When our bodies become afflicted by the flu, we are quite aware of its effect. Our throats might hurt; our muscles might ache; our heads might throb; and our temperatures might soar. The illness sends us to bed hoping that rest and fluids will alleviate our symptoms over time. What happens, however, when illness doesn’t strike our bodies but our souls instead?
Parasha Metzorah actually addresses the idea of an illness that strikes our souls that is manifested in a skin disease known as tzaraat. The person who suffers from tzaraat is called a metzorah. The word metzorah is seen as a contraction of two words…motzi rah (brings out evil) because the metzorah is one who is afflicted because he/she has “spoken ill of others.” (The Weekly Midrash)
Speaking ill of others is harmful. Often we think about the fact that it can harm another individual’s reputation. In fact, there is a popular children’s book written by Madonna called Mr. Peabody’s Apples that elementary children read to remind themselves that words are very powerful. Once negative words are uttered about another, it is possible for an apology to be made, but the damage has already been done.
Our sages once debated which was more deadly, an arrow or a sword. They decided that an arrow was much worse. The sword could only kill those nearby. The arrow could kill those at a distance. For that very reason, slander was called “an arrow shot out” because of its power to kill over a long distance.
One of the newest problems to hit our society is cyber-bullying. It is a major problem for adolescents. With the advances in social networking, it is possible to have one’s words broadcasted quickly across large audiences. Think of how society has changed over the years. Teens are on-line and have access to cell phones. Texting, e-mailing, chatting, and blogging are all thought of as means of expressing oneself. For many, it becomes an integral part of their social lives. Cyber-bullying even has created a number of new terms to help define what it is that young people are doing to one another with their written rather than spoken words. When they post cruel gossip or rumors with the intent to damage another’s reputation, they are involved in DENIGRATION. When they are involved in online fights that use angry or vulgar language, they are involved in FLAMING. OUTING is the sharing of someone’s secrets or embarrassing information in a public setting. When there is the repeated sending of offensive, rude, and insulting messages, it is called HARRASSMENT. And when the messages are repeatedly sent with threats to harm another individual, it is known as CYBERSTALKING. Approximately 20% of teens in America have reported that they have experienced cyber-bullying. It is easy for the perpetrator because it is often done anonymously and others can join in on the attacks without even having to be nearby.
Another problem inherent in the way the internet is currently being used is that it is home to many electronic communities of hate. It is possible to find shared platforms for hate speech that promote bigotry and present propaganda as if it were factual information on the world wide web. I managed to watch a video the other day that showed how Jews are murdering children in Moslem countries and using their blood to make matzah for Passover. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought that I was listening to a blood libel from the Pale of Settlement during the late 19th century.
The Torah obviously didn’t have to be concerned about the use of electronic media to inflict intentional harm on others, but it did understand the sin of using one’s words to inflict pain or harm on others. Sometimes we are not conscious that we have used words that have been harmful because we think that if we don’t follow up our words with actions, there is no harm. When that happens we might be inclined to forget about seeking out a “cure” for our affliction…we don’t ask for forgiveness. There are other times when we know that our words have been hurtful, but approaching the individual we have harmed is so painful, that we would prefer to let the harmful words remain rather than ask for forgiveness. Similarly, there are times when our “victim” is so far away that it is not even feasible to ask for forgiveness in person (of course in this day and age we could use the internet to do so)…and Finally, there are also times when we are so used to using our words in a slanderous way that it is difficult to think about using our words in any other way.
Times may be different, but people are not different. We still inflict pain and damage on others by the use of our tongues. We still need to control our impulses to engage in slanderous talk. And yes, we still need a way to heal our souls after we have harmed another with our language because we have also harmed ourselves and the ones with whom we have spoken. Self-expression need not and should not be at another’s expense. Today, perhaps, more than in years past, we need to guard ourselves from being a metzorah especially when we have the ability to circulate our words far and wide in just a matter of seconds.
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