In this chapter there will be explained several bad habits through which a person comes to the issur of lashon hara — wherefore he should distance himself from them.
All this, [the foregoing,] for one who has not yet habituated himself to this sin, for whom it is [relatively] easy to rescue himself from this bitter sin through these counsels. But if he is habituated to it and it is extremely difficult for him to separate himself from it, he must treat this illness of his soul as one who has an illness of the body, which the physician wishes to cure — he seeks the source of the illness to know which dressing to apply. So is it with [the illness of] the soul. One must follow it to its source — Whence did he come to this evil trait? — so that he know how to take care not to succumb to its stumbling blocks again. There are several possible causes of this sin. Their sign is Kol Gihinnom: Ka'as [anger], leitzanuth [levity], ga'avah [pride], yeush [despair], hefker [abandonment], omer mutar [regarding as permitted.] We shall now explain them one by one.
One is sometimes habituated to lashon hara because of the abundance of his anger. That is, by nature he is an angry man, who is easily angered by anything. And, at the time of his anger, he cannot restrain himself and says whatever it enters his mind to say. A man like this cannot be counseled to guard his tongue, for whenever his anger gets the better of him, he is out of his mind — unless he sees to it to uproot this evil trait from himself.
Whoever has a brain in his head must flee this evil trait as one flees fire. For he knows in his soul clearly that because of this evil trait he will certainly emerge "liable" on the day of judgment, as it is known, that one who has an abundance of sins [over merits] is in the category of rasha [wicked]. And Chazal have said (Nedarim 22b): "If one is prone to anger, it is known that his sins are more than his merits, as it is written (Mishlei 29:22): 'And the man of wrath is abundant in offense [pesha].'" As to "pesha" being written, which is rebellion, and worse than meizid [malice], this is because at the time of anger, Torah and mitzvoth are entirely meaningless to him. As Chazal have said: "If one gets angry, even the Shechinah is meaningless to him." And our Rabbis of blessed memory have said: "If one tears his garments in his anger or breaks his vessels in his anger or scatters his money in his anger, let him be as an idolator in your eyes. Where is this written? (Psalms 81:10): 'Let there not be a foreign god within you.' What is the foreign god within a man's body? The yetzer hara of anger."
And this is the language of the holy Zohar (Parshath Tetzaveh) on the verse (Isaiah 2:22): "Leave off from the man asher neshamah be'apo, ki bameh nechshav hu." Here, the Holy One Blessed be He has commanded a man and warned him to guard himself against those men who have inclined their ways from the way of good to the way of evil and who have defiled themselves with that uncleanliness of the sitra achara ["the other side"]. And how shall a man know how to distinguish between one he should draw near to and one he should separate from? By his anger itself he can know that man and distinguish him [from the other]. If he guards his holy soul when his anger comes upon him, not to uproot it from its place and repose in its stead a foreign god — that is the man who is worthy, etc. And if he does not guard it, but uproots this celestial holiness from its place and reposes in its place the sitra achara ["the other side"], then certainly that is the man who rebels against his Master, and it is forbidden to draw near to him or to befriend him. And this is the intent of (Iyyov 18:4): 'Toref nafsho be'apo,' viz. He tears [toref] and uproots his soul because of his anger [be'apo] and reposes within himself a foreign god. And concerning this it is written: 'Leave off from the man asher neshamah be'apo" — whose soul [he tears] in his wrath [be'apo], whose soul he exchanges in his wrath [for a foreign god], ki bameh nechshav hu. With what [bameh] is that man to be distinguished? He is to be accounted a worshipper of idolatry [bamah, an altar to idolatry (like 'bameh'), etc.]"
And Chazal have said (Pesachim 66b): "Any man that gets angry — even if greatness has been decreed for him [by Heaven], he is brought down [from that greatness]. "and Chazal have said further (Nedarim 22a): "Whoever gets angry — all kinds of Gehinnom prevail over him." The intent is that for each [kind of] sin in itself there is, in Gehinnom, a distinct punishment for that sin. And through the trait of anger a man comes to all the different kinds of sin [as is clear] to one who reflects upon the evil of that trait, to the extent that Chazal have said about him that of a certainty his sins are more abundant that his merits. This is the intent of "All kinds of Gehinnom prevail over him." Therefore, a man must remove anger from his heart and he will be saved from Gehinnom and will merit life in the world to come.
And one is sometimes habituated to lashon hara because of leitzanuth. That is, by habituating his soul to levity and the company of scoffers, whereby, as a matter of course, he is drawn to mock men and to speak demeaningly of them.
Therefore, if one wishes to cleanse his soul, let him reflect upon the greatness of the issur of levity in several respects. For aside from the fact that he [the mocker] sins himself, it [levity] being one of the four things because of which one does not receive the Shechinah, as Chazal have said (Sotah 42a), he also causes many to sin, bringing them to multiply mockery. And the punishment of causing many to sin is well known, it not being granted one to repent because of this, as Chazal have stated (Avoth 5:18). And, aside from all this, involvement in idle talk, even if it contained nothing forbidden, causes one to lose the time that he could have spent in Torah study and the acquisition of the world to come. And he gives the impression that he scorns the words of the L-rd and the reward of the world to come, as stated in Sanhedrin 99a on the verse (Bamidbar 15:31): "For he has scorned the word of the L-rd" — R. Nehorai said: ['This refers to] one who could have studied Torah but did not do so.'"
