Devar/5768/Tazria
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עברית
English
And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and the hair of his head shall go loose, and he shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry: 'Unclean, unclean.' (Lev 13:45)
As is well known, the plague of tsaraat (translated as "leprosy", though that's inaccurate) comes upon a person as punishment for slander. It is understandable, therefore, why he must cover his mouth -- for that organ is what caused his downfall. But why should he tear his clothing, and let his hair be uncombed?
Our Sages said: Slander kills three -- the one who speaks it, the one who listens to it, and the one about whom it is said; and the one who listens to it more so than the one who speaks it. (Laws of Personality Development 7:4). The leper mourns for himself, as it were -- and for the others whom he has "killed" -- by rending his garments, and by not taking care of his hair, just as one in mourning over his close relatives does.
In these very days, we see the consequences of slander. The various media jump on people even before they have been convicted in court -- and even before an accusation has been leveled against them -- and they speak slander of them. After such zealous treatment, the victim's lives are ruined and their families broken. Of course, should it happen that they were completely innocent of wrongdoing, not even one word of apology appears in those very media who were so quick to destroy and ruin.
This is an exceedingly vile phenomenon, and destructive of proper society. It is impossible to rely on reporters who are steeped in slander, and of them one can say only, "unclean, unclean"!
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