T197 PNC - Evil Speech Wounds Humility and Separates It from Wisdom

Evil speech (lashon hara) does a very specific kind of damage: it destroys the possibility of true humility. When people speak badly about tzaddikim, it becomes impossible for those tzaddikim to maintain genuine anivut (humility), because humility requires being able to move through the world without the weight of the public gaze. Lashon hara disrupts the bond between humility and wisdom — these two must travel together, but evil speech severs their connection. A world saturated with lashon hara is a world where wisdom cannot easily dwell.