The Land of Truth and its Borders

"A clean and righteous person you shall not kill."

If they saw him pursuing another to kill him, the knife in his hand, and they said to him: Be it known to you that he is a son of the covenant, and the Torah writes (Genesis 9:6) "The spiller of the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be spilled," and he said "I know, and even so!" And the witnesses averted their eyes (for a moment) and afterwards they found him (the victim) in the death throes, the knife dripping blood in the hand of the murderer — I might think that he is liable (to execution); it is, therefore, written "and a clean one and a righteous one you shall not kill." ...

Once Yehudah b. Tabbai entered a ruin, where he found a man in his death throes, the knife dripping blood in the hand of the murderer. Yehudah b. Tabbi said to him "May it come upon me if neither I nor you killed him; but what can I do (to you) when the Torah has written (Devarim 20:15) 'By word of two witnesses shall a thing be established!' But the Omniscient One will exact punishment of that man (i.e., 'you')." He had hardly finished speaking before a snake bit him and he died.

How do I uphold the words “Kohelet sought to find words of delight”? Kohelet sought to issue judgments of the heart, based solely on his intuition, without witnesses and without warning. But a Divine Voice issued forth and said to him: “And that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.” Which words is this referring to? “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death” (Deuteronomy 17:6). Punishment can be administered only based on the testimony of two witnesses.

(14) And justice is made to fall back,

And vindication stands off afar.

for truth stumbles in the square,

and honesty cannot come in.

(15) And truth is not to be found,

who turns from evil is despoiled,

And the Lord saw, and it was evil in his eyes, for there was no justice.

§ Concerning the lack of truth, Rava says: Initially I would say that there is no truth anywhere in the world. There was a certain one of the Sages, and Rav Tavut is his name, and some say Rav Tavyomei is his name, who was so honest that if they were to give him the entire world, he would not deviate from the truth in his statement. He said to me: One time I happened to come to a certain place, and Truth is its name, and its residents would not deviate from the truth in their statements, and no person from there would die prematurely. I married a woman from among them, and I had two sons from her. One day his wife was sitting and washing the hair on her head. Her neighbor came and knocked on the door. He thought: It is not proper conduct to tell the neighbor that his wife is bathing. He said to her: She is not here. Since he deviated from the truth his two sons died. The people residing in that place came before him and said to him: What is the meaning of this? He said to them: This was the nature of the incident, and told them what happened. They said to him: Please leave our place and do not provoke premature death upon these people.

Rabbi Simon said: "When the time came for the Holy One Blessed Be God to create the first human being, the angels of (Divine) service broke up into opposing groups. Some among them say: 'S/he should be created.' Some among them say: 'S/he should not be created.' This is what is written: 'Kindness and truth met; righteousness and peace kissed.' (Psalms 85:11)

Kindness says: 'Let humans be created because they will bestow kindnesses.'

Truth says: "Let humans not be created because they are entirely (made of) lies.'

Righteousness says: 'Let humans be created because they will do righteous acts.'

And peace says; 'Let humans not be created because they are entirely dissension.'

What did the Holy One Blessed be God do? God took truth and flung him to the ground. Thus it is written: 'You will cast truth to the ground.' (Daniel 8:12)

The angels of (Divine) service said before the Holy One Blessed be God: 'Master of worlds! Why do You despise Your seal of truth? Let truth rise from the ground as it is written: 'Truth will grow from the earth.' (Psalms 85:12)

Rabbi Hunah the rabbi of Tzippori said: "While the angels of (Divine) service were arguing with one another and occupied with one another, the Holy One Blessed be God created the first human."

God said to them: "Why are you debating? The human is already created."

Rav Yosef said: This is one who commits a transgression in private, in accordance with Rabbi Yitzḥak, as Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Whoever commits a transgression in private, it is as though he pushed away the feet of the Divine Presence, as it is stated: “Thus said the Lord: The heavens are My seat, and the earth My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1).

The Gemara raises a difficulty: And is that so? But didn’t Rabbi Ela the Elder say: If a person sees that his inclination is overcoming him, he should go to a place where he is unknown, and wear black, and wrap himself in black and do there what his heart desires, but let him not desecrate the Name of Heaven in public. The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. This is when one is capable of overcoming his inclination.

That case, where it is preferable to sin in private, occurs when one is incapable of overcoming his inclination.

It was taught there: R. Shimon b. Gamaliel said: On three things does the world stand: On justice, and on truth, and on peace. And all three are the same. If justice is done, truth is done and peace is done.