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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Zayin - Halachah 5 ט הכלה - ז ללכ

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the Rambam’s commentary in the 24 perek of the Laws pertaining to דפקיא הובאל ל"א לזא הז רבדב רמוא יבר המו ארפק רב
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the Sanhedrin, in the 5 halacha, that is not the ostensible implication.
Quoting the Rambam there: “one of the responsibilities of the Beit Din…is ךריכמ יניא ארפק רב ל"א היל ייוזחתיאל ארפק רב אתא
to use lashes to punish the man who has a terrible reputation, and society is הישפנב אתופיזנ גהנ היתעדב אתלימ טקנד עדי םלועמ
constantly rumoring that he committed sins involving illicit relationships
as long as the rumors are persistent, as I explained, and this man has no ןיא ,הז רבדב רמוא יבר המו ה"דב י"שריפו ןימוי ןיתלת
known enemies who would have started the rumors (meaning, that if he ואלו ומות יפל ,הובאל ל"א .הז רבד עדויה םלועב יבר
did have enemies, we would presume they started the rumors. That is the
clear understanding from the Gemara Yevamot (25a) and that is also the אשיב אנשיל םושמ
law as formulated by our Later Authorities in Ehven HaEzer in section #11
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(1 paragraph) – please see that reference). So too we humiliate this man וליפאד תוליכרו ערה ןושל רופיס רוסיא ןינעל טושפ הזו(
who has a terrible reputation and we insult and curse the one who bore him
to his face.” (The Rambam quoted up until this point). We see from this וניאש םגה ומות יפל וריבח לע תוליכרו ערה ןושל רפסל
reference that the Rambam does allow the humiliation of this man based וילע םינדמ ררועל ידכ וא ותונגל ידכ האנשה ךותמ
solely on a persistent rumor. And because he expresses this law without
qualifying it, ostensibly even if a rumor circulated only once, it would be ללכב ליעל ונבתכש ומכו אוה ערה ןושל רוסיא ןכ םג
permitted to humiliate him. םימ ראבב םש ןייעו ג"ס 'א ללכ ב"חב ןמקלו ג"ס 'ג
But if that is true, there is a significant difficulty in the Rambam, because ןכ םג אוה ןכו הזל תושרופמ תויאר המכ ונאבהש םייח
elsewhere the Rambam contradicts himself in the 6 perek of Hilchot
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De’Aut (the 7 and 8 halachot). There he is addressing the subject of תועיד תוכלהמ ז"פב בתכש רוסיאל הזב ם"במרה תעד
“rebuke” and he writes, someone who sees his fellow Jew committing ךרד קר האנשה ךותמ רבדמ וניא םא וליפאש 'ד הכלה
a sin, etc., if this man did not repent privately then we publicly disgrace
him and publicize his sin and shame him until he changes his behavior הרויה הלהלתמכ ה"ע ךלמה המלש הז לע רמא שאר תולק
to do good. (Please see that reference). But if that is so, regarding our אנינעב 'ה הכלה ףוסב כ"שממ ןכו 'וכו תומו םיציח םיקיז
subject, why does the Rambam allow us to humiliate this man? What we
should be doing first is rebuking him and with certainty we cannot resolve יפאב אל יאד עמשמ 'וכו ןיוכתי אלש אוהו אתלת יפאד
this difficulty by saying that the Rambam only permits us to humiliate ונייה *ומות יפל י"שר בתכש המו רוסא הז ףא אתלת
this person in Beit Din in order to prevent others from sinning, and that
is because Beit Din has the power to punish even more severly than the )השעמ תעשב היה היתעדא ואלד
law requires, in order to prevent others from further sinning by making an
object‑lesson out of this man. (We cannot say this, as) It is well known that טוקנלו הירב ןועמש 'רל ןימאהל יברל היל ירשדמ אמלא
the source of this law of the Rambam is the Gemara Megilah (25b) “that
man who had a terrible reputation” which is addressing all circumstances ומות יפל חיסמד ארפק רבד הילע היתעדב היתלימל
(meaning, the gemara is not limiting itself to only cases appearing in Beit יבר אמשד אדח ,וניא הזד ,ונממ לבקלו ןימאהל רתומ
Din) just like the other statements of the gemara that preceded it. (Please
see that gemara and study it carefully). Therefore we are forced to say that
the Rambam’s intent was that the entire city was gossiping that this man 10 Rashi: He told his father “incidentally,” in casual passing without ever
was constantly committing immoral acts and not that he committed this sin intending to speak Lashon Hara.
only once. Anyone who carefully examines the language of the Rambam 11 Rashi: Rebbe was sick and Bar Kapparah went to visit him.
will arrive at this same understanding. Therefore it is more likely that this 12 Rashi: Rebbe hinted to Bar Kapparah that he did not want to see him.

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