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Sefer Chafetz Chayim VOL-4 1 םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Rechilut תוליכר ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Alef 'א ללכ - םייחה רוקמ

society.” Rechilut is a very great sin and is the cause of the death יִכה ואלבּ לבא ,הז רוּסִּאל דחיְמ שׁוּרפבּ הרָוֹתּה וּתּבָתכֶּשּׁ
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of many Jews. Therefore the Torah enjoins us in that same pasuk:
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“Do not stand by passively when a fellow Jew is in mortal danger.” ליֵעל ראֹבְמכּ ,םירִחא ןיִשֲׂעו ןיואל הבּרְה דוֹע שׁי )ךְכּ אלֹבּ(
Go and learn the consequences of gossip from Doeg the Edomite .םָשׁ ןיּע ,החיִתְפּבּ
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whose gossip caused the annihilation of the entire population of
the priestly city of Nov. This Lav of the Torah (Vayikrah 19:16)
refers specifically to gossip. However, there are many other Laveen
and Aseen that address this subject of gossip, as I wrote in the
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Introduction. (Please see that reference). ךְלוֹהו הזל הזִּמ םירִבדּ ןֵעוֹטֶּשׁ )ב( הז ?ליִכרָ וּהזיא .ב
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ךְכּ ,ינוֹלְפּ ךָל הָשׂע ךְכּ ,ךָילע )ג( ינוֹלְפּ רמא ךְכּ :רֵמוֹאו
Be'er Mayim Chayim on page 101
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ףא .ךָל תוֹשֲׂעל הצוֹר וֹא ,ךָל הָשׂעֶשׁ וילע יִתְּעמָשׁ ךְכו
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RK /2. What is (the definition of) a gossip? Someone who conveys יִפל ףא ,רפּסְמֶּשׁ יִמ לע תוּנגּ ןיא רבדּ וֹתוֹאֶשׁ יִפּ לע
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information (2) from one person to another, saying- This is what he
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said about you (3,) this is what he did to you, or this is what I heard היה אלֹ ,וֹמצעבּ וֹל ןיִלאוֹשׁ וּיה וּלִּאו )ד( ,לכוֹרה ירֵבדּ
he did to you or wants to do to you. Even though the information םוּשִּׁמ וֹא )ו( ,וֹתִּא קדֶצּהו תמאהֶשׁ םוּשִּׁמ וֹא )ה( ,שׁיִחכמ
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does not demean the victim at all, and that based on what this gossip
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\ “rachil” said, had they directly asked Plony (4) exactly the same יִכה וּלִּפא ,תרֶחא הנוּכּ םירִוּבּדּהו תוֹלּעְפּה וּלּאבּ ןוּכְּתִהֶשׁ
thing, Plony would not have contradicted the information, either
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because (he believed that) what he did was just and correct (5), .)ארָקְנ( ירְֵקִּמ ליִכרָ )ןכ יִפּ לע ףא(
or because the intent of his actions and words was different that ןוּכְּתִמ ןיא םִא וּלִּפא )ז( אוּה תוּליִכרְ רוּסִּאדּ ,עדַו .ג
what had been perceived by the gossip (Plony); nevertheless, he
Mekor Hachayim Be'er Mayim Chayim on page 105 וּלִּפאו ,ינוֹלְפּ וֹתוֹא לע וֹבִּלבּ האנִשׂ סינכהל וֹתוּליִכרְִבּ
(the “rachil”) is still called a gossip.
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וֹא ,וילע רבּדֶּשׁ ,ינוֹלְפּ הָשׂע ןידּכּ וֹתְּעדּ יִפל םגּ םִא
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RK /3. Understand clearly that Rechilut is forbidden even if the
speaker has no intent (7) to cause the listener (the “victim”) to hate
לע ,ןבוּארְִל חיִכוֹמ ןוֹעְמִשֶּׁשׁ ,ןוֹגכּ .הזּה הֶשֲׂעמּה וֹל הָשׂע
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“Plony,” even if the speaker believes that “Plony” was correct in
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what he said about the victim or what he did to him. For example,
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Shimon is reprimanding Reuven because of something he said about
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וילע רמא הדוּהי םגֶּשׁ ,היארְהו ,וֹמִּע ןידּהֶשׁ וֹמצע לצּנְתִמ
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him or did to him and Reuven is defending himself by saying that he ןבוּארְוּ ,ינוֹלְפוּ ינוֹלְפּ ןינִע וֹל הָשׂע וֹא ,וילע רבּדֶּשּׁ המ
did nothing wrong and the proof is that Yehudah also said the same הז ידֵי לעֶשׁ ,רֵעַשְׁמ אוּה םִא ,)ןכ יִפּ לע ףא( יִכה וּלִּפא ,ןכּ
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thing about Shimon. Even so, if Reuven evaluates the conversation
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and decides that saying to Shimon that “Yehudah sides with me” .ירְֵקִּמ ליִכרָ ,הדוּהי לע ןוֹעְמִשׁ בלבּ האנִשׂ סנכִּתּ
(sides with Reuven against Shimon) will provoke Shimon to dislike
Yehudah (and Reuven still goes ahead and makes that disclosure to

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