How Does One Seek Truth in a Case This Sensitive, Delicate, and Controversial?
A Biblical Sermon on Justice, Testimony, Mercy, and the Fear of HaShem
There are cases in which human beings are tempted to choose a side before they have carefully sought the truth.
There are cases in which emotions become so powerful that people stop asking what actually happened and begin asking only, “Whose story do I believe?”
There are cases in which compassion for an alleged victim can become contempt for the accused. There are also cases in which concern about false accusation can become an excuse for refusing to hear someone who may genuinely have suffered.
And then there are cases so sensitive, so painful, and so controversial that the only righteous response is to slow down.
To listen.
To investigate.
To distinguish testimony from rumor.
To distinguish allegation from proof.
To protect the vulnerable without abandoning justice.
And above everything else—to fear HaShem.
The recent controversy surrounding allegations arising from a 2024 incident at Cornell University provides a painful contemporary setting in which to consider these biblical principles. A former student has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by multiple men at a fraternity house. The accused have denied the allegations or denied participating in nonconsensual sexual activity. The criminal investigation, which was not prosecuted in 2024, has now been reopened, and New York's attorney general has been appointed special prosecutor. Public reporting has also raised questions concerning what information was transmitted to prosecutors and what evidence was reviewed.
This sermon does not pronounce guilt or innocence.
That is not the task of spectators.
The task is to ask:
How does a righteous person seek truth when the circumstances are emotionally charged, evidence is disputed, memories may be incomplete, reputations are at stake, and someone may have been deeply harmed?
The Torah has an answer.
I. The First Principle: Do Not Judge by the Noise
The world moves quickly.
HaShem does not require us to move quickly merely because everyone else is shouting.
The Torah says:
“Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.”
— Exodus 23:1
Notice the seriousness of the command.
The Torah does not merely prohibit lying.
It warns against participating in a false report.
That principle becomes especially important in the age of social media.
A person can hear an accusation in the morning, form an opinion by noon, repeat it in the afternoon, and condemn a human being publicly before the sun goes down.
But biblical justice does not operate according to viral momentum.
The book of Proverbs declares:
“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.”
— Proverbs 18:13
That verse should be written over every investigation.
Hear first.
Understand second.
Judge afterward.
Not the other way around.
II. “Search Out the Matter Diligently”
When an accusation is serious, the biblical response is neither automatic belief nor automatic disbelief.
It is investigation.
Deuteronomy teaches:
“And thou shalt inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain…”
— Deuteronomy 13:14
The language is striking.
Inquire.
Search.
Ask diligently.
Truth requires work.
This is especially important when an accusation involves sexual violence, intoxication, coercion, conflicting accounts, multiple witnesses, digital communications, physical evidence, or questions concerning a person's capacity to consent.
Such a case cannot responsibly be reduced to a slogan.
It cannot be decided by which side tells the more emotionally compelling story.
It requires trained investigators, careful interviewing, preservation of evidence, examination of timelines, corroboration where available, consideration of contradictory evidence, and a willingness to follow the evidence wherever it leads.
That principle applies equally to the person making the allegation and to the people accused.
The vulnerable deserve careful investigation.
The accused deserve careful investigation.
Truth deserves careful investigation.
III. The Torah Forbids Partiality
There is a temptation in controversial cases to say:
“I believe her because women should be believed.”
Or:
“I believe him because men are falsely accused.”
But Scripture calls us higher than tribal reasoning.
Leviticus says:
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty…”
— Leviticus 19:15
The principle is profound.
Justice cannot be determined by social status.
Neither the powerful nor the powerless receives a different standard of truth.
The Torah does not say:
Believe the person with the more sympathetic story.
It says:
Do justice.
And Deuteronomy declares:
“Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s…”
— Deuteronomy 1:17
This is where the fear of HaShem becomes essential.
The investigator must not fear the accused.
The investigator must not fear the accuser.
The investigator must not fear the university.
The investigator must not fear the media.
The investigator must not fear public outrage.
The investigator must fear HaShem.
Because when human beings become afraid of one another, justice becomes corrupted.
IV. A Woman's Testimony Must Not Be Dismissed Simply Because the Matter Is Difficult
The Bible repeatedly demonstrates that the testimony and suffering of women matter before HaShem.
Hagar cried out in the wilderness, and HaShem heard her.
Leah was seen in her affliction.
Hannah was misunderstood by Eli, yet HaShem knew her heart.
The woman in Judges 19 suffered horrific violence, and the nation was forced to confront what had happened.
The Scriptures do not teach us to silence women because their stories are uncomfortable.
Nor do they teach us to automatically declare every accusation proven.
Those are two different questions.
The righteous response is:
Listen carefully.
Protect appropriately.
Investigate thoroughly.
Judge righteously.
A person can take an allegation seriously without pretending that every disputed factual question has already been resolved.
