Lesson 7: The Public Speaker
It is important for people to understand what happens on “the other side of the pulpit,” so-to-speak, the experiences of a public speaker. When a Rabbi, Rebbe, or other public speaker stands up to deliver a Derasha (sermon) or Shiur (Torah class), and people jump up to quickly leave the room, the “vibe” they generate is one of, “I don’t want to get ‘stuck’ in the speech.” Whether this happens at a Se’uda Shelishit, or Friday night, or at any other time, it reflects negatively on the speaker, essentially conveying the message that what he has to say is not worth the people’s time or attention. As such, even though no words are spoken, this constitutes a type of Lashon Ha’ra.
After all, Lashon Ha’ra means sending negative vibes about somebody, such that he looks bad in the eyes of other people. And this is exactly what ends up happening when somebody walks out when a Rabbi begins to speak. Indeed, Hazal speak very harshly about those who leave when a Rabbi begins teaching Torah.
Not to mention that mocking or ridiculing a public speaker who delivers a Derasha or Shiur is strictly forbidden. Comments such as, “This was boring”; “He wasn’t really prepared”; or, “Eh, don’t be so impressed, I’ve heard much better” – constitute outright Lashon Ha’ra. Even saying, “I feel asleep as soon as he started talking” is offensive to the speaker and disrespectful to the Torah he was teaching, and violates the prohibition of Lashon Ha’ra.
If, on the other hand, one approaches the speaker privately, and, in a respectful manner, offers some practical suggestions regarding the content or the delivery, then he fulfills the Misva of “Ve’ahabta Le’re’acha Kamocha” (“You shall love your fellow as yourself”). Instead of ridiculing the speaker and making him look bad, this person instead shows genuine concern and endeavors to make the speaker look good in the eyes of future audiences. This is an expression of respect both for the speaker and for the Torah which he represents.
People who ridicule a public speaker – and those who enjoy hearing the ridicule – are in violation of nearly all seventeen Misvot Lo Ta’aseh (Biblical prohibitions) and fourteen Misvot Aseh (affirmative commands) which the Hafetz Haim lists in the beginning of his famous work on the laws of Lashon Ha’ra. This form of Lashon Ha’ra is especially egregious, more so than other forms, and one who speaks this way falls under the category of a “Ba’al Lashon Ha’ra” (“a person of Lashon Ha’ra”). In fact, the Hafetz Haim warns that those who ridicule public speakers are denied the privilege of beholding the Divine Presence in the next world.
Poking fun at a public speaker, a lecturer, anyone delivering a Derasha or a class, is tantamount to poking fun at the Torah itself, and is strictly forbidden.