And let one learn from what we see of the prisoners who are brought before the judge for cross-examination. They guard their mouths and do not utter even a single word which might incriminate them. And they also take upon themselves all of the blows and revilings in order not to admit the truth, even though they know that in either event they will not live forever, and that even if they do confess, it is very likely that they will not be executed, only a minority of a minority meeting such a fate. In spite of this, they would rather take all of these sufferings upon themselves because of the possibility of a possibility of thereby lengthening their temporal lives. How much, then, should those people restrain themselves [(from speaking what is forbidden)], who sit in the company of mockers a few hours, without anyone beating or forcing them thereto. And if they restrain themselves from speaking what is forbidden, they merit eternal life, as we find in the Midrash, that for every moment that a man muzzles his mouth he merits the secreted light, which no angel or creation can conceptualize; and, conversely, they are punished for every article of speech. As the GRA has written in his holy letter, Alim Litrufah "(Koheleth 6:7): 'All of a man's toil is for his mouth.' Our sages of blessed memory have said (Chullin 89a) that all of a man's mitzvoth and Toroth do not suffice [to offset] what he utters with his mouth. 'What is the [proper] profession of a man in this world? Let him make himself mute and clamp his lips like two millstones, etc.' And all kaf hakela ["hollow of the sling" punishments] come because of the breath of the mouth of idle talk. For each article of [such] speech, he must be slung from one end of the world to the other. And all this, with superfluous speech. But with forbidden speech, such as lashon hara, leitzanuth, oaths, vows, quarrels, and curses, especially in the synagogue and on Sabbaths and festivals — for these one must descend to the nethermost depths of Sheol. And it is impossible to conceptualize the greatness of the suffering and afflictions that one must undergo for one article of [forbidden] speech. And there is not even one such article which is not written down. Angels accompany each man constantly and do not separate from him and write down each and every article of speech (Koheleth 10:20): 'For a bird of heaven will carry the voice and the winged one will tell the word.'" And we have learned (Avodah Zarah 18b): R. Katina said: "All who engage in levity fall into Gehinnom."
[It seems apt to explain "fall" instead of "will fall" according to what the GRA has written on Mishlei 1:23 in connection with men of levity: "They have a great lust to speak idle talk and levity even though they have no bodily pleasure therefrom. For with every thing that a man does he is given a spirit from on high. And this spirit does not rest until it does other such things, wherefrom he has pleasure — both in an act of mitzvah or in an act of sin. And this is the intent of Avoth 4:2: 'A sin begets a sin and a mitzvah begets a mitzvah.' And the greater the sin, the greater the spirit that it begets, and the more it lusts for more sin. Correspondingly, with a great mitzvah. A spirit comes from a very holy place and lusts greatly for that mitzvah and has great pleasure in that mitzvah. And it is known that the greatest mitzvah of all is Torah study, and, conversely, [the greatest sin of all,] idle speech and levity, which is the opposite of Torah. Therefore, there is more pleasure in idle speech and levity than in all other sins, even though there is no worldly [i.e., bodily] pleasure in this. But [the pleasure arises from the fact that] the spirit of uncleanliness is extremely great, like a 'bubbling spring,' as opposed to the [pure spirit of] Torah, which is [also] a 'bubbling spring.'" And it is known that the spirit of uncleanliness created by the sin, itself punishes the doer, after his death, in Gehinnom, wherefore Chazal have said "fall into Gehinnom" [rather than "will fall"]. For at the very utterance of the levity the great spirit of uncleanliness hovers above him. And he actually falls [that is, "dwells," as in (Bereshith 25:18): 'In the presence of all his brothers, he fell' (i.e., dwelt)] in Gehinnom in his lifetime, G-d forbid, (as written in Nefesh Hachaim, Gate One, Chapter 12. And their second apothegm is also to be explained along these lines.)]
And in this world, too, afflictions befall a man because of levity, as it is said there (Avodah Zara 18b): "R. Elazar said: 'All who scoff, afflictions come upon them, as it is written (Isaiah 25:22): "And now, do not scoff, lest your bonds be strengthened."' Rava said to the rabbis: 'I pray you, do not scoff, so that afflictions not come upon you.'" [And see Sha’arei Teshuvah of Rabbeinu Yonah, who wrote that it is forbidden to engage in levity, even adventitiously, by chance. In this regard, the sages had to exhort their disciples, many of whom stumbled in this by chance.]
And also his sustenance diminishes [because of levity], as stated there. And also, all the world is punished because of the scoffer. As stated there: "All who scoff bring destruction to the world."
And even if he does not scoff with them, but just sits in their company, this, too, is an absolute issur, as it is written (Psalms 1:1): "And in the seat of scoffers, he did not sit." And in Avoth d'R. Nathan 30:3, we find: "One who attaches himself to sinners, even though he does not do as they do, receives the same punishments as they do." Therefore, one must distance himself from their class and not sit in their place, so as not to learn from them. But he must sit in the seat of learning, and then he will be happy in this [world] and in [the world] to come.
בּוֹ יְבֹאַר כַּמָּה הֶרְגֵּלִים רָעִים, שֶׁעֵל יָדָם בָּא הָאָדָם לִידֵי אִסּוּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, עֵל כֵּן צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהִתְרַחֵק מֵהֶם.
In this chapter there will be explained several bad habits through which a person comes to the issur of lashon hara — wherefore he should distance himself from them.
