The Ninth Commandment

We are continuing to look at the Ten Commandments and today we examine number 9 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (RSV) In addition to prohibiting false testimony in court, this commandment also covers gossip and slander. Once again, most of us think we know the requirements of this word. Have you ever heard of the "evil tongue?" The Hebrew word for gossip is lashon hara and it means literally "the evil tongue."

Slander is speaking lies about someone. Libel is when you put the lie in the form of a writing. Most everyone knows that slander and libel are wrong. Neither of those false speakings are covered by lashon hara. The evil tongue is one that spreads a negative truth about someone. Did you catch that? A person has an evil tongue when they speak truth if that truth puts someone else in a negative light. Hebrew Sages called it the "dust of an evil tongue" to even to laugh at someones gossip or to make sarcastic comments about someone. Rabbis explained that gossip is closer to murder than robbery because while a robber can return what was stolen, the gossip can never undue all the damage he has done.

We have much to think about don't we? If I speak a truth about someone and it places them in a negative light, I have violated this commandment. Search your heart, mind, and speech over the last few days and if you find an evil tongue, repent. Then, keep going back and repent of all you can recall. We want to live the way God wants us to live and then we can truly be a light to a dark world.