"Shocked and Apalled,"
a letter to the editor of the Jerusalem Post in response to, "A good word for gossip"
Brett Radley

Background
A conference in Jerusalem on lashon hara inspired an article by Jerusalem Post columnist Ruthie Blum. It set out to put in "A good word for gossip," (the article's title), claiming that "talking about other people has been given an unduly bad rap." Even though the article's presentation is built on a number of misconceptions -- that the laws of lashon hara forbid speaking about other people (they only forbid negative, unproductive speach), speaking about one's own weaknesses, and writing novels, biographies and newspaper articles (they would radically redirect their focus but not forbid them) -- it was instructive.

It brought out some of the motivations -- positive but midirected -- people have for gossiping. People want, she writes, "the opportunity to get a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes workings of the world in which we live." Of course there are a lot of problematic moral, psychological, and spiritual elements (jealousy, arrogance, etc.) behind forbidden lashon hara. Sometimes, however, lashon hara might be a result of misdirected positive traits -- curiosity, connections with people, trying to understand the human condition. One way of correcting lashon hara might, then, be through redirecting these positive traits -- learning, developing healthy connections with people, and finding real sources of understanding man.

The piece from the Jerusalem Post inspired the following letter to the editor from Darche Noam Shapell's alumni Brett Radley (currently in London).

Shocked and Appalled

Sir,
Being one who usually views with amusement those avid readers who seemingly scour the media to seek out the features which will give them the satisfaction of writing "shocked and appalled" letters of indignation. I finally find myself "shocked and appalled."

The source of this lies in Ruthie Blum's opinion piece, "A good word for gossip" (August 5, 1998)."

In it Blum suggests that if it wasn't for "good old" lashon hara (speaking slander -- albeit true -- about a third party), the mediaand historical biographies would be abolished, friendship would be devoid of intimacy and office conversation would descend into the exchange of (heaven forbid) work related subjects!

These arguments, I am disappointed to say, reflect a clear lack of research into what actually constitutes lashon hara. What is not lashon hara would include information which is of public benefit and communal good. This would have been understood if the author had attended last week's Jerusalem conference on the power of speech.

Coming as I do from a secular background and falling into the category of "newly observant," my experience has been that in a community which tries to avoid slanderous gossip, relationships are in fact greatly deepened. The fear is removed that "if he/she says that about him -- what is he saying about me?"

What is so perplexing is that I had the belief that lashon hara was at least one issue that could unite both religious and secular as a shared value.

Given Ruthie Blum's sensitivity to personal issues in her advice columns, I remain stunned at her disregard of what I would regard as not simply a "religious" but a universal value, that aims to raise the dignity of all mankind.

Brett Radley,
Jerusalem