וְהִנֵּה כָּל זֶה הוּא לְמִי שֶׁעֲדַיִן לֹא הִרְגִּיל נַפְשׁוֹ בְּעָוֹן זֶה, וְנָקֵל לוֹ לְהִנָּצֵל מֵעָוֹן הַמַּר הַזֶּה עַל יְדֵי עֵצוֹת אֵלּוּ. אֲבָל אִם הֻרְגַּל בָּזֶה, וְקָשֶׁה לוֹ מְאֹד לִפְרֹש מֵעָוֹן זֶה, יִתְנַהֵג בְּמַחֲלָתוֹ הַנַּפְשִׁית הַזּוֹ כְּמוֹ מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ חֳלִי הַגּוּף וְהָרוֹפֵא רוֹצֶה לְרַפְּאוֹתוֹ, הוּא דּוֹרֵשׁ אֶת מְקוֹר הַמַּחֲלָה, מֵאַיִן בָּאָה אֵלָיו, כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּדַע אֵיזוֹ תַּחְבֹּשֶת לָזוּר עַל הַמַּחֲלָה. כֵּן הוּא בְּעִנְיַן הַנֶּפֶשׁ, צָרִיךְ לְהִתְחַקּוֹת עַל שָׁרְשָׁהּ, מֵאַיִן בָּאָה לְמִדָּה רָעָה זוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּדַע לְהִזָּהֵר לָסוּר מִמּוֹקשֶׁיהָ עוֹד. וְהִנֵּה לֶּעָוֹן הַזֶּה נִמְצְאוּ כַּמָּה סִבּוֹת, וְסִימָנָם "כל גיהנ"ם". כַּעַס, לֵיצָנוּת, גַּאֲוָה, יֵאוּשׁ, הֶפְקַר, נִרְגָּנוּת, אוֹמֵר מֻתָּר. וּנְבָאֵר דְּבָרֵינוּ אַחַת לְאַחַת.
All this, [the foregoing,] for one who has not yet habituated himself to this sin, for whom it is [relatively] easy to rescue himself from this bitter sin through these counsels. But if he is habituated to it and it is extremely difficult for him to separate himself from it, he must treat this illness of his soul as one who has an illness of the body, which the physician wishes to cure — he seeks the source of the illness to know which dressing to apply. So is it with [the illness of] the soul. One must follow it to its source — Whence did he come to this evil trait? — so that he know how to take care not to succumb to its stumbling blocks again. There are several possible causes of this sin. Their sign is Kol Gihinnom: Ka'as [anger], leitzanuth [levity], ga'avah [pride], yeush [despair], hefker [abandonment], omer mutar [regarding as permitted.] We shall now explain them one by one.
יֵשׁ שֶׁמֻּרְגָּל בְּלָשׁוֹן הָרָע מֵחֲמַת רֹב כַּעְסוֹ, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁהוּא בַּטֶּבַע כַּעְסָן גָּדוֹל וְנוֹחַ לִכְעֹס עַל כָּל דָּבָר, וּבְעֵת הַכַּעַס אִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לְהִתְאַפֵּק, וּמְדַבֵּר כָּל מַה שֶּׁעוֹלֶה בְּרוּחוֹ. וּלְאִישׁ כָּזֶה אֵין לָנוּ שׁוּם עֵצָה לִשְׁמִירַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ, כִּי בְּעֵת שֶׁמִּתְגַּבֵּר כַּעְסוֹ עָלָיו הוּא שֶׁלֹּא בְּדַעְתּוֹ. אִם לֹא שֶׁיִּרְאֶה לַעֲקֹר אֶת הַמִּדָּה הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת מֵאִתּוֹ.
One is sometimes habituated to lashon hara because of the abundance of his anger. That is, by nature he is an angry man, who is easily angered by anything. And, at the time of his anger, he cannot restrain himself and says whatever it enters his mind to say. A man like this cannot be counseled to guard his tongue, for whenever his anger gets the better of him, he is out of his mind — unless he sees to it to uproot this evil trait from himself.
וּמִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ מֹחַ בְּקָדְקֳדוֹ, צָרִיךְ לִבְרֹחַ מִן הַמִּדָּה הָרָעָה הַזּוֹ כְּבוֹרֵחַ מִן הָאֵשׁ. כִּי יֵדַע בְּנַפְשׁוֹ בְּבֵרוּר, שֶׁעַל יְדֵי מִדָּה רָעָה זוֹ, בְּוַדַּאי יֵצֵא לֶעָתִיד חַיָּב בְּיוֹם הַדִּין, כַּיָּדוּעַ שֶׁמִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ רֹב עֲוֹנוֹת הוּא בְּגֶדֶר רָשָׁע, וְאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל (נדרים כ"ב:): כָּל הַכּוֹעֵס בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁעֲוֹנוֹתָיו מְרֻבִּין מִזְּכֻיּוֹתָיו שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי כ"ט כ"ב): "וּבַעַל חֵמָה רַב פָּשַׁע". וּמַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב בִּלְשׁוֹן פֶּשַׁע, דְּהוּא מֶרֶד וְגָרוּעַ יוֹתֵר מִמֵּזִיד, מִשּׁוּם דִּבְעֵת הַכַּעַס, הֻפְקָר לְגַמְרֵי אֶצְלוֹ הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל: כָּל הַכּוֹעֵס אֲפִלּוּ שְׁכִינָה אֵינָהּ חֲשׁוּבָה כְּנֶגְדּוֹ. וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ"ל: כָּל הַמְקָרֵעַ בְּגָדָיו בַּחֲמָתוֹ וְהַמְשַׁבֵּר כֵּלָיו בַּחֲמָתוֹ וְהַמְפַזֵּר מָעוֹתָיו בַּחֲמָתוֹ, יִהְיֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ כְּעוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וְכוּ', מַאי קְרָא "לֹא יִהְיֶה בְךָ אֵל זָר", אֵיזֶהוּ "אֵל זָר" שֶׁהוּא בְּגוּפוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם? הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר זוֹ יֵצֶר הָרָע שֶׁל כַּעַס.
