Midrash sobre Salmos 78:36

R. Ami said: "The prayer of a man is not answered unless he puts his whole soul into it; as it is said (Lam. 3, 41) Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heaven." R. Samuel b. Nachmeni then appointed an Amora (interpreter) who expounded as follows (Ps. 78, 36) For they prayed insincerely to Him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied unto Him. For their heart was not firm with Him, and with their tongue, they lied unto Him. Nevertheless, it says (Ib. 38) Still He, being merciful, forgave the iniquity. Do these two passages not contradict each other? No difficulty is here presented. One deals with a prayer uttered by a single man, [when he must put his whole soul into it]; but the other deals with a congregation in prayer, [when the individual is heard even if he does not pray devotedly]."

Similarly, R. Eliezer b. Yossi expounded (Isaiah 63:9) "In all of their afflictions, He was afflicted," (Ibid. 8) "And He said: 'Surely, they are My people, children who will not lie.'" But did He not know that they would lie? It is, therefore, written "Surely." (i.e., it was surely known to Him (that they would lie.) How, then, are we to understand (Ibid.) "and I will be their salvation"? __ He did not save them as men who were destined to anger Him, but as men who (by repentance) were not destined to be faithless to Him forever. And thus is it written (Psalms 78:36-37) "And they deceived Him with their mouths, and with their tongues they lied to Him, and their hearts were not constant with Him, and they were not faithful to His covenant" — in spite of which (Ibid. 38) "But He, being merciful, will forgive transgression," and (Isaiah 6:10) "The heart of this people has become fat, and its ears have become heavy, etc." (— in spite of which) (Ibid.) "if he repents, he will be healed."

"living, two shall he pay": and not (the value of) dead (animals). There are seven "thefts": "stealing men's minds" (i.e., deceiving them), importuning one's neighbor to be his guest when he has no intention of inviting him; proffering gifts that he knows will not be accepted; opening one's barrels (ostensibly "for him alone") when they have already been sold to the shopkeeper; cheating in measuring; falsifying weights; mixing (other) stalks among stalks of fenugrec, sand with beans, and vinegar with oil (even though they ruled that oil is not subject to defilement (me'ilah), wherefore kings are anointed with it.) And, what is more, they say about such a one that if he could "steal" the Higher Mind, he would do so. And thus do we find with Avshalom, that he "stole" three thefts: the heart of his father, the heart of beth-din and the heart of the house of Israel, as it is written (II Samuel 15:6) "And Avshalom stole the heart of the men of Israel." And who is the greater (thief)? The robber or the robbed? The robbed; for he knows that he is being robbed and remains silent. And thus do we find with our fathers, that when they stood on Mount Sinai, they sought to steal the Higher Mind, as it is written (Exodus 24:7) "Everything that the L rd has spoken, we will do and we will hear" — and it (the Higher Mind) was, as it were, "stolen" by them. As it is written (Devarim 5:26) "Would that this heart of theirs were in them to fear Me and to keep all of My mitzvoth all of the days, etc." And if you would say that not all is revealed and known to Him, it is written (Psalms 78:36-37) "And they beguiled Him (only) with their mouths, and (He knew that) their hearts were not constant with Him" — in spite of which (Ibid. 38) "And He was merciful, forgiving sin and not destroying, etc." And it is written (Mishlei 26:23) "As silver dross covering earthenware are lips running (with love) above an evil heart."