Page 253 - V3

Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Tet - Halachah 1 בי הכלה - ח ללכ

(K9/1/3)-(3)..speaks in praise of a fellow Jew: The gemara (Babba םייחה רוקמ
Batra and Arachin cited above) uses the terminology “speaks well of”
(“betovato”) which really means the same thing as speaking in praise of ינְפִל היה רוּפִּסּה םִא ןיבּ ,וֹרוּסִּאבּ קוּלִּח ןיא םגו .אי
ָ
ָ
ֵ
ֵ
ַ
ְ
ַ
ֵ
ְ
him (“beshibcho,” the word used in the text here). And the text‑version
ַ
ָ
ֵ
ָ
ָ
ָ
ֲ
ֵ
ָ
ָ
of the Rif in the 2 perek of Gemara Shabbat (14a) actually uses the word וֹא וילע רפּסְמ אוּהֶשׁ ,שׁיִאה לֶשׁ ויבוֹרקְ םניאֶשׁ ,םיִשׁנא
nd
“beshibcho.”
ַ
ָ
ֶ
ֵ
ןוֹשׁל ןכּ םגּ ,ויִבא לצא ויִחא לע חא וּלִּפאו .ויבוֹרקְ ינְפִל
ָ
ֵ
ָ
ַ
ֲ
ַ
ָ
ֵ
ָ
What I wrote above “speaks in praise of a fellow Jew before his enemies” ידֵכּ )הכ( ,רוּפִּסַּבּ ןֵוַּכְמ אוּה םִא וּלִּפֲאַו .איִה הרָוּמְגּ ערָָה
ְ
is also the language used by the Rambam (in Hilchot De’Aut, the 7 perek,
th
ְ
ֶ
ַ
ָ
ְ
ָ
ֵ
ָ
ָ
ַ
th
4 halacha) and the SeMag in his commentary on the 9 Lav. Regarding וֹחיִכוֹהל וֹל היהדּ ,רוּסא ןכּ םגּ ,הז לע וּהוּחיִכוֹי ויבוֹרְקֶּשׁ
th
this subject, the SeMag wrote that “this must be so (that it is only Avak
ֶ
ֵ
ַ
ְ
ָ
ֵ
ְ
ְ
ֵ
ֵ
ְ
ַ
ֵ
Lashon Hara to praise someone before his enemy [but it is not Avak ,וֹנוֹלקְ רפּסלוּ ףכֵתּ ךְליל אלֹו ,וֹמצע ןיבל וֹניבּ הלִּחְתּ
Lashon Hara to praise him to his friend]) for if this was not so, there would .רָתּמ זא ,וֹל ליִעוֹתּ אלֹ וֹתּחכוֹתֶּשׁ רֵעַשְׁמ אוּהֶשׁ אלֹ םִא
ֻ
ָ
ַ
ְ
be a contradiction, for haven’t we seen in Mishnayot Avot (2 perek 8
th
nd
mishnah) that Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakai used to count the praises of
his students.”
םייח םימ ראב
(K9/1/4)-(4).. incite the listener to denigrate the “victim”: ףסוי אביו בותכש הממ .והוחיכוי ויבורקש ידכ )הכ(
Therefore if the speaker knows or understands (from the tone of conversation
with this listener) that he is not at all fond of the rav or the judges of the בקעיש ידכ התיה ףסוי תנוכו ,םהיבא לא הער םתבד תא
city and that this listener has a pending judgment to be tried by this Beit שנענ כ"פעאו ,םישרפמה ובתכש ומכ םחיכוי םהיבא
Din, he should not ask this listener later on “what was the outcome of your
court case,” because perhaps this listener lost his case in court and he is .*שרדמב אתיאד ומכ הדמב הדמ
very likely to insult the court’s judges. Even if the speaker will not believe
the listener’s remarks, still he was the instigator that prompted the listener
to denigrate the court (and based on what was written in the preceding :ה"הגה
Hagahah, this speaker, in addition to being culpable for speaking Avak
Lashon Hara is also culpable for violating the Lav of “placing a stumbling העטד םושמ ףסוי שנענ ךכלד ,רמולו וז היאר תוחדל שיש ףאו *
block before the blind,” for causing a fellow Jew to speak Lashon Hara ובתכש ומכ םהילע הלוע םוש התיה אל תמאה יפ לעו ,הזב
because had he not asked him, he (the “listener,” the loser of the court
case) would not have started talking aimlessly to a blank wall. ןמקל ןייעו ,תמא אוה םינפבש ןידה ןכ יפ לע ףא ,םישרפמה
.ז"קס םייח םימ ראבב 'י ללכב
Someone who wants to fulfill his duty to Heaven in this regard should be
very careful not to ask the parties to a court dispute what the outcome was
as they leave the Beit Din since we know from experience that because of
the many sins of society, very often when someone loses a decision in Beit .בא 'ג ,'ב רדא ב"כ ,ולסכ ג"י - תרבועמ הנש .בא 'ט ,ןסינ 'ט ,ולסכ 'ט - הטושפ הנש :ימוי חול
Din he will develop a hatred for the rav and for the court. Consequently
it is very likely that this question (“what was the court’s verdict?”) will םייחה רוקמ
provoke this loser to denigrate the Beit Din and will have caused him to
ֶ
ְ
ֲ
ְ
ָ
ַ
ָ
stumble in the sin of Lashon Hara (and therefore the question should not וֹתוֹא הנּגְמ םִא וּלִּפא אוּה ערָה ןוֹשׁל רוּסִּאדּ ,דוֹע עדַו .בי
243 218
volume 3 VOL-3 8 volume 3