SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
? Day 39 ¨C Like Any Other Prohibition
? As with any Torah prohibition, one cannot justify speaking loshon hora on the basis of personal need or practicality.? A Jew must be prepared to forego his comfort, social status, and even livelihood rather than transgress Torah
Law.? Needless to say, it is forbidden to speak loshon hora to gain popularity or win friendship.
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One must not succumb to social pressure and engage in gossip, in the same way that one would not compromise his kashrus standards due to social pressure.
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It is forbidden to comply with an employer¡¯s demand that one reveal information which is loshon hora ¡ª even if such failure means the loss of one¡¯s job.
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Similarly, the commandment to honor one¡¯s father and mother does not justify speaking loshon hora.? One must respectfully refuse a parent¡¯s request that derogatory or harmful information be related.
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? SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON ? The Metzora¡¯s Isolation ?
¡°He who slanders his neighbor in secret ¡ª him will I cut down¡± (Psalms 101:5). The Talmud (Arachin 15b) interprets the latter half of the verse as a reference to the terrible affliction of tzaraas.
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The Talmudic sage Reish Lakish sees the term ¡°Metzora¡± (one who is afflicted with tzaraas)? as a contraction of ¡°one who spreads slander.¡±? ¡°Whoever speaks loshon hora will have afflictions [of tzaraas] visited upon him.¡± (ibid)
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This indicates the extreme severity of this sin, for the Torah is unusually stringent with regard to the laws of tumah (ritual impurity) as pertaining to the metzora. In the Wilderness, three distinct boundaries existed within the Jews¡¯ encampment, each representing
a different level of sanctity. From among the various types of ritually impure, only the metzora was forbidden from entering all three camps. As the Torah states: ¡°He shall dwell in isolation; his dwelling shall be outside the camp¡± (Vayikra 13:46).
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¡°Why was the metzora singled out to live in isolation? Because [through his evil speech] he caused a husband to separate from his wife, and friends to become distant from one another¡± (Arachin 16b).
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¡°R¡¯ Yehoshua ben Levi said: Why was the metzora singled out to bring two pigeons for his purification? Said the Holy One, Blessed is He: ¡®His sin was one of [sinful] chatter, therefore, let him bring an offering of chirping birds¡¯ ¡± (ibid.).
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