Dear Matzav Inbox,
We must speak out about something that’s causing tremendous harm in our communities today: lashon hara, gossip, and even innocent-sounding innuendo.
The Chofetz Chaim makes it crystal clear in Sefer Chafetz Chaim (Introduction, 1) that lashon hara is an aveirah so severe that it’s on par with murder. The damage done by harmful speech isn’t just to the person being spoken about. It destroys relationships, causes hatred, and spreads division in Klal Yisroel.
The Gemara (Arachin 15b) compares lashon hara to murder, because just like a knife can take a life, words can destroy a person’s reputation and cause lifelong damage.
And the Yerushalmi (Pe’ah 1:1) tells us that someone who spreads lashon hara should be removed from the community, because their presence is a danger to the unity of the Jewish people.
But today, lashon hara has become even more dangerous—because now it’s not just spoken in small circles. The rise of WhatsApp, social media, and other online platforms has made it possible for someone to spread harmful speech to hundreds, thousands, even millions of people with the click of a button. The damage is no longer confined to a small group of people; it spreads like wildfire, poisoning the minds of countless individuals.
The Chofetz Chaim already warned in his sefer (Chapter 7, Halacha 7) that the larger the audience, the greater the damage—and today, the audience can be global.
Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe, Yoreh Deah 1:65) writes that lashon hara is even more dangerous when spread to the masses. “When lashon hara reaches many people, the harm is far greater because it affects a much larger group,” he says. The spread of harmful speech today isn’t just an isolated incident; it’s a communal catastrophe.
The Chofetz Chaim himself talks about the dangers of modern technology, saying that things like the telephone – and later the internet obviously – make lashon hara much worse. Words spread faster than ever before, and once they’re out there, they’re nearly impossible to take back.
In today’s world, someone’s reputation can be ruined with a single WhatsApp message or post that goes viral. And once it’s out there, the damage is done, and there’s no way to undo it.
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomo, Sha’ar HaTzniyus 6) warned that lashon hara has never been as dangerous as it is today. It spreads so fast, and the consequences are felt so widely. When lashon hara was spoken in private, the damage was limited to those who heard it. But now, with social media, it can go everywhere in a split second, affecting everyone who sees it.
The Torah tells us (Vayikra 19:16) that we must be careful with our words. And the Chofetz Chaim teaches us that lashon hara isn’t just something that harms individuals—it destroys entire communities. Today, when someone spreads gossip online or on WhatsApp, it’s not just one person’s reputation that’s harmed. The damage multiplies with every person who hears it.
Just as the Gemara (Arachin 15b) tells us that those who speak lashon hara should be removed from the community, we need to apply the same approach to those who spread harmful speech on social media and WhatsApp. We can’t allow this type of poison to spread unchecked. The Chofetz Chaim, Rav Moshe Feinstein, and all our gedolim have warned us about the dangers of lashon hara—and it’s time we take those warnings seriously.
We need to stand up against this, not just for the sake of individuals, but for the sake of Klal Yisroel. The consequences are too great to ignore, and we must take responsibility to protect our communities from the destruction caused by harmful words—whether spoken in person or shared online.
Sincerely,
T. B.
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The penalty of the Baal Loshon Hora should be that after 120 when s/he goes to The Other World, he will hear Loshon Hora without names.
You sound like you speak Lashon Horah but feel guilty about it so you want to try to convince others to stop it.
A very important and well-written letter.
Probably, writing about learning ‘a blasted word’ – whatever that means – is addressed by this letter.
The writer couldn’t be more correct. I miss the days when I was in yeshiva and we learned mussar and shmiras halashon daily. Gossiping is a tremendous yetzer hora and what’s even stronger is the desire to tell others about those we feel wronged us. Thank you to whoever wrote this and to Matzav for publishing it.
TB, your letter is very nicely written. Can I use it as a script for a video to spread this message?
Checks can be made out to the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation
This is very important I feel that each community should have bi-annual asifas about all aspects of the harm and prohibition of loShan hara as well as the benefits and schar of shmiras haloshon.
Of course learning the halachic is most important but asifas in each community are also important
Excellent post. Thank you so much for publishing this.
Better headline: how do we deal with cowards who refuse to give their name when giving rants and dissertations?
We can learn a lot from the Amish.
Contrary to popular belief they are not “Anti-Technology” (as in us turning on a light on Shabbos). They are overly Machmir to avoid the problems it may cause. That is why they don’t have phones in their homes (or at all). It’s about the gossip & laziness it will cause.
They originally had phones but they were banned due to the problems they were causing.
Perhaps Yidden can take note & get rid of all our tech that allows for all the Lashon Hara to spread.
Your basic ideas and points are excellent.
But something a lot of people don’t know about the Amish is that they’re incredibly gossipy (especially the women) about each other.
Former Amish often remark on how that’s one of the things they don’t miss and that always really bothered them: the constant gossip.