Of all human abilities, speech most expresses what is unique about humanity. Without speech, society could not develop. Each person’s mind would be seething with ideas, with no way to share these ideas and put them into practice. To protect this uniquely human ability, we must relate to speech with reverence and distance ourselves from any type of lie, as it says, “Keep far from a false matter” (Exodus 23:7). The more damage a lie causes, the more severe the transgression. Lying often involves additional transgressions as well, such as when someone who owes money denies it, or when a salesperson lies to customers about the quality of the merchandise.
Even a lie which does not hurt someone else is forbidden, because truth is so precious. Truth allows a person to make sense of the world. By contrast, lying creates a false picture of the world. It becomes impossible for the liar to understand the world and to connect with the Creator, the source of truth, faith, and morality. This is why the Sages tell us that liars and panderers will not have the privilege of seeing the Divine Presence.
Cheating on a test is also included in the prohibition of lying. Even though the cheater might benefit in the short term, those who cheat lose in the long term. Instead of working hard to truly succeed, they get used to looking for the easy way out. This will ultimately contribute to their downfall.
Included in the obligation to speak the truth is keeping one’s word. If we commit to help a friend out or to give a relative a gift, we should honor our commitment. If we are worried we might not be able to honor a commitment, we should say we will try to help, but not make any promises, thus avoiding being unreliable.
