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Why does the Kohen Gadol's me'il with its bells atone for lashon hara? The Gemara (גמרא)'s description of lashon hara as "davar shebakol" (something involving noise) seems puzzling, since the sin lies in content, not volume. The shiur reveals that Chazal are identifying the root motivation for speaking lashon hara: the need for self-aggrandizement and importance—exactly what the noise-making bells represent.
This shiur explores a profound insight from the Gemara (גמרא) in Eruvin regarding the Bigdei Kehunah (priestly garments) mentioned in Parshas Tetzaveh. The Gemara teaches that each of the priestly garments serves as an atonement (kapara) for specific transgressions. Specifically, the me'il—a garment resembling a long tallis katan with bells attached to its bottom that made noise when the Kohen walked—atones for lashon hara (negative speech about others). The Gemara's formulation presents an apparent difficulty. It states: "Yavo davar shebakol vichaper al maaseh kol"—let something that makes noise come and atone for something else that makes noise, referring to lashon hara. This characterization seems fundamentally flawed. Lashon hara is not defined by volume or noise; it is defined by content. Whether spoken loudly or whispered quietly, if one speaks negatively about another person (even if true), it constitutes lashon hara. In fact, lashon hara is often spoken very quietly, yet people across a room seem to tune in like receivers to hear it. The aveirah has nothing to do with how loud the speech is.
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Parshas Tetzaveh (Bigdei Kehunah), Gemara Eruvin
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