Shemirat HaLashon שמירת הלשון

Guarding one's tongue, in order of the sections of the Torah

We learned (Arachin 15b): "R. Yochanan said in the name of R. Yossi b. Zimra: 'If one speaks lashon hara, it is as if he would deny the Deity, viz. (Psalms 12:5): "who have said: 'with our tongue will we be mighty; our lips are with us. Who is lord over us?'"'" The intent is: One whose tongue is like "a drawn-forth arrow" to praise himself before people always and to say: "When I just open my lips against him, I shall finish him with my tongue, and he will be trodden down before all. Who can overcome my tongue? And even if this time I don't finish him off, are not our lips with us, and I can defame him before men and he will be despised by all." And he does not reflect at all that there is One above all, whose eyes range over all the earth.

And, in truth, in all of the sins, there are some that come from lusts and some that come from desire for wealth, that gain ascendancy over him, wherefore he stumbles and transgresses — as opposed to speaking lashon hara against one's friend, where there is no pleasure, as it is written (Koheleth 10:11): "And there is no advantage to the man of the tongue." This [i.e., one's speaking lashon hara] stems only from the word of the L-rd being hefker in his eyes, and his not being solicitous of the Creator's command at all, wherefore they have considered him a denier of the Deity.

Another reason written in "the books of the fearers" [of the L-rd]: It is known that one who wishes to speak lashon hara looks around on all sides to see if anyone is looking, making it appear that the eye of Heaven does not see, G-d forbid, as Chazal say in respect to a thief, (who steals at night).

When we reflect further upon this, we find that the first lashon hara that came to the world came through the serpent, and through denial of the living G-d, the snake saying to Eve (Bereshith 3:5): "For G-d knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened" (as Rashi there interprets it in the name of the Midrash: "Every craftsman hates his competitors. He ate from this tree and created the world. You eat from it and your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, creators of worlds.") And this brought death to all the world, and all hate it and wish to kill it, as Scripture says (Ibid. 15): "And hatred shall I place between you and between the woman… He will crush your head, etc." [aside from its other punishments: its legs were cut off, viz. (Ibid. 19): "On your belly shall you go"; and its food is dust, viz. (Ibid.): "And dust shall you eat"; and its faculty of speech was removed.

And so, with the man of lashon hara. When his evil nature is revealed, all hate him, and guard themselves from him, lest he make them objects of shame and humiliation. And even if he merits rising for the resurrection, he will be like an absolute mute. As Chazal have said (Devarim Rabbah 6): "The Holy One Blessed be He is destined to cut off the tongues of the men of lashon hara, as it is written (Psalms 12:4): 'The L-rd will cut off all "smooth" lips, the tongue that speaks boastful things.'" The reference is to the time of the resurrection. Who can fathom the greatness of the suffering of that man and his eternal shame! For then all will know the nature of that man, that he was an evildoer, who, with his smooth lips stirred up hatred between man and his friend, as Scripture states (Koheleth 12:13): "The end of the thing, all is heard," which Onkelos translates: "All the deeds of men are destined to be revealed, etc." For this reason [i.e., that he was a man of lashon hara] this punishment came upon him, that all men rose living and with their speech intact as of yore, and this man, as an absolute mute. From this a man can reflect upon the gravity of the sin, which reaches to his very soul in this world and the next.

And know, further, that just as the serpent was punished in its food, as it is written: "And dust shall you eat all the days of your life," so the man of lashon hara is punished with poverty, as it is written in Sefer Hakanah: "See and understand that all who utter lashon hara are punished with leprosy," and he concludes: "One who does not become a leper is punished with poverty, which is equivalent to leprosy, and he becomes a pauper, beholden to men."

And, in truth, this is a wonder in my eyes. For it is the nature of a man to seek remedies and blessings from great men for success in [earning] a livelihood. And how will all the remedies and blessings help them if, G-d forbid, they are habituated to the sin of lashon hara and rechiluth, which is subject to an explicit curse [Arur] in the Torah (Devarim 27:24): "Cursed [Arur] is he who smites his friend in secret," which, according to Rashi, refers to lashon hara. And Chazal have said (Shevuoth 36a): "'Arur' — in it lies a curse; in it lies excommunication." And this [Arur] was not uttered by one man alone, but in consensus with all of Israel, in addition to the Cohanim and the Levites, as stated in Scripture. And this one [(by speaking lashon hara)] voided his blessing!

Had they [the remedy seekers] listened to me, I would have apprised them, rather, to be especially careful in guarding themselves against this sin, and, in particular, not to actively harm their friend in the area of theft, robbery, cheating, and the like. [(For these are certainly a potent force in eroding one's possessions and causing them to go lost, as we have written in the booklet, Sefath Tamim, in the second and third chapters, adducing verses and citations from Chazal.)] For then his possessions would certainly be blessed, more than by all the "remedies." As is well known, all the arurim were preceded by blessings, e.g., "Blessed is he who does not smite his friend, etc." And all of Israel answered "Amen" to this. And this blessing will certainly be fulfilled.