That distinction is desperately needed in our generation.
V. Yeshua Condemned Judgment Without Understanding
Yeshua taught:
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
— John 7:24
This is not a command to abandon moral discernment.
It is a command to judge righteously rather than superficially.
Appearance is not evidence.
Public opinion is not evidence.
Viral outrage is not evidence.
A person's social status is not evidence.
A person's popularity is not evidence.
Likewise, someone's awkwardness, intoxication, clothing, reputation, previous relationships, or past mistakes cannot substitute for a careful examination of what actually occurred.
Righteous judgment requires substance.
VI. “By the Mouth of Two or Three Witnesses”
The Torah provides another essential safeguard:
“One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”
— Deuteronomy 19:15
This principle should make us extremely careful with modern public accusations.
A social-media post is not automatically a witness.
A rumor is not automatically a witness.
A screenshot without authentication is not automatically a witness.
An anonymous comment is not automatically a witness.
And the number of people repeating a claim does not transform the claim into independently corroborated evidence.
At the same time, “two or three witnesses” should never be twisted into a simplistic rule that means a victim can never be believed unless several eyewitnesses happened to be present.
The biblical principle concerns establishing a matter truthfully and justly.
Evidence can take many forms.
Witness testimony.
Documents.
Messages.
Physical evidence.
Timelines.
Admissions.
Independent witnesses.
Records.
Contemporaneous statements.
Patterns that can legitimately be corroborated.
The question is not:
“How can we find a technical excuse to dismiss this?”
The question is:
“What does the evidence actually establish?”
VII. The Danger of a Partial Record
This point becomes particularly important in the Cornell controversy.
ABC News reported that documents indicate prosecutors in 2024 received a six-page summary rather than the full transcripts of the woman's interviews. More recent reporting also states that the original police record contained statements that were not included in the condensed version provided to prosecutors.
Whether every disputed characterization of those records is ultimately established is for the appropriate investigators and courts to determine.
But the biblical principle is already clear:
A partial record can produce a partial judgment.
Proverbs says:
“The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him.”
— Proverbs 18:17
That verse is remarkably applicable to controversial investigations.
The first account may sound convincing.
Then additional testimony appears.
Additional evidence appears.
A document appears.
A message appears.
A witness remembers something differently.
A timeline changes.
And suddenly the matter looks different.
Therefore, humility is essential.
A righteous investigator must be able to say:
“I may not yet know.”
Those may be some of the most honest words ever spoken in an investigation.
VIII. Compassion and Due Process Are Not Enemies
Modern society often presents a false choice:
Either we care about survivors,
or
we care about due process.
Biblically, that is a false dilemma.
We can care about both.
If someone says she was sexually assaulted, she should not be mocked.
If someone says he did not commit the alleged crime, he should not automatically be condemned.
Both statements can be heard.
Both can be investigated.
And neither automatically resolves the factual question.
The prophet Zechariah says:
“Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother.”
— Zechariah 7:9
Notice the combination:
True judgment.
Mercy.
Compassion.
Not one without the others.
Justice without compassion can become cruel.
Compassion without truth can become unjust.
Biblical righteousness requires both.
IX. Do Not Shame the Person Who Reports
There is another danger.
When someone reports sexual violence, people may immediately begin asking:
Why did she go there?
Why did she drink?
Why did she use drugs?
Why did she stay?
Why didn't she leave?
Why didn't she scream?
Why didn't she remember everything?
Those questions may sometimes be relevant to reconstructing events, but they must never become substitutes for investigating the alleged conduct of other people.
The Torah says:
“Thou shalt not oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God…”
— Leviticus 25:17
A person in a vulnerable condition must not be treated as disposable.
The command to pursue truth does not authorize cruelty toward someone who may already have suffered.
The person reporting deserves dignity.
The person accused deserves dignity.
The investigation itself deserves integrity.
X. But Neither Should We Condemn Before Judgment
The opposite error is equally serious.
Proverbs warns:
“He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.”
— Proverbs 17:15
The verse gives us a terrifying responsibility.
It is possible to commit injustice by protecting the guilty.
It is also possible to commit injustice by condemning the innocent.
That means our emotional certainty must never outrun the evidence.
If someone committed sexual violence, justice should not protect him because he is popular, wealthy, attractive, connected, educated, or part of an institution.
But if someone did not commit the crime, justice should not condemn him because the allegation is emotionally disturbing.
HaShem is not impressed by our outrage.
He is concerned with truth.
XI. Do Not Turn the Internet Into a Courtroom
The book of Proverbs says:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”
— Proverbs 18:21
Those words are especially sobering in the digital age.
A person's name can be spread across thousands of screens within hours.
An allegation can become a permanent search-engine result.
A person can be socially convicted before a qualified investigator has completed an investigation.
And a victim can be subjected to another wave of humiliation when strangers dissect every detail of her experience.
