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Why does the Yerushalmi say the me'il atones for murder while the Bavli says lashon hara? The Rambam (רמב"ם)'s formulation—that lashon hara kills three people—is not describing a punishment but the actual reality: speaking lashon hara is literally an act of murder. The me'il atones not just for the sin but for the self-destruction inherent in speaking or hearing lashon hara.
The shiur addresses an apparent contradiction between the Bavli, which states that the me'il (the tunic of the Kohen Gadol with bells) atones for lashon hara, and the Yerushalmi, which says it atones for murder. The Bavli explains: "Yavi davar shebakol yechaper al aveirat hakol" — let something that makes sound atone for the sin of sound (lashon hara). But how can the me'il atone for both lashon hara and murder? Rabbi Zweig presents the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s approach to resolve this apparent contradiction. The Rambam discusses lashon hara in Hilchos De'os and states that lashon hara is equivalent to the three cardinal sins (idolatry, adultery, and murder). He adds that it is as if one denies God's existence (kofer b'Elokim). Then the Rambam makes a critical statement: "Lashon hara kills three people — the person who says it, the person who receives it, and the person being spoken about."
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Parshas Tetzaveh - the me'il of the Kohen Gadol
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