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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Rechilut תוליכר ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Tet - Halachah 1 ה הכלה - ט ללכ

his report (his Rechilut) to Shimon is provoking a decision on the part רֵתוֹי עוּרגּ הֶשֲׂעמ הֶשֲׂעי אלֶֹּשׁ ףא ,וֹרוּבּדּ יִפּ לע ,קזּה
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of Shimon, since Shimon would most certainly believe him, and in so
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doing Reuven will stop a loss (stop the thief - Plony) from occurring (from וּלִּא ,וֹרוּבּדּ יִפּ לע ןידּ תיבבּ אצוֹי היהֶשׁ ,ןידּה ךְרֵֶעֵמ
being hired). Reuven is most certainly obligated to tell Shimon what he
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knows about Plony even though he is only a solitary witness and this is ןויכּ ,רוּסא ןכ יִפּ לע ףא ,וירָבדְִכּ ןידִיִעְמ םידִֵע ינְשׁ וּיה
comparable to a solitary witness being obligated to save someone’s life (to לע אצוֹי היה אלֶֹּשּׁ המ ,ןוֹדּנּל קזּה םרֵוֹגּ אוּה וֹרוּבּדִבֶּשׁ
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warn him that someone wants to kill him).
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וּלִּא יִכּ ,ןידּ תיבבּ וילע דיִעֵמ היה םִא וּלִּפא ,וירָבדּ ידֵי
Please review carefully the Sefer HaMitzvot cited and you will realize the
Rambam expressed this very same concept, quoted as follows: “We are תלֹכי הָתיה אלֹ ,ןידּ תיבבּ אפוּגּ הז ןינִע וילע רֵמוֹא היה
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warned (by the Torah) not to be lax…when we see a fellow Jew confronted
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by mortal danger or by an impending loss and this observer has the דֵע אוּה יִכּ ,וֹרוּבּדּ ידֵי לע ןוֹממ וֹתוֹא ביּחל ןידּ תיבּ דיבּ
resources to save him.” The Rambam’s expression “or by an impending
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loss” most certainly refers to a monetary loss, just as he quotes this same .וֹרוּבּדּ ידֵי לע שׁמּמ קזּה ןוֹדּנּל םרֵוֹגּ אוּה הָתּעו ,דחא
idea in the commentary of the Sifra. From the plain understanding of םהֶשׁ )טי( ,םִיַנְשׁ םֵה )חי( ןָיְנִעָה תֶא םירְִפַּסְמַה םִא ,הֶז יִפְלוּ
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his meaning, we can infer that this rule prevails in all situations, whether
Shimon already suffered a loss and Reuven can recover that money or save )כ( ,הֶז ןָיְנִעְבּ ריִתַּהְל הֶארְִנ הָיָה ,ןָיְנִעָה תֶא םָמְצַעְבּ וּארָ
Shimon from losing money by giving him advance notice of an impending
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loss. אלֶֹּשׁ םגו ,הזִּמ םיקִזנּה קלּסל קרַ ,םרָוּפִּסבּ םָתנוּכּ ןיאֶשׁ
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Another clear proof comes from the Rashbam in Gemara Babba Batra ,ןיִאוֹר םה םִאדּ( ןידּה יִפכִּמ רֵתוֹי םרָוּפִּס ידֵי לע בבּסי
(39b) regarding the “protest \ declaration of land ownership.” Please see
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the Rashbam, citation beginning with the words “and the opinion that תיבּ וּלִּפאֶשׁ ,רבדּ וֹמִּע הֶשֲׂעי ,ןינִעה תא וֹל וּלּגי םִאֶשׁ
holds” where he explains that in conveying that specific “gossip” there ןוֹרְתי םוּשׁ םהל ןיא ,ןהירֵבדּ יִפּ לע ןכּ ןיִשׂוֹע וּיה אלֹ ןידּ
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is no aspect of Lashon Hara, and moreover it is a mitzvah to tell Shimon
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who is now residing on the field what he heard, what Reuven said about אלֶֹּשׁ םגו ,)רפּסל םהל רוּסאדּ יאדּובוּ ,ידִיִחי רפּסְמִּמ
him, that he is a thief and is eating off the land through theft, even though
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these remarks are absolutely Rechilut, in order that Shimon should keep .'ב ףיִעסבּ ל"נּה םיִטרְָפּה )אכ( רָאְשׁ הֶזָבּ וּרְסְחַי
his purchase-contract in a safe place (so that asset cannot be taken away
from him since he retained his proof of purchase). The Rashbam allows
them (the witnesses) to make this report directly to Shimon (in that citation
beginning with the words “We require witness testimony.” So we see that םייח םימ ראב
as long as the essential testimony has nothing to do with defaming Plony
but rather its purpose is to help Shimon from now on to retain his proof- םירויצה לכ יתללכ וז הביתב .ודגנכשה )וט(
of-purchase evidencing ownership, then the testimony \ the report is not ןינעב ונייהד ,ןידה הז לע רפסה ףוסב ש"היא ואוביש
categorized as Rechilut, and even more so, it is a mitzvah to report this and
that is the law here as well in our case. וא ,ןינק לעופה םע השעש ,לעופ םע ותופתתשה
This is also the opinion of the Tosafot there in the citation beginning with .מ"חב ראובמכ ןינק אוה הז םגד ותונמוא ילכ ךשמ
the words “We require witness testimony,” paralleling the opinion of the רשפא יאו ,ול ךיישה ונינק יפל דחא לכב ןידה אוהו
Rashbam that a “protest \ declaration of land ownership” demonstrating
retention of land ownership is immune from the esur of Lashon Hara. .ןינעה יפל םימעפ המכ ןינתשמ יכ ןהב ךיראהל
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