Last week, I went to a shiur with a friend of mine. I had attended a wedding the previous day, and I wanted to relate some details of the wedding to my friend after the lecture. I was listening with half an ear to the rabbi's words, as I was reviewing the events of the previous day in my mind. Suddenly, the Rabbi said something which made me listen attentively. He said that a person who speaks loshon hora harms three people. He harms the person spoken about, the person who is listening and he harms himself. At that point, I resolved not to tell my friend the disparaging comment I was going to make about the attire of the mother of the bride. After all, I was going to cause my friend to sin by listening to what I had to say.
The next day, I received the following email which reenforced my decision. Boy, was I glad I hadn't succumbed.
"In addition to violating the prohibition against listening to loshon hora, every listener of loshon hora is, in effect, making it possible for the speaker to relate his forbidden words, and therefore is an accomplice in his sin.
In the case of a lone listener, the prohibition before a blind person do not place a stumbling block (Vayikra 19:14) would surely apply, for included in this verse is a prohibition against causing another Jew to sin. We will see that in certain instances listening to Loshon Hora is forbidden not because of the primary prohibition but because of the prohibition against causing another Jew to sin."
To receive a daily email regarding the laws of loshon hora, click here.
We have entered the period of the three weeks leading up to Tisha B'Av, where we mourn the destruction of the Temples. The second Temple was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam. Let us practice Ahavat Chinam and do our part to hasten the redemption.
The next day, I received the following email which reenforced my decision. Boy, was I glad I hadn't succumbed.
"In addition to violating the prohibition against listening to loshon hora, every listener of loshon hora is, in effect, making it possible for the speaker to relate his forbidden words, and therefore is an accomplice in his sin.
In the case of a lone listener, the prohibition before a blind person do not place a stumbling block (Vayikra 19:14) would surely apply, for included in this verse is a prohibition against causing another Jew to sin. We will see that in certain instances listening to Loshon Hora is forbidden not because of the primary prohibition but because of the prohibition against causing another Jew to sin."
To receive a daily email regarding the laws of loshon hora, click here.
We have entered the period of the three weeks leading up to Tisha B'Av, where we mourn the destruction of the Temples. The second Temple was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam. Let us practice Ahavat Chinam and do our part to hasten the redemption.
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