaism?
"Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competences as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a ...
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When the truth comes out about what happened in the past, should we judge them for it? [closed]
I work at a place that monitors and provides support for recovering humans who did foolish things.
How should a soul respond when the knowledge is afterwords gained that at a time a student did ...
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Can we know the absolute truth?
I've encountered Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers suggest that we, as finite creatures, cannot know the absolute, objective truth. All we can do (in This World), I've heard suggested, is to approach (in ...
- 7,532
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On what halachic grounds can you be compensated for teaching Torah? [duplicate]
The Tanach says:
Buy truth, but do not sell it. [Proverbs 23:23]
Does that mean that a paid Torah teacher is a sinner? Am I abetting sin by hiring him?
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Is lying about the blessings of Hashem considered a sin?
Say that a Jew is speaking with another Jew and trying to convince them they should be more observant. During his argument, he states that his life has improved tremendously since he became more ...
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Where can I obtain the sefer “Titen Emes L'Yaakov”?
Rabbi D Neustadt referenced a sefer “Titen Emes L'Yaakov” in his “Weekly Halacha Discussion” titled “The Halachic Definition of a Lie”. Can someone tell me where I can obtain this sefer please? (I ...
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When does a student have to tell their school that they will not be returning?
Let's say that a student told his Yeshiva that he will be returning the following year. For whatever reason, the student changed his mind.
At what point must the student tell the Yeshiva of his ...
- 34.7k
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If rishonim/acharonim frequently make mistakes in their zeal to critique others, can we still justify a belief in their singular devotion to truth?
I was always taught that the great Torah scholars were as near-perfect human beings as could possibly be, particularly in their scholarly abilities, but perhaps even more so in their character traits ...
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Is making someone believe you came to see him, while you were really there anyway, allowed?
If someone goes to visit a patient in the hospital, and while he's there he is met by another patient who thinks that the visitor came especially to see him, is he obligated to tell his friend that "I ...
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Is there a problem of גניבת דעת (deception) when one is served a food and he dislikes the taste, and he says "This tastes delicious!"?
Is there a problem of גניבת דעת (deception) when one is served a food and he dislikes the taste, and he says "This tastes delicious!"?
Although there is no absolute delicious, and to someone else it ...
- 7,092
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If we cannot be absolutely certain that Judaism is true/the truth, how can we impose on others in its name? [closed]
If we cannot be absolutely certain that Judaism is true/the truth, how can we impose on others in its name (e.g. killing a fetus endangering its mother's life, warring with Palestinians claiming ...
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Forced/unlikely answers are usually true
I heard in a shiur that the Chasam Sofer says something like רוב דחוקים אמת, most unlikely answers to a kasha are true. It's not clear to me if this means it is the correct answer or simply there many ...
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The truth does not depend on popular opinion?
I have heard multiple Rabbis say, mostly in the name of HaRaMBa"M, that the truth is not dependent on the number of adherents to a particular opinion. I apologize for lack of accuracy.
What is the ...
- 7,532
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Were the Jews first to institute monogamy (a ban on polygamy)
It seems that Rabbi Menshe Kline claims (here) that Jews were first to institute monogamy.(a ban on polygamy)
If I understood incorrectly, What is he really saying?
Is he exaggerating(or literal)?
...
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Is one allowed to lie to *possibly* preserve peace?
The Gemara in Yevamos (65a) proves from various sources that one may lie, or at least tell a half-truth, to preserve peace, at least regarding the past. (See here for more on that Gemara.)
Now, in all ...
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Is there a problem with lying?
Is lying per se forbidden? If not, are there circumstances under which (certain lies) are forbidden? On what grounds?
What about:
If you have a good enough reason to lie (e.g. for the sake of a ...
- 20.2k
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Are we allowed to assume that a Rabbi may have not thought of something?
Sometimes in reading a difficult Rishon or Acharon, you come across a statement which seems limited and difficult to understand. Sometimes it's what seems to be an answer to a question which skims ...
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Ethics of survey studies with a false premise
This morning I received a blast email in a group of which I'm a member, offering for free to the first taker a set of items I have never had, nor do I think I will ever have, interest in owning. I ...
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Are "clickbait" links permissible?
Wikipedia defines "clickbait" as follows:
Clickbait is a pejorative term describing web content that is aimed at generating online advertising revenue, especially at the expense of quality or ...
- 48.6k
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Does mesirah apply to organizations other than the government?
Inspired by a good question asked here that did not receive any serious answers.
Are there prohibitions (under mesirah or elsewhere) on turning over a fellow Jew to authorities other than the ...
- 20.2k
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How is it that the Talmud can make historical mistakes?
A Rav told me that when it comes to science and nature, the Talmud can say incorrect things (i.e. about animals, cosmology) because they were going by the Greeks and Romans. (Where he gets permission ...
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Is one obligated to honor his word in a business agreement with a non-jew?
If one makes a certain agreement in business with a non-jew outside the range of something forbidden by the Torah itself (e.g to do something at a certain time or location etc.), is one obliged to ...
- 1,224
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How did Saul Die- The Amalekite claims to have killed him [duplicate]
In Book 2 of Shmuel chapter 1 The Amalekite that tells David of Sauls death.
Did the Amalekite that claimed to have killed Saul tell that to David for his prestige?
Why did he claim to have killed him?...
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School closing - At what point must the parents be told?
Yeshiva A or Bais Yaakov A has serious financial problems. They are doing all they can to stay viable, however unless a big donor steps forward they will be forced to close. If the school tells the ...
- 140k
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Is there a connection between truth and good?
we find that God is associated with truth and also good and that we are exhorted to pursue both,
ex. "Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth" Psalm 86:11
"Turn from evil ...
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Loshon hara vs. Honor code
Note: This question is in fact hypothetical--but any suggestions for edits that could make it a less ostensibly CYLOR-type question would be welcome.
Let's say I attend a university which requires ...
- 20.2k
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Should you change the truth for peace?
The Gemara says (Yevamos 63a)
רב הוה קא מצערא ליה דביתהו כי אמר לה עבידי לי טלופחי עבדא ליה חימצי חימצי עבדא ליה טלופחי כי גדל חייא בריה אפיך לה אמר ליה איעליא לך אמך אמר ליה אנא הוא דקא אפיכנא לה ...
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G-d and the serpent, what happened?
G-d said: "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.'"
And the serpent said: "Ye shall not surely die; 5 for G-d doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall ...
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How to not believe slander
I once heard lashon hara (slander) from someone whom I generally admire, about someone towards whom I had less respect. I was naturally tempted to believe the statement, even though it is forbidden to ...
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Truth in a vacuum and Emes
The rules of mathematical logic classify a vacuous truth as being true. Therefore, if I say "All of my answers with score >500 have been accepted," that is a true statement according to the rules of ...
- 59.1k
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Threatening to sue with no intention to do so
Let's say that a person is rightfully owed a sum of money, and the debtor refuses to pay them. Can they threaten to take the person to Beis Din or a secular court, even if they have no intention of ...
- 59.1k