Sefer Mitzvos Gadol, Negative Commandment 74

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:21:00 -0400

Rabbi Moshe of Coucy (d. 1260 C.E.): Sefer Mitzvos Gadol, Negative Commandment 74: Israel must separate themselves from the vanities of the world and hold onto the seal of the Holy One, blessed is He, which is truth. They should not lie to anyone, Jew or non-Jew, and they should not deceive anyone in any manner, as the prophet says, "The remainder of Israel will do no wrong and will not speak falsely, and there will not be found in their mouths deceptive speech" (Zephaniah 3:13). Soon the Holy One, blessed is He, will come to redeem the Jewish people. If the Jewish people acts honestly, the gentiles will say, "G-d acted fairly when he picked such people of truth to be His chosen nation. The Torah in their mouths is true." But if they act dishonestly, the gentiles will say, "Why did G-d choose for His portion thieves and swindlers?" Also, the prophet (Hoshea 2:25) says, "And I will plant them for Myself in the earth," and the Talmud (Pesachim 87b) comments, "A person only plants one kor in order to reap many korim. Here too, G-d scattered the Jewish people among the nations so that converts would join them." If the Jews deal dishonestly, who will join them?

Jews May Not Deceive Others

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:17:00 -0400

Chullin 94a. Shmuel said: One may not deceive another person, even a non-Jew. This was not said explicitly by Shmuel, but was derived from the following story: Shmuel once crossed the river using a ferryboat. He told his servant to pay the ferryman. The servant gave the ferryman a non-kosher chicken, allowing the ferryman to assume that it was kosher.

The Talmudic commentator Rashi explains: Shmuel's law explains why the Mishnah says that one may not give a non-Jew a piece of meat from which the sciatic nerve (forbidden to Jews) was not removed. The non-Jew might not notice this and may assume that the Jew is giving him valuable kosher meat. He will then feel gratitude toward the Jew, a gratitude based on a false premise.

This law is codified by Maimonides (Laws of Sale 18:3) and by the Shulchan Aruch (Choshen Mishpat 228:6).

Jewish Response Blog - Talmud

Sefer Mitzvos Gadol, Negative Commandment 74

Jews May Not Deceive Others