Keeping far from falsehood
1. It is written in the Torah (“Exodus,” 23:7): “Keep far from falsehood.” This passage discusses the laws of the beit din and false testimony; however, according to some rishonim (early commentators), it addresses everyone and commands them to distance themselves from and guard against every kind of lying and falsehood. Of many things, the Torah says, “Beware of this” or “Take care not to transgress…,” but here it uses the stronger expression “keep far.” This is because lying is an unpleasant activity, unworthy of a human being.
2. Someone who tells an untruth violates a Torah prohibition. The prohibition is violated even if a person distorts only minor details in a conversation, turning their speech into a “mixture” of truth and falsehood, or even if what they say merely appears to be untrue.
Lying is forbidden in every case, regardless of who the “victim” of the deception is: a man or a woman, an adult or a child, a Jew or a non-Jew.
3. The commandment “keep far from falsehood” also applies to those who listen. A person must avoid listening to statements that are (presumably) false, even if they are not fully certain that their suspicions are correct.
4. The Torah prohibits only lies that will cause harm to another person. But even when we are certain that no harm will result, we should still keep far from lying and deception. First, to avoid acquiring a harmful habit, and second, because lying poisons a person's soul and distorts their inner world of values.
5. The prohibition is violated even if the words can be understood in two ways, or if some information is concealed and a person receives a distorted picture of the situation.
The same applies to gestures and facial expressions. Even a slight shift in emphasis or silence is sometimes considered an outright lie, because what matters most is what the listener understood, rather than how true the stated facts are.