Torah Portion of the Week
Building Character through the Themes of the Weekly Torah Portion
Who gets hurt when gossip is spoken? Not just the one being gossiped about, but also the gossiper and the listener.
Gossip damages and destroys relationships, reputations, and even lives. When you gossip or make fun of someone, you contaminate with your words. When you listen to gossip, you are a participant in it. Don’t destroy yourself or others by listening to or speaking harmful words.
If you hear someone speaking negatively about someone else, they are spreading gossip—even if what they are saying is true. You can interrupt the contentious conversation by starting a positive one. Turn it around by elevating the person being spoken about. Speak about their positive character and attributes instead. Remind the person who is gossiping that we all have shortcomings of our own and have failed many times by mishandling situations. When you do this, it’s like throwing water on a dangerous fire.
Eliminate Gossip
The Torah tells us that one who was afflicted with tzara’at would be quarantined outside of the camp or city until they were healed. When you have spoken destructive words, do the same: Take yourself outside of the camp, so to speak, and identify what motivated you to embarrass, judge, and hurt someone with your words. Was it haughtiness? Was it your ego? Were you trying to put someone else down to make yourself look better? Or did it just make you feel good?
Remember this before you are tempted to speak negatively about someone: Think about squeezing all of the toothpaste out of a tube and trying to put it back in. It’s impossible. Similarly, once negative words are released, you can’t put them back, and sometimes, you can’t undo the hurt that it causes.
So what can help prevent gossip? Humility. Cultivate humility within yourself. Learn to control your speech. One word can make a difference, positive or negative. One word can create a bridge, or a barrier. One word can create isolation, or trust.
Pronunciation Guide for Transliterated Hebrew Words
a |
[a] as in arm |
ai |
[ai] as in Thailand |
e |
[e] as in red |
ei |
[ei] as in eight |
i |
[i] as in ski |
o |
[o] as in score |
oi |
[oi] as in oil |
u |
[u] as in rule |
ui |
[ui] as in gluing |
ch/kh |
[ch] as in the Scottish loch |
g |
[g] as in good (not as in giant) |
tz |
[ts] as in hats |
‘ |
short “eh” or “uh” sound |
The Hebrew Scriptures in this text have been derived from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC), and the English translation is based off of the JPS 1917 Tanakh.
Simchat Torah Beit Midrash®
