Do Not Be A False Witness
When Moses was in Egypt, he wondered why God had not yet redeemed the Bnei Yisrael. After he struck the Egyptian and some Jews reported him to the authorities, he began to understand. The Maharal of Prague explains that God’s ways are hidden, and redemption requires a hidden dimension within ourselves—an inner life. One measure of this inner life is the ability to keep a secret, a test also applied to those seeking to study Kabbalah, the hidden aspect of the Torah.
Rabbeinu Yonah, the 13th-century leader of Spanish Jewry, teaches that revealing a secret—even when no apparent harm seems likely—can cause damage, violates the trust of the person who confided in you, and reflects a lack of modesty, an essential trait of the Jewish people. It’s not difficult to understand that revealing a secret is included in the Diber not to be a false witness.
Doctors, lawyers, and accountants adhere to strict confidentiality rules because the consequences of disclosure can be severe. If confidentiality matters so much in worldly affairs, how much more in our inner lives, which hold the keys to so many blessings and our redemption?
We are often challenged in conversation to reveal things about others that we shouldn’t. This week, take one moment to hold back a secret, keep it to yourself, and strengthen both your trustworthiness and your inner world.
Set your intention for the day by reciting The Aseret Affirmation: Ten for Ten first thing in the morning.
Wishing you safety and strength,
Nitzan Bergman