Gossip and the Rabbi's Lesson

                                         

 Gossip and the Rabbi's Lesson

Once, a long time ago, in a small village in Eastern Europe, there was a very important businessman in the community who took a disliking to the new rabbi. Every chance he could, he'd talk about the rabbi behind his back. 

"Did you see his beard this morning?" he'd whisper to another man in the town square. "Tangled as a rat's nest. Did his mother never teach him to clean himself? Tsk, tsk."

He'd shake his head and roll his eyes. "Did you hear what he taught in the temple this morning?" he'd murmur to another man. "Where did he learn the Torah, from a goat herder?"

Finally, after weeks of slandering the new rabbi, who patiently ignored the whispers swirling about him, the businessman was confronted by a respected friend and reprimanded for his cruel words. He repented and, feeling guilty for his behavior, presented himself to the rabbi and begged his forgiveness, asking to make restitution.

When the businessman went to the rabbi, asking for forgiveness about having spoken ill of him, here's what happened.

The rabbi, being a kind and thoughtful man, considered the businessman's request carefully and finally stated, "Take your finest feather pillow and climb to the top of the highest hill outside the village. When you reach the top, cut it open and scatter the contents to the winds. After you have done that, return to me."

The businessman went up to the highest hill with his fattest, most expensive down-filled pillow, tore it open, and watched the feathers skip across the sky in the brisk wind. He returned to the rabbi and said, "I've done as you asked. Am I now forgiven?"

"Almost," replied the rabbi. "There is still one more task before you. Go and gather all the feathers up again and put them back in the pillow."

"But that's impossible," cried the businessman. "The wind has blown them away!"

"Yes," said the rabbi, who besides being kind and thoughtful was also very wise. "And so it is also impossible to undo the damage you have done with your words, which can never be retrieved."

The businessman walked away, saddened by his behavior, but wiser from the lesson the rabbi had taught him.

                       

             And here's an Italian / American perspective....

                                                 

In Italian the word for chatter is chiacchiere.  You’ll hear people saying chiacchiere, chiacchiere (“ki-AH-ki-eh-reh”) around a talkative person—sounds like cackle, cackle, doesn’t it?   Let me introduce Gossip:

My Name is Gossip, whatever language you speak.

I have no respect for justice.
I maim without killing.
I break hearts and ruin lives.
I am cunning, malicious and gather strength with age.
The more I am quoted, the more I am believed.
I flourish at every level of society.
My victims are helpless.
They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face.
To track me down is impossible.
The harder you try, the more elusive I become.
I am nobody's friend.
Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same.
I topple governments and wreck marriages.
I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches and indigestion.
I spawn suspicion and generate grief.
I make headlines and headaches.

Remember, before you repeat a story, ask yourself:
Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?

If not, don’t repeat it,
KEEP QUIET!  Or as we say in Italian, Zitto!