לֹא־תֵלֵ֤ךְ רָכִיל֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔יךָ לֹ֥א תַעֲמֹ֖ד עַל־דַּ֣ם רֵעֶ֑ךָ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃
Do not deal basely with your countrymen. Do not profit by the blood of your fellow: I am the LORD.
לֹֽא־תִשְׂנָ֥א אֶת־אָחִ֖יךָ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ הוֹכֵ֤חַ תּוֹכִ֙יחַ֙ אֶת־עֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ וְלֹא־תִשָּׂ֥א עָלָ֖יו חֵֽטְא׃
You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Reprove your kinsman but incur no guilt because of him.
ולא תשא עליו חטא. לֹא תַלְבִּין אֶת פָּנָיו בָּרַבִּים (עי' ספרא):
ולא תשא עליו חטא [THOU SHALT IN ANY WISE REBUKE THY COMPANION] AND NOT BEAR A SIN ON ACCOUNT OF HIM — i. e. though rebuking him thou shalt not expose him to shame (lit., make his face grow pale) in public, in which case you will bear sin on account of him (cf. Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 4 8; Arakhin 16b).
לא תקם. אָמַר לוֹ הַשְׁאִילֵנִי מַגָּלְךָ, אָמַר לוֹ לָאו, לְמָחָר אָמַר לוֹ הַשְׁאִילֵנִי קַרְדֻּמְּךָ, אָמַר לוֹ אֵינִי מַשְׁאִילְךָ כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁלֹּא הִשְׁאַלְתַּנִי, זוֹ הִיא נְקִימָה; וְאֵיזוֹ הִיא נְטִירָה? אָמַר לוֹ הַשְׁאִילֵנִי אֶת קַרְדֻּמְּךָ, אָמַר לוֹ לָאו, לְמָחָר אָמַר לוֹ הַשְׁאִילֵנִי מַגָּלְךָ, אָמַר לוֹ הֵא לְךָ, אֵינִי כְמוֹתְךָ שֶׁלֹּא הִשְׁאַלְתַּנִי, זוֹ הִיא נְטִירָה, שֶׁנּוֹטֵר הָאֵיבָה בְּלִבּוֹ, אַעַ"פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ נוֹקֵם (ספרא; יומא כ"ג):
לא תקם THOU SHALT NOT AVENGE — If one says to another “Lend me your sickle", and he replies, “No!", and the next day he (the latter) says to him (the former), “Lend me your hatchet”, and he retorts, “I am not going to lend it to you, just as you refused to lend me your sickle״ — this is avenging. And what is “bearing a grudge”? If one says to another, “Lend me your hatchet”, and he replies “No!” and on the next day he says to him “Lend me your sickle”, and he replies: “Here it is; I am not like you, because you would not lend me” — this is called “bearing a grudge (נטירה)” because he retains (נוטר) enmity in his heart although he does not actually avenge himself (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 4 10-11; Yoma 23a).
ואהבת לרעך כמוך. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא זֶה כְּלָל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה (ספרא):
ואהבת לרעך כמוך THOU SHALT LOVE THY FELLOW MAN AS THYSELF —Rabbi Akiba said: “This is a fundamental principle of the Torah” (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 4 12; Talmud Yerushalmi Nedarim 9:3).
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה רְצוֹנוֹ כִרְצוֹנְךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כִרְצוֹנוֹ. בַּטֵּל רְצוֹנְךָ מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּבַטֵּל רְצוֹן אֲחֵרִים מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנֶךָ. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר, וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ, וְאַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ, וְאַל תֹּאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִשְׁמֹעַ, שֶׁסּוֹפוֹ לְהִשָּׁמַע. וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאִפָּנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה:
He was accustomed to say: Make His [God's] will like your will, so that He will make your will like His will. Nullify your will to His will, so that He will nullify the will of others to your will. Hillel says: Do not separate yourself from the community. Do not believe in yourself until the day of your death. Do not judge your fellow until you come to his place. Do not say something that cannot be heard, for in the end it will be heard. Do not say, "When I will be available I will study [Torah]," lest you never become available.
