## Shemirat HaLashon, Book II

###### Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:1
[Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shemirat%20HaLashon/s/Book%20II/r/18:1)

**פָּרָשַׁת בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ**

**Shmirath Halashon by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein:**
***Beha'alothecha***


###### Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:2
[Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shemirat%20HaLashon/s/Book%20II/r/18:2)

וַתְּדַבֵּר מִרְיָם וְאַהֲרֹן בְּמֹשֶה עַל אוֹדוֹת וְגוֹ' (במדבר י"ב א'). מִפָּרָשָׁה זוֹ אָנוּ לְמֵדִים כַּמָּה עִנְיָנִים:

**Shmirath Halashon by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein:**
(Bamidbar 12:1): "And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, etc." From this *parshah* we learn several things [concerning *lashon hara*]:


###### Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:3
[Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shemirat%20HaLashon/s/Book%20II/r/18:3)

**א.** שֶׁאִסּוּרוֹ הוּא אֲפִלּוּ אִם הָאִישׁ שֶׁדִּבֵּר עָלָיו הוּא עָנָו וּשְׁפַל רוּחַ, וְאֵינוֹ מַקפִּיד עַל מַה שֶׁדּוֹבֵר עָלָיו. [דִּלְפִיכָךְ נִסְמַךְ (שם ג'): "וְהָאִישׁ מֹשֶה עָנָו מְאֹד"].

**Shmirath Halashon by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein:**
1) The *issur* obtains even if the one spoken against is humble and lowly of spirit and does not take offense at what is said about him. [For this reason this is juxtaposed with (3): "And the man Moses was exceedingly humble."


###### Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:4
[Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shemirat%20HaLashon/s/Book%20II/r/18:4)

**ב.** אֲפִלּוּ אִם מִתְּחִלָּה הֵיטִיב עִמּוֹ כַּמָּה טוֹבוֹת, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁהָיָה מִסְכֵּן בְּאֵיזֶה עִנְיָן, וְהוּא הִשְׁתַּדֵּל בֶּעָמָל רַב, עַד שֶׁהִצִּילוֹ מִן הַסַּכָּנָה. [וְזֶה הָיָה בְּמִרְיָם בְּמַה שֶּׁהִצִּילָתוֹ מִן הַיָּם].

**Shmirath Halashon by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein:**
2) [The *issur* obtains] even if he [the speaker] benefited him [the one spoken about] greatly, as when he [the second] were in dire straits and he [the first] greatly exerted himself for him and rescued him [(as when Miriam rescued Moses from the Nile)]


###### Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:5
[Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shemirat%20HaLashon/s/Book%20II/r/18:5)

**ג.** שֶׁאִסּוּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע הוּא אֲפִלּוּ אִם אֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר עָלָיו בִּפְנֵי כַּמָּה אֲנָשִׁים, רַק עִם אֶחָד, וְאוֹתוֹ הָאֶחָד הוּא קְרוֹבוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא יֵלֵךְ וִיסַפֵּר לִשְׁאָר אֲנָשִׁים.

**Shmirath Halashon by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein:**
3) The *issur* of *lashon hara* obtains even if he does not speak about him before several persons, but only before one, and [even if] that one is his relative, who will not go and tell others.


###### Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:6
[Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shemirat%20HaLashon/s/Book%20II/r/18:6)

