Parashat Devarim 2025: The Problem with Hypocrisy

Torah: Deut 1:1-3:22

Haftarah: Is 1:1-27

Brit Chadashah: Acts 9:1-21; Luke 1:68, 19:41-44; Matt 24; Mark 13

Main sections:

Moses begins his farewell address by recounting their history.

Israel commanded to leave Horeb (Sinai).

Moses collaborates with the tribes to appoint leaders.

The sin of the spies. Israel’s refusal to believe.

The judgment of wandering in the wilderness.

God commands Israel to not invade countries he has allotted to others.

King Sihon and King Og were defeated.

In the Haftarah portion of the reading, God begins his criticism of Judah. He called them out for their wickedness and berated them for their spiritual condition which had resulted in their land being ravaged and their people continually violated. In the face of continual judgment, Israel did not seek repentance (teshuvah) and continued in their wicked ways. In verses 11-15, God challenges them for their empty observances and sacrifices. They had the form of godliness but did not have a heart for God. The nation that was called to be a testimony and intended to guide other nations to HaShem, had fallen into being a spiritual fraud. This spiritual hypocrisy was destroying them, even as God appealed to them to turn back. The chapter ends with promise and restoration as God refuses to let them go.

Hypocrisy provides the false appearance of virtue or goodness while concealing our actual convictions and beliefs, which are contrary. The original Greek word for hypocrisy was actually not a negative word. Its closest hint at the connotation we use it for today was that of an actor in a play, i.e. the person was representing someone who was not himself. In scripture, the word for hypocrisy is mostly aimed at our relationship with God and is denoted by the Hebrew word “hanufah” (wickedness or impiety). David, however, describes the hypocrisy of people, without using the word, to describe those who feign concern, but have bad intentions (Ps 41:6-10, also see Matt 22:15-22). When compassion is a pretense to hurt another, it is especially criminal. This was one of Judas’ worst crimes when, at the end of Yeshua’s earthly existence, he was posing as a talmid (disciple) while betraying Yeshua with a kiss (Matt 26:48-54). In the apocryphal literature, hypocrites were called men-pleasers and even the sages urged that they be identified so that the name of God would not be profaned.

In Jewish circles, the word for hypocrite is “tzeviut” (Yiddish, tzvuak) which is derived from a word that means to dye or color a fabric (thereby changing its appearance). There was also a Yiddish phrase for the hypocrite, “der tsadik in pelts” (a pious person in a fur coat, i.e. the coat only benefits himself). Today our sense of hypocrisy is replaced by words like bias, misrepresentation, insincerity, or duplicity. Our biblical basis for avoiding hypocrisy can be found in Ex 23:7, “Stay far away from a false charge (sheker, falsehood, a lie).” (TLV)

One mark of HaShem is that he is faithful to his word. God does not act one way, and then judge another way. He does not lie, misrepresent, or play favorites. If he said he was going to do something, his word is immutable. The purity of his character is seen in the construction of the Ark (Ex 25:11). The Ark was made of acacia wood and was overlaid with gold inside and out. This symbolic reference taught us that God exists one way. He is pure and holy. He is the same in trouble as he is in triumph. The Rava notes that this allusion is also applicable to the Torah scholar whose inward character is not reflected in his speech or behavior. Rava stated that the insincere disqualifies himself from being a Torah scholar (BT, Yoma 72b)

Why does God have a problem with hypocrisy? (Isaiah 29:13, Luke 3:8)

1. Scripture tells us to stay away from falsehood. It also calls us to be holy, not just look holy.

2. Simply appearing holy without being holy is detestable to God.

3. Hypocrisy and duplicity make people question your sincerity and if what you have is real.

4. God works with hearts that are broken and contrite. If we want to make headway with God, we have to see ourselves through God’s eyes and be authentic and genuine.

5. Hypocrisy can lead us to attack or abuse others under a religious pretense.

6. When one’s hypocrisy is discovered, via scandal, feelings of betrayal ensue, and relationships and communities are damaged.

If you are old enough, you remember the days when a person calling another a hypocrite was almost equivalent, on the moral scale, to calling them out on adultery. We are swimming in an ocean of moral hypocrisy in our politics, relationships, and spiritual lives. We have been around compromising voices so much that the term “hypocrite” has lost its punch. We are no longer phased when we see it, hear it, or experience it ourselves. We can all be hypocritical in how we normally act. We can say one thing and do another (Rom 2:3, Titus 1:16).

