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Radical FreedomJuly 2004From the Desk of Rabbi FreelundIn the throws of yet another election cycle, I am shocked and saddened by the level of venom being thrown about by our partisan leaders still months away from November. With every passing year, the divisions among us seem to grow sharper, and the language used by politicians and their henchmen grows less civil. We enjoy a radical freedom in this country that we indulge in with great relish: the freedom of speech. We can say near anything we please and nobody can raise an objection to what we might have to say. However, the incivility of our national discourse, played out through print, radio, television and direct mail has something very valuable to teach us about our own Jewish tradition when it comes to speech. It only makes sense that a people with such a long history of argument would have something to say about the ground rules. Knowing where the lines are drawn is critical for us in understanding what kind of speech is Jewishly out of bounds. In general, we should not originate or repeat harmful words about another. But what do we recognize as harmful? The most common form of harmful speech is rechilut, gossip. Gossip is defined as a statement that generates ill will towards another. Even if the statement is true, we should not repeat it! For instance, if your favorite candidate did something wonderful and got a big bump up in the polls, you shouldn't run and tell a supporter of the other candidate ñ it is sure to generate a negative emotion. Gossip can be true or false, but it almost always disposes us negatively towards the person we speak of. The more severe forms of lashon hara or harmful speech go even further: we can intentionally disparage or slander another. To do so with truthful statements can be damaging enough, but to do it with lies falls into the worst category of speech. These actions are considered to violate the mitzvot, the sacred obligations of Jews, and to be sinful. Even when we speak about a public figure and repeat news that "everybody has heard about", it doesn't matter. The intent and effect of the speech are the same, to cause harm. So is it possible to conduct politics without engaging in harmful speech? Perhaps not, but as Jews we should certainly strive to do so. We can strike a blow for civility by recognizing that our right to complete freedom of speech does not imply that we should go ahead and say whatever we please, and that the political issues dear to us can be subjects of argument, without becoming sources of anger and vicious attacks. There are consequences attendant to our words. Rarely has our nation been so polarized. We can all take steps to ensure that our national discourse becomes an exercise in building consensus rather than creating enemies within. To do so means making the effort to apply some traditional Jewish restraints to our words, and to think twice before we speak. Anger and hatred are not the noblest of human qualities. We should do our best to contain them in ourselves, and avoid provoking them in others. Happy Fourth of July! Rabbi David Freelund |
