Reply To: traffic tickets and lesser charges but NOT FBI searches

thank you nisht and Avram. I appreciate the responses and clarification. I am still left with the same questions as so much of the response deals with whether or not I would want to be stuck with punishments or fines that are horrific.

My point is that I don’t think the need to be honest depends on how much you have to lose. In such a position, r”l, the question wouldn’t/shouldn’t be “how do I get out of this bad situation” it should be “I wonder why Hashem put me in this bad situation”. I have never been taught that one can lie in order to get out of things, no matter how awful they are. That is not to say I wouldn’t ask a shaila, but that is about getting a heter, not about what qualifies as honesty.

so I really refrained from responding because I found the responses so sad. I am surprised to hear people insist that what is at stake determines right and wrong.

After reading Avram’s post, however, I would need to clarify something. posters have spoken of plea bargains as choice of punishment. As far as I know – and here is where I could be wrong – accepting a plea requires one to say “I AM GUILTY OF X” instead of “Y” in order to get that lessor punishment. If you are required to say, “I plead guilty of X” and you aren’t, that’s lying. if you are guilty of it, then go for it, why would you even be bringing it up in this argument?

Same with asking for a warning instead of a ticket? why would you even ask if I think it’s sheker? How can that be sheker? is being honest really that abstract and murky of a topic? I don’t usually find that to be the case.

Here it is in short – If you have to say, “I plead guilty to X” and you arent guilty of X, it is a lie and I don’t care how much it costs you. Take that up with Gd.

Do you check boxes that say ,”Yes I have read the above material” if you haven’t? My son cannot get his license because he has to sign a sheet that he fulfilled the pre-requesits. one is that he drove 50 hours. Would you let your son sign it if he didn’t drive 50 hours? Some parents were fine with it. Some wouldn’t think of it. Is this really so “not on the radar”?