Chazal say: הֱ וֵי עָ רוּם בְׁ יִרְׁ אָ ה ברכות יז א Be “Arum” (shrewd and cunning) in Yiras Shamayim! Where does the word “Arum” come from? It says: וְׁהַ נָחָ ש הָ יָה עָ רוּם בראשית ג א The Nachash was “Arum” (shrewd and cunning)! You have to learn from the: נָחָ שׁ הַ קַ דְ מוֹנִ י original snake! People are afraid to view themselves as being greater than they really are (“It’s not true!”), and loads of high Madregos are lost because of “honesty”. And people feel the need to be “truthful” and realize their many sins (“Don’t fool yourself!”). How many tons of Torah and Yiras Shamayim are lost because of “honesty”??
We have Rivka, Yaakov, Rochel, and Leah all engaging in Sheker L'shem Shamayim; this is striking! The Torah has a big message for all of us! Your "Anava P'sula" (misplaced humility) can cost you loads of potential Shleimus! Later, we have Shimon and Levi tricking Shechem, and we have Yosef as viceroy, acting as if he is a Mitzri. (PS. I heard in the name of a Gadol B’yisroel that Hashem doesn’t want you to be “frum” as much as He wants you to be “smart”).
