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Lashon Hara - The Big Three

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Academy Of Shem - Ethics and Theology

I would suggest that since the Sages equate lashon hara to the big three - idolatry, murder and adultery, all of which apply to Noahides - in a small way (or not so small way) gossip has an aspect of each of these sins. We can appreciate this with some thought:

Putting someone else down, especially embarrasing him is equivalent to murder. Sizing someone up and feeling equipped to judge and criticize him is form of idol worship - seeing yourself as superior rather than just a different creation of a perfect G-d.

If so, this sin would be a smaller way of violating many of the sins which do apply to all of humanity. This reminds me how I once quoted in a class Rabbi Moshe Feinstein who wrote that Gentiles are obligated to pray when they are in duress. And although this is not one of their 7 laws, it would be a correlary of belief in G-d - for if you truly believe there is an all-powerful G-d who runs the world, of course you will turn to Him as the One who can help.

Another discussion is the one on judah and tamar. I have studied that judah was pushed to tamar since he did not give his 3rd son to tamar, who was a righteous woman and daughter of shem. An interesting observation is why did judah ask to kill tamar since he too did commit illicit sex.

There's no question, Judah's behavior was immoral. He certainly learned Torah from his father and knew that. It's a question in the commentators if what he did is forbidden from the Torah or only from the (future) Rabbis. The main distinction, however, is the nature of the sin each of them did. Tamar was the daughter of a Priest (Shem, as you wrote) and she was designated to marry Shelah. Her deserved punishment was death by burning (Leviticus 21:9 - not precisely fire). Judah, however, was single, and was merely acting below his standard. In any other case - e.g. a man who has an affair with a married woman - King David's case comes to mind, though more on that below - both man and woman are equally punished. In fact, the law may be more lenient on the woman - if, as Queen Esther, she is totally passive.

King David was in fact judged harshly even though his act techinically was not adulterous - just because it was beneath his dignity. As the Talmud writes, standard practice was to write a conditional bill of divorce to one's wife before a battle in case the husband disappears without a trace. Still, it wasn't proper - by David's standards - and he spent the rest of his life in repentance.

Re Judah, his great act in the story - really the one which showed he was monarch-material - was that he openly and publicly admitted his sin. A true ruler must be selfless, must live for others, and must be ready to sacrifice all if he sees he is wrong. The fact that he sinned was as you quoted - for the angel "pushed" him. I.e., he was overcome by overwhelming desire - something honestly very few of us can stand up to...
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