This week’s Torah portion Tazria diagnoses and purifying people afflicted with a skin disease known as tzara’at, poorly translated as leprosy. Tzara’at is not Hansen disease. “Playing on the linguistic similarity of the Hebrew for ‘leper’ (m’tzora) and the Hebrew for ‘one who gossips’ (motzi shem ra), the Sages considered leprosy to be a punishment for the sins of slander and malicious gossip (Lev R. 16:1) They teach that gossip is like leprosy because is highly contagious.” (Etz Hayyim commentary below the line , page 652)
A bumper sticker motto expresses the goal of a campaign to curb gossip: “Put the brakes on loshon hora.” The movement began with Rabbi Chaim Feld in Cleveland, Ohio, who says the Torah forbids speaking words that hurt people in any way. Loshon hora is a Hebrew phrase for negative or cruel speech—an evil that causes untold damage.
Rabbi Feld says, “If
you’ve never met Michael, and someone tells you he is a jerk, then Michael has
been murdered for you, before you even meet him.”
Someone has said, “When tempted to gossip, breathe through your nose.” That’s a good way to keep our mouths shut, but we also need a solution that gets to the heart of the issue
The antidote to the poison of gossip is love, which neutralizes the toxin in our hearts before it escapes through our lips. The Torah tells us, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18)
Whenever we’re tempted to pass along a negative word about someone, even if it’s true, let’s seek God’s help in putting the brakes on gossip. Instead of loshon hora, let’s speak a word of kindness and love.
This week’s parasha is
welcome reminder that we should refrain from loshon hora
as we sit around the Seder table. Let’s speak words of kindness and love so
that we may merit our final redemption.
No comments:
Post a Comment