Why Does Gossip Harm Both the Speaker and the Listener?
Why does harmful speech damage not only its subject, but also the person who speaks and the person who listens?
This Hagut Yosef essay presents gossip and lashon hara as habits that damage the social fabric and also shape the character of those who speak or listen. Instead of improving ourselves, negative talk can create a false sense of superiority by pulling others down. The localized layer keeps the source-based ethical message and does not turn it into a new practical ruling.