Last week we explained the prohibition of genebat da'at, to steal people's mind. Which means among other things, to make someone feel that we care about him, when we really don't (seehere).
For example: we should not invite to our party someone that we had no intention to invite since now we found out that he is not going to be in town that day. That is genebat da'at.
But what if I really wanted to invite that person to my party, and now I find out that he is going to be out of town. Could I still insist to him to come to my party anyways, knowing that he will not be able to come? Is that also considered genebat da'at because I know he will not be coming. Rabbi Melamed (penine halakha 3:71) indicates that in this last case, although it is a fictitious invitation, since I had the intention to invite him, there is no harm in inviting him anyways. On the contrary, it is possible that if I don't invite him he might get offended. In this case there is nogenebat da'at because the host really loves that person and he had sincerely wished for him to be in his party.
But when I had no intentions to invite someone and then, when I know that she is going to be out of town I pretend as if I'm sorry that she cannot come to my party, that is genebat da'at. Because all the purpose of my fictitious invitation is just a big act to gain some points to my favor from this relationship, and my invitation is based on false pretenses, i.e., an insincere demonstration of interest and love for that person.
The German ban on Circumcision
√ Click here to read and excellent article by Spangler
√ Click here to read a view from a non-Jewish
perspective
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