The therapy by which one cured himself of tzaraas was by doing teshuvah, repentance.
Teshuvah required the speaker to receive forgiveness from the two individuals whom he
wronged. Those two individuals are HaKadosh baruch Hu and the subject of the lashon hara.
He wronged HaShem by disobeying His law. He wronged the subject by degrading him in
front of others. It is interesting to note that even if the subject will never find out about this lashon hara, he must still be asked for forgiveness! If however, the listener of the lashon refused to believe the gossip and he did not share the report with anyone else then the speaker does not need to ask the subject for forgiveness because no harm was done.
I find this remarkable. If the listener accepted the lashon hara and thereby thinks less of the subject even though he does not share this report with anyone else, it is considered that dam-
age was done to the subject. This is true even if the subject will never know about it and no-
body else will ever know about it. Behold! The Torah recognizes the damage of one Jew’s reputation being downgraded in the eyes of another Jew, even though nobody else will ever
know!
We can appreciate why the Torah forbade us from speaking lashon hara but why is the con-
sequence so severe? We do not find this kind of consequence for most other transgressions.
What is it about lashon hara that it is so damaging. Especially given that the damage is almost
non-existent; only in the eyes of the listener – nobody else.
Everything in this world exists in a delicate equilibrium. There are forces that pull in one direction and forces that pull in the opposite direction. Both forces are needed to create a perfect balance. If one force pulls a bit harder then the alternate force needs to be adjusted. This is why our world is such a magnificent demonstration of HaKadosh baruch Hu’s Unity. Every force is adjusted to perfectly match its counterforce. This is true in microbiology as well as in astrophysics. The slightest deviation can throw everything out of order. (Of all the infinite forces that there are HaKadosh baruch Hu controls them all.)
The Jewish people are no different. We are no less a creation of our Creator. As such, we also depend on a very carefully balanced equilibrium. Every member of our most beautiful nation is needed for our nation to be complete and to be balanced. The respect and dignity of each member must be held in the highest order because everyone of us are needed and everyone needs their due respect. (Of course regarding people who are dangerous in one form or another protective safeguards must be taken. Lashon hara is permitted under certain circumstances when preventive measures are needed.) When lashon hara is propagated and another Jew’s reputation is damaged then the equilibrium has been offset and the counterforce must kick in to correct that deviation.
The reason the Torah treats lashon hara with such severity is because the balance has to be reset.
We find a similar parallel in the k’tores offering. The most effective offering and the most sanctified offering brought in the Temple was the k’tores, a spice offering. It was composed of 11 ingredients. When burnt, the k’tores gave off the most magnificent fragrance. One of the main ingredients was the chelbina which by itself was extremely malodorous. If this ingredient was missing, the k’tores was not accepted.
Behold! What might have been perceived as the outcast is critical for the composition of this most fragrant offering. Just as the k’tores needs its chelbina and without it, it is disqualified, so to our people need our chelbina even though it appears to be malodorous her standing should not be belittled in our eyes – we need her!
How fortunate we are to be part of such a beautiful nation where every member has their distinct role, deserves to their due respect and even what they think makes all the difference.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind