Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.” (Edmund Burke) Eruvin 18

At the very bottom of yesterday’s daf TB Eruvin 17b we began the second chapter of our masseckhet. After Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar explains a difficult word in the Mishna, today’s daf TB Eruvin 18 continues with seven other of his teachings. All of them are rather famous and worth studying on their own so I recommend you take the time to read them. One is very pertinent today. The lesson concerns flattery.

“And Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar further said: Only some of a person’s praise should be said in his presence, and all of it may be said not in his presence. Only some of his praise should be said in his presence, as it is written: “And the Lord said to Noah, come, you and all your house into the ark, for you have I seen righteous before Me in this generation” (Genesis 7:1). “And all of it may be said not in his presence, as it is written: “These are the generations of Noah; Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). When not referring to him in his presence, God refers to Noah as a righteous and perfect man.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin comments on the verse “You shall not pollute the land were in you are.” (Numbers 35:33) “This verse forbids us to flatter a wrongdoer (Sifre) flattering a wrongdoer is termed chanifus and is a very serious offense… It is forbidden to flatter someone in order to take advantage of him (Orchos Tzadikim, ch. 24) Although insincere flattery is wrong, it is important that we praise others for the benefit. The late Telzer Rosh Hayeshiva, Rabbi Chayim Mordechai Katz, used to say that appreciative words help a person realize his own inherent worth and will encourage him to utilize his attributes to the best of his ability. The Talmud Eruvin 18b) states that we should only say part of a person’s praise in his presence. Excessive praise gives the appearance of being insincere flattery (Rashi). A sincere compliment however, is a great chesed.” (Love Your Neighbor, page 374)

Tonight the Republicans will formally renominate Donald Trump. Instead of being a party of ideas, the Republican Party has turned into a cult of personality praising Trump to high heaven. Rabainu Yonah in Shaarey T’shuvahu writes “The worst form of chanifus is when a person sees that someone has transgressed and tells them, ‘You have not done anything wrong.’ This will cause the transgressor to repeat his misdeeds. It is considered chanifus to say that an evil person is a good man. Even if you do not actually say that his crimes were the proper thing to do, it is nevertheless wrong to praise him. The righteous despise the wicked, as it is written, ‘An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous’ (Proverbs 29:27 )” Ibid.