שלא אכלתי מבהמה שלא הורמו מתנותיה
And it has been taught: A judge who decided an issue declaring the one party entitled to a thing and the other disentitled, or who pronounced aught to be unclean or clean, or forbidden or permissible, likewise witnesses who gave evidence in a law suit, these may [in law] buy the matter that was in dispute, but the Sages have said: 'Keep aloof from anything hideous or from whatever seems hideous'! - This applies only to matters which are bought by appraisement;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., such things as are bought and sold by a general estimation of their weight or an approximate assessment of their value without resorting to the usual practice of weighing or measuring. Only in such a case is there ground for suspicion.');"><sup>8</sup></span>
Sefer HaChinukh
The root of this commandment is well-known, as falsehood is abominable and vile in the eyes of all. There is nothing more disgusting than it, and malediction and curse are in the house of its lovers. [This is] because God, may He be blessed, is a truthful God, and everything that is with Him is true. And blessing is only found and resting upon those that make themselves similar to Him in their deeds: to be truthful, like He is truthful; to be merciful, like He is merciful; and to be purveyors of kindness, like He is of great kindness. But [regarding] anyone whose deeds are the opposite of His good traits and are masters of falsehood - which is exactly the opposite of His traits - the opposite of His traits will similarly always rest upon them. And the opposite of the trait of blessing which is with Him is malediction and curse; and the opposite of joy and peace and enjoyment which are with Him is worry, strife and pain. All of these are the 'evildoer’s portion from God.' And therefore the Torah warned us to distance ourselves much form falsehood, as it is written, "From a false matter, distance yourself," And behold, it used an expression of distancing, due to it being very disgusting; something it did not mention in all the other warnings. And from the side of distancing, it warned us not to bend our ears at all to anything that is considered falsehood - and even if we do not know with certainly that it is a false matter. And [this is] similar to what they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 44b), "Distance yourself from what is ugly, and from what is similar to it." And in my saying, "the traits of the Holy One, blessed be He," I am pulled after the words of our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, who related to Him, may He be blessed, the name of traits according to the side of those receiving them (people). But to Him, may He be blessed, from His side - in His greatness and His uniqueness - one cannot ascribe traits. As He and His wisdom and His will and His power and His traits are [all] one, without any combination or division in the world.
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