Therefore:
Do not speculate.
Do not identify people unnecessarily.
Do not circulate graphic details.
Do not manufacture certainty.
Do not treat rumors as evidence.
Do not harass witnesses.
Do not threaten the accused.
Do not harass the person making the allegation.
Do not interfere with an investigation.
And do not confuse being loud with being righteous.
XII. The Witness Must Tell the Truth Even When the Truth Is Complicated
One of the hardest realities in traumatic and controversial cases is that human memory can be complicated.
A person may remember some events clearly and other events imperfectly.
A person may have been intoxicated.
A person may have voluntarily participated in one activity and rejected another.
A person may initially describe an event one way and later describe it differently.
None of those possibilities automatically establishes either guilt or innocence.
They are matters to investigate.
The Torah commands:
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
— Exodus 20:16
Truth does not become less important because the circumstances are emotionally painful.
If the truth is complicated, then investigators must investigate complicated truth.
They must not force reality into a convenient narrative.
XIII. Yeshua Teaches Us to Protect the Vulnerable
Yeshua's ministry consistently revealed the heart of HaShem toward people who were vulnerable, despised, or overlooked.
He did not teach His disciples to exploit vulnerable people.
He did not teach them to mock the suffering.
He did not teach them to pursue reputation at the expense of righteousness.
He said:
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
— Matthew 5:7
Mercy does not mean ignoring evil.
Mercy means refusing to become evil while confronting evil.
A person seeking justice must guard her own heart.
Anger can become hatred.
Concern can become vengeance.
Vengeance can become false accusation.
And righteous indignation can slowly become unrighteousness if it is not submitted to HaShem.
XIV. The Judge Must Remember: “The Judgment Is God's”
Deuteronomy says:
“for the judgment is God’s.”
— Deuteronomy 1:17
That statement should humble everyone involved.
The victim does not have to carry the entire burden of proving her worth.
The accused does not have to prove his innocence to social media.
The prosecutor does not answer to Twitter.
The university does not own the truth.
The public does not possess omniscience.
Ultimately, judgment belongs to HaShem.
Human courts have authority within their lawful sphere, but human beings remain fallible.
Therefore, investigators must build systems that compensate for human weakness.
They need careful procedures.
Independent review.
Complete records.
Trained interviewers.
Preservation of evidence.
Protection against conflicts of interest.
Accountability.
Transparency where legally possible.
And willingness to correct an earlier decision when credible new evidence emerges.
XV. Reopening a Case Is Not the Same as Declaring Someone Guilty
This distinction is essential.
A reopened investigation does not mean the accused have been proven guilty.
But neither does an earlier decision not to prosecute necessarily mean that every factual question has been permanently settled.
An investigation can be reopened because new evidence emerges, because previously overlooked evidence becomes available, because procedural questions arise, or because authorities determine that further inquiry is warranted.
That is not the same as conviction.
The appropriate posture is:
Investigate.
Preserve evidence.
Hear witnesses.
Test the evidence.
Protect everyone's lawful rights.
Then determine what the evidence supports.
That is closer to biblical justice than either premature exoneration or premature condemnation.
XVI. Revelation Shows the End of the Story: Truth Will Not Remain Hidden Forever
The Book of Revelation presents a sobering vision of final accountability.
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God…”
— Revelation 20:12
And then:
“And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
— Revelation 20:12
The imagery is powerful.
There are books.
There is a record.
There is judgment.
There is accountability.
Human beings can misunderstand.
Investigators can make mistakes.
Institutions can fail.
Witnesses can forget.
Evidence can be lost.
But HaShem is not confused.
Nothing is ultimately hidden from Him.
Revelation also declares:
“for thy judgments are made manifest.”
— Revelation 15:4
That should give both warning and hope.
If someone has done evil and escaped human accountability, HaShem has not forgotten.
If someone has been falsely accused, HaShem has not forgotten.
If an institution concealed wrongdoing, HaShem has not forgotten.
If a vulnerable person was ignored, HaShem has not forgotten.
If an accused person was unjustly condemned, HaShem has not forgotten.
The final Judge sees what human judges cannot see.
XVII. The Biblical Path Is Neither Cynicism Nor Naivety
A mature believer must resist two opposite temptations.
The first is cynicism:
“Nobody tells the truth.”
The second is naivety:
“Everything I hear must be true.”
Scripture permits neither.
Instead, Scripture calls us to discernment.
Proverbs says:
“The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.”
— Proverbs 14:15
The prudent person does not mock testimony.
But neither does the prudent person believe every word without examination.
This is wisdom.
XVIII. What Should We Do When We Do Not Know?
Sometimes the most righteous conclusion is:
“I do not yet know.”
That is not cowardice.
That is intellectual and moral humility.
If the evidence is incomplete, say it is incomplete.
