Thought for the Day: Dear Tale Bearer -- All the Animals *and* the Snake Are Going to Gang Up on You

Talmud Bavli, Ta'anis 8a:

אמר ריש לקיש מאי דכתיב "אם ישוך הנחש בלא לחש, ואין יתרון לבעל הלשון" (קהלת י, יא) --  לעתיד לבא מתקבצות ובאות כל החיות אצל הנחש ואומרים לו: ארי דורס ואוכל, זאב טורף ואוכל, אתה מה הנאה יש לך? אמר להם: ואין יתרון לבעל הלשון 

(What follows is my translation/elucidation based on Rashi; your mileage may vary) Reish Lakish expounds on this verse, "If the snake bites because it was not charmed, then there is no advantage to the charmer's art." (Ecclesiastes 10:11) -- In the future, all the animals will gather and come to the snake and say to him: The lion pounces and eats (right where he is, as the lion fears no other animal), the wolf rips (that is, kills) and eats (after taking the prey back to his lair, as he fears other animals). But you, what benefit do you have? (you bite people and kill them, but don't get any benefit from your kill). The snake answers them: Oh yeah? Well benefit does a person get from speaking לשון הרע/defaming his fellow?

There's a lot to unpack there. Basically, obviously, just like the snake bites and injects venom that travels through the body to kill, so to לשון הרע is a dangerous venom that travels through the community. Just as the snake gets no benefit from its prey, the tale bearer gets no benefit from tearing down his fellow. Fine. Got it. But what's this whole business about the animals gathering? What, exactly, is their complaint against the snake? And why did the snake suddenly start talking about people who speak לשון הרע? Where's the context?

I did some research. First, the Malbim says that all of these that are brought without discussion and without explanation have been received -- rav to talmid -- from Moshe Rabeinu. Also, don't spend an excessive amount of time analyzing how the proof text goes with the allegory. The allegory is the important thing; the text only needs the barest connection, as it is there simply to acknowledge that all wisdom comes from the Torah -- even when we don't clearly see the connection.

The Maharsha says that the animals represent different תאוות/lusts/desires for pleasure. Most desires are rooted in some physical benefit. לשון הרע is completely different. It is completely baseless תאווה.

I remembered from the haftarah for the last day of Pesach: The wolf will lie down with the lamb, ..., the calf and the lion will graze together. (Yeshayahu 11:6)... the world will be filled with the knowledge of HaShem like the ocean is filled with water (ibid 9). Clearly, then, there is something wrong with the current, violent nature of predators. Clearly the original plan was not like that. In fact, it can be traced back to the sin of Adam HaRishon. The animals tell the snake that at least they have taken their violent nature and used it to stay alive, but the snake is just capriciously violent -- and he started the whole thing! He answers back: don't get all up in my face, look at all the people who saw what happened and yet they continue with their vicious לשון הרע! They are worse than me!

But here's my favorite take away. I had just learned that Chazal and was searching for some answers (see above), and I saw R' Klausner saying T'hillim. Whenever I can, I ask R' Klausner questions like this; he always has something important and interesting to say. So I waited till he finished the perek of T'hillim he was saying. I asked about this Chazal, especially why the animals were all getting in each other's business? He smiled and said (in the name of R' Moshe Shapiro): And what do you think causes most לשון הרע? Isn't it exacly that? People getting into each other's business for no reason?

Isn't that cool? Besides all its deeper layers of meaning, the allegory is right on point even at a completely surface level.

Oh, and there is an icing to this cake. What perek of T'hillim was R' Klausner saying when I approached? Perek 120 , which begins: A song of ascents. To HaShem in my distress I cried and He answered me. HaShem, rescue my soul from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.

A nice hug from HaShem in the beis medrash.