DEUT963 The fourth category [of liars]--One who lies when repeating what he has heard [from others,] deliberately changing some of the facts. He gains no benefit from his lying, nor causes loss to others; nonetheless, he acts this way out of a love for falsehood, rather than speaking everlasting righteousness [Tehillim 52:5; i.e., the truth]. Sometimes he [even] fabricates the entirety of what he recounts! In one respect, the punishment of such a person is less severe, since he has caused no loss to another through his lies and rashness [Yirmeyahu 23:32; i.e., through his flippant attitude]. But he is severely punished for his audacity and his love a falsehood; and his transgression is a heavy one, for he loves it [for its own sake] without deriving benefit. Shlomo, a"h, said (Mishlei 6:19), "One who speaks lies, a false witness." What this means is: if you see a person speaking lies in his conversations and when recounting things, know that this quality will bring him to give false testimony against his brother--to testify something totally fictitious about him [Devarim 19:16; see Rashi] -- due to his love of falsehood. (Continued at [[GEN1607]] Genesis 50:16 message GATES 367)

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DEUT964 See [[DEUT848]] Deuteronomy 16:20 justice DORFFDRAG 114-5

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DEUT965 See [[DEUT846]] Deuteronomy 16:19 partiality OXFORD 482

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DEUT966 See [[DEUT610]] Deuteronomy 13:6 death AMJV 354

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DEUT967 Biblical law exacts what is, as far as I know, a unique and uniquely fair punishment for false witnesses: "And you shall do to them what they schemed to do [to their victim]" [this verse] Thus, lying witnesses who make a false claim of $10,000 should themselves be fined $10,000, well Jewish law rules that witnesses who tried to have capital punishment inflicted on an innocent person pay that penalty themselves.

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DEUT968 See [[EXOD332]] Exodus 19:6 nation OXFORD 38-9

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DEUT970 See [[DEUT359]] Deuteronomy 19:13 pity BLOCH 64

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DEUT969 Do not take pity on someone who murders or maims his fellow Jew. If violence against one's fellow man goes unpunished, and we fail to rid ourselves of destructive, evil and aggressive people, we will live in fear and society will be unable to function. As is taught (Avos 3:2), “A man will swallow his neighbor alive.” Unless the fools know that they will be punished for their crimes, they will wreak havoc and make a normal life impossible.

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DEUT971 What is the intent of this? Lest you say: He is a poor man and did not injure the other intentionally, so I will be merciful to him; it is, therefore, written: "And let your eyes not pity" (Sifrei)

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DEUT972 [This verse]. Herein we have been admonished that if a person foresees a calamity approaching, he should bear Hashem's salvation within his heart and trust that it will happen, similar to what the pasuk says (Tehillim 85:10), "Surely His deliverance is near to those who fear Him." The pasuk also states (Yeshayahu 51:12), "Who is [nobel like] you? [Rashi: "Who is] a daughter of tzaddikim like you, filled with merit?"] [Why, then,] do you fear a mortal, destined to die?"

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