SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM ?
Day 171 ¨C Divisive Insights?????????
? If a person was present when a statement was made or an act was committed by an individual, and then someone else who was present points out to the person that the act was intended to hurt him, he may not believe this interpretation
of what had transpired. Not only is it wrong to believe a report that is rechilus, it is also prohibited to accept an insight that transforms an innocent occurrence into a malicious act.
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? SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
? A Contradiction
? The gossiper should be filled with shame over his blatant disregard for the transgressions which he regularly commits, for surely he believes that every letter of the Torah is true and God-given.
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Imagine that the gossiper were called to the Torah and the portion to be read contained one of the verses which prohibits loshon hora, such as ¡°Do not go as a gossipmonger among your people¡± (Vayikra 19:16); ¡°Accursed is one who strikes his fellow stealthily¡±
(Devarim 27:24); ¡°Remember that which Hashem, your God, did to Miriam¡± (Bamidbar 24:9); ¡°Do not accept a false report¡± (Shemos 23:1); etc. As the gossiper looks at the scroll¡¯s words before reciting the opening blessing he notices that one of the letters in
one of the above verses is missing a point, rendering it invalid. Surely he would not recite the blessing, for he knows that in order to be valid the Torah scroll must be complete, and that not a single letter may be deficient in any way. The gossiper clearly
believes that every letter of the holy Torah is true. Why then does he totally disregard these verses in practice?!
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As mentioned above, a person should choose at least one mitzvah to which he will dedicate himself with utmost devotion. There is particular benefit in selecting the mitzvah to guard one¡¯s tongue as one¡¯s singular mitzvah. We can liken this to earning a livelihood.
The average person would prefer to have a steady livelihood which earns him a modest but predictable profit, as opposed to a business which may bring him large profits, but without any sort of regularity or predictability. The mitzvah of shmiras haloshon can
accrue merit day and night in virtually any situation. Whether one is at home, in the study hall, market, or at a social gathering, he is forever presented with opportunities to refrain from speaking and listening to the forbidden. And as the Sages teach,
¡°One who sits and does not commit a sin is granted reward equivalent to that of one who performs a mitzvah¡± (Kiddushin 39b).
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