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How, we might ask, did the situation become so bad that the Jews of Persia were almost destroyed? It all started by word of mouth-Haman’s mouth to be exact. The Talmud states that "No one knew how to slander like Haman" (Megillah 13b).
How did Haman slander? Haman spread rumors about the Jewish people. He told King Achashverosh that there was a nation dispersed throughout the king’s empire that lived by different laws than everyone else. They did not respect the king and it would be, therefore, fitting for the king to rid himself of these infidels.
Through these words the Jewish community of Persia was almost destroyed. Judaism speaks in great detail about the damage that can be done by slander and slanderous comments. The Talmud states that slander hurts three people: the person who says it, the person who listens to it and the person about whom it is said (Arachim 15b).
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I can resist everything except temptation
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