By Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss

In Parsha Noach in Bereishis Rabbah, the Medrash tells us a cat and mouse story. The mouse, feeling contentious with the cat, told Adam that the cat has a propensity to steal (which is the truth).

Adam told the mouse that for speaking Lashon Hara about the cat, he is condemned to be food for the cat, and this particular mouse was then promptly consumed by a cat.

In Perek Shira, we find evidence of this sentencing. The song of the mouse is, “V’Attah tzadik al kol haba alai ki emes asisa va’ani hirshati – You (Hashem) are righteous for all that befalls me, for You perform truth and I acted wickedly.” On the other hand, also in Perek Shira, the song of the cat is, “Erdof o’yvai v’asigeim, v’lo ashuv ad kalosam – I pursue my enemy and I will overtake them; I will not relent until I destroy them.” Thus, we find that the mouse acknowledges that it acted wickedly with Lashon Hara, while the cat identifies the mouse as his enemy for saying Lashon Hara about him.

It is interesting to note the Hebrew word for mouse, achbar, (spelled ayin, chaf, beis, reish,) is the same letters as the words ra bach, meaning, “There is bad in you,” for Lashon Hara is the essence of bad. We know this from the famous verse, “Mi ha’ish he’chofeitz chaim, oheiv yamim liros tov – Who is the man who desires life, loves days to see good; N’tzor l’shon’cha mei’ra – Guard your tongue from speaking evil.” We see that watching one’s tongue is good, implying that a wagging tongue is bad.

I would venture to say that this probably why there is a general repulsion people have for the mouse, and women are especially freaked out by this little creature. Thus, since nine out of ten measures of speech were given to women, the mouse which represents Lashon Hara is a special agitation to them.

There is a famous Chovos Hale’vavos cited by the Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, zy”a, in Shmiras HaLashon. When one speaks Lashon Hara about another, some of his merits are taken away from him and given to the victim. Similarly, we see that for gossiping about the cat, the mouse was given to the cat for dinner. My wife Shoshy and I try to learn a little about Lashon Hara every day. Besides being a wonderful way to connect, it also sensitizes us in our own conversations to the acute dangers of Lashon Hara. One night, we studied a remarkable lesson of the Chofetz Chaim. When one speaks Lashon Hara about another person, he is actually causing that person to receive his Divine punishment. The Chofetz Chaim explains that when a person sins, let’s say for example, he talks in Shul, the Satan goes and prosecutes against him to Hashem. Hashem responds that there can be no punishment without two witnesses. So, the Satan is powerless to cause this person to be sentenced and punished. However, when someone else speaks about how this person talks in Shul, he now becomes the second witness, and then the person can effectively be condemned and is punished forthwith. The Chofetz Chaim says that if one realized when they speak about another person’s not dressing modestly or wrongfully taking some food in a store and popping it in their mouth, their words are causing the other person to suffer a loss, break a leg, or lose a job, one would really think twice before they gossiped. Afterall, who wants to be a partner with the Satan in causing someone else to be punished? The Mosuk M’dvash comments that we can see how dreadful Lashon Hara is. Throughout the generations, the cat was allowed to pounce upon and devour the mouse because the mouse spoke Lashon Hara. That is the gravity of this sin, which the Yerushalmi in Pe’ah says is equal to the three cardinal sins of bloodshed, idolatry and immorality.

In the merit of guarding our tongues from speaking evil, may Hashem bless us with long life, good health, and everything wonderful.