Category Archives: Shmiras Haloshon

“Loshon hora kills three: the speaker, the listener, and the person being discussed” ~Yerushalmi Pe’ah 1:1

Midrash Tanchuma (Tehillim 52:2) states: “The Holy One, Blessed is He, said: ‘If you seek to escape [the punishments of] Gehinnom, distance yourselves from loshon hora. Through this, you will be deemed meritorious in this world and the next.’ ”

The Chofetz Chaim teaches us that when a person speaks loshon hora, he is wasting one of the most precious commodities this world has to offer — time.

Bright people talk about ideas (Torah, art, business, history) Average people talk about things (cars, clothes, houses, movies) Unintelligent people talk about other people. ~ Rabbi Allen Schwartz of Congregation Oheb Zedek

When one guards his speech and engages others in conversations that are positive and constructive, the merit of Shmiras HaLoshon is multiplied many times because, by exercising restraint in speech, one draws others to this mitzvah as well.  ~ Chofetz … Continue reading →

“Were every Jew able to preview the reward that comes to those who restrain their tongues, the resolve to refrain from speaking loshon hora would be unshakable.”  ~ From the teachings of the Chofetz Chaim

“For every moment one guards one’s tongue, he earns reward that is beyond the comprehension of angels.”  Vilna Gaon citing Midrash …The principle way of meriting the World to Come is through guarding one’s mouth, which is greater than Torah … Continue reading →

“There are those who acquire wealth but in truth have nothing.” (Proverbs 13:7) The Chofetz Chaim explains, that the above verse speaks of a man who had devoted his entire life to Torah and mitzvos, building a vast reserve of … Continue reading →

“Whoever speaks loshon hora raises his sins to the Heavens.”  Talmud Arachin 15b