The Illusion of “Being Based” — A Torah Warning

by Ram ben Ze’ev

The Illusion of “Being Based” — A Torah Warning

In today’s cultural landscape, the phrase “being based” has taken on a positive tone — a badge of honour for those who refuse to bend to the opinions of others. In its modern usage, it often means standing firm, unapologetic, and committed to one’s own beliefs. Yet in the light of the Torah, this modern “virtue” frequently bears an ancient name: קשה עורף (kesheh oref — stiff-necked).

The Torah warns repeatedly against this very trait. After the sin of the golden calf, G-D tells Moshe, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people” (שמות 32:9). This was not praise for their resolve; it was an indictment of their unwillingness to turn from error. The same description appears in דברים (Devarim) 9:6, where Moshe reminds Israel that their inheritance of the land is not a reward for righteousness, but a gift from G-D despite their obstinacy.

Words as the Building Blocks of Creation

In the Holy Zohar, בראשית (Bereshit) 1, we are taught that the world was created through the עשרה מאמרות (asara maamarot — Ten Utterances) of G-D. Words are not human inventions; they are the building blocks of reality, each imbued with a specific, unchanging essence from the moment of creation. Just as the nature of fire is not altered by calling it “light,” the moral quality of a deed is not altered by dressing it in a more appealing term.

The Tanya, in Iggeret HaKodesh, warns against התלבשות הרע בלבוש הטוב (hitlabshut hara belevush hatov — the clothing of evil in the garment of good), where one rebrands a negative trait to make it appear virtuous. This is a spiritual distortion — the same sin the Torah warns against in ישעיהו (Yeshayahu) 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who turn darkness to light and light to darkness.”

Freedom Does Not Erase Judgement

The Torah recognises that man has בחירה חפשית (bechirah chofshit — free choice). We may choose our actions and the words we use to describe them. We may call stubborn pride “authenticity,” self-serving independence “courage,” or defiance of G-D’s will “being based.” But the language we choose will not rewrite the heavenly record. Judgement is rendered according to the אמת (emet — truth) of G-D’s word, not according to the spin we place on our behaviour.

Pharaoh was “based” in the truest modern sense — unmoved, unbending, and committed to his own course in defiance of G-D’s command. His resolve did not save him from destruction; it sealed it. Korach and his followers were “based” when they rejected Moshe’s authority in the name of “equality” (במדבר 16). They too perished because their cause, however well-branded, opposed the will of Heaven.

A Call to Return to אמת

We live in a time when redefinition has become an art form. The danger is not merely in adopting new slang, but in reshaping our moral compass to match the vocabulary rather than the Torah. To be truly “based” in a way the Torah honours is to be rooted in G-D’s truth, unwavering not in our personal opinions, but in our submission to His will.

As the Holy Zohar teaches, when one aligns their speech with the Divine speech, their words become vessels of blessing. When one distorts meaning, their words become empty shells, unable to bear light. We cannot escape the reality that the One who created both the words and the deeds will judge both according to their original, unchanging essence.

Let us be cautious, therefore, not to deceive ourselves. We are free to act and free to speak, but we are not free to alter the truth. We are warned: calling darkness light does not make it shine, and calling rebellion authenticity does not make it righteous. Only אמת endures before the Throne of Judgement.

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Bill White (Ram ben Ze'ev) is CEO of WireNews Limited, Mayside Partners Limited, MEADHANAN Agency, Kestrel Assets Limited, SpudsToGo Limited and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue