The Sin of Using HaShem's Name in Vain, a Very Serious Sin

The Third of the Ten Commandments – From Yisro

Dovid Eidensohn

The third of the Ten Commandments is the sin of swearing falsely in the Name of HaShem. The Targum Unkelus explains the double passage as describing two sins. One is when a Jew swears in the Name of HaShem a wasted oath, and one when he says a direct lie. Rashi explains that if one swears in HaShem’s Name that a tree is a tree that is a wasted oath. But if he swears that a tree is a person, that is a false oath. Missing here is the fact that both terms are the same Hebrew oath that was SHOV or worthless. But the double use of this term in a Torah that doesn’t waste words indicates that we discuss two distinct types of oath. One is a wasted oath and the other a lie.

The Kli Yoker has long and intense studies in the Ten Commands, and perhaps the most frightening of his teachings is on this command. Because he states that one who uses the Holy Name of HaShem, Names that are common to Jews, and that appear frequently in the Torah and Holy Works, for a wasted oath or a lie, has done a sin unlike any others. This is an incredible statement.

He roots this statement in the exact terminology of HaShem speaking. “Do not lift up the Name of HaShem for nothing.” “Life up” is like a tree filled with branches. When somebody lifts the entire tree all of its branches and parts come with it. Thus, when somebody does this sin, all people must suffer. And since HaShem only forgives people who sin to Him but not to people who sin to other people, HaShem does not forgive violation of this sin at all. The sin is therefore the most terrible sin in the Ten Commandments, because many people always use phrases to express whatever they want, and these phrases are the Holy Names of HaShem as stated clearly in the Torah and Prophets. Who will then forgive them if HaShem does not forgive one who casts problems on people when all people suffer when someboody utters these false or unnecessary oaths using HaShem’s common Names? Thus, we know that using our mouth is very dangerous if we swear wrongly with HaShem’s Name or speak Loshon Hora. Do we care?