Page 358 - V4

Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Ilustrative Examples תוליכר ירוסיא תוכלה
Example 1 גי הכלה - ט ללכ

(E2/1/2)-(2) .. we have no proof: (Do you think that) Just because אוּהו ,וֹדּגנכֶּשּׁה לע וֹבִּלבּ הקָזח האנִשׂ סינכי וירָבדְִבּ קרַ
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at this moment his (Reuven’s) financial position is weak that proves the
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partnership will not flourish? G-d forbid! In fact just the opposite is likely. .הזל הזִּמ םירִבדּ ןֵעוֹטֶּשׁ ,שׁמּמ לכוֹר
Perhaps Hashem will have compassion for this man (for Reuven and the
partnership will succeed splendidly). More than this, we find (brought רחא ררֵבְּתנו ,וילע רבּדּ האנִשִּׂמֶּשׁ ,ערַא םיִמעְפּ הֵבּרְַהְו
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down as a matter of law) in Yoreh Deh’ah, section #247, paragraph #2
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that nothing bad nor any harm can come from extending charity \ justice, הזִּמ ערַא םיִמעְפּ הבּרְהו .וֹדֲעבּ ןַתנֶּשׁ תוֹעמּה הוָשׁ יִכּ ,ךְכּ
as the prophet Yeshayahu teaches us (Yeshayah 32:17) “the outcome of
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charity \ justice is peace.” To join into partnership with this type of person וֹל רזחה ךְל :רֹמאל וּהֵתיִסי יִכּ ,וֹדּגנכֶּשּׁהל תוֹעמ דסְפה
is the first (highest) level on a scale of eight levels of extending charity ,ךְָמצעבּ שׁיּבְּתִמ הָתּא םִאו ,וינפבּ הָּתוֹא ףרְֹטוּ הרָוֹחסּה
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that is brought down in that cited Yoreh Deh’ah (section #249, paragraph
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#6). Even though that was not Shimon’s intention, still he is blessed for ,ךְָמִּמ הּלבּקַל הצרְי אלֹ םִאו ,רחא ידֵי לע וֹל הָּתוֹא חלְשׁ
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implementing that partnership, as the Torat Kohanim brings down (in
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th
Diburah De’Chata’aut, the 12 parshatah, 13 paragraph, in perashat רבכִּמ וֹא וֹז הרָוֹחסִל וֹל ביּח הָתּאָשׁ תוֹעמּה וֹל םלַּשְׁתּ אלֹ
th
Vayikrah) that even if someone loses money (in the street, for example)
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and a poor person finds it, he is blessed for that, since ultimately the poor ,)אוּה שׁמּמ קֶשֹׁעו לזגו ,ןידּכּ אלֶֹּשׁ הז אוּה םיִמעְפּ המּכו(
person benefited from his money. So too in our case. הצוֹר וֹניא רכוֹמּהו ,רכוֹמּל הרָוֹחסּה תא איִבֵמ אוּהֶשׁכוּ
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But if his (Reuven’s) integrity is suspect because of the pressures of his ,הרָוֹתּ ןידִכּ אלֶֹּשׁ וֹדיִסְפמ אוּהֶשׁ ,וֹרְמאבּ ,וּנּמִּמ לבּקַל
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struggling financial status, that suspicion is also irrelevant. (Do you think
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that) Among people such as these who are in a weak financial position .וֹרבחל דחא תוֹלוֹדגּ תוֹצאנוּ הבירְִמ ידֵיִל םיִאבּ
one cannot find trustworthy people who strive with all of their abilities to
protect the assets of their fellow Jew just as a rich person would protect אלֹ"דּ ואל לע רבעֶשׁ :הזּה לכוֹרה הָשׂע תוֹערָ המּכּ ,הֵארְ
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those same assets and even more?! (Do you think that) Just because a
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man happened to have fallen onto tough times he loses his presumption of המּבּ וֹמצע לע קדּקְדְַמ וֹניא םִא( "ךָימּעבּ ליִכרָ ךְלֵת
legitimacy?! Besides this (do you think that just) because of these weak,
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flimsy reasons we can presume with certainty this partnership will end ץעיֶּשׁ ,"לוֹשׁכִמ ןֵתִּת אלֹ רוִּע ינְפִל" לעו ,)ליֵעל וּנבַתכֶּשׁ
up losing money and for that reason we will allow forbidden gossip to be ,םידִסְפה ראְשׁ וֹא תדּכּ אלֶֹּשׁ הרָוֹחסּה וֹל ריזחהל וֹרבחל
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said about one person to another?! (If the concern is only the possibility
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of some loss occurring, then most certainly the disclosure \ the report is וּנוֹת אלֹ"דּ ואל לע רֹבעל ,תקֶלֹחמ ידֵיִל וֹדי לע אוֹבלו
forbidden as we wrote above in several places “What makes you think that
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this man’s blood is any more red than the other man’s blood? Maybe the ידֵי לע םיִאצוֹיֶּשׁ ,םירִחא ןיואל המּכלוּ ,"וֹתיִמֲע תא שׁיִא
other man’s blood is redder?” In this circumstance he is reacting passively אלֶֹּשׁ ,רהזִּל יוּארָ דֹאְמּ המ ןכּ םִאו .ןלצִּל אנמחרַ ,תקֶלֹחמ
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towards one person and proactively towards the other person, and we
have already proven that this is forbidden. However if Shimon is a Torah לכבּ בֵטיה ןנוֹבְּתיֶּשׁ אלֹ םִא ,וּלּאכּ םינינִעבּ ברֵעְתִהל
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Scholar, then the issue of disclosing Reuven’s financial standing requires
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more thought and analysis. Please see the Gemara Babba Batra (174b) םוּשׁ אוֹבי אלֶֹּשׁ ,וֹרזעבּ 'ה היהי זאו ,ליֵעל וּנבַתכֶּשּׁ המ
regarding the incident involving Moshe Bar Atzri).
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.וֹדי לע לוֹשׁכִמ
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Come and learn just how strict the Torah is in this regard. Even if the
Sabbatical Year is close at hand and he (a lender) refrains from extending
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