THE ALEPH-BET BOOK  - Sefer HaMiddot

 

EMET - TRUTH

Part A

1)A person who wants to attach himself to the Holy One, blessed be He - so that his thoughts travel from one chamber to the next, seeing these chambers with his mind's eye - should avoid speaking falsely, even by mistake.

2)One may distort [the truth] to preserve peace.

3)Those who lie are not worthy of receiving the Shekhinah, the Divine Countenance.

4)A Tzaddik is free to act deceitfully with one who deceives others.

5)All those who add, detract.

6)Telling lies brings on thoughts of idolatry.

7)By being truthful, a person won't die before his time.

8)The breath of a liar gives rise to the evil inclination. When the Mashiach comes, falsehood will not exist and so there will be no evil inclination in the world.

9)A man of truth can recognize in another if he is speaking falsely or not.

10)A sign that something is false is that it encounters opposition from the majority [of wise men] - The liar is one of the three [types of people] whom God despises.

11)Reason cannot tolerate a rich man's deceit. Even he finds himself despicable.

12)Giving charity rectifies one's speech.

13)Truth protects the world from all forms of harm.

14)Flattery leads to lying.

15)A person who gives charity is rewarded with attaining the truth.

16)The liar despises humility.

17)One can see from a man's servants if he is fond of falsehood, for one is dependent upon the other. Occasionally, a person's servants fall into sin because he is a liar, and sometimes he stumbles into falsehood because his servants behave improperly.

18)When there is no truth, there is no kindness. Such a person cannot deal kindly with people.

19)Falsehood delays redemption. It brings a man's sins out into the open, thus preventing him from being saved.

20)Truth redeems from all suffering.

21)A person should rather die than live and be considered a liar by others.

22)Where there is truth there is peace.

23)One who is far from the truth is far from charity.

24)Truth protects the sign of the Covenant [from blemish].

25)By telling the truth, a person earns everlasting notoriety.

26)When a husband and wife accustom themselves to lying, their children will be rebellious and sexually immoral.

27)A person will speak falsely when he is afraid of other people.

28)Falsehood causes a person to forget God.

29)A person who does not trust in God speaks falsely, and by telling lies becomes incapable of trusting the truth.

30)The further a man is from truth, the more he considers one who turns away from evil to be a fool.

31)A person who wants to turn away from evil must play the fool when he sees that there is no truth in the world.

32)When a person does not speak falsely, God saves him in time of pain. He will also be blessed with children.

33)Idle talk brings on [the types of] disease which afflict children.

34)A person steeped in idleness becomes forgetful.

35)Falsehood leads to immorality and strengthens the hand of the evil-doers so that they do not return to God.

36)Because he lies, a person has no cure even if he uses numerous medicines.

37)A man who tells lies is cut down. He also becomes a fool.

38)Fear of God brings a person to truth.

39)A person who guards himself from falsehood is always victorious.

40)It is permissible to distort [the truth] in order to save oneself.

41)A person who is fond of falsehood will disgrace the Tzaddik, and will himself be shamed.

42)A man who speaks falsely perishes.

43)Truth saves a person from slander. By telling the truth, his prayers are accepted, and when judged Above, he will be judged according to his merits.

44)A man can tell from his dreams if his heart is true with his God.

45)A person who keeps his word can accomplish great things.

46)One who has no haughtiness is saved from lies.

47)A person who guards himself from frivolity is known as a man of truth.

48)One who was a liar in a previous lifetime will be reincarnated lefthanded.

49)When a person is careful and always speaks truthfully, it is like he created heaven and earth, the seas and all which they contain.

50)Falsehood applies only to the spoken and not the written word.

51)The Bible, Prophets and Rabbis made use of speech [to teach a point].

Part B

1)People don't listen to one who speaks falsely. Lying also causes a person to be widowed from a number of wives.

2)The unity of God is revealed through truth.

3)When you see a liar, you should know that his spiritual leader is also false.

4)Falsehood leads a person to immorality and murder. It also causes the upright to err in sexual and homicidal matters, and teaches permissiveness in the Torah.

5)When a person does not distort his words, he is able to humble the haughty and elevate the meek.

6)A man who does not speak one way with his lips and another with his heart has no fear of drowning.

7)Truth produces satisfaction.

8)The disorders of diarrhea and constipation come from lying.

9)It is truth that will bring the final redemption.