In a tense scene in
Hatboxes between Miriam and her estranged husband, Aaron expresses concern about people in their community
bearing tales about Miriam.
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| Aaron collects the last of his things in Hatboxes |
Gossiping is considered one of the gravest sins in Judaism, reflecting an understanding of the power of speech: the world was brought into being by the spoken Word; of the 43 sins enumerated in the main confessional prayer on Yom Kippur, at least a dozen are sins of speech. Tale-bearing is considered a sin on the level of murder, idol worship, and
incest/adultery, and even sharing a piece of information that is true, that is not negative, and that would not hurt the subject is considered a violation of two commandments articulated in Leviticus: "Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people,"
and "ye shall not wrong one another [with speech]" (Lev. 19:16 and Lev. 25:17, respectively).
The harm that speech can do cannot be repaired in the same way that a stolen bracelet can be returned or damage to a car repaired. In
Hatboxes, Aaron worries about Miriam's well-being even if true information were to circulate among her neighbors ("Miriam and Aaron are getting a divorce" or "Miriam has made friends with a woman who wears trousers").
In
The Big Chill, the Jeff Goldblum charater asserts that no one can go a week without making a rationalization. Who can go a day without gossiping?
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