Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah 26 that explores the devastating power of lashon hara (לשון הרע), or "evil tongue" – slander.
Rabbi Yosei of Milḥaya and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, quoting Rabbi Levi, paint a picture of King David's time. They speak of children so gifted in Torah that they could debate the purity or impurity of anything with forty-nine arguments on each side! Imagine that kind of brilliance! David, recognizing their potential, prayed, "You, Lord, preserve them… Keep them secure from this generation, forever" (Psalms 12:8). He was pleading for their Torah to be preserved, for them to be shielded from a generation "deserving of elimination."
Yet, despite all this promise, these prodigies went to war and… fell. Why? The text tells us it was because of "informers" in their midst. David laments, "I lie among lions" (Psalms 57:5). Here, "lions" are Avner and Amasa, Torah giants in their own right. He continues, "I lie with those aflame [lohatim]" (Psalms 57:5), referring to Doeg and Aḥitofel, men "enthusiastic [lehutin]" about slander. David is surrounded by those whose tongues are weapons, like the people of Ke’ila, who considered betraying him (I Samuel 23:11), and the Zifites, who informed Saul of David's hiding place (I Samuel 54:2).
David's despair is palpable. He cries out, "What is the Divine Presence doing on earth? Rise above the heavens, God" (Psalms 57:6), essentially asking God to withdraw from such a corrupted place.
Contrast this with the generation of Ahab. Now, Ahab's generation was… well, they were idolaters. Not exactly role models. But, because they lacked informers, they were victorious in war! Ovadya's actions, hiding and feeding a hundred prophets (I Kings 18:13), went unreported, even though everyone knew. Why? Because they didn't engage in tale-bearing.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani uses the image of a serpent to illustrate the insidious nature of slander. "Why are you situated among the fences?" they asked the serpent. The serpent replies, "Because I breached the fence of the world." It was the serpent, after all, who first spoke words of slander in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1–5). Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai adds that the serpent became the "executioner of all those who breach fences" – those who violate boundaries with their words.
The serpent's venom, like slander, can spread far and wide. "Does the serpent bite with no spell?" (Ecclesiastes 10:11). Can it do anything without being told from above? It bites one limb, but the poison affects the whole body. "There is no advantage to the master of the tongue" (Ecclesiastes 10:11). The slanderer gains nothing, yet inflicts immense damage. The text even calls slander "third," because it kills three: the speaker, the listener, and the subject.
The Midrash Rabbah then tells a chilling story about a man and his evil daughter-in-law. She falsely accuses him of inappropriate advances, leading to his murder by his own son, who then faces execution himself. The woman, the original slanderer, also meets her end. The tongue, indeed, killed them all.
During the time of Saul, slander killed four: Doeg, who spoke it; Saul, who believed it; Ahimelekh, the victim of the slander; and Avner. Why Avner? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says he "made a game of the blood of the lads" (II Samuel 2:14). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says it was because he put his name before David's in a message (II Samuel 3:12). Others say he failed to object to Saul's actions in Nov. Each of these interpretations highlights Avner's complicity in the spread of misinformation and the abuse of power.
So, what's the takeaway from all this? The passage from Vayikra Rabbah is a stark reminder of the destructive power of lashon hara. It’s not just about gossip; it’s about the responsibility we have for the words we speak and the stories we choose to believe. It’s about building fences – boundaries of truth, compassion, and respect – against the venom of slander. In a world saturated with information, where rumors spread like wildfire, this ancient wisdom feels more relevant than ever. What fences can we build today to protect ourselves and others from the devastating power of the "evil tongue?"