Speaking derogatorily about other people reinforces the hold of fantasy and illusion over us. When people use bad language and speak derogatorily about others, their spiritual awareness and understanding are withdrawn from them and they fall from the love of God and descend into animalistic passions and desires. The source of these passions and desires is man's faculty of imagination, which is part of his animal nature. Imagination feeds on falsehood and slander and is directly opposed to the faculty of memory with which we keep our true situation in this life and our eternal destiny in the forefront of our minds.
Those who abuse language fall into forgetfulness, which is the death of the heart. Their heart dies within them and they never remember that the true goal of our life in this world is the eternal life of the world to come. Such people are dead even in their lifetime, because they have no conception of their true goal and purpose.
Likutei Moharan
אֵלּוּ הֵן עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים הַמְעַכְּבִים אֶת הַתְּשׁוּבָה: א) לָשׁוֹן הָרָע וּרְכִילוּת. ב) רֹגֶז. ג) בַּעַל מַחֲשָׁבוֹת רָעוֹת. ד) הַמִּתְחַבֵּר לָרָשָׁע. ה) הָרָגִיל בִּסְעוּדָה שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְסַפֶּקֶת לִבְעָלֶיהָ. ו) הַמִּסְתַּכֵּל בַּעֲרָיוֹת. ז) הַחוֹלֵק עִם גַּנָּב. ח) הָאוֹמֵר אֶחֱטָא וְאָשׁוּב. ט) אוֹ הָאוֹמֵר: אֶחֱטָא, וְיוֹם כִּפּוּרִים הוּא מְכַפֵּר. י) הַמְבַזֶּה תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים. יא) הַמְקַלֵּל לָרַבִּים. יב) הַמּוֹנֵעַ רַבִּים אוֹ יָחִיד לַעֲשׂוֹת מִצְוָה. יג) וְהַמַּטֶּה אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ מִדְּבַר מִצְוָה לִדְבַר עֲבֵרָה. יד) הַמִּשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בַּעֲבוֹטוֹ שֶׁל עָנִי. טו) הַמְקַבֵּל שֹׁחַד. טז) הַמּוֹצֵא אֲבֵדָה וְאֵינוֹ מַכְרִיז עָלֶיהָ לְהַחֲזִירָהּ. יז) וּמִי שֶׁבָּנָיו יוֹצְאִין לְתַרְבּוּת רָעָה, וְאֵין מוֹחֶה בְּיָדָן. יח) הַפּוֹרֵשׁ עַצְמוֹ מִן הַצִּבּוּר. יט) הַמִּתְכַּבֵּד בִּקְלוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ. כ) חוֹשֵׁד בִּכְשֵׁרִים. כא) הַשּׂוֹנֵא תּוֹכָחוֹת. כב) הַמַּלְעִיג עַל דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים. כג) הַמַּלְעִיג עַל הַמִּצְווֹת. כד) וּמִנְהַג חֲסִידִים.
These are the twenty-four things that obstruct repentance: 1. Speaking derogatorily of others or passing gossip from one to another. 2. Being quick tempered. 3. Thinking evil thoughts. 4. Associating with the wicked. 5. Partaking of meals that are insufficient for the host. 6. Gazing at forbidden women. 7. Sharing in the spoils of a thief. 8. Declaring, “I will sin and then repent.” 9. Declaring, “I will sin and Yom Kippur will atone for me.” 10. Denigrating Torah scholars. 11. Cursing the multitude. 12. Dissuading the multitude or even an individual from performing a good deed. 13. Influencing one’s fellow to abandon a good deed and commit a transgression instead. 14. Using a poor person’s deposit. 15. Accepting bribes. 16. Finding a lost object and failing to announce it. 17. Refraining from rebuking one’s children when he sees them turning to evil ways. 18. Separating oneself from the community. 19. Attaining honor through a colleague’s disgrace. 20. Harboring suspicions about the innocent. 21. Despising rebuke. 22. Ridiculing the words of the Sages. 23. Ridiculing the mitzvos. 24. Ridiculing the customs of the pious.