Sometimes our emotions work against us. We don’t tend to judge ourselves too harshly for gossiping about another if it is someone we do not like. If we find out that someone said something about us, however, we can explode. More generally, we can think that it is ok if we do something, but it is wrong if others do the same thing. We also tend to despise parts of ourselves that we see in others, and we can get uncomfortable especially when we find that we cannot get along. These are all forms of hypocrisy. Yeshua taught in Matt 7:1-3 that we should be mindful of the plank that dwells in our own eye, before casting judgment on another. In vs 2, Yeshua stated that we would be judged with the same measure we used to judge others (see Rom 2:1-5). Even a casual read of scripture shows us that hypocrisy is a big deal that our God detests.

Before we get too harsh and legalistic on the hypocrisy of our human condition, let’s just say that we all have it and have participated in it to some degree. It is sometimes just a product of our flawed humanity. We are imperfect. We want our inward life to align with our outward life but get stuck. Most of the time we are not trying to be horrible or deceptive people. We see the contradictions in our own lives but seldom stop to consider them. Sometimes we are just going through life on autopilot and use the same canned responses and ways of dealing with life, but seldom stop to think if we should do something different. In counseling, I have compared people’s actions with the values they are conveying and asked, does this action (or words) really reflect who you are? Many times, the answer is no.

We can get angry, depressed, or stressed and our values can wander after an emotional moment. We all have needs that scream for fulfillment. We deal with our personal drives and wounds from the past. Each one of these places has a set of values that condition us to survive in our world. We all have to deal with internal competing values. Sometimes we are assailed by them and it makes it hard to make decisions, let go of things, or find the best way to deal with problems or situations in a godly way.

Sometimes our hypocrisy is just a sign that we are struggling. We are not trying to be something we are not. We are trying to cope with where we have been and we trying to find a place to reconcile the chaos that is swirling inside of us. It does take intention, godly wisdom, and some time to sort it all out. Occasionally, we can ask for someone to be patient and allow us to just verbally sort so we can get things in their proper place.

Perfectionists can be the most noble of hypocrites. They set up well-intentioned ideals that are usually out of reach for themselves and others and end up feeling like they are miserable failures. They are not trying to be hypocritical, they are trying to get everything right, but the extent to which they can take things can get punitive and wounding and they are hurt the worst. There is a way to have godly ideals and press toward them while being transparent and mindful of our own faults and deficiencies. If we handle these with grace and meekness, we can inspire without wearing a mask and we do not have to resort to coercion or condemnation to spiritually advance.

Over the course of our lives, God is in a continual process of making us new creatures. We have to work at it, seek it, and pray for change. Sanctification is a lifelong process. The more we walk with God the more our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual lives will align with God’s word.

We are living in a day when we can hold onto a truth that we know is correct, and even promote it, but not have the moral consistency to carry it out ourselves. Some forms of hypocrisy come from fear or a sense of low self-esteem. One of the earliest places where hypocrisy occurs in scripture is in Gen 3:12-13 where Adam tried to excuse his actions and blame them on the women God had given to him. God did not allow Adam to use hypocrisy as a “get out of jail free card.” Some forms of hypocrisy come from pride or arrogance. In 2 Samuel 12, the Prophet Nathan challenged King David with a riddle about a rich person stealing from a poor one. King David responded in anger and in vs 5, ruled that the rich man should die and pay for the lamb four times over for his lack of pity. David’s hypocrisy and sin were confronted before his entire court.

Psychology calls this cognitive dissonance. Sometimes the guilt or conviction we experience brings us to a place of resolution. Sometimes the pressure is ignored, people get distracted, or are just too occupied with other things in a fast-paced life and move on too quickly. We have a drive to have a moral code. We try to understand right and wrong. Our religious values give us a sense of absolutes which include both obedience and grace. We can confuse these concepts and appear hypocritical if we hold that grace covers up absolutely everything and we have no actual responsibility to be obedient. Peter admonished believers in 1 Pet 2:16 to not use their freedom as a coverup for evil, but they were to live as servants of God.

A person’s worldview has a lot to do with whether personal inconsistencies are tolerated and under what circumstances. We tend to give “a pass” to many of the things that are said and done if it is compliant to our worldview. If what we see and hear is not compliant to our worldview, we can criticize quickly and even take on a righteous anger. Even those with religious underpinnings can write off hypocrisy because of situational ethics (exceptions based on the need of the situation) or the habit of wearing a “church face” when in the community.

Hypocrisy can be found in the judgment we level against others. It is far easier and more satisfying to criticize others, rather than to work on ourselves. We have a bad habit of seeing the faults of others but are oblivious to our own. This leads to spiritual arrogance.

We can be critical of people just because they have a moral stance. A lot of this criticism comes from a simple rejection because we don’t want someone encroaching on us, challenging us, or dethroning our sense of control. One argument that is commonly used is that no one can teach or even hold a moral opinion if they show any signs of struggling or cannot provide the appearance of having conquered life altogether. This “purist” seeks to use hypocrisy as a club to reject and attack anyone who dares have a moral opinion, but the purist tends to be just as opinionated as the ones they criticize. We need to be careful and compassionate. Avoiding hypocrisy is only one side of the issue. We also have to be careful not to attack others and allow for some grace in our interactions. It is also important to know that when we take a stand against sin and it is good and holy to do so if we are also pursuing obedience ourselves. We don’t have to have conquered everything, but we need to be working out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).

