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How can lashon hara be called "false" when it typically conveys true information? The chiddush is that speech creates reality through emphasis - highlighting one negative trait makes it overshadow everything else about a person, creating a fundamentally dishonest picture. The Kohen Gadol's bells atone for lashon hara because they represent using speech's creative power to emphasize wholeness rather than fragments.
Rabbi Zweig begins by examining Parshas Tetzaveh's description of the Kohen Gadol's me'il (robe), which had bells that made noise as he walked, serving as atonement for lashon hara according to the Gemara (גמרא). He addresses a fundamental contradiction: the Torah (תורה) prohibits accepting a "meritless report" (shema shav), yet Rashi (רש"י) explains this refers to lashon hara, which is typically true information. How can true information be considered "meritless"? The answer lies in understanding human creative expression. Drawing from Onkelos's translation, Rabbi Zweig explains that when God breathed life into man, He gave him "ruach memalela" - the power of speech and communication. This distinguishes humans from animals, as the Talmud (תלמוד) states that man's primary work is "work of the mouth," ultimately Torah expression. Since God created the world through ten divine utterances, speech represents the ultimate creative power.
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Parshas Tetzaveh - Kohen Gadol's garments and the me'il with bells
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