If the evidence conflicts, say it conflicts.
If allegations remain allegations, call them allegations.
If an investigation establishes wrongdoing, call wrongdoing what it is.
If an accused person is exonerated, do not continue condemning him merely because the accusation was emotionally compelling.
If a victim's allegation is substantiated, do not protect perpetrators because their reputations are important.
Truth must remain more important than our preferred narrative.
XIX. A Biblical Standard for Investigators
For anyone investigating a case this sensitive, the biblical model can be summarized in several commandments.
Seek truth before conclusions.
“Thou shalt not raise a false report.” — Exodus 23:1
Hear before judging.
“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” — Proverbs 18:13
Investigate diligently.
“Thou shalt inquire, and make search, and ask diligently.” — Deuteronomy 13:14
Do not show partiality.
“Ye shall not respect persons in judgment.” — Deuteronomy 1:17
Examine testimony carefully.
“At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.” — Deuteronomy 19:15
Do not condemn the innocent.
“He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just…” — Proverbs 17:15
Do not excuse the wicked.
The same verse warns against justifying the wicked.
Show mercy.
“Blessed are the merciful.” — Matthew 5:7
And remember that ultimate judgment belongs to God.
“the judgment is God’s.” — Deuteronomy 1:17
XX. A Word to the Community
Jewish communities must be especially careful when allegations involve institutions, respected families, prominent individuals, universities, religious organizations, or people with influence.
The reputation of an institution must never become more important than truth.
But the destruction of an institution's reputation must never become the goal of an investigation either.
The goal is truth.
If wrongdoing occurred, expose it.
If someone was harmed, protect and support that person.
If someone committed a crime, pursue justice.
If someone is innocent, do not destroy him.
If an investigation failed, correct the system.
If evidence was overlooked, examine it.
If procedures were inadequate, strengthen them.
And if the truth is painful, tell the truth anyway.
XXI. The Wall and the Gate
There is a biblical image that may help us understand our responsibility.
A city needed walls for protection.
But a city also needed gates.
The wall protected.
The gate examined what entered and what left.
Justice requires both.
We need compassion that protects vulnerable people.
But we also need gates of discernment that prevent rumor, vengeance, prejudice, and false accusation from entering the judgment process.
A wall without a gate becomes a prison.
A gate without a wall leaves everyone vulnerable.
Likewise:
Mercy without truth becomes sentimentalism.
Truth without mercy becomes cruelty.
Justice without compassion becomes cold.
Compassion without justice becomes disorder.
But truth, justice, mercy, and righteousness together form a stronger defense.
XXII. The Final Standard
The prophet Micah gives us one of Scripture's clearest summaries:
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth HaShem require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
— Micah 6:8
There it is.
Do justly.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly.
Not:
Win the argument.
Defend your favorite person.
Destroy your enemy.
Protect your institution.
Believe whatever is trending.
HaShem requires something deeper.
Justice.
Mercy.
Humility.
Therefore, when confronted with a case this sensitive, delicate, and controversial, we should not begin by asking:
“Whose side am I on?”
We should ask:
“What does truth require of me?”
We should ask:
“What evidence has actually been established?”
We should ask:
“Have I heard the matter completely?”
We should ask:
“Am I protecting someone who may be vulnerable?”
We should ask:
“Am I condemning someone without sufficient evidence?”
We should ask:
“Have I allowed anger, fear, politics, reputation, gender, wealth, popularity, or social pressure to influence my judgment?”
And finally:
“Would I be willing for HaShem to examine my judgment?”
Because one day, He will.
Conclusion: Let Truth Be the Wall
In an age of outrage, truth must become our wall.
In an age of accusation, righteousness must become our gate.
In an age of public humiliation, mercy must govern our speech.
In an age of institutional failure, justice must not be sacrificed to reputation.
And in an age when everyone seems certain, the servant of HaShem must retain the humility to say:
“I will investigate.”
“I will listen.”
“I will not spread what I cannot establish.”
“I will protect the vulnerable.”
“I will not condemn without evidence.”
“I will not excuse wrongdoing.”
“I will follow the truth wherever it leads.”
And above all:
“I will fear HaShem.”
For the final standard does not belong to the crowd.
It belongs to the One who sees what is hidden.
Yeshua said:
“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.”
— Luke 12:2
Therefore, let us seek truth without cruelty.
Let us pursue justice without vengeance.
Let us show mercy without abandoning discernment.
Let us protect the vulnerable without abandoning due process.
Let us refuse false reports.
Let us refuse premature condemnation.
Let us refuse institutional protectionism.
Let us refuse mob judgment.
And let us walk humbly before HaShem.
Because when human beings cannot see the whole picture, HaShem can.
When human beings do not know what happened, HaShem knows.
When human justice fails, His judgment remains.
And when the truth finally stands before Him, nothing will remain hidden.
