Negative commandment · Lo Ta’aseh #301 of 613
Not to gossip
שלא לרגל
The verse · Vayikra 19:16
לֹא־תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל־דַּם רֵעֶךָ אֲנִי ה׳
“Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand aside when mischief befalls thy neighbour: I am the Lord.”
The Rambam’s words
Not to gossip, as [Leviticus 19:16] states: "Do not go around as a gossiper among your people."
שלא לרגל, שנאמר "לא תלך רכיל בעמיך" (ויקרא יט,טז).
Why · Sefer HaChinuch #236
Not to gossip (rechilut)
“It is from the roots of the commandment that G-d in His goodness desires the good of the creatures that He created, and commanded them in this so that there will be peace among us, since talebearing leads to quarrel and strife.”
Who & when
“And [this commandment] is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females.”
Where in the Mishneh Torah
Hilchot Human Dispositions הלכות דעות