The Principal of Integrity

“If a man makes a vow to Hashem, or makes an oath to prohibit his soul, he shouldn’t violate his word; according to everything that comes from his mouth he should do.”

(Bamidbar 30:3)

Over the years, I’ve contemplated the concepts of “honesty” and “integrity” and the difference between the two.

Honesty is the virtue of describing reality exactly as it is, of telling the truth. In this day and age, when there’s so much confusion as to whether or not truth even exists, it’s imperative to place honesty on the list of important human virtues.

Yet for Judaism, truth is more than just a virtue. It’s one of the three fundamental principles, along with justice and peace, upon which the world stands.

But as rare as the trait of honesty is, the trait of integrity is even more difficult to find.