By: Rabbi Jonathan Matt
Sometimes the power of the word is greater than the power of the sword. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20 and Dt. 5) include two injunctions against misuse of the word: the third commandment, concerning misuse of the Divine Name; and the ninth commandment, not to give false witness against one’s fellow. The very style of the Hebrew Bible inculcates the value of the word. Many sentences are half as long as their English equivalents. Even "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3) is only two words in the original Hebrew. No word is wasted and connotations are echoed and transformed from one chapter to the next, from one book to the next. A detailed code of civil law follows the Ten Commandments, including the injunction not to "carry false rumors" (Ex. 23:1). An additional law is found in Leviticus 19:16: "You shall not go round as a talebearer." Here, an even higher standard is demanded: The talebearer can no longer defend his action by pointing out the tale is true, since the Torah here forbids malicious recounting even of true details. The topic is dealt with by the Psalmist as well: "Who is the man who is eager for life, who desires years of good fortune? Guard your tongue from evil, your lips from deceitful speech" (Ps. 34:13-14 NJPS). The Hebrew for "eager for life" was the nickname later given to a 19th century Rabbi who graded his students by their commitment to guarding their lips from lashon hara - "the evil tongue." As the Sages developed biblical Judaism into Rabbinic Judaism, they drew on the vocabulary of Psalms and crystallized the value concept of lashon hara - "the evil tongue." By having one concept include "carrying false rumors" and "talebearing" of the truth, they made the point that retelling a true fact with malicious intent can be even worse than lying. And they extended the prohibition against lashon hara from the talebearer alone to include anyone who willingly listens to lashon hara. The Sages extended the concept even further. The following are examples of borderline lashon hara, which was also forbidden: 1. "One who says,’Stop talking about so-and-so, I don’t want to tell you what happened with him.’ (Guess what happens next.) 2. One who praises someone before his enemies, as he knows that this will cause them to speak ill of him." "On the other hand, great reward is given those who refuse to slander: Because Jereboam, the son of Joash, refused to listen to Amaziah’s slander of Amos (Amos 7:10 ff.), he, although an idol worshipper, reigned over territory greater even than David possessed. Slander, of course, is not the only form of evil that may be wrought by the tongue. Those who plot evil, or distort the words of others ... of them Scripture says, `Let their way be dark and slippery’ (Ps. 35:6). Indeed, the Rabbis regard `smoothness of lip and tongue,’ as among the greatest sins in the world." (Max Kadushin, Organic Thinking, p. 152-3)
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