Whoever has a brain in his head must flee this evil trait as one flees fire. For he knows in his soul clearly that because of this evil trait he will certainly emerge "liable" on the day of judgment, as it is known, that one who has an abundance of sins [over merits] is in the category of rasha [wicked]. And Chazal have said (Nedarim 22b): "If one is prone to anger, it is known that his sins are more than his merits, as it is written (Mishlei 29:22): 'And the man of wrath is abundant in offense [pesha].'" As to "pesha" being written, which is rebellion, and worse than meizid [malice], this is because at the time of anger, Torah and mitzvoth are entirely meaningless to him. As Chazal have said: "If one gets angry, even the Shechinah is meaningless to him." And our Rabbis of blessed memory have said: "If one tears his garments in his anger or breaks his vessels in his anger or scatters his money in his anger, let him be as an idolator in your eyes. Where is this written? (Psalms 81:10): 'Let there not be a foreign god within you.' What is the foreign god within a man's body? The yetzer hara of anger."
וְזֶה לְשׁוֹן הַזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ (פרשת תצוה) עַל הַפָּסוּק (ישעיה ב' כ"ב): "חִדְלוּ לָכֶם מִן הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ כִּי בַמֶּה נֶחְשָׁב הוּא": הָכָא פַּקֵּיד קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְבַר נָשׁ וְאַזְהִיר לֵהּ לְאִסְתַּמְרָא מֵאִנּוּן בְּנֵי נָשָׁא דְּאַסְטוּ אוֹרְחֵיְהוּ מֵאוֹרַח טָב לְאוֹרַח בִּישׁ, וּמִסְאֲבוּ נַפְשֵׁיְהוּ בְּהַהוּא מִסְאֲבוּ אַחֲרָא וְכוּ', וּבְמַאי אִתְיַדַּע בַּר נָשׁ לְמִנְדַּע מַאן אִיהוּ לִקְרָבָא בַּהֲדֵהּ אוֹ לְאִתְמְנָעָא מִינֵהּ, בְּרוּגְזֵהּ מַמָּשׁ יֵדַע לְהִי בַּר נָשׁ וְיִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע מַאן אִיהוּ, אִי הַהוּא נִשְׁמָתָא קַדִּישָׁא נָטַר בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּרוּגְזֵהּ אָתֵי עֲלֵהּ, דְּלָא יֵעָקַר לַהּ מֵאַתְרְאָה בְּגִין לְמִשְׁרֵי תְּחוֹתַהּ הַהוּא אֵל זָר דָּא אִיהוּ בַּר נָשׁ כִּדְקָא יָאוּת וְכוּ', וְאִי הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ לָא נָטַר לַהּ, אִיהוּ עָקַר קְדֻשָּׁה דָּא עִלָּאָה מֵאַתְרֵהּ לְמִשְׁרֵי בְּאַתְרֵהּ סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא, וַדַּאי דָּא אִיהוּ בַּר נָשׁ דְּמָרֵיד בְּמָארֵהּ וְאָסוּר לִקְרָבָא בַּהֲדֵהּ וּלְאִתְחַבָּרָא עִמֵּהּ, וְדָא אִיהוּ טוֹרֵף נַפְשׁוֹ בְּאַפּוֹ וְאִיהוּ טָרַף וְעָקַר נַפְשֵׁהּ בְּגִין רוּגְזֵהּ וְאַשְׁרֵי בְּגַוֵּהּ אֵל זָר, וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב: "חִדְלוּ לָכֶם מִן הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ" דְהַהִיא נִשְׁמָתָא קַדִּישָׁא טָרֵיף לַהּ וְסָאֵיב לַהּ בְּגִין אַפּוֹ, אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה אַחֲלִיף בְּאַפּוֹ, "כִּי בַמֶּה נֶחְשָׁב" הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, כּוּ"מ אִתְחֲשִיב הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ וכו', וְעַיֵּן שָׁם.
And this is the language of the holy Zohar (Parshath Tetzaveh) on the verse (Isaiah 2:22): "Leave off from the man asher neshamah be'apo, ki bameh nechshav hu." Here, the Holy One Blessed be He has commanded a man and warned him to guard himself against those men who have inclined their ways from the way of good to the way of evil and who have defiled themselves with that uncleanliness of the sitra achara ["the other side"]. And how shall a man know how to distinguish between one he should draw near to and one he should separate from? By his anger itself he can know that man and distinguish him [from the other]. If he guards his holy soul when his anger comes upon him, not to uproot it from its place and repose in its stead a foreign god — that is the man who is worthy, etc. And if he does not guard it, but uproots this celestial holiness from its place and reposes in its place the sitra achara ["the other side"], then certainly that is the man who rebels against his Master, and it is forbidden to draw near to him or to befriend him. And this is the intent of (Iyyov 18:4): 'Toref nafsho be'apo,' viz. He tears [toref] and uproots his soul because of his anger [be'apo] and reposes within himself a foreign god. And concerning this it is written: 'Leave off from the man asher neshamah be'apo" — whose soul [he tears] in his wrath [be'apo], whose soul he exchanges in his wrath [for a foreign god], ki bameh nechshav hu. With what [bameh] is that man to be distinguished? He is to be accounted a worshipper of idolatry [bamah, an altar to idolatry (like 'bameh'), etc.]"
וְאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל (פסחים ס"ו:) כָּל אָדָם שֶׁכּוֹעֵס, אֲפִלּוּ פּוֹסְקין לוֹ גְּדֻלָּה מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, מוֹרִידִין אוֹתוֹ. וְעוֹד אָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל (נדרים כ"ב.): כָּל הַכּוֹעֵס, כָּל מִינֵי גֵּיהִנֹּם שׁוֹלְטִין בּוֹ, וְהַכַּוָּנָה הוּא דִּלְכָל עָוֹן בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ יֵשׁ בַּגֵּיהִנֹּם עֹנֶשׁ הַמְיֻחָד לְאוֹתוֹ הֶעָוֹן, וְעַל יְדֵי מִדַּת הַכַּעַס בָּא הָאָדָם כִּמְעַט לְכָל מִינֵי עֲוֹנוֹת לַמִּתְבּוֹנֵן בְּרֹעַ הַמִּדָּה הַהִיא, עַד שֶׁאָמְרוּ עָלָיו חֲזַ"ל, שֶׁבְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁעֲוֹנוֹתָיו מְרֻבִּין מִזְּכֻיּוֹתָיו, לָכֵן אָמְרוּ: כָּל מִינֵי גֵּיהִנֹּם שׁוֹלְטִין בּוֹ, לָכֵן צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהָסִיר הַכַּעַס מִלִּבּוֹ וְיִנָּצֵל מִדִּינָהּ שֶׁל גֵּיהִנֹּם וְיִזְכֶּה לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם הַבָּא.
And Chazal have said (Pesachim 66b): "Any man that gets angry — even if greatness has been decreed for him [by Heaven], he is brought down [from that greatness]. "and Chazal have said further (Nedarim 22a): "Whoever gets angry — all kinds of Gehinnom prevail over him." The intent is that for each [kind of] sin in itself there is, in Gehinnom, a distinct punishment for that sin. And through the trait of anger a man comes to all the different kinds of sin [as is clear] to one who reflects upon the evil of that trait, to the extent that Chazal have said about him that of a certainty his sins are more abundant that his merits. This is the intent of "All kinds of Gehinnom prevail over him." Therefore, a man must remove anger from his heart and he will be saved from Gehinnom and will merit life in the world to come.
וְיֵשׁ מֵחֲמַת לֵיצָנוּת, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁהִרְגִּיל אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ לְלֵיצָנוּת וּלְחֶבְרַת אֲנָשִׁים לֵצִים, עַל כֵּן מִמֵּילָא נִמְשָׁךְ גַּם לְהִתְלוֹצֵץ מֵאֲנָשִׁים וּלְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּתָם.
And one is sometimes habituated to lashon hara because of leitzanuth. That is, by habituating his soul to levity and the company of scoffers, whereby, as a matter of course, he is drawn to mock men and to speak demeaningly of them.
עַל כֵּן מִי שֶׁיִּרְצֶה לְנַקּוֹת נַפְשׁוֹ, יִתְבּוֹנֵן בְּגֹדֶל אִסּוּר הַלֵיצָנוּת בְּכַמָּה עִנְיָנִים. כִּי לְבַד שֶׁהוּא חוֹטֵא בְּעַצְמוֹ, שֶׁהוּא אֶחָד מִד' דְּבָרִים שֶׁאֵין מְקַבְּלִין פְּנֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה עֲבוּר זֶה כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל (סוטה מ"ב.), עוֹד הוּא מַחֲטִיא אֶת הָרַבִּים, שֶׁמְּסַבֵּב אותָם לְהַרְבּוֹת בְּלֵיצָנוּת. וְיָדוּעַ גֹּדֶל הָעֹנֶשׁ שֶׁל מַחֲטִיא אֶת הָרַבִּים, שֶׁאֵין מַסְפִּיקִין בְּיָדוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה עַל זֶה כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל (יומא פ"ז.). וּלְבַד כָּל זֶה, הַהִתְעַסְּקוּת בִּדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, אֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא הָיָה בּוֹ דְּבַר אִסּוּר, מְאַבֵּד אֶת הָעֵת, אֲשֶׁר יוּכַל לַעֲסֹק בָּהֶם בִּדְבַר תּוֹרָה וְלִקְנוֹת חַיֵּי עוֹלָם הַבָּא, וְנִרְאֶה מִדַּעְתּוֹ, שֶׁהוּא מְבַזֶּה בְּעֵינָיו דִּבְרֵי הַשֵּׁם וּשְׂכַר עוֹלָם הַבָּא, וּכְמוֹ דְּאָמְרִינַן בְּפֶרֶק חֵלֶק (סנהדרין צ"ט.) עַל הַפָּסוּק (במדבר ט"ו ל"א): "כִּי דְּבַר ה' בָּזָה", רַבִּי נְהוֹרַאי אָמַר: כָּל שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וְאֵינוֹ עוֹסֵק.
Therefore, if one wishes to cleanse his soul, let him reflect upon the greatness of the issur of levity in several respects. For aside from the fact that he [the mocker] sins himself, it [levity] being one of the four things because of which one does not receive the Shechinah, as Chazal have said (Sotah 42a), he also causes many to sin, bringing them to multiply mockery. And the punishment of causing many to sin is well known, it not being granted one to repent because of this, as Chazal have stated (Avoth 5:18). And, aside from all this, involvement in idle talk, even if it contained nothing forbidden, causes one to lose the time that he could have spent in Torah study and the acquisition of the world to come. And he gives the impression that he scorns the words of the L-rd and the reward of the world to come, as stated in Sanhedrin 99a on the verse (Bamidbar 15:31): "For he has scorned the word of the L-rd" — R. Nehorai said: ['This refers to] one who could have studied Torah but did not do so.'"
