Speech is considered to be lashon hara (detraction) if it says something negative about a person or party, … See more

The phrase consists of the noun lashon ("tongue"), the definite article ha, and the adjective ra ("evil"). The Hebrew noun lashon means "tongue" and – as in many languages – "speech" or "language". The phrase is g… See more

The term lashon hara is not mentioned in the Tanakh, but "keep thy tongue from evil" (נְצֹר לְשֹׁונְךָ מֵרָע‎) occurs in Psalm 34:14. The Torah contains a general injunction against rekhilut (gossip): "Thou shalt not go up and down as a t… See more

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan wrote two major halakhic works on the evil tongue: Chofetz Chaim ("Desirer of Life", Psalms 34:13–14) and Shmirat HaLashon ("Guarding the tongue"), both 1873. The Chafetz Chaim lists 31 spe… See more

The expression baalei lashon hara literally means "masters of evil tongue", and it refers to habitual speakers of lashon hara. The serious prohibition of communicating lashon harah relates foremost to somebody who incide… See more

Reporting abuse, especially if the abuse is illegal, is not Lashon hara, regardless of hashkafa.
There are times when a person is permitted or even required to disclose information whether or … See more

• Detraction
• Public disclosure of private facts
• Shmiras Halashon See more