TORAH PORTION

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Truth Can Hurt

Shabbat Behalotcha: Numbers 8:1-
12:16; Zechariah 2:14-4:7.

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dkar

From this perspective, let us
look at this week's Biblical reading.
hen the cloud left its place
In Behalotcha, we read the tale of
over the tent, Miriam was
Miriam's leprosy— which came as
leprous, white like snow"
a result of the fact that "Miriam and
(Numbers 12:10).
Aaron begin speaking
Is the prohibition against
against Moses because of
gossip necessarily referring
the dark-skinned (Cushite)
to a false accusation?
woman he married:'
Codifying the laws
(Numbers 12:1) — which
of gossip and slander,
may serve as an example of
Maimonides, in his Laws
Maimonides' innocent, but
of Knowledge, Ch. 7, Law 1,
deadly, gossip.
cites the verse, "You shall
Miriam's loose tongue
not be a talebearer among
results in God's anger.
your people pointing out
Miriam's punishment is
Rabbi Shlomo
that the second part of
her
skin becoming leprous,
Riskin
the verse, "... you shall not
"white
like snow!'
Special to the
stand upon the blood of
Our
tradition
tells us that
Jewish News
your brother" proves 'gos-
leprosy is the punishment
sip can destroy the world"'
for slander. However, in
(Maimonides' language). He cites the
analyzing the text itself, we are hard-
example of Do'eg the Edomite, who
pressed to come up with a case. All
reported to King Saul that David had
that is revealed is something happened
been granted hospitality in the priestly "concerning" (al odot ha'isha 12:1) the
city of Nov.
Cushite woman whom he (Moses) had
Do'eg's insensitivity to report-
taken to wife.
ing the incident, which triggered off
Miriam pulls along Aaron, and the
Saul's wrath, truly "destroyed the
gossip about Moses' divorce gets roll-
world"; it resulted in the destruction
ing, though the text merely hints at
of 85 priests, as well as every man,
what transpired. Nowhere is there the
woman, child, and beast in the city
remotest suggestion that Miriam and
... (I Samuel, Ch. 22). Their rehilut,
Aaron are spreading untruths; and yet
tale-bearing, refers to reporting a true
the result of this talk leads to Miriam's
occurrence.
flesh turning leprous, decayed and des-
To be sure, everyone is aware that
iccated, a tragic condition, especially
slander and libel, spreading a false
for a woman venerated as a prophetess.
rumor, is universally condemned
This confirms our earlier teaching
(Maimonides' category of the motzi
that even if someone is simply pass-
shem ra)! But try and tell "a friendly
ing on a true occurrence, the message
neighbor" or a magazine specializing
could, in a given circumstance, "destroy
in gossip that parading unnecessary
the world?'
information about people, even if true,
Weakening Moses' reputation by
is forbidden as well!
subtly criticizing his divorce may well
Lashon Kara is defined by
be an attempt to "whiten" her own
Maimonides as true information about reputation, another reason why the
someone which can be interpreted to
talebearer suffers leprosy.
his/her detriment. Maimonides even
includes the seemingly innocent detail Shlomo Riskin is chancellor of Ohr Torah
passed along from one to another
Stone and chief rabbi of Efrat, Israel.
which, on the surface, is utterly innoc-
uous.
Take, for example, the complimen-
Conversations
tary comment: "Laura is a wonderful
Under what circumstances can
cook." If said about a woman who is
the truth be as hurtful as gos-
noticeably overweight, it can engender
sip? Was Miriam properly pun-
the kind of guffaws which will lead to
ished for what she did? Were
disparaging comments. This is the tale
you ever the subject of hurtful
bearing which the Torah condemns.
speech?

❑

17e,

israei sixty

1948 - 2008

Opening night:
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Exhibit runs through August 7

WITH WORKS BY:

ANAT BANDOURI

ARP KOVACS

SHARON

TED BARR

MOSHE LEIDER

LEA SHEVES

BE/TON

Em' LEV

KAREN SHPILSHER

ANNA CARMI

LUBA

BEN-SIMHON

ORLY E/ZNER

CHAIM MEROZ

STE LLA

AVI FEILER

CHANA MILLER

TAL STOBACK

VERED GERSZTENKORN

TALY NAVON

RACHEL TIMOR

DAVID GERSTEIN

BOB NECHIN

ARIK VENTURA

BRACHA GUY

SHARON PROP

AARON ZIGEL

URI KATZ

LEO RAY

DORON ZOHARI

MARCEL KLEIN

LIOR RON

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