Page 283 - V4
P. 283

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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