Q&A: Lying
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Lying
Question
Hello, honored Rabbi, is it permissible to say that you are not feeling well when you need a day off from work, and if you ask for time off they won't give it to you or will look at it negatively, and there is a risk of being fired?
Answer
No. It's a lie.
Discussion on Answer
No. “Keep far from a false matter” is a prohibition against lying in general. True, some interpreted it as a prohibition outside formal Jewish law only in the context of a religious court, but it is clear that there is at least a moral prohibition here. And when it comes to employer-employee relations and a contract, it is a full prohibition as well (under the heading of theft).
What prohibition is there against lying? (“Keep far from a false matter” — the verse is talking about witnesses being forbidden to give false testimony in a religious court, as explained by the commentators on the verse.) No?