Dear Friends:
I am currently team teaching the Ethics class of the Melton Jewish 
education program that we are sharing with Temple Emanu-El. La
st week's session was about
lashon hara
, slander, gossip, and tale bearing.
Some Jewish authorities hold that you can't say anything about anyone even if the information is true or complimentary. One never knows how your words may be perverted and spread. However, in class we considered that gossiping can also be positive. It is one way that people connect with one another. Sharing information about common acquaintances connects us with other human beings.
Is it really so harmful to share nice things about someone? I don't think so. But when you spread negative or harmful information it is indeed damaging. Who does it hurt? According to the Talmud, three people: the one spoken about, the one who gossips, and the one who listens. All are injured by the spread of negative information, even when it is true.
In parashat Bo, when Moses told Pharaoh that God would smite the first born of Egypt if Pharaoh did not let the Israelites go, he added: "And there shall be a loud cry in all the land of Egypt, such as has never been or will ever be again; but not a dog shall snarl at any of the Israelites, at man or beast - in order that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel." (Ex. 11:6-7)
It seems strange that Moses would use the phrase "not a dog shall snarl" in his discussions with Pharaoh. At face value it seems to mean that even the animals of Egypt would be dumbstruck when they saw the power of God. But, of course, some rabbi is going to find deeper meaning in it!
In the beginning of the book of Exodus Moses kills the Egyptian taskmaster who beats an Israelite slave. Fearing that news of what he did would reach Pharaoh he looked around and saw no witnesses. Shortly afterwards, however, when he tried to break up a fight between two Israelites one of them said to Moses, "Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" (Ex. 2:14) Moses was frightened and said to him, "Surely the matter is known!" (Ex. 2:14) He fled Egypt and went to Midian.
Ra
bbi Mordechai Bent wrote that
Midrash Rabbah'
s
commentary on the story of Moses highlights the verse, "Surely the matter is known!" The
midrash
surmises that at that moment Moses must have been thinking: "What is the sin the Israelites committed that doomed them to Egyptian slavery for so many years? Surely it must have been for the sin of
lashon hara!
If they hadn't been gossiping, how could they all have known what I did? They are still at it! How, can they be redeemed from Egypt? They have to rid themselves of this sin!"
And that, the
midrash
continues, is what happened. The proof? Twelve months before the Exodus, Moses had told the Israelites that they would seek gold and silver from the Egyptians as repayment for their years of slavery. He also told them they must not speak of this to anyone.
All of the Israelites kept the secret. Not one of them spoke of it until the day they left. They had finally learned how not to gossip.
That, concludes Rabbi Bent, is the hidden meaning of "
not a dog shall snarl." Our sages said, "One who spreads lashon hara is worthy of being thrown to the dogs." None of the dogs of Egypt dared attack an Israelite because they were free of the sin of lashon hara.
Gossiping may at times be fun, but before we speak we must consider the repercussions our words may cause.
