From TorahVort.com
Talebearing
There are two mitzvahs in the Torah that relate improper speech: It states in (Parshat Kedoshim), Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people, and you shall not wrong one another (Parshat Behar), which we have learned it as to wrong a person with speech).
Tale-bearing is, also known as gossip. The Hebrew term for tale-bearer is "rakhil" which is connected to a word meaning trader or merchant. The idea is that a tale-bearer is like a merchant, but he deals in giving away information as opposed to merchandise. Most of the time information that could be lethal!!!
It is a desecration of this mitzvah to say anything about another individual, even it is true, even if it is not negative, even if it is not secret, even if it upsets no one, even if the individual would tell the same thing if questioned! It is said that the telling of gossip leads to bloodshed, which is why the following words in the Torah state "you shall not stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed."
The person who listens to gossip is even worse than the person who relates it, because no harm could be done by gossip if no one bothered to listen to it. It has been said that lashon hara (disparaging speech) kills three: the person who speaks it, the person who listens to it, and the person about whom it is told.
According to Torah law, all things are thought to be secret unless a person specifically says otherwise. For this reason, you will note that in the Torah, Hashem repeatedly told Moshe, "Speak to the Children of Israel, saying:" or "Speak to the Children of Israel and tell them:" If Hashem did not specifically say this to Moshe, Moshe would be forbidden to repeat his words! The Talmud tells the story of a Torah student who revealed a secret that he had heard 22 years earlier, and he was immediately banned from the house of study! This story is related in the Gemara of Sanhedrin.
It is prohibited to even imply or suggest bad things about a person. It is forbidden to say negative things about a person, even in jest. It is likewise thought as a "shade of lashon hara" to say positive things about a person in the presence of his enemies, because this will encourage his haters to say bad things to contradict him!
Many people believe that it is not a sin to repeat things that have been mentioned "in the presence of three persons." The idea is that if it is related in the presence of three people, it is already public knowledge, and no damage can come of retelling it. However, even in this case, one should not repeat it if you know you will be spreading the gossip to more.
