Sacred Speech Series

Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer

In the Garden of Eden, God commanded the man, “Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall be doomed to die.”

Some time later, the snake, the shrewdest of wild beasts, approached the woman: “Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?”

The woman interrupted: “We may eat of the fruit of the other trees of the garden. It is only about fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said: You shall not eat of it or touch it, lest you die.”

“You are not going to die,” the snake countered. “God knows that, as soon as you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, who knows good and bad.”

The woman could see that the tree was good for food, alluring to the eyes, and desirable for its wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate, and gave some to the man with her, and he ate.

Introducing the snake as shrewd seems hardly necessary since its deceptive nature is evident in the story.

Perhaps it’s a hint to be on the lookout for similar tales of deception in the Bible.

Revealing a bloody ornamented tunic, Joseph’s brothers ask their father, Jacob, “Is it your son’s tunic or not?” leading him to erroneously conclude that Joseph had been killed by an animal.

To mask his own desire for the priesthood, Korach claims that Moses single-handedly established Aaron as high priest and argues that the entire community is holy and therefore eligible for the priesthood.

Having been promised a reward by the Philistines, Samson’s lover Delilah coaxes him to reveal the source of his strength: “How can you say you love me when you don’t confide in me?”

Deceptive speech is endlessly varied. It misrepresents, distorts, or exaggerates facts. It presents only partial truths or omits relevant information. It states opinions as facts or shares information out of context in a misleading way. It twists words’ meanings or uses words in ways that lead a listener to draw incorrect conclusions.

And it is used deliberately to conceal the speaker’s inner motives: to get something they want, to protect or promote themselves, or to harm others, according to research in psychology.

The resulting tribulations in every biblical tale of deceit serve as a warning.

Perfectly capturing the essence of deceptive speech is the Hebrew term genevat daat, described most succinctly by Prof. Hershey Friedman as “theft of one’s mind, thoughts, wisdom, or knowledge” through the use of words.

It means deliberately “fooling someone and thereby causing (them) to have a mistaken assumption, belief, and/or impression.”

It’s deemed the worst form of thievery, underscored by the assertion of the sages of the Talmud, “The Holy One hates the person who says one thing with their mouth but means another in their heart.”

Thus, Jewish law strictly forbids deceiving others.

A familiar and highly reported type of verbal deception involves disregard for the rabbinic principle of ha’omer davar b’shem omro, citing one’s sources or giving credit where it’s due.

A sample of recent news articles is illustrative. “Harvard Medical School assistant professor…plagiarized large portions of an expert report on possibly carcinogenic chemicals…”

“NBC News (revealed) they had detected 11 articles written by one of their reporters…(who) had copied passages…”

“Singer-songwriter Josh Stone recently filed a lawsuit…claiming that (Ariana) Grande copied the hook (‘I want it, I got it…’) …from his 2017 song You Need It, I Got It.”

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin points out that the motivation for using someone else’s unattributed words or ideas is either to impress others with one’s own intelligence.

Giving credit to one’s sources redeems the world, the sages teach in Pirke Avot, Ethics of the Fathers. This obligation and its reward originate in the Purim story. When

Mordechai discovers a plot to kill King Ahashverus, he tells Queen Esther who in turn conveys the information to the king.

Rewarded for saving the monarch’s life, Mordechai is ultimately positioned to save the Jews of Shushan from extermination.

In the Talmud it is written, notably with attribution, “Rabbi Elazar said Rabbi Hanina said: Whoever reports a saying in the name of he who said it brings redemption to the world. As it is stated, ‘And Esther reported it to the king in the name of Mordechai.’”

Verbal deception is also implied in the command in Leviticus, “You shall not put a stumbling block before the blind.”

Sifra, the legal midrash on the Book of Leviticus, explains, “Don’t say to your neighbor, ‘Sell your field and buy a donkey,’ when your whole purpose is to deceive him and buy his field…even if you can claim it’s good advice!”

In more modern scenarios, a real estate agent or stockbroker shouldn’t sell their products without revealing the known flaws or bad investments simply for financial gain, Rabbi David Golinkin notes.

Nor should a salesperson convince a customer to purchase an expensive item for which they have no use.

Circumstances arise every day that predispose us to verbal deception, like offering to do someone a favor or agreeing to participate on a committee even though we know we won’t follow through. Or making a referral despite knowing the individual is unavailable. Or inviting someone to dinner or to an event even when you know they will not accept.

And what about youngsters who, promptly agreeing to clean up their bedrooms, deliberately continue playing kitchen or Lego or Minecraft? What inner motives do such deceptions satisfy?

“Do not deceive one another, but fear your God, for I the Lord am your God,” we read in Leviticus.

“How many times a day do our words not match our intentions?” challenges author Lois Tverberg. “We may not give a second thought about all the little ways we are deceptive, but we should if we want to be God’s people of integrity.”

Literature to share

18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages edited by Nora Gold. What is Jewish literature? According to Harvard Prof. Ruth Wisse, it is “centrally Jewish.” Nora Gold adds that it is “reflective in some way of Jewish experience, consciousness, or condition.” The English language stories or novel excerpts in this anthology were originally authored by Jewish fiction writers from across the globe, writing in their native tongues ranging from Albanian to Yiddish. Dive in and discover how multilingual fiction can expand one’s understanding of the Jewish story.

Two Pieces of Chocolate by Kathy Kacer. How powerful is a single act of kindness? Imprisoned at Bergen-Belsen, Maman reveals to her young daughter, Francine, that she has smuggled two pieces of chocolate into the concentration camp. “One day, when I see that you really need them,” she promises, “I’ll give the chocolates to you.” Then Francine learns that another prisoner or two might need them even more. Inspired by true events, this story has a most remarkable ending. An important Holocaust story focused on hope and survival, it is most appropriate for upper elementary and middle school ages, even in this picture-book format.

To read the complete March 2025 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.