When a Lie Is Not a Sin: The Hebrew Bible's Framework for Deciding

Sometimes telling a lie is the most truthful thing a person can do. The Hebrew Bible gives us a framework for determining when that is.

Is omitting the truth the same as lying? Why is lying OK when life is at stake? Do I have to be honest about a friend's new tie or dress? Do kids need to be told the whole truth? Can a small lie serve a greater truth?

Taking ancient Jewish teaching as a prism to daily living, this provocative yet compassionate examination of ethical decision making draws on the Hebrew Bible to address fine distinctions surrounding common but complicated personal situations and shows how a smaller lie can sometimes serve a higher moral purpose.

The Hebrew Bible is true and wants us to tell the truth, even as people behave in less than truthful ways. What s more, where some of the lies people tell in the Hebrew Bible stories are punished, others are ignored and still others are rewarded. The Hebrew Bible s mixed-message of "Do as I say, not as they do" shows that lies little and big, whether told to protect or advance oneself or when intended to preserve the peace often occur under involved circumstances and demand careful consideration. By viewing an array of situations in light of the Hebrew Bible from the routine but delicate to the once-in-a-lifetime dilemma this book will make a difference in how you think and live.

Ideal for Jews of all denominations in individual study or Torah study groups, as well as progressive Christian clergy and social justice activists interested in exploring the religious basis for personal decision making, conscience and moral agency."