200 Torah Book & Portion, Book of Leviticus, Vayikra (Leviticus 1:1-5:26), Source Book Keys, AMEMEI LEVITICUS | 1:1 saying — LEV8 In Judaism, we will see that not only must a... LEV8 In Judaism, we will see that not only must a person withhold information that was specifically told in confidence, but even information that was not told "confidentially" must also not be revealed. Why, in the Talmud (Yoma 4b) after calling Moses, does God use the expression "saying" followed by the phrase "Speak to the children of Israel"? [this verse] It is obvious that if God calls Moses to speak to him and uses the phrase leimor, "saying," that this is intended for the people. Why then add the extra words, "Speak to the people"? The answer is that without the last phrase telling Moses to tell it over to the people, Moses would be prohibited from telling the Jewish people what God had said. Only when there is specific permission to tell information, may it then be repeated to another. Without that permission, even if not spoken in confidence, it would be forbidden to tell the facts of the conversation. Thus, in Judaism, all information is, in its essence, considered confidential. One need not say "Keep this confidential" to indicate secrecy. This concept is also discussed in detail by the Or Hachaim commentary on the first occasion (of the hundreds of occasions) where this double phraseology of "saying" and "Tell the People of Israel" is mentioned in the Torah. Rashi (commentary on Yoma 4b) then reinterprets the word leimor, "saying," to mean two other Hebrew words, lo amar, you shall not reveal. Therefore, this word tells us that no information maybe revealed to another unless explicit consent to do so is granted. Share Print Source KeyAMEMEIVerse1:1Keyword(s)sayingSource Page(s)273 Switch article LEVITICUS | 1:1 say — LEV7 R. Menassiah Rabbah said: Whence is it deriv... Previous Article LEVITICUS | 1:1 saying — LEV9 It is widely accepted that data should not b... Next Article