Sanhedrin 97a - לרפואת יוכבד פייגע בת מיכל יהודית בתיה בתוך שח"י
אמר רבא מריש הוה אמינא ליכא קושטא בעלמא אמר לי ההוא מרבנן ורב טבות שמיה ואמרי לה רב טביומי שמיה דאי הוו יהבי ליה כל חללי דעלמא לא הוה משני בדבוריה זימנא חדא איקלעי לההוא אתרא וקושטא שמיה ולא הוו משני בדיבורייהו ולא הוה מיית איניש מהתם בלא זימניה נסיבי איתתא מינהון והוו לי תרתין בנין מינה
Rava said: Initially I would say that there is no truth anywhere in the world. There was a certain one of the Sages, and Rav Tavut is his name, and some say Rav Tavyomei is his name, who was so honest that if they were to give him the entire world, he would not deviate from the truth in his statement. He said to me: One time I happened to come to a certain place, and Truth is its name, and its residents would not deviate from the truth in their statements, and no person from there would die prematurely. I married a woman from among them, and I had two sons from her.
יומא חד הוה יתבא דביתהו וקא חייפא רישה אתאי שיבבתה טרפא אדשא סבר לאו אורח ארעא אמר לה ליתא הכא שכיבו ליה תרתין בנין אתו אינשי דאתרא לקמיה אמרו ליה מאי האי אמר להו הכי הוה מעשה א"ל במטותא מינך פוק מאתרין ולא תגרי בהו מותנא בהנך אינשי
One day his wife was sitting and washing the hair on her head. Her neighbor came and knocked on the door. He thought: It is not proper conduct to tell the neighbor that his wife is bathing. He said to her: She is not here. Since he deviated from the truth his two sons died. The people residing in that place came before him and said to him: What is the meaning of this? He said to them: This was the nature of the incident, and told them what happened. They said to him: Please leave our place and do not provoke premature death upon these people.
From this MOIRA-DIKE Gemara we learn:
1] Everybody lies!! ליכא קושטא בעלמא. Rashi: אין אדם בעולם שידבר אמת תמיד.
2] Even when people tell the truth it doesn't count as truth. ליכא קושטא בעלמא. Maybe b/c you never know when someone is lying or telling the truth. You can't trust them b/c lying is always an option.
3] If we would be COMPLETELY TRUTHFUL we wouldn't die prematurely. Corona doesn't kill. Sins do. Especially sheker. Falsehood is death. [See Mesilas Yesharim 11] The Gemara says that Yaakov Avinu never died. It is no coincidence that his middah was ... EMES! [Rashba and Maharsha Taanis 5. See Zeev Yitrof Shavuos 86]. The Torah is חיינו ואורך ימינו b/c it is תורת אמת!!! Hashem's signature is "אמת" [Shabbos 55]. Maybe that is why we call Hashem א-להים חיים!!!
4] Even if one has Halachic permission to lie it still causes harm. One SHOULDN'T say that his wife is bathing - it is immodest [just as when one's wife gets a phone call one doesn't say "she's at mikva now. Can she call back later?". Or "Where were you last night? I didn't see you at ..." "Oh, I was having relations w/ my wife". See Rashi Bava Metzia 23 ד"ה פוריא and Maharal Nesiv HaEmes 1]. Still - it brought death.
5] The definition of a truthful person is not just one who doesn't lie but one who wouldn't lie for ANYTHING - even all the money in the world. דאי הוו יהבי ליה כל חללי דעלמא לא הוה משני בדבוריה. Would you be willing to tell one little white lie ["white lie" from לבן" הארמי"?] if it meant that you would never have a money worry ever again. If the answer is yes [as it is for most people] then you have work to do. If a woman wouldn't sleep with a man for anything less than a million dollars she is in essence a prostitute - just a prostitute with a high price.
6] His two sons died prematurely b/c he lied in this place that was complete truth. This means that when lives in a community where there are certain minimal religious standards and one doesn't maintain these standards it is a danger.
See שפתי חיים מדות ועבודת ה' מעמ' מ והלאה.
