The Destruction of Words

The Alter of Kelm zt”l (Sefer Chochmah U’Mussar, Maamar 181) explains the severity of speaking lashon hara with a parable of a sick man who wants to know how serious his condition is. The way to know this is to see what type of treatment is prescribed for him. If he sees the doctor coming into his room with surgical tools and the like, he will know that he has a serious condition. Some patients will get so frightened by this site that they will die from fear before the doctor can start the operation.

So too, when a metzorah sees how much is needed to cure him – two live birds, eitz, erez, shnei tola’as, v’eizov... - and how much of a procedure must be done, he should be able to realize how serious his transgression was.