1. To Lie or Not to Lie- That is the Question By: Shay Schachter, Erica Chaimowitz, Lauren Apfel, and Leah Moskovich

2. Participants: We interviewed four people:  Two novices- high school boy and girl Two experts- two Rebbeim

3. Project Objective We wanted to see the interviewee's perspective on lying. We presented them with three scenario's from different area's in Judaism and asked them to analyze them with us. We wanted to see what their concept of lying was and to see if they had halachik backing to their answers. 

4. Introduction to Interview: We began our interview with asking our participant to draw and explain their thoughts on the passuk, "מדבר שקר תרחק" We had four different drawings and interpretations, but the overall theme was that their schema of "sheker" are "lies" and they need to stay far away from that.  We asked our participants about the "odd" phraseology of the passuk: • "Midvar sheker tirchak" vs. "lo ta'aseh melacha" • Which is more stringent?

5. Scenario #1 We presented them first with the story in Breishit of Rivka, Yaakov, and the "lie" for the bechora. We asked them many questions regarding the "lies" of both Rivka and Yaakov, and how they are justified in doing what they did. 

6. Scenario #2 We then presented them with the Gemara and the machlokes between Beit Hillel and Beit Shamai regarding telling brides, "כלהנאהוחסודה" (Telling every bride she's beautiful). We asked them who they sided with, and whether or not they would tell an unattractive bride she's beautiful or keep quiet.

7. Scenario #3 Lastly, we presented the interviewee's with a real life cheating situation. We asked them to imagine they were involved and if they would admit to someone else's cheating on a test. We asked them if it was lashon hara to tell on them, and if it was lying to deny it. 

8. Novice Both agreed that "לא תעשה כל מלאכה" is more strict than       "מדבר שקר תרחק" Focused on phraseology Focused on punishment Expert Disagreed Rabbi #1- "לא תקרבו לגלות ערוה" shows a "geder" in other places in addition to here Rabbi #2- משה אמת ותורתו אמת Analysis #1: Torah

9. Novice Agreed with Hillel Tell bride she's pretty only if she asks If not keep quiet Expert  Disagreed  Rabbi #1- Shamai, avoids Hillel's 'deception'  Rabbi #2- Hillel, good middos help the world function Analysis #2: Gemara

10. Conclusions • Novices lacked exposure to the halachik concept of lying therefore their answers differed.  • They had a mental model of lies as being wrong, but as they were exposed to different situations, they realized it wasn't black and white.  • They never considered other factors first.  • They were swayed by different questions and by being probed by the interviewer • Experts applied their thesis to each scenario • They were consistent in their hashkafa and over-all reasoning