Liturgy for Arakhin 3:5

בַּמּוֹצִיא שֵׁם רָע לְהָקֵל וּלְהַחֲמִיר. כֵּיצַד. אֶחָד שֶׁהוֹצִיא שֵׁם רַע עַל הַגְּדוֹלָה שֶׁבַּכְּהֻנָּה וְעַל הַקְּטַנָּה שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, נוֹתֵן מֵאָה סֶלַע. נִמְצָא הָאוֹמֵר בְּפִיו יָתֵר מִן הָעוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂה. שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ, שֶׁלֹּא נֶחְתַּם גְּזַר דִּין עַל אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַמִּדְבָּר אֶלָּא עַל לָשׁוֹן הָרַע, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יד), וַיְנַסּוּ אֹתִי זֶה עֶשֶׂר פְּעָמִים וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹלִי:

The law of the defamer is sometimes lenient and sometimes strict. How so? Whether he defamed a girl from among the best of the priestly stock or the humblest in Israel, he must pay one hundred <i>selaim</i>. Thus it turns out that one who speaks with one's mouth [is fined] more than one that commits an act. For thus we have also found that the judgment against our ancestors in the wilderness was sealed only because of their evil tongue, as it is written: “Yet you have tested Me these ten times, and you have not listened to My voice” (Numbers 14:22).

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