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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Yud - Halachah 4 ב הכלה - י ללכ

degrading him because of his evil ways. Therefore, this disclosure ,ךכ לכ הלודג הלועל הז רבד םהיניעב בשחי אל
is also exempt from the esur of Lashon Hara and is in the category
of “achieving a useful outcome,” since the speaker had no desire to םהיניעב הזבתי הזה טרפה תא רפסמה טימשישכו
benefit personally (16) from this other person’s flaws. Rather his .טימשהל אלש דואמ רהזיל ךירצ ,דואמ
whole motivation in assisting his fellow Jew was to strive to reach
the truth of the matter. Perhaps some future good will emerge as a
result of his disclosure. (Please see the following Hagahah).
םייחה רוקמ

But if this speaker assesses the situation and decides with certainly
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that nothing useful will result from his disclosure, for example, אלֹו ,'ד ףיִעסבּ ןמּקַל ראבנֶּשׁ וֹמכוּ ,תלעוֹתל ןוּכיֶּשׁ )י( )ה
the people he is speaking to are also evil, and they are people who
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routinely act in this same way and don’t consider their actions to be ,וֹרבחבּ ןֵתוֹנ אוּהֶשׁ ,אוּהה םגְפּהֵמ ,םוֹלָשׁו סח ,תוֹנהל
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at all sinful. Then the speaker must be very careful with those kinds .רבכִּמ וילע וֹל שׁיֶּשׁ ,האנִשׂ דצִּמ אלֹו
of people not to mention this subject at all. Besides that fact that
nothing good can come from this kind of disclosure, it is possible
that great harm could evolve from it because these (evil) people will
go back to this person and repeat what the speaker said, that he was
a thief or that he extorted or humiliated someone. In so doing these םייח םימ ראב
people would violate the Lav of “Do not peddle gossip in society.”
Also, very often making this kind of disclosure to these kinds of רמאמב הנוי 'רב חכומ ןכ .'וכו תלעותל ןיוכיש )י(
people will only precipitate great controversy and, G‑d forbid, תצבוקמ הטישב איבהש המבו ט"ירו ז"טרו ח"כר
could even lead to this person informing against the speaker to the
governmental authorities. Even if the speaker conforms to all of the חכומ ןכו ל"ז הנוי 'רה תוילע םשב )א"ע ט"ל(
seven rules listed in the prior halacha, under these circumstances it .ש"יע 'וכו שדד ה"ד י"שרב )ב"ע ח"נ ףד( מ"בב
would be forbidden to make a disclosure.
המכב שרופמ הז רבדש ,אוה ארבתסמד אתלימו
לע ה"בקה ףצוקש המד ל"זח ירפסב תומוקמ
Understand clearly that within the context of these seven rules it
makes no difference if the victimized Jew (who was robbed or הערהש ףא ,לארשיל םיעירמה םיבכוכ ידבועה
cheated or humiliated) asked the speaker to disclose the damages or טפשמבו ןידב י"שה תאמ אוה םתאמ ונל העיגמה
the shame that was done to him or if he did not ask (and the speaker ז"יע הכניש ידכ וניתלעותל אוהו ,וניתונוע יפכ
made the disclosure of his own accord), the disclosure would be
permitted. But if the speaker did not comply with the seven listed ושנעי הז לכ םע ,אבל דיתעל םייקנ היהנו ונינועמ
rules, then even if he was asked to make the disclosure it would םהש ינפמ ,לודג שנועב םיבכוכ ידבועה ךכ רחא
not help (19) and the remarks would be forbidden. Even if the
speaker was a relative of the victimized Jew, the remarks would be םיחמשו האנש דצמ קר תלעותל םינווכמ םניא
forbidden. .היתווכד ימנ יכהו ,וניתרצב
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