Chafetz Chaim -A Daily Companion Discussion Group.

Gold Member Joined: Dec 25 2008 Posts: 2038

is anyone else studying this book right now? I would love to read a page a day and 'discuss' here. I learn once a week with my chevruta but we do it on the phone and I don't get to really think about what I am reading in that time. something struck me yesterday and I wanted to write about it which gave me the idea to start this group.

Gold Member Joined: Dec 25 2008 Posts: 2038

So, last night when I was studying this page with my chevruta, we finished reading it and both went "Wow.!" We then made some small talk about how intense it was, and continued but I think it was because it was so intense, neither of us could really think of how to frame what we were thinking.

The basic question this page tries to answer is 'how could this one sin be so incredibly destructive?'

The Chafetz Chaim explains that the teaching (arachin 15b 'whoever speaks lashon hara raises sins to the heavens,' should be taken literally. As in here we are gossiping or even just discussing details of an event and what we are really doing, especially if sin is involved, is sort of bringing extra attention to it and helping satan to 'present the day's case load' to hashem.

The part that freaks me out about this is the idea that while typically I assume that hashem sees and hears everything, I find the idea that I could draw his attention to someone else's (or my - since lashon hara laws include how I speak of me) sins, to their destruction, or at least, creating a negative effect for them.

I love to gossip. I mean really love to gossip. I love all of it. the juicy details and the disgust at how some people behave. you know what I mean. if you don't then don't learn what I mean-you are better off not knowing. the pleasure I get at someone else's downfall. The idea that I could cause concrete harm to someone is what keeps me in check most of the time, but the idea of causing someone spiritual harm is even stronger for me as a deterrent. in both cases it is a lot of responsibility.

Chafetz chaim suggests that since the words of torah and tefillah also come from our mouth, that lashon hara ccan sully our mouths and interfere with our prayers and mitzvot being applied to our cheshbon in shamayim. he suggests that as long as we speak lashon hara, our torah and tefilla are all 'hanging somewhere between heaven and earth, suspended in the air.'

This image is one that is pretty shocking to me. That I can make my mouth so dirty by speaking lh that I can completely undo all the good I try to do otherwise. I realize that this is a pretty shocking character defect for me and also that as long as I keep trying, I will be improving, but the responsibility of using my mouth (or my hands for typing, in this internet age) is weighing heavily on me now.