I was reading a random post at Skip Moen’s website this morning and down in the comments I read this post by Ian and Tara Marron. I won’t include the rest of the comments that led up to this because they’re really not important, but this really caught my attention because I struggle with this… especially in relation to my previous job and boss. I think that God is really trying to get my attention over this, so this will be something that I focus on each day. I might even post this where I can see it at work, to remind me. Anyway, here’s the post: The Law of Shimirat Ha-Lashon. Any time we communicate any information for anything other than a positive, constructive, and beneficial purpose [to’elet], or an important (e.g. life-saving) purpose, it is lashon ha’ra. And that includes whether it is spoken, written or implied. Specifically: Motzi Shem Ra (spreading a bad name) covers what might be called ’slander’, or malicious tale-telling. Jews would include the spreading of rumour in this category. Also, we should not tell people anything about anyone else (even if it is true and positive) if it might make life difficult for that person. For instance, if we told everyone that we met that we had experienced good hospitality at someone’s house on Shabbat, they might be inundated with visitors at the next Shabbat and the extra pressure on the host may ruin Shabbat for them. Also, the rabbis say that our good comment may cause someone to want to ‘correct’ our opinion/experience. Lashon ha’ra (evil tongue) itself is any story or information – which may be true – that would cause a person to be held in a lower opinion by others. It would also include the communication of snippets of information that would make people suspicious of another person’s motives. And, by the way, lashon ha’ra can even be committed by actions that cause people to doubt another’s character – pulling a face behind a person’s back, for instance. Speaking about such things, Leviticus Ch19 v17 says: “You shall rebuke your neighbour and you shall not bear sin because of him.”