Recently, I saw the following article on gossip on CNN
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/18/gossip-may-have-social-purpose-study-says/?hpt=hp_c3
describing the social value of gossip. I wondered what this says about loshon harah.
The fact is that this article actually just points to the inherent complexity of the laws of loshon harah and the problem in the modern day desire to simplify this complex halachic area. Gossip per se is not loshon harah. The latter is a very specific form of gossip that is forbidden. There are times where gossip, although I would not use this term, is not only permitted but mandated.
Maybe the problem is with this word gossip -- for that implies saying something just for the purpose of saying it. The reality is that information about a person that it would be necessary for another person to know -- as this lack of knowledge could be harmful -- should be shared. A hard rule never to talk about another is simply wrong. What this article may show is that that the motivations for gossip that may be inherently human, like many other human drives, has its place. Halacha just demands of us to know it.
Rabbi Ben Hecht
2 comments:
The reality of the sh'vil hazahav is that either extreme may be counter-productive. Thus Lashon Hara [LH] is at times not only allowed, but productive and required.
The philosophical issue is simpler to fathom
Yaakov avoids Lashon Hara when ever possible, yet reluctantly Yaakov admits that LH is a "necessary" evil in some cases.
Esav scans books for heterim so that he may gleefully exploit every loophole he can and "get away" with as much damage as Halachah permits
Only reluctantly does he feel constrained to follow the laws of LH as restrictively as possible.
Re: The Yaakov's - I trust their LH
Re: the Esav's I do not, even at times when it's legitimate
Shalom,
RRW
my complaint about the chafetz chayim is that he needed to make it clear the argument between the rambam and r. Yona clear. And so far i have not heard of any book that does a decent job in this subject.
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