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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Het - Halachah 8 ב הכלה - ח ללכ

to speak Lashon Hara against people who promote argument and ונייה העט םאב ןנילתד המ .ונוימדב העט םא )ג(
strife – that permissibility applies only if the speaker determines
(17) that in disclosing to others the enormity of the victim’s deceit ש"מכו תמאל אנקל ותנוכו וריבחל םדא ןיבב אקוד
and people will come to realize the law is not on the side of the לכב הזה ןידה 'י ללכב ןמקל בטיה ןייעו ,םינפב
“victim,” the controversy will die down. But if the speaker knows ליעל כ"שמכ רוסא ינווג לכב הז אלב לבא ,ויטרפ
his disclosure will not cause the controversy to abate, there is no
distinction in the law (and the speaker may not make his remarks. .ש"יע 'ד ללכב
But in an instance where the speaker knows his Lashon Hara will
cause an abatement of the controversy) the following additional
conditions must also be met before the speaker’s remarks can be םייחה רוקמ
made:
ןוֹשׁל רפּסל הרָוֹתּה הרָסא יִמ לע ראבל ליִחְתנ הָתּעו .ב
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1. The information that caused the speaker to conclude these
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people are determined to provoke controversy was known to ןיאו ,הָשִּׁא וֹא שׁיִא לע ןיבּ אוּה ערָה ןוֹשׁל רוּסִּא .ערָה
him personally and was not based on what others told him ,הזבּ ןיִלָשׁכנ םיִבּרַו ,תרֶחא הָשִּׁאל וֹתְּשִׁא ןיבּ )ד( קוּלִּח
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unless he verified (18) that what they told him was the truth.
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וֹתְּשִׁא לע תוּנגּ רפּסל םהיניֵעבּ רַתּהֶשׁ ,םיִבּרַה וּניֵתוֹנוֲֹעבּ
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2. The speaker’s only motivation in making his remarks must be
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to achieve that beneficial outcome (19) and not out of a sense אקְָפנ םוּשׁ ןיא אנידִּמוּ ,ויִבא תיבוּ ויחא ינְפִל וֹנְתוֹח תיבוּ
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of hatred. אלֹו אבּהל לע תלעוֹתל הזבּ ןוּכְמ אוּהֶשׁ אלֹ םִא ,הזבּ הּנִּמ
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3. If he is able to abate the controversy in some other way (20) אוּה וֹנידּ לכו ,רקֶֶשׁ םוּשׁ וירָבדְִבּ ברֵעי אלֹ םגו ,םָתוֹנּגל
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without the need to make remarks about the victim, for example VOL-3
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by reprimanding (21) the victim (privately) or something ןיּע ,ךְליאו ג"י ףיִעסִּמ 'י ללכִבּ ןמּקַל ראֹבְמֶּשּׁ המ יִפכּ
comparable, then he is forbidden to speak Lashon Hara about .םָשׁ
the victim, unless he is afraid to reprimand him because this
protagonist to the controversy might decide the speaker does
not support his cause and will prevent him from finding any
other means to remedy this controversy. םייח םימ ראב
These kinds of circumstances require great insight and good ונל הללכ ללכד .תרחא השאל ותשא ןיב )ד(
judgment in deciding how to best stop a controversy. One should ךימע ללכב אוהש ימ ךימעב ליכר ךלת אל הרותה
not rush into deciding where guilt lies in this controversy and label
one side as being the offending party. Instead, one should carefully בותכש ומכ הז ואלב ללכנ ןכ םג ערה ןושלו
consider within the framework of the Torah who is fomenting this היאר דועו ,ב"ה תועד תוכלהמ ז"פב ם"במרה 7
controversy. And if the speaker cannot clearly resolve who is in the
right, then the best course of action is to remain passive and not say ןינמ ער םש איצומל הרהזא )א"ע ו"מ( תובותכמ
anything. הז ואלד ירה ךימעב ליכר ךלת אל רמול דומלת
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