The Kotzker Rebbe: Do Not Deceive Yourself

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Black lettering on a cream background with a Kotzker teaching applying the prohibition of theft to self-deception.

YOU SHALL NOT STEAL. (SHMOS 20:13) YOU SHALL NOT STEAL YOURSELF. MEANING: DO NOT DECEIVE YOURSELF.

Attribution printed on the image: Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk

A reflection on the teaching

The image presents an ethical reading of the prohibition against stealing. It turns the question inward: are we taking truth away from ourselves by refusing to face it? That is a reflective application, rather than a replacement for the mitzvah's halachic meaning. We can use it to examine one convenient explanation we give for a repeated choice. What fact would a fair observer add to our account? Naming that fact can help us act more honestly. The point is useful self-awareness, not finding another way to condemn the whole person.

Source note: The attribution above is transcribed from the image. The exact source and English wording have not been independently verified.

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