וְיִלְמֹד הָאָדָם דַּעַת, מִמַּה שֶׁאָנוּ רוֹאִין בְּיוֹשְׁבֵי בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִין, כְּשֶׁמּוֹלִיכִין אוֹתָן לַשּׁוֹפֵט אֶל הַדְּרִישָׁה וְהַחֲקִירָה, הֵם שׁוֹמְרִין אֶת פִּיהֶם וְלֹא יוֹצִיאוּ מִפִּיהֶם אֲפִלּוּ תֵּבָה אַחַת, שֶׁהוּא שֶׁלֹּא כָּרָאוּי לְפִי עִנְיָן הַהוּא, וְגַם מְקַבְּלִין עַל עַצְמָן כָּל הַהַכָּאוֹת וְהַבִּזְיוֹנוֹת וְלֹא יוֹדוּ עַל הָאֱמֶת, אַף שֶׁיּוֹדְעִין בְּנַפְשָׁם שֶׁבֵּין כָּךְ וּבֵין כָּךְ לֹא יִחְיוּ חַיֵּי נֶצַח, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם יוֹדוּ, קָרוֹב הַדָּבָר שֶׁלֹּא יוּמְתוּ, כִּי מִעוּטָא דְּמִעוּטָא שֶׁנִּגְמַר דִינָם לְמִיתָה, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן נָקַל לָהֶם לְקַּבֵּל עַל נַפְשָׁם כָּל הַיִּסּוּרִין מֵחֲמַת סְפֵק סְפֵקָא שֶׁל אֲרִיכַת חַיֵּי שָׁעָה, וְעַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה אֵיךְ צְרִיכִין לְהִתְבּוֹשֵׁשׁ אוֹתָן הָאֲנָשִׁים הַיּוֹשְׁבִין בְּחֶבְרַת אַנְשֵׁי לָצוֹן כַּמָּה שָׁעוֹת, וְאֵין מִי שֶׁמַּכֶּה אוֹתָם וּמַכְרִיחָם לָזֶה, וְאִם יִתְאַפְּקוּ מִלְּדַבֵּר דְּבָרִים אֲסוּרִים, יִזְכּוּ לְחַיֵּי נֶצַח, כְּמוֹ דְּאִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ, שֶׁעַל כָּל רֶגַע וְרֶגַע, שֶׁאָדָם חוֹסֵם פִּיו, זוֹכֶה לָאוֹר הַגָּנוּז, שֶׁאֵין כָּל מַלְאָךְ וּבְרִיָּה יָכוֹל לְשַׁעֵר, וּלְהֶפֶךְ יֵעָנְשׁוּ עַל כָּל דִּבּוּר וְדִבּוּר כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הַגְּרָ"א בְּאִגַּרְתּוֹ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה "עָלִים לִתְרוּפָה" וְזֶה לְשׁוֹנוֹ: "כָּל עֲמַל אָדָם לְפִיהוּ", אָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זַ"ל (חולין דף פ"ט.), שֶׁכָּל מִצְוֹתָיו וְתוֹרוֹתָיו שֶׁל אָדָם אֵין מַסְפִּיק לְמַה שֶּׁמּוֹצִיא מִפִּיו. מָה אֻמָּנוּתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה? יַעֲשֶׂה עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלֵּם וְיַדְבִּיק שִׂפְתוֹתָיו כִּשְׁתֵּי רֵיחַיִם וְכוּ', וְכָל כַּף הַקְּלַע, הַכֹּל בְּהֶבֶל פִּיו שֶׁל דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, וְעַל כָּל דִּבּוּר הֶבֶל צָרִיךְ לְהִתְקַלֵּעַ מִסּוֹף הָעוֹלָם וְעַד סוֹפוֹ. וְכָל זֶה בִּדְבָרִים יְתֵרִים, אֲבָל בִּדְבָרִים הָאֲסוּרִים, כְּגוֹן: לָשׁוֹן הָרָע וְלֵיצָנוּת וּשְׁבוּעוֹת וּנְדָרִים וּמַחֲלֹקֶת וּקְלָלוֹת, וּבִפְרָט בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת וְשַׁבָּת וְיוֹם טוֹב, עַל אֵלּוּ צָרִיךְ לֵירֵד לַשְּׁאוֹל לְמַטָּה הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד, וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְשַׁעֵר גֹּדֶל הַיִּסּוּרִין וְהַצָּרוֹת שֶׁסּוֹבֵל בִּשְׁבִיל דִּבּוּר אֶחָד, וְלֹא נֶאֱבָד אֲפִלּוּ דִּבּוּר אֶחָד שֶׁלֹּא נִכְתַּב, בַּעֲלֵי גַּדְפִין הוֹלְכִין תָּמִיד אֵצֶל כָּל אָדָם וְאֵין נִפְרָדִין מִמֶּנּוּ וְכוֹתְבִין כָּל דִּבּוּר וְדִבּוּר, כִּי "עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם יוֹלִיךְ אֶת הַקּוֹל וּבַעַל כְּנָפַיִם יַגִּיד דָּבָר". עַד כָּאן לְשׁוֹנוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ. וְגָרְסִינַן (עבודה זרה י"ח:) אָמַר רַב קְטִינָא: כָּל הַמִּתְלוֹצֵץ נוֹפֵל בַּגֵּיהִנֹּם.
