(ד) וְיֵשׁ דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵן אֲבַק לָשׁוֹן הָרַע. כֵּיצַד. מִי יֹאמַר לִפְלוֹנִי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כְּמוֹת שֶׁהוּא עַתָּה. אוֹ שֶׁיֹּאמַר שִׁתְקוּ מִפְּלוֹנִי אֵינִי רוֹצֶה לְהוֹדִיעַ מָה אֵרַע וּמֶה הָיָה. וְכַיּוֹצֵא בַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ. וְכָל הַמְסַפֵּר בְּטוֹבַת חֲבֵרוֹ בִּפְנֵי שׂוֹנְאָיו הֲרֵי זֶה אֲבַק לָשׁוֹן הָרַע שֶׁזֶּה גּוֹרֵם לָהֶם שֶׁיְּסַפְּרוּ בִּגְנוּתוֹ.
(4) And, there are certain kinds of words which are the grinding of the evil tongue. For example: One will say, "Who will tell that person to be as he is now"? Or he will say: "Hold your peace concerning that person, I am disinclined to relate what happened, or what was", or like such expressions. Even he who tells the good qualities of his fellow in the presence of his fellow's enemies is making grinding of an evil tongue, because he calls forth his fellow's shame from the mouths of his enemies.
(ט) י. שֶּׁלֹּא יְסַפֵּר לְשּׁוֹן הָרָע וְשֶּׁלֹּא יְקַבְּלוֹ:
(9) Do not tell defamatory tales about other people, nor listen to or even believe the veracity of gossip.
From Sefaria: Composed in Rhineland (c.1293 - c.1327 CE). Written by The Rosh, Rabbi Asher ben Yehiel (c. 1250 - 1327), Orchot Chaim is a set of instructions for living an ethical, Jewish life. Originally written for the author’s sons, Orchot Chaim of the Rosh has become an important work of musar literature.
דרש בר קפרא מאי דכתיב (דברים כג, יד) ויתד תהיה לך על אזנך אל תקרי אזנך אלא על אוזנך שאם ישמע אדם דבר שאינו הגון יניח אצבעו באזניו...
אלא מה טעם משופות כיתידות שאם ישמע אדם דבר שאינו הגון יניח אצבעותיו באזניו תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל מפני מה אוזן כולה קשה והאליה רכה שאם ישמע אדם דבר שאינו הגון יכוף אליה לתוכה ת"ר אל ישמיע אדם לאזניו דברים בטלים מפני שהן נכוות תחלה לאיברים
Bar Kappara taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: And you shall have a peg among your weapons [azenekha]” (Deuteronomy 23:14)? Do not read it as: Your weapons [azenekha]. Rather, read it: On your ear [oznekha], meaning that if a person hears an inappropriate matter, he should place his finger, which is shaped like a peg, into his ears...
Rather, the question is: What is the reason that they are pointed like pegs? It is so that if a person hears an inappropriate matter, he will place his fingers in his ears. Similarly, a Sage of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: Why is the entire ear hard and the earlobe soft? It is so that if a person hears an inappropriate matter, he will bend his earlobe into his ear to seal it. The Sages taught: A person should not allow his ears to hear idle matters. Because of the fact that ears are very sensitive and are the first of the limbs burned, one should make certain not to expose them to anything problematic. §
חָפֵץ חַיִּים ו׳:א׳-ב׳
(א) ... אָסוּר לְקַבֵּל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע מִן הַתּוֹרָה...דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁלֹּא נַאֲמִין בְּלִבֵּנוּ שֶׁהַסִפּוּר הוּא אֱמֶת... וְהַמְקַבֵּל עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ''לֹא תִשָּׂא שֵׁמַע שָׁוְא''.... (ב) אַף עַל שְׁמִיעַת לָשׁוֹן הָרָע לְבַד גַּם כֵּן יֵשׁ אִסוּר מִן הַתּוֹרָה, אַף דִּבְעֵת הַשְּׁמִיעָה אֵין בְּדַעְתּוֹ לְקַבֵּל אֶת הַדָּבָר, כֵּיוָן שֶׁמַּטֶּה אָזְנָיו לִשְׁמֹעַ. אַךְ יֵשׁ חִלּוּק בֵּין שְׁמִיעָה לְקַבָּלָה... דְּבִשְׁמִיעָה אֵין אִסוּר, רַק אִם אֵין הַדָּבָר נוֹגֵעַ לוֹ עַל לְהַבָּא, אֲבָל אִם הַדָּבָר נוֹגֵעַ לוֹ עַל לְהַבָּא, אִם אֱמֶת הוּא...מֻתָּר לְכַתְּחִלָּה לִשְׁמֹעַ כְּדֵי לָחוּשׁ לָזֶה וּלְהִשָּׁמֵר מִמֶּנּוּ, כֵּיוָן דְּמַה שֶּׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לִשְׁמֹעַ, אֵין כַּוָּנָתוֹ לִשְׁמֹעַ גְּנוּתוֹ שֶל חֲבֵרוֹ, רַק הוּא רוֹצֶה לְהַצִּיל אֶת עַצְמוֹ... אֲבָל לְקַבֵּל, דְּהַיְנוּ, לְהַחְלִיט הַדָּבָר בְּלִבּוֹ, שֶׁהוּא אֱמֶת, אָסוּר בְּכָל גַּוְנֵי.
