Arakhin 16B

הא בפרהסיא.

whereas that robe atones for lashon hara spoken in public.

בעא מיניה רבי שמואל בר נדב מרבי חנינא, ואמרי לה רבי שמואל בר נדב חתניה דרבי חנינא מרבי חנינא, ואמרי לה מרבי יהושע בן לוי: מה נשתנה מצורע שאמרה תורה ״בדד ישב מחוץ למחנה מושבו״? הוא הבדיל בין איש לאשתו, בין איש לרעהו, לפיכך אמרה תורה ״בדד ישב וגו׳״.

R' Shmuel bar Nadav asked R' Ḥanina, and some say that it was R' Shmuel bar Nadav, the son-in-law of R' Ḥanina, who asked of R' Ḥanina, and some say that he asked it of R' Yehoshua ben Levi: What is different and notable about a metzora, that the Torah states: “He should reside alone; outside of the camp should be his residence” (Leviticus 13:46)? He replied: By speaking lashon hara he separated between husband and wife and between one person and another; therefore he is punished with tzara'at, and the Torah says: “He should reside alone; outside of the camp should be his residence.”

אמר רבי יהודה בן לוי: מה נשתנה מצורע שאמרה תורה יביא שתי ציפרים לטהרתו? אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: הוא עושה מעשה פטיט, לפיכך אמרה תורה יביא קרבן פטיט.

R' Yehuda ben Levi says: What is different and notable about a metzora that the Torah states that he is to bring two birds for his purification (Leviticus 14:4)? God says: He acted by speaking lashon hara with an act of chatter; therefore the Torah says that he is to bring an offering of birds, who chirp and chatter all the time.

תנו רבנן: ״לא תשנא את אחיך בלבבך״⁠ — יכול לא יכנו, לא יסטרנו, ולא יקללנו? תלמוד לומר: ״בלבבך״⁠ — שנאה שבלב הכתוב מדבר.

§ A baraita states: “You should not hate your brother in your heart; you should rebuke [hokhe’aḥ tokhiaḥ] your neighbor, and do not bear sin because of him” (Leviticus 19:17). Why does the verse specify “in your heart”? One might have thought that the verse means: Do not hit him, do not slap him, and do not ruin him due to hatred. Therefore the verse states “in your heart.” This teaches that the verse speaks of hatred in the heart.