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Parshas VaYikra: Speaking Lashon Hora No definitive Halacha LeMa'aseh conclusions should be applied to practical situations based on any of these Shiurim.
The opening Posuk of this Parsha states "... and Hashem spoke to him (Moshe) from the Ohel Moed--Lemor" (VaYikra 1:1). The word "Lemor" is usually translated as "saying," and thus seems here to be simply the concluding word of an introductory phrase similar to many others in the Torah. The Gemara in Yoma (4b), however, derives from this "Lemor" that when one is told something by someone else, he is forbidden to repeat it to another person unless directly told to do so by the first person. Rashi there (Ibid. s.v. She'Hu) explains this derivation by saying that the word "Lemor" can be understood as implying "Lo Emor," meaning "do not tell" unless specific permission is granted. The Maharsha (Chidushei Aggados Ibid. s.v. She'Hu) explains more simply that since Hashem had to explicitly say Lemor to Moshe, thereby telling him to repeat those words to Bnai Yisrael, we may derive that without specific permission, it would have been forbidden for Moshe to do so, thus teaching us that in general one cannot tell something that he has heard to another person. The Semag (Mitzvas Lo Ta'aseh 9) writes that this prohibition constitutes a full fledged Lav, that is, a true Torah violation, a notion which he says is actually derived from the word Lemor itself; he thus holds that there exists in general a Lav to repeat to others things which one has heard. The Semag (Ibid.) places this prohibition together with other prohibitions concerning what one may and may not say to or about others, such as Rechilus, Lashon Hora and lying about other people or things, all of which, he documents, are serious transgressions. The Torah Temimah on the Posuk in this Parsha (Ibid. Os 2) believes that this may not actually be a real Lav, but it is rather a less severe prohibition merely hinted at by the Torah. The Magen Avraham (Orach Chaim Siman 156 Sif Katan 2), however, does list this prohibition among all the other things one must avoid saying or doing during the course of the day. He also adds that if that which one does relate is something negative about another person, he has violated the prohibition of Lashon Hora. It is clear, therefore, that one must be very careful about what one tells to someone else. The Rambam (Hilchos Deos 7:1,2) outlines and explains the three different violations which fall within this prohibition of relating things to other people. The first is Rechilus, which is when one runs around telling lots of other people things he has heard about or from others. The second is Lashon Hora, which is when that which is said about another person is something negative or detrimental to him. In both of these cases, the fact that one's report may be true makes no difference. The third violation is Motzi Shem Ra, which is when that which one relates is false. The Rambam adds (Ibid. Halacha 5) that one who speaks Lashon Hora violates the transgression whether he talks in front of the subject of his remarks or not. He concludes (Ibid. Halacha 7) that it is forbidden to dwell among people who speak Lashon Hora or to even listen to what they have to say. The Gemara in Pesachim (118a) makes it clear that besides the prohibition to speak Lashon Hora, there is an independent prohibition to accept Lashon Hora. The Rashbam (Ibid. s.v. HaMikabel) explains that this means that one cannot believe Lashon Hora even if he happens to hear it. The Semag (Mitzvas Lo Ta'aseh 10) enumerates this as a separate prohibition on his list of Mitzvos; the Rambam (Hilchos Deos Ibid. Halacha 3) writes that the transgression is worse for the one who believes Lashon Hora than for the one who speaks it. The Chofetz Chaim, in his Hilchos Lashon Hora (Klal 6 Sif 1) elaborates on this prohibition, documenting additional sources. He then adds (Ibid. Sif 2) that although even listening to Lashon Hora is usually forbidden, it is permitted for one to listen if the information is directly relevant to him and can prevent him from having some problem in the future. He concludes, however, that believing Lashon Hora as absolute truth is forbidden in all cases. In his Hilchos Rechilus (Klal 5 Sif 1,2) the Chofetz Chaim points out that the same prohibition exists to believe Rechilus. We therefore see that even if one unfortunately has to hear Lashon Hora or Rechilus reported by another person, it is still forbidden for him to believe it. What should one do if he has already heard and believed Lashon Hora or Rechilus? In both Hilchos Lashon Hora (Ibid. Sif 12) and in Hilchos Rechilus (Ibid. Sif 4), the Chofetz Chaim says that one must make every effort to remove this information from his mind and stop believing it. He should also make up his mind that he will no longer accept such information from anyone, and conclude that those who repeated it to him must have exaggerated or embellished the story on their own so that it doesn't fully represent the whole truth. If he himself has already gone and repeated this to others, the Chofetz Chaim, in Hilchos Lashon Hora (in Be'er Mayim Chaim Klal 6 Sif Katan 34), writes that he must ask forgiveness from the subject of his report and try to convince anyone he spoke to that the story is not really true. We can see from all this how severe a transgression excessive talking can lead one to. The Chofetz Chaim introduces his book, the Sefer Chofetz Chaim, by documenting that one can violate as many as thirty one different commandments by following a course on which he will relate, listen to, or believe stories about other people.
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