Torah precepts of proper speech

[CSaavedra]

Would it be a good idea for a Noahide to study the laws of lashon hara [gossip and slander] in order to bolster their observance of the prohibition against murder? If so what would be a good source for these laws?

[Director Michael]

Yes. Gossip and slander are conceptually compared to murder, in the sense of "character assassination," and harming another person through speech. So it is logical that Noahides should be careful not to use their G'd-given gift of speech in a way that would harm other people. Also you would not want others to speak gossip or slander about you, so you should not speak that way about other people. This is also conceptually compared to the prohibition against blasphemy, since every person has an aspect of the image of G-d, which is the human intellect that can recognize what is good and what is evil in G-d's eyes.

Recommended books on the Jewish precepts of proper speech:

1) Chofetz Chaim: A Lesson A Day
The concepts and laws of proper speech arranged for daily study.
https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9780899063218.html

2) Guard Your Tongue: A Practical Guide to the Laws of Loshon Hora (Gossip and Slander)
by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin
https://www.amazon.com/Guard-Your-Tongue...B00YNWBZLY

3) "The Divine Code," 4th Edition, by Rabbi Moshe Weiner includes those precepts of proper speech that are obligations or moral responsibilities for Gentiles. See Part V, chapter 8.
https://asknoah.org/books/the-divine-code

[Director Michael]

For a detailed answer, see "The Divine Code", Part V, chapter 8 ("The Prohibitions of Embarrassing Another Person, Evil Gossip, and Tale-bearing"). Topics 1-3 in that chapter state:

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1. Just as it is forbidden to harm someone (as part of the prohibition against murder...), it is also forbidden to cause another person suffering through one’s speech. This is morally and logically binding, as Hillel said as a summary of the entire Torah, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your friend.” It is forbidden to humiliate or embarrass another person, even if only with words, or to call another person by a name that is embarrassing to him...

2. It is forbidden to go around gossiping about people, and this is described as tale-bearing – collecting information and then going [around telling it] from one person to another...

3. ... evil gossip (lashon harah in Hebrew) is telling a derogatory thing about another person, even though it may be true. What is considered evil gossip? Any informative or derogatory statement that would cause harm to another person’s body or possessions, or that would cause him anguish or distress if he heard those words, or if he knew they were heard by others...
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Therefore, a pious Noahide should observe the details of the Torah Laws regarding lashon hara.

[Director Michael]

When it comes to speaking lashon hara [sinful speech about a person], does the prohibition apply if the people you are speaking to don't know the person you're talking about? Case example: if I got home and told my family, "Someone at work did XYZ." Is this just a bad practice?

When you talk about "someone" without giving identifying information, and there is no way that the listener could find out the identity of the person you're speaking about, you are not liable for speaking lashon hara. Liability for speaking lashon hara applies when the listener knows or could find out the identity of the person spoken about, and it is not a matter of common public knowledge.

But Chassidus teaches that even if the listener doesn't know the identity of a person who is being spoken badly about, the not-good report has a not-good effect on all three people - the speaker, the listener, and the person spoken about. The same applies even if it's a matter of common knowledge.

In contrast, when you speak well of a person, it has a good effect on all three people, even if the listener doesn't know who is being spoken about.
Therefore, one should always strive to speak well of someone, or at least not to speak badly of someone.

[Director Michael]

Is the ruling of Chofetz Chaim that one may speak lashon hara of apostates applicable to Noahides? Most people we deal with are apostates in the first place, whether outright idol-worshipers, followers of false religions, or atheists. I am asking because I do not know whether I need to repent of not being careful over lashon hara since almost all of the people I was not careful in speaking about are apostates.

According to the "letter of the law," that ruling of Chofetz Chaim, if followed correctly, is applicable to Noahides.

Nevertheless,

1. In the spiritually low-level environment we live in today, it's common that some people will call a person an apostate, when the person in fact is not an apostate. Just because you hear someone, even a Rabbi, say "So-and-so is an apostate," it could be true, but it's not a given that it's true just because the speaker said so. Therefore, it's a good policy to be cautious about that, to be on the safe side.

2. Chassidus teaches that even if the listener doesn't know the identity of a person who is being spoken badly about, the not-good report has a not-good effect on all three people. The same applies even if it's a matter of common knowledge.
In contrast, when you speak well of a person, it has a good effect on all three people, even if the listener doesn't know who is being spoken about.
Therefore, one should always strive to speak well of someone, or at least not to speak badly of someone, unless there is a justified need to do so (within the Torah laws of lashon hara).