Q&A: Is There a Problem of Calling Someone by a Derogatory Name in This New Dictionary Definition?
Is There a Problem of Calling Someone by a Derogatory Name in This New Dictionary Definition?
Question
With God’s help, hello Rabbi,
I wanted to ask whether the dictionary definition presented by a Knesset member from Shas poses a problem under the prohibition of calling someone by a derogatory name,
or whether the Rabbi thinks that in this case it is permitted. Especially since this is a public political figure, etc., and she knew the implications of her statements, signatures, and actions. And especially since I see in her actions a very serious falsehood. And there is also a public interest here, because otherwise people will forget this falsehood. And so on and so on. (And if it were someone else too, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to me that the Rabbi would write this in a semi-humorous way in passing in one of the posts.)
Because if it is permitted, I would be happy to adopt this term. So this is a kind of practical halakhic question.
https://youtu.be/xkmf9xhi6sA?t=16
Answer
This seems to me like legitimate criticism. It is also common in public discourse. Calling someone by a derogatory name is prohibited as a matter of verbal mistreatment, but in politics criticism is part of the game, and it does not constitute verbal mistreatment.