BAIS HAVAAD ON THE PARSHA 5773 Parshas Ve'eschanan: False Testimony

In this week's parsha, we read the Ten Commandments for a second time. One of the commandments is not to testify falsely against another Jew. The Yerushalmi (Brachos 1:5) teaches that one who testifies falsely about a fellow Jew is as if he testifies that Hashem didn't create the world. Why is testifying falsely about a monetary issue so severe that it is comparable to denying Hashem as Creator of the world? Perhaps we can explain this with the words of the Chinuch. The Chinuch (Mitzvah 74) explains that the root of the mitzvah of not testifying falsely is in order for us to conduct ourselves in the same manner that God conducts Himself. Just as Hashem is truthful, so too, must we be truthful, as well. It follows, therefore, that one who claims to be a Torah observant Jew, yet testifies falsely, disgraces His name and makes it appear as if God also conducts Himself falsely. This week's journal will focus on the laws of not testifying falsely.(PRINT VERSION HERE) FOR AUDIO CLICK HERE.