Chofetz Chaim 6:1-2
It is prohibited by the Torah to accept and believe lashon hara. One who accepts it transgresses the prohibition of, "Do not accept a false report" (Exodus 23:1)... It is also forbidden to intentionally listen to lashon hara even if one has no intention of believing it. However, there is a difference between (1) listening versus (2) believing lashon hara
- Listening to lashon hara is forbidden if the information does not pertain to him. However, if the information being said might pertain to him in the future, it is permitted to listen in order to be prepared and protect himself [from damage or harm]. It is permitted because his intent is not to hear the derogatory information about the person, but rather to protect himself from harm.
- However, it is forbidden under all circumstances to believe the lashon hara and decide in your heart that the information is true [unless it is confirmed].
From Sefaria: Composed in Raduń (1873 CE). The Hafetz Hayyim (Desirer of Life) is the magnum opus of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan. The book deals with the Jewish ethics of Lashon Hara (evil speech or loosely gossip and slander and prohibitions of defamation) and is considered the authoritative source on the subject. Rabbi Kagan provides copious sources from the Torah, Talmud and Rishonim (early commentators) about the severity of Jewish law on gossip is sometimes translated as prohibitions of slander, but in essence is concerning the prohibitions of saying unpleasant things about a person, even if they are true. The book is divided into three parts: Mekor Hayyim (Source of Life), which is the legal text. Be’er Mayyim Hayyim (Well of living water), which contain the footnotes and legal argument. It is commonly printed together with the text Shemirath ha-Lashon (Guarding of the tongue), an ethical treatise on the proper use of the faculty of speech.
(1) Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before the LORD alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them. (2) And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of the LORD. (3) Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: Through those near to Me I show Myself holy, And gain glory before all the people.” And Aaron was silent.
Rav Soloveitchik, Halakhic Man (pages 102-3)
When God engraved and carved out the world, he did not entirely eradicate the chaos and the void, the deep, the darkness, from the domain of his creation. Rather, he separated the complete, perfect existence from the forces of negation, confusion and turmoil and set up cosmic boundaries, eternal laws to keep them apart. Now Judaism affirms the principle of creation out of absolute nothingness. Therefore, the chaos and the void, the deep, the darkness, the relative nothingness must all have been fashioned by the Almighty before the creation of the orderly, beautiful, majestic world.
...However, the forces of relative nothingness at times exceed their bounds. They wish to burst forth out of the chains of obedience that the Almighty imposed upon them and seek to plunge the earth back into the chaos and the void. It is only the law that holds them back and bars the path before them.
Joseph Soloveitchik was an American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and philosopher. Halakhic Man focuses on the centrality of Jewish law and its practice.
(12) You shall set bounds for the people round about, saying, ‘Beware of going up the mountain or touching the border of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death: (13) no hand shall touch him, but he shall be either stoned or shot; beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain.”
(8) When the Most High gave nations their homes And set the divisions of man, He fixed the boundaries of peoples In relation to Israel’s numbers.
בתלתא אמר להו מצות הגבלה
On the third day of the week, God said to them the mitzva of setting boundaries around Mount Sinai.