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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Rechilut תוליכר ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Tet ב הכלה - ז ללכ

of the “damages” described in the cited Rambam’s definition of Lashon ,בייח ןהב לבוחה ,הער ןתעיגפ ןטקו הטוש שרח אהד
Hara).
אתיאדכ בייח ותשוב לע םג םלכימו היל ומלכמד ןטקו
The reason for this is that regarding monetary damages, the Torah speaks
about the obligation to pay only after the damage was incurred. Thus .)ב"ע ו"פ( ק"בב
the Torah does not hold this person liable for indirect damages. But that
is very different than our case involving Lashon Hara where the issue
is whether from the very outset the person is allowed to make certain .לולא א"י ,רייא 'א ,תבט א"כ - תרבועמ הנש .לולא ב"י ,רייא ב"י ,תבט ב"י - הטושפ הנש :ימוי חול
remarks or not. Therefore, the Torah forbids the kinds of speech that can
cause damage, even though that speech would only be an indirect cause, םייחה רוקמ
as we find by damaging indirectly, that it is forbidden to do so, as the
Gemara Babba Batra (22b) brings down this law that indirect actions that םגּ יִכּ ,ץרֶאה םע לע וּלִּפא אוּה תוּליִכרְ רוּסִּאדּ עדַו .ב
cause losses are forbidden (even though the person who prompted those ַ ָ ָ ַ ַ ֲ ְ ְ
damages is exempt from compensating the “victim”). What evolves from ץרֶאה םעֶשׁ ,רוּרבבּ האוֹר אוּהֶשׁ ףאו ."ךָימּע" ללכִבּ אוּה
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this is that someone whose remarks indirectly cause a loss to a fellow Jew
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violates the Lav of Esur Lashon Hara. For example, someone wanted to וֹתוֹא םִע אוּה ןידּהו ,םנִּח לע וינפבּ אלֶֹּשׁ דחאל הנּגּ הז
form a partnership with someone else or applied for a job (and this same
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rule applies in all of the illustrative examples that follow) and this person רוּסִּאדּ ,'א ללכִבּ ליֵעל וּנרְרַבּ אלֹה ןכ יִפּ לע ףא ,ינוֹלְפּ
conveyed (for example, conveyed remarks) from one to another, meaning לע תוּליִכרְ רפּסל ןכֶּשׁ לכו .תמא לע וּלִּפא אוּה תוּליִכרְ
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he conveyed gossip about him from one person to another, (since this is the
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language used by the Torat Kohanim commenting on the pasuk (Vayikrah המּכּ ינְפִּמ םוּצע רֵתוֹיו לוֹדגּ רֵתוֹי ןוֹעה ,םכח דיִמלַתּ
19:16) “Do not peddle gossip in society” meaning, do not be like a peddler
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who carries articles (remarks) from one person to another) to the point :םיִמעְט
where those remarks cause the business deal to be cancelled and results in
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a loss to this victim. The gossip is inclusive of Lashon Hara. ,תוּליִכרְִבּ םִאֶשׁ ,אוּה טוּשׁפּ אלֹהדּ ,תוּליִכרְה םצע דצִּמ )א
And do not (attempt to) refute this idea by arguing the Rambam was רוּמח וֹשׁנע יאדּובּ ,רקֶֶשׁ תברֲֹעַתּ הָתיה ,וֹרבח לע רפִּסֶּשׁ
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only addressing a specific case where the speaker’s remarks caused a
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real (quantifiable) loss, which is not the case here where the speaker only לע אצמּי ,וּננינִעבּ קיּדַנ רֶשׁאכו ,תמא היה םִאֶשִּׁמ ,רֵתוֹי
prevented someone from receiving a benefit and therefore there is no aspect
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of Lashon Hara here. This is not so! Because at the very least it falls into אמָתסִּמ םכח דיִמלַתּ יִכּ ,רקֶֶשׁ לֶשׁ תוּליִכרְ איִהֶשׁ ,ברֹה יִפּ
the category of someone who causes anguish to his friend through his תוֹלְתִל וּנל שׁיו ,םנִּחבּ םדאל הערָ הֶשׂוֹע וֹניאו הנּגְמ וֹניא
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speech, which is Rechilut.
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רבדּ וילע רפּסְמוּ ךְלוֹהה ,ןכּ לע ,הָשׂעֶשּׁ המ הָשׂע ןידּכֶּשׁ
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(Moreover in this regard, this case is no worse than the case of someone
meddling in someone else’s business, and that “someone” came and “took .רקֶֶשׁ לֶשׁ תוּליִכרְ אוּה ,הלועל הז
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something that a poor man was rummaging through.” This “someone”
is called evil \ a Rasha (Gemara Kedushin 59a), and by a simple logical הרָוֹתּה וּנל הָתוִּצ ירֵהֶשׁ ,אוּהה שׁיִאה תוּיִּמצע דצִּמ )ב
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deduction it is forbidden here too, as follows: If in the “rummaging”
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case whereby a person takes an (ownerless) object that a poor man was תוֹשֲׂעלו תוֹתְּשִׁלו לֹכאל ,רוּבִּח יניִמ לכבּ םהבּ קבּדְּתִהל
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rummaging through and this person gains (acquires) for himself the object
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and nevertheless he is called “evil” (Gemara Kedushin 59a) because he םכח דיִמלַתל וֹתִּבּ איִשּׂהלוּ םכח דיִמלַתּ םִע איְטמקְרְַפּ
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