The ninth commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” carries a profound meaning. False testimony implies that, both with regard to ourselves and to others, we stand as witnesses, participants, and partners in everything that takes place within the system of connection.
What does this mean? The sages explain that a person is a miniature world, and therefore each of us bears responsibility for everyone else. If a malfunction or problem arises anywhere in the system, we must each feel a personal responsibility for it. We should regard ourselves as accountable for the occurrence. This is the level of mutual responsibility to which we should aspire.
False witness means that, in a certain sense, we have let harmful conditions arise. We have participated in the system in a false manner, or in other words, we have failed to contribute a sufficient measure of positive energy to the network of connections. Instead of distancing ourselves from responsibility, we should seek to correct ourselves and thereby exert a positive influence on the system.
In this context, it is important to mention the unique responsibility that the people of Israel bear toward humanity. Since the people of Israel constitute the inner influential part among the nations of the world, everything that takes place in the world ultimately has its roots in the connection between the people of Israel. When relationships of connection, mutual responsibility, and bestowal prevail among the people of Israel, abundance and goodness flow throughout the world. Conversely, when division and fragmentation dominate in the connections between the people of Israel, the entire world pays the price and grows hostile toward them.
Based on “New Life 159 – The Ten Commandments, Part 2” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.