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Sefer Chafetz Chayim VOL-3 5 םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Zayin - Halachah 8 ח הכלה - ז ללכ

of the expression “believed with the same authority as two witnesses,” ארקנ המו .תוכז ףכל ונודל ךירצ יכ הז רובע יאנגל
please reference the second half of this sefer (in the Laws of Esurei
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Rechilut), the 6 Kelal, 6 halacha, and in the Be’er Mayim Chayim there. ראבבו ו"ס 'ו ללכב ב"חב ןייע ירת יבכ ןמיהמ
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Based on that explanation (and in the 7 halacha there), logic dictates that אלד הטונ תעדהד םש ראובמה יפלו ,םש םייח םימ
the concept of “believing with the same authority as two witnesses” is
irrelevant nowadays and that it is forbidden to accept the Lashon Hara as ,ירת יבכ היל ןמיהמד אניד יאה ללכ אתשה ךייש
truth in all circumstances (and one may not conclude an opinion) but one .רתומ אמלעב שוחל קרו לבקל רוסא ינווג לכב
may (only) suspect its truth (and take steps to protect oneself and others
should the Lashon Hara prove true).
'ה ללכב ב"חב ןמקל ןייע .תולתל שיש רבדב )גי(
(K7/7/2)-(13)..judge the “victim” favorably: Please see further on כ"קסב 'ו ללכב הז קלחבו םש םייח םימ ראבבו ו"ס
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in the second half of this sefer, the 5 Kelal, 6 halacha, and in the Be’er
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Mayim Chayim there and also in this half of the sefer, the 6 Kelal, in the ונייה ןאכ יתבתכש םירבד ראשו .םייח םימ ראבב
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20 notation of the Be’er Mayim Chayim. The other things I described וישעמו ויתובא השעמו תולעמה תלילשו יפוד ירבד
here, namely, that to speak slanderously \ hypocritically about the victim’s
personality or to degrade him or to talk about his personality flaws or אתיירואד הרומג ערה ןושל יאדוב םה םינושארה
to disclose something wrong that his fathers or family did in the past or .וז הכלהב ןייעמהל ראובמכ
something wrong he himself did in his earlier life ‑ anyone reviewing this
halacha carefully will understand that all of these expressions are absolute
Lashon Hara from the perspective of the Torah.

םייחה רוקמ
Mekor Hachayim
לבּקַל רָתּמ וֹניא ,ל"נּה היִּבוֹטדּ הֵשֲׂעמ ןוֹגכִבּ וּלִּפאו .ח
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K7/ . Even something like the incident involving Tuvia (Gemara
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Pesachim 113b) cannot be accepted at face value unless these two רהזִּל ךְירִצֶּשׁ ,םיִטרְָפּה ינְשׁ הז לא ףרֵטצִהבּ קרַ ,םָתס
conditions are fulfilled, and anyone listening (to the speaker’s
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remarks) must be careful and aware of them in order to accept the .הלבּקּה ןינִעבּ םהבּ
Lashon Hara as truth.
)די( םִא לָבֲא ,וֹמְצַעְבּ הֶז רָבָדּ הָארֶָשׁ ,וֹל רֵפִּס םִא אקְָוַדּ )א
1 The speaker must say that he saw the incident first hand. But if
he only heard it from others (14) the speaker has no special .ללכּ ןוֹרְתי םוּשׁ הזּה רפּסְמהל ןיא ,םירִחא יִפִּמ עמָשׁ
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credibility at all.
2 And even if the speaker said he saw the incident first hand, it קרַ ,רָתּמ ןיא ,וֹמצעבּ הארֶָשׁ ,וֹל רפִּס םִא וּלִּפא )ב
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is only permissible to believe him and distance oneself from
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this person (the “victim”) until it becomes apparent that he has ,עדַוּי רֶשׁא דע ,וֹתרָבחֵמ וֹמצע תא קיִחרְהלוּ וֹניִמאהל
changed his bad behavior. However, one may not go and tell הז רבדּ רפּסלוּ ךְליל אלֹ לבא ,הערָה וֹכּרְדִּמ בָשֶּׁשׁ
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others what he heard, as I wrote above in the 4 Kelal at the
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end of the 5 halacha, and in any event, obviously one may not ,'ה ףיִעס ףוֹס 'ד ללכִבּ ליֵעל וּנבַתכֶּשׁ וֹמכוּ ,םירִחאל
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