Page 47 - V4

Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Rechilut תוליכר ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Heh 'ו ללכ - םייחה רוקמ

RK5/5. From all of this, see how foolish many people are, that their
personality is to question their “friends” to find out what Plony said
about them even if that information would have no impact on their
lives. And when their friends decline to disclose that information,
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they put great pressure on them until they finally tell them what 'ו ללכּ
they want to hear, what Plony said about them. Occasionally, that
information is demeaning and they will believe the information
is true and they will come to hate Plony because of it. Now if ינפבּ רָמֱאנ םִא ,תוּליכרְ תלבּקַ רוּסִּא רַאֹבי הז ללכבּ
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we come to assess the great destruction and calculate the number
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of Laveen and Aseen that are commonly violated by someone אֵצוֹי לוֹקו קזֶּה וֹל היָה םִא ןידִו ,וינפבּ וֹא הָשׁלְֹשׁ
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who is entrenched in this disgusting character trait, the number וֹל רֵפּס דָחֶאֶשׁ וֹא ,הזַּה קזֶּה וֹל םרַגּ אוּהֶשׁ ,ריִעבּ
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is incredibly great. Please refer back to the Introduction and you ינידּ יֵטרָפּ ירֵָאְשׁוּ ,ירֵת יֵבכּ ןָמיֵהְמ וֹא ,הזבּ וֹמּתּ יפל
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will understand what we are saying, because truthfully speaking,
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the esur of believing Lashon Hara or gossip applies even if Plony .םיפיִעס 'י וֹבוּ ,תוּליכרְ
commented of his own accord about events that are relevant to this
“victim.” Yet the Torah commands us not to believe that gossip but
only (at most) to perhaps suspect it might be true. And if the gossip
is irrelevant to this victim, then even listening to it is forbidden as I רבדּה תא רפִּס רפּסְמה םִא וּלִּפא ,תוּליִכרְ לבּקַל רוּסא .א
wrote above in the second halacha of this Kelal. And how much even ָ ָ ַ ֶ ֵ ֵ ַ ַ ֲ ֵ ְ ָ
more so is it forbidden to pressure someone into disclosing gossip טיִלחהל ןיא ןכ יִפּ לע ףא ,םיִשׁנא המּכּ ינְפִל )א( םוּסרְִפבּ
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against their will to the point where the speaker will enter into the תא רקֹחלו הז רחא שֹחל שׁי קרַ ,תמא רבדּהֶשׁ הז תמחֵמ
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Mekor Hachayim of Rechilut is himself a sinner and he causes other people to sin ןוֹשׁלדּ ,'ב ףיִעס 'ז ללכִבּ 'א קלחבּ ליֵעל וּנרְאבֶּשׁ םֵשׁכּ .ב
category of speaking Rechilut and the listener will transgress the
esur of accepting Rechilut. This listener who forced the disclosure
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.אבּהל לע הז וֹל עגוֹנ םִא )ב( ,רבדּה
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(and his punishment is much more severe). Therefore man must
stay very very far away from asking about these kinds of things
unless it is clear to him that the comment \ the gossip is relevant
and he needs to know about it in order to decide how to best protect
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himself from Plony.
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,וינפבּ )ג( וילע רפִּס םִא וּלִּפא ,ןידּה ןִמ לבּקַל רוּסא ערָה
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Be'er Mayim Chayim on page 201
ָתּרְבּדּ הָתּא :וינפבּ וֹל רמאֶשׁ ,וּניהדּ .תוּליִכרְִבּ ןידּה ןכּ
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RK5/6. Understand clearly that there is another aspect to the esur
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of believing gossip, as I will now explain. Even if it is clear to him וילע רפִּסֶּשׁ העָשׁבּ ,הָתּע קֵתוֹשׁ םִא וּלִּפאו ,ךְכו ךְכּ וילע
that the gossip conveyed is true, that Plony spoke about him or did םוּשׁ הזִּמ חקִּל ןיאו ,לבּקַל רוּסא ןכּ םגּ ,וינפבּ תוּליִכרְה
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something against his will but it is possible to give him the benefit of
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a doubt (8) and decide that his actions were not intended to demean אלֶֹּשׁ ,שׁיִאה הז לֶשׁ וֹעבִט םִא וּלִּפאו ,תמא רבדּהֶשׁ היארְ

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