And let one learn from what we see of the prisoners who are brought before the judge for cross-examination. They guard their mouths and do not utter even a single word which might incriminate them. And they also take upon themselves all of the blows and revilings in order not to admit the truth, even though they know that in either event they will not live forever, and that even if they do confess, it is very likely that they will not be executed, only a minority of a minority meeting such a fate. In spite of this, they would rather take all of these sufferings upon themselves because of the possibility of a possibility of thereby lengthening their temporal lives. How much, then, should those people restrain themselves [(from speaking what is forbidden)], who sit in the company of mockers a few hours, without anyone beating or forcing them thereto. And if they restrain themselves from speaking what is forbidden, they merit eternal life, as we find in the Midrash, that for every moment that a man muzzles his mouth he merits the secreted light, which no angel or creation can conceptualize; and, conversely, they are punished for every article of speech. As the GRA has written in his holy letter, Alim Litrufah "(Koheleth 6:7): 'All of a man's toil is for his mouth.' Our sages of blessed memory have said (Chullin 89a) that all of a man's mitzvoth and Toroth do not suffice [to offset] what he utters with his mouth. 'What is the [proper] profession of a man in this world? Let him make himself mute and clamp his lips like two millstones, etc.' And all kaf hakela ["hollow of the sling" punishments] come because of the breath of the mouth of idle talk. For each article of [such] speech, he must be slung from one end of the world to the other. And all this, with superfluous speech. But with forbidden speech, such as lashon hara, leitzanuth, oaths, vows, quarrels, and curses, especially in the synagogue and on Sabbaths and festivals — for these one must descend to the nethermost depths of Sheol. And it is impossible to conceptualize the greatness of the suffering and afflictions that one must undergo for one article of [forbidden] speech. And there is not even one such article which is not written down. Angels accompany each man constantly and do not separate from him and write down each and every article of speech (Koheleth 10:20): 'For a bird of heaven will carry the voice and the winged one will tell the word.'" And we have learned (Avodah Zarah 18b): R. Katina said: "All who engage in levity fall into Gehinnom."
הג"ה. [וְנִרְאֶה לִי לְפָרֵשׁ, מַה שֶּׁאָמַר לְשׁוֹן נוֹפֵל וְלֹא יִפֹּל, בְּמַה שֶּׁכָּתַב הַגְּרָ"א בְּמִשְׁלֵי א' פָּסוּק כ"ג בְּעִנְיַן בַּעֲלֵי הַלָּצוֹן, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם גֹּדֶל הַתַּאֲוָה לְדַבֵּר דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים וְלֵיצָנוּת אַף שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם הֲנָאַת הַגּוּף, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבְּכָל דָּבָר שֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה נוֹתְנִין לוֹ רוּחַ מִמָּרוֹם, וְזֶה הָרוּחַ אֵינוֹ נָח וְשָׁקֵט עַד שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה עוֹד דְּבָרִים כָּאֵלֶּה, וּמִזֶּה יֵשׁ לוֹ נַחַת רוּחַ הֵן בִּדְבַר מִצְוָה אוֹ בִּדְבַר עֲבֵרָה. וְזֶהוּ (אבות ד' ב'): עֲבֵרָה גּוֹרֶרֶת עֲבֵרָה, וּמִצְוָה גּוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה. וְכָל דְּבַר עֲבֵרָה שֶׁהִיא גְּדוֹלָה, גַּם הָרוּחַ הַבָּא מִמֶּנָּה הִיא גְּדוֹלָה, וּמִתְאַוֶּה יוֹתֵר לַעֲבֵרָה עוֹד, וְכֵן בִּדְבַר מִצְוָה גְּדוֹלָה, בָּא רוּחַ מִמָּקוֹם קָדוֹשׁ מְאֹד וּמִתְאַוֶּה מְאֹד לַמִּצְוָה וְנֶהֱנֶה מְאֹד מֵחֲמַת זֶה מִמִּצְוָה. וְיָדוּעַ שֶׁמִּצְוָה גְּדוֹלָה מִכָּל הַמִּצְוֹת הִיא לִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה, וּלְהֶפֶךְ דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים וְלֵיצָנוּת, שֶׁזֶּהוּ הִפּוּךְ הַתּוֹרָה. וְלָכֵן יֵשׁ הֲנָאָה מִדְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים וְלֵיצָנוּת יוֹתֵר מִכָּל הָעֲבֵרוֹת, אַף שֶׁאֵין בָּזֶה עוֹלָם הַזֶּה, אַךְ מֵחֲמַת שֶׁרוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה גְּדוֹלָה עַד מְאֹד וְהִיא כְּמַעְיָן הַנּוֹבֵעַ, הֶפֶךְ הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁהִיא כְּמַעְיָן הנּוֹבֵעַ, עַד כָּאן לְשׁוֹנוֹ. וְיָדוּעַ דְּרוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה הַנַּעֲשֶׂה עַל יְדֵי הָעֲבֵרָה, הִיא גּוּפָא הַמַּעֲנֶשֶׁת לָאָדָם אַחַר פְּטִירָתוֹ בַּגֵּיהִנֹּם, וְלָזֶה אָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל לְשׁוֹן "נוֹפֵל בַּגֵּיהִנֹּם" לְהוֹרוֹת לָנוּ, שֶׁבְּעֵת אֲמִירַת הַלֵיצָנוּת, מְרַחֵף עָלָיו רוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה הַגְּדוֹלָה וְכַנַּ"ל, וְהוּא מַמָּשׁ נוֹפֵל (רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר שׁוֹכֵן כְּמוֹ (בראשית כ"ה י"ח): "עַל פְּנֵי כָּל אֶחָיו נָפָל") בַּגֵּיהִנֹּם בְּחַיָּיו, רַחֲמָנָא לִיצְלָן. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּנֶפֶשׁ הַחַיִּים שַׁעַר א' פֶּרֶקּ י"ב. וּמַאֲמָרָם הַשֵּׁנִי יֵשׁ לוֹמַר גַּם כֵּן בִּכְגוֹן זֶה, וְאֵין כָּאן מָקוֹם לְהַאֲרִיךְ].
