Parshas Vayigash: The Definition of a Liar and Self-Deception

The shiur opens with Rashi (רש"י)'s explanation of why Yaakov didn't believe his sons when they told him Yosef was alive: because they had lied to him before, and even when a liar tells the truth, he is not believed. This raises a difficulty from the Gemara (גמרא)'s account of Shimshon and Delilah. After Shimshon lied to Delilah twice about the source of his strength, she nevertheless knew he was telling the truth the third time, as the Gemara states "divrei emes nikarim" - words of truth are self-evident. If Delilah could detect truth from a proven liar, why couldn't Yaakov, whose essence is emes? Rabbi Zweig resolves this by distinguishing between two types of liars. A shakran is someone who knows he is lying - there is an objective reality, and he is deliberately misrepresenting it. A badai, however, is someone who creates a false reality that he himself believes in. The term badai comes from the lashon of "bado milibo" - fabricating from one's heart, creating something new. The brothers were badai - they had convinced themselves that Yosef was dead. They believed with complete conviction that once sold to Egypt, removed from the Shechinah's presence, Yosef would either be killed or kill himself. This became their reality.