DEUT609 The Jew must follow in the ways of God [this verse]. The Talmud (Midrash, Sifra, Shabbat 133, Sotah 14a) says that man must imitate God's traits, and just as God is truthful, we must be truthful. This is the biblical basis for the practical laws about not gossiping or not speaking untruths about someone else (Sefer Shmirat Halashon, Introduction, Positive Commandment #14). Therefore, with all the talmudic discussions about lying, except for the case of the beautiful bride, there is no Jewish law recorded that a person is allowed to lie to keep the peace or for any other reason. There is one exception to this statement, which will prove the rule. The Talmud (Bava Metzia 23b) says that a Torah scholar is permitted to lie in three areas: in the tractate he is learning, in his sexual habits, and in his house of lodging. Thus, in order not to embarrass himself or his host, the Torah scholar can tell a lie if asked about these three areas. This is the only situation that is brought down in actual Jewish law, both by Maimonides (Hilchot Gezeilah Ve'aaveidah 14:13) and by Rabbi Karo (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 262:21)... Why is this so? Because while it might be technically and biblically permitted to tell half-truths in nonlegal situations, Judaism could not permit this "loophole" to be used by the common person in an everyday situation. Everyone would take advantage of it and misuse it, much the same way that people lie today in American society.... A Jew should always try to tell the truth, whether in a courtroom situation or a social situation, as we cannot hope to differentiate between a "permissible" lie and a "prohibited" life.

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DEUT618 There is one and only one mitzvah in the Torah in which the sin is clearly instigating someone else to do evil: goading a person to worship idols [Deuteronomy 13: 7-12]. The Torah talks about such a person in the most heinous terms. The sin of idol worship is so hated in the Torah that even if the person only incited another to do the deed (and even if the deed was never even done), the inciter is punishable. It is the only case of incitement where a human court can exact punishment. However, because idol worship is such a horrible sin, one may not extrapolate and generalize the sin of incitement to any other sins mentioned in the Torah (Sanhedrin 29a).

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DEUT643 [Continued from [[DEUT1210]] Deuteronomy 23:4 admitted AMEMEI 222]. It is prejudice only if one prejudices another individual before all the facts are known. After the facts are clear, it is not prejudiced to hate a person if it is warranted. For example, it would not be prejudice to refuse to sell a house to a convicted rapist or an ax murder out of fear he may endanger the neighborhood. In a similar manner, the Torah explains why these groups may not enter the Jewish community or the Jewish neighborhoods. The Torah amplifies why Amonite men may not convert or enter the Jewish community structure (Deuteronomy 23:5-7), clearly stating that there is something endemic to the Amonite personality that runs counter to Jewish values. God has determined that because the Amonites lack any measure of kindness and mercy, demonstrated by their refusal to provide the Jewish people with bread and water in the desert when they were requested to do so, they can never be part of the Jewish community. While other groups may be able to unlearn these values, these negative traits are inherent within the Amonites and Moabites and are internalized in their personalities. Therefore, the Torah does discriminate but is not prejudiced. God wants to ensure that the Jewish community with its values survives intact. Thus, one may not introduce into that community anyone who thinks, acts, and behaves in a manner in opposition to these values. That would be detrimental to the community, to its Jewish inhabitants, and to Judaism itself. In a similar manner, we can understand the prohibition against selling your home to an idol worshiper. Idol worship is located at the opposite end of the Jewish spectrum from prejudice. The positive mitzvah of loving this stranger is mentioned thirty-six times in the Torah and the sin against idol-worship is also mentioned thirty-six times (Bava Metzia 59b+J637y city of idol worshipers, including all the people and the contents within (Deuteronomy 13:13–19). Therefore, no idol worshiper with these anti-Jewish values can ever enter the Jewish community. It would attack the very foundation of Judaism to tolerate someone so anti-Jewish right in the midst of the Jewish community (like a neo-Nazi today). Is only for this reason that one cannot sell an idol worship or a home in the community. Therefore, it is not the person that Judaism is against, but the dangerous values he or she represents. Thus, a non-Jew who accepts the basic Seven Laws of Noah is certainly welcome to as a righteous Gentile because, although not Jewish and quite different and lifestyle from his Jewish neighbors, this person is no threat to community values and is not antagonistic to Judaism. This is proven by the continuation of that law stated by Maimonides (Hilchot Melachim 10:4). One indeed may sell a home to an idol worshiper if it will be used for storage and not as a domicile. A storage house does not threaten the Jewish community. In addition, one may sell one or two homes in the community to an idol worshiper, but three or more are forbidden. This demonstrates that Maimonides is afraid of anti-Jewish values that will become pervasive. Therefore, one or two such people are not a threat to the fabric of the community, but three homes, according to Maimonides, are already a neighborhood. Finally, we have clear–cut evidence that this law cannot be based on prejudice against non-Jewish people. We learned that once idol worshipers do somehow move-in, they are indeed treated equally before the law, both legally and socially, as are all other non-Jews. It is now clear that prejudice is contrary to Judaism and one may never discriminate against any individual, Jewish or non-Jewish, in advance. However, Judaism does permit one to "discriminate" against individuals whose known values are alien to Judaism or who pose either a spiritual or physical threat to the Jewish community.