[It seems apt to explain "fall" instead of "will fall" according to what the GRA has written on Mishlei 1:23 in connection with men of levity: "They have a great lust to speak idle talk and levity even though they have no bodily pleasure therefrom. For with every thing that a man does he is given a spirit from on high. And this spirit does not rest until it does other such things, wherefrom he has pleasure — both in an act of mitzvah or in an act of sin. And this is the intent of Avoth 4:2: 'A sin begets a sin and a mitzvah begets a mitzvah.' And the greater the sin, the greater the spirit that it begets, and the more it lusts for more sin. Correspondingly, with a great mitzvah. A spirit comes from a very holy place and lusts greatly for that mitzvah and has great pleasure in that mitzvah. And it is known that the greatest mitzvah of all is Torah study, and, conversely, [the greatest sin of all,] idle speech and levity, which is the opposite of Torah. Therefore, there is more pleasure in idle speech and levity than in all other sins, even though there is no worldly [i.e., bodily] pleasure in this. But [the pleasure arises from the fact that] the spirit of uncleanliness is extremely great, like a 'bubbling spring,' as opposed to the [pure spirit of] Torah, which is [also] a 'bubbling spring.'" And it is known that the spirit of uncleanliness created by the sin, itself punishes the doer, after his death, in Gehinnom, wherefore Chazal have said "fall into Gehinnom" [rather than "will fall"]. For at the very utterance of the levity the great spirit of uncleanliness hovers above him. And he actually falls [that is, "dwells," as in (Bereshith 25:18): 'In the presence of all his brothers, he fell' (i.e., dwelt)] in Gehinnom in his lifetime, G-d forbid, (as written in Nefesh Hachaim, Gate One, Chapter 12. And their second apothegm is also to be explained along these lines.)]
וְגַם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה בָּאִין יִסּוּרִין עַל הָאָדָם בִּשְׁבִיל הַלֵיצָנוּת, כְּמוֹ דְּאָמְרִינַן שָׁם: אָמַר ר' אֶלְעָזָר: כָּל הַמִּתְלוֹצֵץ, יִסּוּרִין בָּאִין עָלָיו שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה כ"ח כ"ב): "וְעַתָּה אַל תִּתְלוֹצָצוּ, פֶּן יֶחֶזְקוּ מוֹסְרֵיכֶם". אָמַר לְהוּ רָבָא לְרַבָּנָן: בְּמָטוּתָא מִנַּיְכוּ דְּלָא תִּתְלוֹצָצוּ דְּלָא לֵיתוּ יִסּוּרִין עֲלַיְכוּ (אמר להם רבא לרבנן בבקשה מכם, שלא תתלוצצו, שלא יבואו יסורים עליכם). [וְעַיֵּן בְּשַׁעֲרֵי תְּשׁוּבָה לְרַבֵּנוּ יוֹנָה שֶׁכָּתַב, שֶׁאָסוּר לְהִתְלוֹצֵץ וְגַם בְּדֶרֶךְ מִקְרֶה וְאַרְעַי. וְעַל הַחֵלֶק הַזֶּה הֻצְרְכוּ הַחֲכָמִים לְהַזְהִיר לְתַלְמִידֵיהֶם, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁרַבִּים נִכְשְׁלוּ בּוֹ דֶּרֶךְ מִקְרֶה].
And in this world, too, afflictions befall a man because of levity, as it is said there (Avodah Zara 18b): "R. Elazar said: 'All who scoff, afflictions come upon them, as it is written (Isaiah 25:22): "And now, do not scoff, lest your bonds be strengthened."' Rava said to the rabbis: 'I pray you, do not scoff, so that afflictions not come upon you.'" [And see Sha’arei Teshuvah of Rabbeinu Yonah, who wrote that it is forbidden to engage in levity, even adventitiously, by chance. In this regard, the sages had to exhort their disciples, many of whom stumbled in this by chance.]
וְגַם מְזוֹנוֹתָיו מִתְמַעֲטִין, כְּמוֹ דְּאָמְרִינַן שָׁם. וְגַם כָּל הָעוֹלָם נֶעֱנָשׁ בִּשְׁבִיל בַּעַל הַלָּצוֹן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ שָׁם: כָּל הַמִּתְלוֹצֵץ גּוֹרֵם כְּלָיָה לָעוֹלָם.
And also his sustenance diminishes [because of levity], as stated there. And also, all the world is punished because of the scoffer. As stated there: "All who scoff bring destruction to the world."
וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא יִתְלוֹצֵץ עִמָּהֶם, רַק לֵישֵׁב בְּחֶבְרָתָם, גַּם כֵּן אִסּוּר גָּמוּר הוּא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים א' א'): "וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב". וְאִיתָא בְּאָבוֹת דְּרַבִּי נָתָן פֶּרֶק ל' (מִשְׁנָה ג'(: הַמְדַבֵּק עַצְמוֹ לְעוֹבְרֵי עֲבֵרָה, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה כְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם, הוּא מְקַבֵּל פֻּרְעָנוּת כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם. עַל כֵּן צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהִתְרַחֵק מֵהַכַּת הַזֹּאת מִלֵּישֵׁב בְּמוֹשָׁבָם, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִלְמַד מֵהֶם, אֲבָל יֵשֵׁב בְּמוֹשָׁב שֶׁיֵּשׁ בֵּינֵיהֶם דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה, וְאָז אַשְׁרֵי לוֹ בָּזֶה וּבַבָּא.
And even if he does not scoff with them, but just sits in their company, this, too, is an absolute issur, as it is written (Psalms 1:1): "And in the seat of scoffers, he did not sit." And in Avoth d'R. Nathan 30:3, we find: "One who attaches himself to sinners, even though he does not do as they do, receives the same punishments as they do." Therefore, one must distance himself from their class and not sit in their place, so as not to learn from them. But he must sit in the seat of learning, and then he will be happy in this [world] and in [the world] to come.