no succh thing as loshon horah?
Question
It's great that you guys hold that there's no such thing as L.H. (loshon horah), especially when it comes to talking about your website... Really you only said it was "rare" to be over l.h. and that it must be malicious. I think you said it was only in Europe when everyone lived together like in a bungalow colony setting so it destroyed the person's life... I was just wondering about the l.h. that Moshe said to Hashem about klal yisroel - was that malicious? Did that ruin anyone's life? Yet Moshe suffered tzora'as and he lost the Kehuna to Aharon forever because of it. (At least according to Rashi)
Answer
Answered by Chaim Yisrael AbadiBy writing "no such thing as Lashon Harah," you are suggesting that I said that statement which itself is Motzie Shem Rah, saying a lie about someone. Of course there is such a thing as Lashon Harah, but it just is not exactly what many people think and preach. The story of Moshe Rabbeini (Moses) on Mount Sinai comes from a Medrash Rabah Parsha 3:16, it is also in the Gemara Shabbat 97A, in Rashi, and in the Ramban on the Pasuk, Shemot 4:6. His punishment was for being "Choshed Bekesherim," which means accusing innocent people. Moshe had no way of knowing that the Jews won't trust him, and before giving them a chance, he said, "and they will not believe me." For that God punished him with a temporary Tzaraat, which is a skin discoloration. AA I just asked my father this question. He said we cannot and should not compare ourselves to Moshe Rabbeinu. On Moshe's level it was Loshon Hora. CYA