ON THE VANGUARD

LASHON HARA
"Do not go about spreading slander among your people."
Leviticus 19:16

Today I want to continue on in discussing our speech habits and introduce a new phrase to you. In fact, this phrase has become so real to me lately that I now find myself very cautious in what I say. The term is Lashon Hara, which in the Hebrew is translated as the evil tongue. In Jewish law, Lashon Hara is the prohibition of gossip. Unlike defaming a person, its focus is to use truth against a person, therefore slandering a person. While the Hebrew term Motzi Shem Ra may deal more with falsely spreading a bad name, Lashon Hara does the same by using the gossip of truth. Perhaps a better understanding still is that Lashon Hara says something in negative tense about a person, something previously unknown to others about a person, or something not intended to correct or improve something negative within a person, yet all the while using truth against a person. To understand this more so still, let us look at Numbers 12.
It is in Numbers 12 we read of an attack on Moses. Miriam and Aaron began to talk among themselves concerning the fact that Moses had taken a Cushite wife. This action caused contention within the family unit and the two questioned of each other, “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He also spoken through us? (Num 12:2)” It was true that God did speak through Moses and did speak through Aaron and Miriam as well, but the fact was truth was being used in a negative way. God called all three to the Tent of Meeting and in the appearance of the pillar of cloud, spoke to Aaron and his sister. Because the two had spoken in truth against God’s anointed man, they had committed the sin of Lashon Hara. After the anger of the LORD burned against them, Miriam was left standing, leprous. Looking further at a penalty for committing Lashon Hara in the Talmud, it is believed that one can experience a version of tzaraath, which is defined as a skin disease. While Miriam’s disease was limited to only a week based on the pleading to God by her brothers (Num 12:11-13), Miriam still had to stay outside and secluded from the camp as punishment until the disease passed.
There are other examples of Lashon Hara in the Bible and reflect other punishments. The serpent committed this action in the Garden of Eden when he spoke slanderously against God (Gen 3:4-5). His punishment was the reducing to slithering around on his stomach. The gossip of Doeg, King Saul’s chief shepherd and head of the Sanhedrin, caused the massacre of Ahimelech and other priests of Nob (I Sam 22). The punishment for Doeg and Saul was the loss in battle against the Philistines.
The problem I have come to realize, though, is that Lashon Hara is everywhere. How many times in one day do I commit this action myself? Now remember, this is the use of truth in a negative way. This is going against Leviticus 19:16 and purposefully spreading slander and gossip. I find I do this in many simple conversations now that I am being made more aware of it. When talking about my ex-wife, I commit this action. In thinking back to how I spoke about my ex-wife when I was still married to her, and the secrets I would share with others, I committed this action. My mouth tells the gossip of things done by others not to bring praise to God, but rather to bring slander to God’s people. And does Proverbs 20:19 not read, “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.” The word gossip here is the same word for slander in Leviticus 19:16. The old cliché that says, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” is true. Never once has gossip or slander ever been considered ‘nice’ conversation.
While the full list of the laws in the Talmud is rather lengthy concerning Lashon Hara, it would be to our benefit to remember the following. This evil tongue is just that, evil. We should not make a habit to repeat anything about another, even if it is not negative, for it is still gossip. We also should stay clear of conversations where gossip and slander are being said. I realize that this may indeed delete a majority of speaking and listening for many of us, but is it not worth knowing that we are honoring God in our speech and listening? For me personally, I have made my prayer concerning this phrase to be one of conviction. When I am speaking it, I want God to convict me. When I am hearing it, I want God to convict me. I want the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart to be pleasing unto God constantly, as David himself prayed in Psalm 19:14. If I am serious about this, then I trust God will answer this prayer.