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DEUT660 See [[NUM310]] Numbers 25:8 stabbed AMEMEI 15

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DEUT659 See [[LEV261]] Leviticus 18:25 vomit AMEMEI 126

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DEUT665 See [[LEV695]] Leviticus 19:18 love AMEMEI 212-3

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DEUT672 See [[LEV103]] Leviticus 11:13 birds AMEMEI 75-6

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DEUT741 The use of the hyphenated word tzedakah-charity indicates equality between tzedakah and charity, and for those unfamiliar with either the Hebrew word or the concepts of tzedakah, they might indeed appear similar. However, from the psychological and philosophical viewpoints, they are quite different. One only needs to begin by analyzing the two different words to see a vast difference. The word charity comes from the Latin caritas, similar to the French cheri, which means love. In a similar vein, the word philanthropy is derived from the Greek philo, which means love, and throp, which means man. Thus, philanthropy means love of man. Therefore, the non-Jewish or Christian basis of charity is love. When I feel compassion for an unfortunate person, I give charity. The word tzedakah comes from the Hebrew tzedek, which means righteous, justice (Deuteronomy 16:20) or the correct thing to do (Leviticus 19:36). The Jew, then, must give tzedakah because it is the proper and right thing to do, not because he or she has a particular feeling for the recipient. One very practical difference would be the case of an insulting, cursing, foul-smelling beggar who demanded charity. It certainly would be hard to feel any love or compassion for such individual. Nevertheless, Judaism obligates the Jew to give this person tzedakah (Maimonides, Hilchot Matanot Aniyim 10:3). Where does the Jewish obligation to give tzedakah originate? Why can't the Jew say, If the person is foul-mouthed I will not reward such behavior? Why can't the Jew say, I worked for my money, and he should work for his? The answer is that it is not the Jew's money to begin with. God clearly says (Haggai 2:8) that all the money, gold, and silver in the world belongs to Him, and not to man. The psalmist says (Psalms 24:1) that everything in the world belongs to God, implying that nothing belongs to man. Therefore, in the act of tzedakah, a Jew is giving back to God what is already His. This is exactly what the MIshnah teaches (Avot 3:7), based on the verse in Chronicles (1 Chronicles 29:14). Since it is His to begin with, He tells to give back a small percentage and then we can use the rest (which still belongs to Him). Therefore, we are obligated to give because it is not our money at all, and God makes our keeping the eighty to ninety percent conditional upon giving the other ten to twenty percent to tzedakah. It is for this reason that some Jewish people have opened special tzedakah bank accounts where they take off a percentage of their income before it even reaches the regular bank accounts. In addition to the psychological advantage (the person does not feel that he or she is taking money out of his or her pocket), it is actually the more correct way to behave on a philosophical level as well, since the money never belongs to the person. We can now understand why a Jew must give to that unkempt, cursing poor person, irrespective of feelings--God, the owner of the money, told us to give. The Abarbanel (Commentary on Deuteronomy 15:7-8) says that we must look at ourselves like a broker, handling someone else's money. When it is our job to use someone else's funds, we must be very careful about every decision we make in regard to how the monies are invested and spent. If the owner tells us to invest in one particular manner, we must adhere to his or her request or the owner will take away the money and use another broker. God gives us His money, and tells us to invest part of it into tzedakah. If we do not follow the instructions, the owner, God, may decide to give these funds to someone else.

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DEUT801 If God indeed wants much of our earned money to go to the poor, why did He not arrange it so that these people would have money to begin with? Why have poor people at all? It would be a much better world, with much less hardship. The evil Turnusrufus asks this very question (Bava Batra 10a). The answer is that God wants us to be His agents in the world. Part of the mission of man is to continue the creation begun by God (see the chapters "Shabbat" and "Meaning of Brit Milah" for a fuller discussion of this theme). Rabbi Akivah answered this same question in the Midrash (Midrash, Tanchuma, Tazria 5) that this is the reason why there are no bread trees, even though every culture uses bread and it would have been logical for God to have created bread trees. God wants man to struggle and be creative, going through the arduous eleven-step process from plowing to baking. That is part of man's mission, to be creative in the world and complete the Creation God began. Additionally, man is charged with improving the world, as it says "to perfect the world" (second paragraph of Aleinu prayer, found at the completion of every service). Part of this perfection occurs when man tries to even the economic scales a bit by giving tzedakah. Thus, one of the strangest Torah verses [this verse] now makes sense. God says that there will always remain poor people in the world and therefore man should open up his hands and give. If poverty will always exist, what good is it to try and give to the poor--it won't help? However, we can now understand that God is saying because there will always be this condition of world poverty, your mission to improve it will also continue.

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DEUT836 See [[LEV933]] Leviticus 23:40 rejoice AMEMEI 87

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