**ד.** אִם אֶחָד אוֹמֵר עַל גְּדוֹל הַמְּדִינָה: הַנְהָגָתוֹ אֵינָהּ לְפִי גַּדְלוּתוֹ, דְּהַנְהָגָתוֹ זוֹ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו הָיְתָה רְאוּיָה, אִם הָיָה יָחִיד בַּדּוֹר, אֲבָל בַּאֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ יָחִיד בַּדּוֹר, כִּי הוּא כִּשְׁאָר גְּדוֹלֵי הַמְּדִינָה, הַנְהָגָתוֹ זוֹ גְּבוֹהָה לְפִי עֶרְכּוֹ, גַּם זֶה הוּא לָשׁוֹן הָרָע גְּמוּרָה, שֶׁטָּעוּתָם הָיְתָה בְּמַה שֶּׁהִשְׁווּהוּ לִשְׁאָר נְבִיאִים וּלְמַדְרֵגַת הָאָבוֹת, כִּדְאִיתָא בְּסִפְרִי, וְלָזֶה הָיְתָה לָהֶם פְּלִיאָה עַל מַה שֶּׁפָּרַשׁ מִן הָאִשָּׁה, הֲלֹא גַּם הֵם לֹא פָּרְשׁוּ. וְלָזֶה הֵשִׁיב לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא (שם ו' ז'): "אִם יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֲכֶם וְגוֹ': לֹא כֵן עַבְדִּי מֹשֶה" וְגוֹ', שֶׁמַּדְרֵגָתוֹ נַעֲלָה מֵעַל כֻּלָּם, שֶׁבְּכָל רֶגַע הוּא מוּכָן לִנְבוּאָה, וּמֻכְרָח הוּא לִפְרֹש;

**Shmirath Halashon by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein:**
4) [The *issur* obtains] if one says about an eminent personage that his conduct is not suited for him, that it *would* be if he were the paragon of his generation; but since he is not, but only on par with the other eminent men, his conduct is too pretentious. This, too, is absolute *lashon hara*. Their mistake [(that of Aaron and Miriam)] was that they compared Moses with other prophets and with the forefathers, as we find in *Sifrei*, wherefore it was a cause of wonder with them that he separated from his wife. Did they, too, *not* separate? Therefore, the Holy One Blessed be He said to them (*Ibid*. 6): "If your prophets be … (7) Not so My servant Moses, etc.," who was on a higher level than all of them, being *constantly* receptive to prophecy — wherefore he *had* to separate.


###### Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:7
[Shemirat HaLashon, Book II 18:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shemirat%20HaLashon/s/Book%20II/r/18:7)

וַיִּפֶן אַהֲרֹן אֶל מִרְיָם, וְהִנֵּה מְצֹרַעַת (שם י'). כִּי בַּעֲוֹן לָשׁוֹן הָרָע נְגָעִים בָּאִים. וְהִנֵּה עָנְשׁוֹ לִהְיוֹת מְצֹרָע מֻחְלָט, כִּדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא (ערכין ט"ו) מִמַּה דִּכְתִיב (תהילים ק"א ה'): "מְלָשְׁנִי בַסֵּתֶר רֵעֵהוּ אוֹתוֹ אַצְמִית", וְהוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן לִצְמִיתוּת, וּמְתַרְגְּמִינַן: לַחֲלוּטִין, וְהוֹעִילָה תְּפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶה, אֲבָל לֹא לְגַמְרֵי, וְרַק לַעֲשׂוֹתָהּ מִן מְצֹרָע מֻחְלָט לִמְצֹרָע מֻסְגָּר.

**Shmirath Halashon by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein:**
(*Ibid*. 10): "And Aaron turned to Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous." For through the sin of *lashon hara*, plague-spots come, and his [the speaker's] punishment is to be a *metzorah muchlat* [a confirmed *metzorah*], as we find in the *Gemara* (Arachin 15b): "If one speaks *lashon hara*, he is afflicted with plague-spots, viz.: (Psalms 101:5): 'He who slanders his neighbor in secret, him *atzmith*,' and (Vayikra 25;30): '*latzmituth*' which the *Targum* renders '*lachalutin*'; [that is, that he be a *metzora muchlat*] concerning which we learned: 'The only difference between a quarantined leper [*metzora musgar*] and a confirmed [*muchlat* (similar to '*lachalutin*')] leper is disheveling of the hair and rending of the clothes" [(these obtaining with the second, but not with the first)]. And the prayer of Moses availed her, but not entirely — only to change her from a confirmed leper to a quarantined leper.