We need to be able to balance our inner life and outer life. We know that the true attitudes and motives of every person will be revealed in the Judgement (Luke 12:1-3). There will be a time when everything in our inner lives will come to the light. It is important that we honor God with our hearts, words, and behavior (Matt 15:7-9). If we say that we know him, we have to keep his commandments or we can be found to be a fraud and a liar (1 Jn 2:4, James 2:22-23). We cannot be duplicitous and say we love God and hate our brother (1 Jn 4:20). We cannot dwell with God and be prone to deceit or lies (Ps 101:7). Peter instructed us to put hypocrisy away along with malice, deceit, envy, and slander (1 Peter 2:1). This is important because God responds to faith, but supernatural works of faith are no substitute for biblical living. If we are not careful and our lives are not holy, we can still be judged as being lawless (Matt 7:21-23). If our faith is fraudulent and we are practicing our “righteousness” so that we can wear a religious mask, we will have no reward in heaven (Matt 6:1).

Yeshua’s Teaching on Hypocrisy.

Luke 12:1 Yeshua cautioned his followers to beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. He acknowledged them as religious teachers but directed his disciples to not follow their lifestyle. The sages use the pig as an analogy to describe the hypocrisy of Esau (BT, Bereshit Rabbah 65:1) The pig looks like he is a kosher animal but is not. It lies down and extends its split hoofs, feigning to be pure, but is not because it does not chew its cud (a type of dwelling and meditating on the word). We cannot have the outward trappings of holiness but deny its power to change us and continue in vile behavior (2 Tim 3:1-5).

Matt 23:1-4 We must do the good we know to do, especially if we teach the word.

Matt 23:5-10 We cannot live holy lives with the wrong motive. We cannot appear to be holy just to be acknowledged, respected, or praised. (Ps 50:16)

Matt 23:13-15 Living a duplicitous life affects our teaching and we end up discouraging people with the same spiritual apathy and excuses we hold.

Matt 23:16-22 Living duplicitous lives affect how we interpret the word and apply its principles. Instead of holing the Word of God as an absolute, we misinterpret it according to our vanity and look for ways to circumvent it.

Matt 23:23-24 The Pharisees were good at tithing but still were rebuked for their lack of justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

Matt 23:25-28 We cannot live duplicitous lives that are religious on the outside, but void of holiness on the inside.

Matt 23:29-36 Duplicitous people can persecute the righteous, even on religious grounds.

Dealing with Hypocrisy

Work on pride. Practice thinking twice before responding. The first thing that comes to mind may only be a concept (and could be a bad one). Giving things a second thought gives us a filter for our words and behavior, so that we can have a level of scrutiny.

Work on fear and insecurity. When we get defensive, we are in survival mode. Stress can push us into responding out of our sensitivities as opposed to responding out of our sense of godliness. Sometimes we have to recenter ourselves in a godly mindset to respond so that we are not responding out of our weaknesses. Godliness is a strength.

Work on being mindful and humble. We need to be careful to book-end some of our statements with humility and grace before being too harsh or condescending. People are more open to those who struggle and can confess their humanity. They tend to be more cautious of those who appear elitist and act like they have arrived. We all struggle with things. Sometimes the struggle is what people need to hear because they can learn how to deal with their issues. Hypocritical tendencies alienate people. A little compassion can draw them in.

Watch out for judgmental attitudes. When we are testy, aggravated, or territorial we tend to be harsher and more confrontational. When our sense of judgement arises, we need to see if we are being defensive, intolerant, or just mean. If any of these are present, it is best to stay quiet. Our emotions can drive our perceptions, but the good news is that they do not last. When the emotions of the moment subside and we can think clearer, we can get out of attack mode. Sometimes we just need to take our attention off of others and their faults and begin to look within ourselves.

Learn to recognize the presence of moral superiority and stop. Try to get in the other person’s shoes. That will give us a sense of empathy and compassion. Everyone is flawed somewhere but moral superiority does give some type of temporary return. Recognizing where this is rooted is vital to meeting our needs. What gap does this fill? Do we need love, acceptance, or regard?

Are we looking for a place to crusade? Having meaning in our lives is important. Getting that in the right place, specifically regarding our spirituality helps us connect so that we are not just a part timer or lukewarm Messianic.

Be aware of contradictions in what we think and feel vs what we should believe and do. If we devote a little prayer and time to carry through, we can bring our concepts to the level of conviction.

Shabbat Shalom

Rav Calev

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