Mishneh Torah, Human Dispositions 7

Sugya Map

• Issue: Distinguishing rechilus (gossip) from lashon hara (slander, even if true) and their relative severity.
• Nafka Mina(s): Understanding the distinct prohibitions, their spiritual damage, and the appropriate level of teshuva.
• Primary Sources: Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot 7:1-3; Vayikra 19:16 ("לֹא תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ"); Tehillim 12:4-5; Arachin 15b.

Text Snapshot

"הַמְרַגֵּל בַּחֲבֵרוֹ עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט, טז) 'לֹא תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ'... וְיֵשׁ עָוֹן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה בְּיוֹתֵר, וְהוּא בִּכְלַל לָאו זֶה, וְהוּא לָשׁוֹן הָרָע. וְהוּא שֶׁיְּסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּת חֲבֵרוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא אֱמֶת."

"A person who collects gossip (meragel) about a colleague violates a prohibition... 'Do not go around gossiping among your people.'... There is a much more serious sin than this, which is also included in this prohibition, and that is lashon hara. This is when one relates deprecating facts about a colleague, even if they are true." ¹

The Rambam's precise phrasing "עָוֹן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה בְּיוֹתֵר" – "a much more serious sin than this" – establishes a clear hierarchy between rechilus and lashon hara, despite both being severe.

Readings

• Rambam: Posits lashon hara as inherently more severe than rechilus. While rechilus is dangerous due to its causal destruction (e.g., Doeg), lashon hara is elevated to the level of the three cardinal sins (idol worship, forbidden relations, murder) due to its essential nature, bordering on denial of God. ²
• Ra'avad (via Seder Mishnah): Challenges Rambam, arguing rechilus is more severe. He interprets the Talmudic phrase "לשון תליתאי קטיל תליתאי" ("a three-fold tongue kills three") ³ as referring to rechilus, which ignites hatred leading to mutual killing, plus the death of the rochle (gossiper). Lashon hara, conversely, harms only two (the speaker and the spoken-about). ⁴

Friction

The strongest kushya arises from Ra'avad: If rechilus literally "kills many Jews" (as Rambam himself states regarding Doeg ⁵) and is the "three-fold tongue" that kills three, how can lashon hara be "much more serious"?

The best terutz, aligning with Rambam, is offered by the Maharsha (also discussed in Seder Mishnah): The "killing three" attributed to lashon hara in Arachin 15b does not refer to literal deaths but rather to its spiritual equivalence to the three cardinal sins. Lashon hara's gravity stems from its profound spiritual defilement (denying God, ibid.), an inherent wickedness, whereas rechilus is judged by its destructive outcomes. Thus, lashon hara is essentially more grievous, even if rechilus can have broader consequential societal breakdown. ⁶

Intertext

• Arachin 15b: The foundational source for the comparison of lashon hara to the three cardinal sins and the dictum "הורג שלשה" (kills three).
• Shemuel I, Chap. 22: The narrative of Doeg Ha'adomi, explicitly cited by Rambam as an example of rechilus causing "the death of many Jews." ⁷

Psak/Practice

Rambam's hierarchy underscores that while both rechilus and lashon hara are grave, lashon hara carries a unique spiritual weight. This distinction guides chazal's stringent pronouncements and informs halachic severity: lashon hara is not merely harmful; it is a spiritual perversion akin to denying God.

Takeaway

Rambam's nuanced distinction teaches that sin's gravity isn't solely in its visible damage, but often in its inherent affront to Kevod Shamayim, making lashon hara a profound spiritual defilement.

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¹ Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot 7:1. ² Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot 7:3. See also Arachin 15b, where Rava states lashon hara is equivalent to Avodah Zarah, Giluy Arayot, and Shefichat Damim. ³ Arachin 15b. ⁴ Seder Mishnah on Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot 7:2:1 s.v. "איזהו רכיל". ⁵ Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot 7:1. ⁶ Seder Mishnah on Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot 7:2:1 s.v. "איזהו רכיל", citing Maharsha. ⁷ Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot 7:1.