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Every month, West Coast NCSY we will be highlighting one of the many
wonderful Mitzvot (commandments) of the Torah that NCSYers
throughout the Region will be highlighting in their own lives.
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MAY '06
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NOT TO SPEAK LASHON HARA (GOSSIP)
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"Lashon Hara" is slander or malicious gossip, whether true or false. “Lashon Hara,” and general inconsiderateness and hostility towards one’s fellow human beings, was one of the principal reasons for the destruction of the Second Temple.Judaism is intensely aware of the power of speech and of the harm that can be done through speech. The rabbis note that the universe itself was created through speech. Of the 43 sins enumerated in the Al Chet confession recited on Yom Kippur, 11 are sins committed through speech. The Talmud tells that the tongue is an instrument so dangerous that it must be kept hidden from view, behind two protective walls (the mouth and teeth) to prevent its misuse.
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The harm done by speech is even worse than the harm done by stealing or by cheating someone financially, because amends can be made for monetary harms, but the harm done by speech can never be repaired. For this reason, some sources indicate that there is no forgiveness for lashon ha-ra (disparaging speech). A Chasidic tale illustrates this point: A man went about the community telling malicious lies about the rabbi. Later, he realized the wrong he had done, and began to feel remorse. He went to the rabbi and begged his forgiveness, saying he would do anything he could to make amends. The rabbi told the man, "Take a feather pillow, cut it open, and scatter the feathers to the winds." The man thought this was a strange request, but it was a simple enough task, and he did it gladly. When he returned to tell the rabbi that he had done it, the rabbi said, "Now, go and gather the feathers. Because you can no more make amends for the damage your words have done than you can recollect the feathers."
Speech has been compared to an arrow: once the words are released, like an arrow, they cannot be recalled, the harm they do cannot be stopped, and the harm they do cannot always be predicted, for words like arrows often go astray. For more information on this important Mitzvah click here.
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YOUR MITZVAH MISSION
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Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to attempt each day to block off at least 1 hour where you do not speak any words of Lashon Hara. While this may seem like a simple task, try it for at least a week. If you find an hour easy than increase your time. Try to increase it an hour each week and see how you do. Good luck! This message will self destruct in 5 seconds.
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