Honesty, Integrity, and Truth

(39)And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Makkoth 24a), " `And he speaks the truth in his heart' (Psalms 15:2), as R. Safra..." [Rashi explains: "This is the incident concerning R. Safra: he had a certain article to sell, but when someone approached him while he was reciting the Shema, and said to him, `Give me the article for so much and so much money,' he did not answer, being occupied in the recitation of the Shema. The latter, thinking that he did not want to give him the object for that sum, continued, `Give it to me for so much and so much more.' After completing the Shema, he said to him, `Take the article for the sum you originally stipulated, for I had intended to give it to you for that sum.' "] This to show how far one is duty-bound to be truthful, even to a non-Jew.

(34) Lying, too, is a terrible sickness that has spread far-reachingly among men. There are various levels of this sin. (35) There are some people whose profession itself is lying, who go around inventing stark falsehoods in order to promote social intercourse or to be reckoned among the wise and informed. In relation to them it is said (Proverbs 12:22), "The abomination of God is lying lips," and (Isaiah 59:3), "Your lips speak falsehood..."And our Sages of blessed memory have pronounced their judgment (Sotah 42a), "There are four classes of men who are not received into the presence of God." (The class of liars is numbered among the four).

-DOES THIS LAST SEGMENT SEEM TO TAKE ON MEANING FOR VAST PARTS OF OUR SOCIETY? HOW SO? WOULD YOU HAVE ACTED LIKE RAV SAFRA?

(38) There are others whose sickness is milder than that of the first type. The members of this group are not confirmed in falsehood, but do not take heed to withdraw from it, and speak it when the opportunity presents itself, and very often by way of jest and the like, with no evil intent. The Sage, however, has made it known to us that all of this is contrary to the will of the Creator, blessed be He, and to the attribute of His saints (Proverbs 13:5): "The righteous hate a false thing." And it is in relation to this that we were warned (Exodus 23:7), "Withdraw from a false thing." Note that we do not have, "Guard yourself from falsehood," but "Withdraw from a false thing," this to awaken us to the greatness of the extent to which one must withdraw himself and flee from falsehood....Truth is one of the pillars upon which the world stands [Avoth 1.18:Rabbi Shimon the son of Gamliel would say: By three things is the world sustained: law, truth and peace.] As is stated in Zechariah 8:16 "Truth, and a judgement of peace, you should administer at your [city] gates.'Speaking falsehood, then, is comparable to removing the foundation of the world; and, conversely, if one is heedful of the truth it is as if he maintains the world's foundation.

-HOW CAN ONE'S LACK OF INTEGRITY, HONESTY, AND TRUTH SHAKE THE FOUNDATION OF HIS OWN WORLD? HOW DOES POSSESSING THESE TRAITS PRACTICALY GIVE US A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR LIFE.