Abstract
The Torah forbids talebearing, and the Hafets Hayyim says that gossiping about other people-even if what is said is true-may cause the speaker and the listener to transgress thirty-one commandments. The Sages of the Talmud consider gossiping a sin equivalent to idolatry, murder, and prohibited sexual relations. Nevertheless, who doesn't suffer from the urge to gossip? We present a suggestion based on a literary discussion group in Hungary of women who sublimated their urge to gossip by analyzing the characters in books they read. This could serve as a model for other groups to meet and discuss literature. This would extend the observation of the wife of Rabbi Nahman that "for everything prohibited by the Torah, there is something similar to it that is permitted" (Talmud Hulin 109b).