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Lesson #8c

Please verbalize or
have in mind that you are studying this material as a merit for a specific
single and/or Jewish singles throughout the world.

Halachah

Criticizing a
drasha

#1

1. I have a friend who is quite critical of our Rav’s
   drashos.  He often shares his thoughts with me.  Is this a violation of
   loshon horah?

1. Of the worst kind.  Let’s briefly examine the tremendous
   harm your friend is causing with his slander.
1. If the Rav finds out (as he often will) that people are
   disparaging his drashos it can cause him tremendous embarrassment.
2. It can cause him to lose his job.
3. He is causing a decrease in Avodas Hashem (serving
   Hashem).  The Rav’s words are generally designed to inspire people to
   Avodas Hashem. Through his ridicule, he is causing the Rav’s words to be
   ineffective.  This is a very grave sin.
4. He is degrading a Talmid Chochom.  This sin is so severe that
   it results in the forfeiture of ones portion in the world to come.

His intentions are obviously
malicious.  If he really cared, he would approach the Rav privately and offer
him constructive criticism on how to improve his drashos.  It is absolutely
forbidden to listen to his words of ridicule.  To the contrary, it is your
responsibility to rebuke him, for he is committing a very grave sin.

#2

1. But didn’t we learn that the Torah doesn’t forbid loshon
   horah about something that is already public knowledge?  The Rav’s drashos
   are delivered before many people.

1. That principle does not apply here for a number of
   reasons.

1.      People have varying tastes and opinions.  What doesn’t appeal to him
might be quite appealing to others.

2.      Generally, people who ridicule drashos add their own perspective and
quite often embellish it with falsehoods.  His spin on the matter was certainly
not public knowledge.

3.      This leniency is not valid when the teller flavors the incident in
order to disparage someone.

Aggadah

This section is
formatted as a conversation between Oded and Menaseh.   Oded is encouraging his
friend Menaseh to be more careful in guarding his tongue from evil speech.  The
thoughts in this section are primarily based on the sefer, Shmiras Haloshon.

Oded:  All that we’ve spoken about until now regarding
the great importance of Torah learning was even relevant to the previous
generations.  Certainly, in our day it’s even more urgent to strengthen our
sons in Torah learning.

Menaseh:  Why is it more urgent in our day?

Oded:  Because we see with our own eyes how many of
those who left Torah study have abandoned Shabbos and other mitzvos as well. 
It is therefore an obligation on each father to sustain his son in Torah
learning and to accustom him in mitzvah observance.

Menaseh:  Today, with all the temptations out in the
street, I would say that it is much more challenging than in the past to do so.

Oded:  Your reward will therefore be much greater! 
As it states in Avos D’Rebbi Nosson; a mitzvah performed one time in pain is
equivalent to that same mitzvah being performed 100 without.

Menaseh:  You know, we’ve been speaking for a long
time about the importance of Torah study.  I lost track of how this all ties
back to loshon horah.

Oded:  The reason we digressed to discuss the great
importance of Torah study is because Torah repairs the damage caused to our
spiritual being through the loshon horah we might have spoken.  When we use our
mouths for Torah it fixes the harm we caused with our mouths through loshon
horah.  Additionally, Torah serves as a preventative for loshon horah.  If we
busy our mouths with words of Torah we won’t feel a need to busy it with the empty
words of loshon horah and other harmful forms of speech.

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Sources

Halachah

1) Sefer Chofetz Chaim Sec. 1 Chap. 2 Par.
12

2) Sefer Chofetz Chaim Sec. 1 Chap. 2 Be’er Mayim
Chaim 25

Agaddah

Sefer Shmiras Haloshon Sha’ar HaTorah Chap. 10