(טז) לֹא־תֵלֵ֤ךְ רָכִיל֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔יךָ לֹ֥א תַעֲמֹ֖ד עַל־דַּ֣ם רֵעֶ֑ךָ אֲנִ֖י יהוה׃
(16) Do not go around being a gossiper among your people. Do not stand on the blood of your fellow: I am the LORD.
אֱלהַי. נְצר לְשׁונִי מֵרָע וּשפָתַי מִדַּבֵּר מִרְמָה.
My God, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceit.
(א) כְּתִיב לֹא תֵּלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּךָ, אֵיזֶהוּ רָכִיל, זֶה שֶׁטּוֹעֵן דְּבָרִים, וְהוֹלֵךְ מִזֶּה לָזֶה, וְאוֹמֵר: כָּךְ אָמַר פְּלוֹנִי, כָּךְ וְכָךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי עַל פְּלוֹנִי, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא אֱמֶת וְגַם אֵין בּוֹ גְּנוּת הֲרֵי זֶה עוֹבֵר בְּלָאו, וְהוּא עָוֹן גָּדוֹל, וְגוֹרֵם לַהֲרֹג נְפָשׁוֹת מִיִשְֹרָאֵל, לְכָךְ נִסְמַךְ לוֹ, וְלֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל דַּם רֵעֶךָ.
(ב) יֵשׁ עָוֹן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה עַד מְאֹד, וְהוּא בִּכְלָל לָאו זֶה, וְהוּא לָשׁוֹן הָרָע. וְהוּא הַמְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּת חֲבֵרוֹ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאוֹמֵר אֱמֶת. אֲבָל הָאוֹמֵר שֶׁקֶר, נִקְרָא מוֹצִיא שֵׁם רַע עַל חֲבֵרוֹ. אֲבָל בַּעַל לָשׁוֹן הָרַע, זֶה שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְאוֹמֵר: כָּךְ וְכָךְ עָשָׂה פְּלוֹנִי, כָּךְ וְכָךְ הָיוּ אֲבוֹתָיו, כָּךְ וְכַךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי עָלָיו, וְאוֹמֵר דְּבָרִים שֶׁל גְּנַאי
(ג) עַד הֵיכָן לָשׁוֹן הָרַע. שָׁאַל אֶחָד לַחֲבֵרוֹ, אָנָה אֶמְצָא אֵשׁ. וְאָמַר לוֹ: הֵיכָן נִמְצָא אֵשׁ, בְּבַיִת פְּלוֹנִי, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ הַרְבֵּה בָּשָׂר וְדָגִים, וּמְבַשְׁלִים שָׁם תָּמִיד
(ד) וְיֵשׁ דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם אֲבַק לָשׁוֹן הָרַע. כֵּיצַד. אָמַר שִׁתְקוּ מִפְּלוֹנִי, אֵינִי רוֹצֶה לְהוֹדִיעַ מָה אֵירַע וּמֶה הָיָה, וְכַיּוֹצֵא בִּדְבָרִים אֵלּוּ. וְכֵן הַמְסַפֵּר בְּטוֹבוֹת חֲבֵרוֹ בִּפְנֵי שׂוֹנְאָיו, הֲרֵי זֶה אֲבַק לָשׁוֹן הָרַע, שֶׁזֶּה גּוֹרֵם לָהֶם שֶׁיְסַפְּרוּ בִּגְנוּתוֹ. וְעַל זֶה הָעִנְיָן אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה מְבָרֵךְ רֵעֵהוּ בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל, בַּבֹּקֶר הַשְׁכֵּם קְלָלָה תֵּחָשֵׁב לוֹ, שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ טוֹבָתוֹ בָּא לִידֵי רָעָתוֹ. וְכֵן הַמְסַפֵּר לָשׁוֹן הָרַע דֶּרֶךְ שְׂחוֹק וְדֶרֶךְ קַלּוּת רֹאשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר בְּשִׂנְאָה, הוּא שֶׁשְּׁלֹמֹה אָמַר בְּחָכְמָתוֹ כְּמִתְלַהְלֵהַּ הַיּוֹרֶה זִיקִים חִצִּים וַמָּוֶת וְאוֹמֵר הֲלֹא מְשַׂחֵק אֲנִי. וְכֵן הַמְסַפֵּר לָשׁוֹן הָרַע, בְּרַמָּאוּת, שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ מְסַפֵּר רַק לְפִי תֻּמּוֹ, וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁזֶּהוּ לָשׁוֹן הָרַע, וּכְשֶׁגּוֹעֲרִין בּוֹ, אוֹמֵר, אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁזֶּהוּ לָשׁוֹן הָרַע, אוֹ שֶׁאֵלּוּ מַעֲשָׂיו שֶׁל פְּלוֹנִי.
