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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס 7 VOL-4
Hilchot Esurei Rechilut תוליכר ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Heh - Halachah 7 ד הכלה - ה ללכ

(Please see that reference). One should know that we are speaking here םירכינ םירבד ירקימ אל השעמ תעשב אביצ םע
about a circumstance that is doubtful (what one saw could be equally
understood in one of two different ways), meaning, it is no more likely ףוסב םש י"שרמ חכומדכו( תצקמב רכינה רבד קר
that Plony is culpable than it is likely he is not culpable. The mitzvah is הארי םא ,דוד ןכ רמא יאנת לעד בתכש דומעה
addressing this circumstance and one must judge his fellow Jew charitably
(and give him the benefit of the doubt). Rabbeinu Yonah writes this in ירקימ אל הזד אמלא ,וירבדב שממ שיש ףוסבל
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Shaare Teshuvah, the 3 sha’ar, section #218. (Please see that reference). ונבתכש ומכ יאדו אלא .)םירכינה םירבד ןיידע
(Because if this was not so, even though it is a mitzvah (something very
proper to do) not to judge him guilty, as Rabbeinu Yonah writes in that ונייהד תצקמב הימתד אתלימ וילע הארש ןויכ
citation, still if he violated this mitzvah it is not categorized as Lashon ז"יעש רעיש אוהו ,אביצ םע דחיב אב אלש המב
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Hara, as I wrote above in the first part of this sefer, in the 3 Kelal, the 7
halacha). םג ילוא יכ ,וינינעב דספהה תביס ול אובל לכות
Even though it’s possible for someone who is persistent to refute these שורדל רתומ ,הער וילע בשוחו ודגנכ דרומ אוה
proofs that I brought above in the first part of this sefer and argue that all תויהל לוכיד םושמ םתהד תוחדל שיש ףא .ויתודוא
of them were expressed in the context of circumstances tilting favorably
towards exonerating Plony and that is why (someone who judged him וננינעבד ד"נעלנ כ"פעא ,ושפנ ינינעב ול עגונ
unfavorably) someone who spoke negatively about him or who believed a .רתומ כ"ג
demeaning story about him is called “a person who accepts Lashon Hara”
(since Plony is basically innocent). But that is not so if he believed Plony
to be guilty in an equivocal situation (guilty in a 50-50 circumstance), he
would not be called “a person who accepts Lashon Hara” and that maybe םייחה רוקמ
it is only a generalized mitzvah but that there is no imperative to do so,
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and if he does judge Plony unfavorably he is still not called a “person who 'א קלחבּ ליֵעל וּנבַתכֶּשׁ ,םיִללכּה לכדּ ,דוֹע עדַו .ד
speaks Lashon Hara or accepts Lashon Hara as truth.” To this argument
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I will give two answers: (1) Since we see the Torah’s intent is to judge אוּה ןכּ )ו( ,שֹחל ןינִעל ערָה ןוֹשׁל תלבּקַ לצא 'ו ללכִבּ
him favorably and this listener, this “victim” is doing just the opposite of ,דֹאְמ רהזִּל ךְירִצ ןכלו .תוּליִכרְ לצא שֹחל ןינִעבּ ןידּה
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what the Torah is asking of us and he decides for his own reasons to judge
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him unfavorably, to denigrate him because of those circumstances, then הצוֹר וֹא ,ךְכו ךְכּ וֹל הָשׂע וֹא ,וילע רבּדּ דחאֶשׁ עמָשֶּׁשׁכּ
necessarily this becomes a profound sin (in concluding a value judgment
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opposite to the Torah’s intent). (2) Moreover, who has (meaning, nobody שָׁשׁח ךְרֶדֶבּ קרַ ,רבדּבּ ןיִמאהל אלֶֹּשׁ ,ךְכו ךְכּ וֹל תוֹשֲׂעל
has a perfect) balance and a judgmental scale to see the circumstances with ,קפס רדֶגבּ אלֹו ,וּנּמִּמ וֹמצע תא רֹמְשִׁל וּניהדּ ,אמלעבּ
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absolute objectivity and therefore knows Plony is as much innocent as he
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is guilty? Maybe Plony really is slightly more innocent than guilty?! If so, וֹל הָשׂע אלֹ אמָתסִּמוּ ,תוּרְשׁכּ תקַזחבּ םדאל ןידִיִמֲעמדּ
and if this victim judges him guilty, then the victim becomes caught up in
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the trap of those people who speak Lashon Hara or who believe the Lashon וֹא הֶשֲׂעמ םוּשׁ וֹל תוֹשֲׂעל רוּסא ןכּ לעו .וּהנּגּ אלֹו הערָ
Hara they hear. Therefore, whoever wants to protect his soul should stay ,ןטקָ אלֹו לוֹדגּ אלֹ ,הז רוּבֲע שׁוּיִּבּ וֹא קזּה םוּשׁ וֹל םרֹגִל
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very far away from this.
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לכו ,הרָוֹתּה ןִמ ןכּ םגּ רוּסא ,בלּבּ וֹתוֹא אֹנְשִׂל קרַ וּלִּפאו
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Mekor Hachayim
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המִּמ ,תוּליִכרְה ידֵי לע וֹמצע תא רֹטְפִל אלֶֹּשׁ )ז( ןֵכֶּשׁ
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RK5/7. If a “victim” violated this Lav and believed the gossip
he heard, the remedy (9) is to strengthen himself and remove that
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