OCTOBER 28 • 2021 | 39

is something separate to the 
sacredness of speech because it 
includes keeping promises we 
make to ourselves, promises we 
make “in our hearts.
” 
The Talmud (Bava Basra 88a) 
describes the great Talmudic 
sage, Rav Safra, as the epitome 
of “one who speaks truth in his 
heart.
” (Psalms 15:2) On this, 
Rav Avraham Yitzchak Bloch 
says faithfully fulfilling what we 
undertake to do in our hearts is 
also an important part of per-
sonal integrity.
There’s another aspect of “say 
little and do much” that charac-
terizes good virtue and integrity. 
Virtuous people are interested 
in acting rather than talking 
about it. They aren’t interested 
in publicizing what they do. 
They don’t need affirmation or 
honor and recognition from 
others. Their focus is on getting 
things done: helping others, 
performing mitzvot, doing good 
deeds for their own sake. But 
those who are not virtuous are 
actually interested in the oppo-
site — in what people will say 
about them, and the honor and 
recognition they will receive, 
rather than actually doing good. 
These are people who will say a 
lot and do comparatively little.
The prophet Micha speaks 
about “walking modestly with 
your God,
” (Micha 6:8) which 
the Talmud interprets as doing 
good without seeking the pub-
licity and acclaim that comes 
with doing so (Succah 49b). 
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz 
writes that the good deeds per-
formed publicly provide ulterior 
benefits, such as honor and 
recognition. Therefore, great 
effort is required to purify one’s 
motives by doing these deeds 
as modestly as possible. (Sichot 
Mussar 31:46) In other words, 
we need to purify our inner 
thoughts and emotions even 
when doing good deeds.
This focus on inner truth and 
sincerity rather than externali-

ties is at the core of integrity. We 
need to ensure our internal state 
of mind and our external lives 
are aligned. What we do should 
be a reflection of who we are. 
As the Talmud says: “
A Torah 
scholar whose inside is not like 
his outside is not a true Torah 
scholar.
” (Yuma 72b)
Rabbeinu Bechaya, in his 
book Duties of the Heart, writes: 
“Regarding one’s inside who’s 
not like his outside, scripture 
says his heart was not whole 
with Hashem, his God.
” (Kings 
1,11:4) As is well-known, if 
someone contradicts them-
selves or proves themselves a 
liar, whether in speech or in 
deed, people no longer believe 
in their integrity and have no 
confidence in their sincerity. 
Similarly, if our outer and inner 
selves are in contradiction, if 
our talk is not matched by our 
intentions, if the actions of our 
limbs are at odds with the con-
victions of our heart, then our 
worship of God is imperfect.
”
And, so, integrity is about 
how we interact with others, 
and it’s also how we relate to 
ourselves. It is a value which 
cannot be compartmentalized. 
You see that in the word itself. 
Integrity is related to the word, 
“integrated.
” A person with 
integrity is a person whose 
inner life is in harmony with 
how s/he acts. There is no dis-
connect.
And this, ultimately, is why 
integrity is one of the core val-
ues of the house of Abraham, 
and therefore a vital part of 
our legacy as the Jewish peo-
ple. Abraham is someone who 
embodied truth and sincerity, 
kindness and concern; someone 
who sprang to the aid of others, 
moved by a deep inner well of 
good will toward all people and 
a deep inner devotion to the 
will of his Creator. 

Rabbi Warren Goldstein is the chief 

rabbi of South Africa. This essay was first 

published on aish.com.

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