(1) It is written, "Do not be a talebearer among your people." What constitutes talebearing? It is carrying gossip and going from one to the other saying, "So and so said this…," "I have heard such and such about so and so." Even if [the tale he tells] is true, and it brings no disgrace to anyone it is, still, a violation of a negative commandment, and it is a grave sin, which causes the death of Jewish people. Because of this [the law against talebearing] is followed by: [the verse] "Do not stand by the blood of your neighbor."
(2) There is a much graver sin [than tale bearing] which is classified under this prohibition and that is slander; which is, speaking of someone's shame, even if it is true. But a person who spreads lies [about others] is guilty of besmirching someone's name. A slanderer is a person who says, "So and so has done such and such; so and so were his parents; such and such a thing I heard about him," and he relates shameful things.
(3) To what length [must we go to avoid] slander? [For instance], if a man asks someone, "Where can I find fire?" and he replies, "[I'll tell you] where you can find fire. In the house of so and so where there is plenty of meat and fish, and they are always cooking [something]."
(4) And there are [certain] statements which are milder nuances of slander. For example, if someone says: "Let's not talk about so and so; I do not want to tell what happened and what transpired," or words to that effect. Likewise, if you tell of someone's virtues in the presence of his enemies, this constitutes a milder nuance of slander, for this will prompt [his enemies] to tell derogatory things about him. Concerning this King Solomon said, "He that praises his friend with a loud voice when rising early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse to him," for [proclaiming] his virtues will cause him harm. Also when a person slanders in a jesting or jocular manner, as if he were not speaking out of hatred, [he is guilty of a milder form of slander]. King Solomon [referred to this] when he said in his wisdom, "As a man who pretends to play, and shoots firebrands, arrows, and death [so is this man who deceives his neighbor] and says 'Look, I'm only joking." Equally [guilty] is a person who slanders with slyness, by pretending to speak innocently, [as if he were] unaware that [what he says] is slander, and when he is taken to task for it he says, "I did not know that this was slander" or "so and so [actually] did these things."
Plenty of Meat and Fish: Are Even Positive Comments lashon hara?
This can be understood according to how it is said at the time. If he wishes he can say it in such a tone that contains no disgrace against his friend. For in truth, there is sometimes no fault in this. It may be that he has a large family and that the Holy One Blessed be He has blessed him with wealth, or that he is an innkeeper or the like, and that when he [the speaker] is asked where fire is to be found, he answers [quite appropriately] that there is no fire to be found now except in that house, where they always cook, etc. All of these things in the category of "milder" lashon hara depend upon how they are expressed at the time. But if the "tone" of his voice and movements is that he [the proprietor of the house or the inn] overindulges in feasting, even though this is not an absolute dishonor, the Sages termed it "the dust of lashon hara", and it is forbidden to say it.
A story about lashon hara: A man went about the community telling malicious lies about the rabbi. Later, he realized the wrong he had done, and began to feel remorse. He went to the rabbi and begged his forgiveness, saying he would do anything he could to make amends. The rabbi told the man, "Take a feather pillow, cut it open, and scatter the feathers to the winds." The man thought this was a strange request, but it was a simple enough task, and he did it gladly. When he returned to tell the rabbi that he had done it, the rabbi said, "Now, go and gather the feathers. Because you can no more make amends for the damage your words have done than you can recollect the feathers."