Honesty about honor

Hi,

One may not perform an act which a beneficiary might think was done in his honor, if it really wasn't for his honor. For example, one may not open a new bottle of wine at a meal, indicating it's in honor of one of the participants, if one would have opened the bottle regardless.

However: If the natural assumption would not be that it was for the honor of the participant, then one may do it without explaining otherwise.

For example: If I come out of my house and encounter a friend down the street, and he assumes that I came out just to greet him, I need not let him know that I was coming out of my house anyway - the normal assumption is that I happened to encounter him, not that I left my house and walked all the way down the street just to greet him.

(Code of Jewish Law Choshen Mishpat 228:6)

Have a good day,
Mordechai