191. Lashon Hara

30:2 Even more severe than gossip is slander, which is the revealing of inherently negative facts about a person, even if true. This is what we mean by “lashon hara.” One who lies is guilty of “motzi shem ra.” Lashon hara entails relating what another has done or bad things about his background. The Talmud tells us (Pesachim 118a) that listening to slander is even worse than telling it. The forty years in the desert were only decreed because the people accepted a negative report (Arachin 15a).

30:3 Let’s define lashon hara. Let’s say that someone asks, “Where can I find some fire at this hour?” Another person responds, “So-and-so has fire – they’re cooking around the clock!” This is lashon hara. (The answer implies that the family is gluttonous, always eating.)