By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com

A recent study about the online daily word-guessing game “Wordle” revealed that a significant number of Americans are cheating at it.

The game was purchased by the New York Times in January and since then, cheating has been at an all-time high, according to a study done by WordFinderX, a website that is described as one that assists players in word games.

According to the study, the biggest cheaters are the residents of the following states – New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Massachusetts. [Yes, this is the order].

Our purpose here, however, is not to reveal who the biggest cheaters are, but to determine the halachic and hashkafic implications of this finding.  But before we get to that, there is one more vital piece of information that we need to know before we proceed to the Torah implications of this phenomenon.

It seems that built into the mechanism of the Wordle game is the ability to share the personal results of “how one did” with others, albeit without revealing the answer to the daily wordle.  The subtext of this component is, “Haha, my dear friend!  My intellectual abilities lay far beyond yours!  I got the answer in 3 tries or 4 tries! Let us see how you fare in this intellectual duel – where we match wits with each other!”

THE QUESTION

Now, if cheating is, in fact, so prevalent – we have a halachic question here.  The Torah tells us in parshas Mishpatim, “MiDvar Sheker Tirchak – stay away from a false matter (Shmos 23:7).”

Regarding this prohibition itself we have three opinions: The Chofetz Chaim writes in his Sefer Ahavas Chesed that the verse, “MiDvar Sheker Tirchak” is a full-blown biblical prohibition. There are Rishonim who seem to write that it should be understood as good advice, but is not fully binding. (This is how many authorities understand the position of the Sefer Yereim Mitzvah #235.) A third opinion, attributed to Rabbeinu Yonah, may hold that the verse was directed to judges in a court case, and not, in fact, to the general aspect of lying.  [However, see Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlita (Kusim Siman 30) where he explains the Rabbeinu Yonah somewhat differently.]

How do we rule? The halacha follows the view that it is a fully binding Mitzvah.

DOES IT APPLY TO NON-MONETARY LIES?

We are left with another question, however. Does this biblical admonition apply to non-monetary matters as well?   Or do we say that the verse would only apply to monetary matters, wherein the lie affects a purchase?  An example of this would be saying something like, “Oh no maam, this bobka was baked this very morning..”

One’s first reaction brings us to the Gemorah in Kesuvos (17b), where Bais Shammai and Bais Hillel debate whether it is permitted to praise a bride’s beauty.  When Bais Shammai asks on Hillel from the words in the pasuk, “Distance yourself from a lie” it clearly indicates that it refers to all matters – not just monetary ones.

THE HIGHER LEVEL OF SPEAKING TRUTH IN ONE’S HEART

But what if one does not share his or her results with others?  Then would it be permitted to cheat?

To answer this question we need to go to two different sources:  The first is a well-known Rashi on Makkos about Rav Safra, and the second is a section in the Shacharis davening that people, unfortunately, skip at times.

We first place our attention with Rav Safra, who it seems was some sort of shopkeeper. There were items for sale and a customer entered the shop. The customer lifted up the item for sale and gave an offer. Rav Safra did not respond. The customer must have thought, “Wow, this shopkeeper is a master bargainer and negotiator. He is not giving my offer even the courtesy of a response.  Brilliant!”  He raised his offer.  Again, absolute silence.  He raised the offer again and again.  Finally, Rav Safra responded, “I will sell you the item for the first, lower sum that you offered, because I had already agreed in my heart to that price.”

Rav Safra revealed that he was unable to respond to the offer because he was in the middle of reciting the Krias Shma.  But in his heart he had agreed to the price. This is the known as the level of, “dover emes bilvavo – speaking or seeking truth in one’s heart.”

We next go to the section found in the siddur after brachos and before boruch sh’amar.  There, the siddur tells us that a person should always demonstrate fear of heaven both publicly and privately and also be “modeh al haEmes” admit the truth, and be, “dover emes bilvavo – speak truth in one’s heart.”

We see from here that one should also speak truth in one’s heart.

The question now is, what are the person’s intentions when doing the Wordle, but one cheats at it, by Googling what other’s have revealed through their hard work?  It is likely, that there is some sort of self-deception going on here.

What the siddur is advising us here is that we must be true to our own self, we must reach that level of Rav Safra.  Rav Safra put aside all concerns for making extra money in order to reach an ideal.  That ideal was being true to one’s own self.

DOES THIS PASSAGE ADDRESS THE MEANS TO BATTLE LOW SELF-ESTEEM?

Let us perhaps delve a little bit further into the idea of self-deception.  Why do we do it?  Why do we lie to ourselves?

Hashem placed certain mechanisms in the world.  One mechanism is pain.  When dealing with fire or danger, pain is helpful.  It ensures that we very quickly remove ourselves from the source of that pain in order to preserve both life and limb.  This is, in fact, a second mechanism – the mechanism of avoidance of pain.

Just as there is physical pain, there is emotional pain.  We self-deceive, it seems, in order to avoid emotional pain.  But, ultimately, self-deception is not the ideal.  We may need this salve, this crutch, in order to get by in life when it is difficult – but it is not the ideal.

What this passage may be telling us is that there comes a time when that emotional crutch should be sent away (shiluach ha Cane!), and rather we should grab hold of something else that remedies our low self-image.  We should think, “I do not need this crutch of self-deception to get by – I pride myself on speaking truth in my heart – to mine own self, I am true.”

Doing so can rid us of the sadness associated with low self-esteem, and it is absolutely becessary to get rid of this sadness, because otherwise we will not be serving Hashem with joy and happiness.  Rav Yitzchok Feigelstock zt”l, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Mesivta of Long Beach once said, “Serving Hashem without a sense of joy is not considered serving Hashem at all.”

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