Lesson #33: Speaking Innocently
Sometimes we hear a person speak Lashon Ha’ra innocently, without any intention to besmirch his fellow, but simply as part of the conversation. An example is a person who is reminiscing about his youth, and shares stories about himself and his peers. Over the course of his storytelling, he mentions unflattering information about someone, such as his being expelled from camp or from yeshiva. The speaker obviously is not trying to hurt that person’s reputation or cause people to think badly about him, and he shares this information in complete innocence.
The Gemara refers to such talk with the term “Mesi’ah Lefi Tumo” – “innocently conversing” – and it has a discussion as to whether it is permissible to listen to a person speaking in this manner, or to believe information relayed under such circumstances. Halachically speaking, it is forbidden to listen to this kind of talk or believe what is spoken, despite the fact that it was said innocently.
The great Tanna Rabbi Eliezer Ha’gadol instructed his son to never sit among people who are speaking gossip. He warned that the words they speak ascend to the heavens and reach the Heavenly Throne, where they are then recorded. The name of every person in the group is written down and listed as an evildoer. We must therefore stay far away from gossipers – and even from those who share gossip innocently, without any intention to besmirch or cause any sort of harm.