I am not out to get Julian Assange. Nor am I part of the alleged conspiracy which is seeking to discredit him.
For those unfamiliar with this enigmatic Australian, Julian Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks, the organization that has gained a boatload of notoriety for exposing state secrets, most notably and recently a cache of classified diplomatic cables which are engendered the ire and hostility of governments around the globe. Mr. Assange is currently under house arrest in England where he is awaiting possible extradition to Sweden where he awaits trial on the charges of sexual misconduct. Mr. Assange and his supporters claim that he is the victim of a smear campaign led by the government of the United States (The U.S. government is contemplating bringing its own charges against him for leaking nearly 750,000 classified documents).
In an attempt to gain sympathy for his defense, Assange has made some astounding comparisons. He has recounted how when he was incarcerated at Wandsworth Prison in London a black guard handed him a note that read, "I only have two heroes in the world, Dr. King and you.” Mr. Assange added the following commentary, “That is representative of 50 percent of people." The implication was clear, Mr. Assange is a prisoner of conscious just as Dr. King once was.
But it's the next analogy that took me by surprise. In the same Times of London interview he compared himself and others being pursued by the Obama administration to the "persecution" of American Jews in the 1950s (presumably for their sympathies for or alleged involvement with the Communist Party). “I’m not the Jewish people,” said Assange, but the Jews are“people who believe in freedom of speech and accountability.” Did he make this comparison to curry favor with American Jews because of a perception that we share his understanding of what qualifies as freedom of speech and because he thinks we'll man the ramparts of his behalf, launching a lobby campaign to have the U.S. Justice Department drop any intentions of prosecuting him. I don't really know. I'm concerned not about what Julian Assange has to say about Jews, but rather what Judaism has to say about Julian Assange and his activities. The question I want to ask and answer is: Does Jewish law condone or condemn the revelation of classified, private speech?
The majority of halakhic opinions appear unanimous in their criticism of exposing or sharing information that is not for the consumption of others. Here are just a couple of examples. Rabbenu Gershom who lived in Spain during the 11th Century issued a decree which called for the excommunication of any person who opened the mail of others (he did rule that it was permissible to open mail which had been discarded (i.e. was in the public domain)). The Talmud is explicit in its critique of those who divulge information which is deemed private:
"And the Lord called unto Moses, and spoke unto him;. Why does Scripture mention the call before the speech? — The Torah teaches us good manners: a man should not address his neighbor without having first called him. This supports the view of R. Hanina, for R. Hanina said: No man shall speak to his neighbor unless he calls him first to speak to him. Rabbah said: Whence do we know that if a man had said something to his neighbor the latter must not spread the news without the informant's telling him ‘Go and say it’? From the scriptural text: The Lord spoke to him out of the tent of meeting, laymor [saying]. (Bavli, Yoma 4b) That being said, there are times according to some talmudic sources when one's personal private information may be superseded by communal concerns (Rabbi Jonah of Gerondi (cir. 13th century) imposed a duty to publicly disclose another's sins if that person has refused to heed private rebuke).
If I had the opportunity to talk with Julian Assange as he walked awkwardly on the bucolic Georgian estate where he is currently sequestered, ankle bracelet and all, I would probably recite for him that wonderfully insightful verse from Proverbs: "A talebearer reveals secrets, but one who is of faithful spirit conceals the matter." (Proverbs 11:13)
The majority of halakhic opinions appear unanimous in their criticism of exposing or sharing information that is not for the consumption of others. Here are just a couple of examples. Rabbenu Gershom who lived in Spain during the 11th Century issued a decree which called for the excommunication of any person who opened the mail of others (he did rule that it was permissible to open mail which had been discarded (i.e. was in the public domain)). The Talmud is explicit in its critique of those who divulge information which is deemed private:
"And the Lord called unto Moses, and spoke unto him;. Why does Scripture mention the call before the speech? — The Torah teaches us good manners: a man should not address his neighbor without having first called him. This supports the view of R. Hanina, for R. Hanina said: No man shall speak to his neighbor unless he calls him first to speak to him. Rabbah said: Whence do we know that if a man had said something to his neighbor the latter must not spread the news without the informant's telling him ‘Go and say it’? From the scriptural text: The Lord spoke to him out of the tent of meeting, laymor [saying]. (Bavli, Yoma 4b) That being said, there are times according to some talmudic sources when one's personal private information may be superseded by communal concerns (Rabbi Jonah of Gerondi (cir. 13th century) imposed a duty to publicly disclose another's sins if that person has refused to heed private rebuke).
If I had the opportunity to talk with Julian Assange as he walked awkwardly on the bucolic Georgian estate where he is currently sequestered, ankle bracelet and all, I would probably recite for him that wonderfully insightful verse from Proverbs: "A talebearer reveals secrets, but one who is of faithful spirit conceals the matter." (Proverbs 11:13)
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