A Slanderous Deathblow

 I looked for an apt translation this week for Vayikra Verse 19:16, and I found Artscroll's to be most pertinent and in keeping with Rashi's interpretration.

לֹא־תֵלֵ֤ךְ רָכִיל֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔יךָ לֹ֥א תַעֲמֹ֖ד עַל־דַּ֣ם רֵעֶ֑ךָ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃

Artscroll writes: "You shall not be a gossipmonger among your people, you shall not stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed - I am Hashem."

Rashi, in his linguistic hat, writes that rachil in Hebrew refers to a traveling merchant, and likewise, one who slanders, travels from one place to another to hawk his wares. 

I would like, on a personal note, to share that I was shaken by the dreadful news this past week that Yehuda Meshi-Zahav had attempted to take his life. Founder of the Zaka Search and Rescue Organization, which has undoubtedly saved a myriad number of lives, he became the target of unimaginable opprobrium, after he had been accused of sexually molesting a vast range of parties, including youth. In the face of that fusillade, Meshi-Zahav tried to seek out greener pastures, free of society's disdain. 

It is not my intent here to weigh in on a matter I do not understand. I do not know what happened, nor do I really care to know. And I don't think that like the expression goes, "I'm burying my head in the sand like an ostrich." At this moment, I am unaware of whether the said person is alive; last I saw, a day ago, he was in intensive care. The simple point that I am making here, though, is that given how precious human life is, and how pernicious the court of public opinion can be - perhaps, we, as a collective humanity, should exercise more caution and treat other's distress with greater sensitivity. 

The Mishna in Makkot teaches: "A Sanhedrin that puts a man to death once in seven years is called a murderous one." Far be it from me to minimize any person's suffering, or the abuse others carry with them. Abuse, in of itself, can lead to suicidal ideations, https://www.tandfonline.com. (That notwithstanding, in the case at hand, not a single party spoke up until the person in question was awarded the very prestigious Israel Prize.)

I understand that, perhaps, what I have shared could cause anger, and frustration - and even vitriolic attacks on my own moral fiber. I would hope that nobody I know suffers the fate being attributed to Meshi-Zahav's victims.

Yet, it is important to place all of the cards on the table. Shimon and Levi, the Ramban writes, were cursed for their disproportionate response to Dinah's rape. Abuse is not new, and has to be dealt with in a way specific to each and every society's needs, but to say that it is tantamount to murder is a statement that the Ramban refused to make. The Court of Public Opinion is very quick to rule; and yes, it may be a jury of our peers - an idea that sprung from British abuses of power, rather than a self-evident, moral imperative. I do hope that Meshi-Zahav recuperates, and makes amends for the deeds of which he is accused, presuming those deeds were in fact perpetrated, but I do think that each of us has to introspect a little more about the caution we must exercise before publicizing anything that is even mildly maliferous, given social media's viral, and potentially lethal capacity.