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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Yud - Halachah 2 ג הכלה - י ללכ

the law forbidding the use of Lashon Hara would protect this evil man? םא לבא ,םינש םה ןירפסמה םא וליפא הז לכו
But from the language of the gemara and the Tanna De’Vei Eliyahu,
the implication is that it is absolute Lashon Hara and not merely an םא ,ונייהד ,הז ןינעב רתוי רהזי ,דחא אוה רפסמה
optional stringency. Therefore, the law most certainly must be as I stated ,ודי לע שממ השעמ םיעמושה ושעיש האור אוה
it, that wherever it is possible to use an alternative strategy that would
circumvent the need to publicly disclose this person’s sins and achieve a ןינעל קר וירבד םיליעומ ויה אל יאדוב ןיד יפ לעו
useful \ beneficial outcome, that alternative strategy must be used and it םזרזל קר םהל רפסל ול רוסא ,ג"הכו העובש
is absolutely forbidden to speak Lashon Hara about this person. And that
is the background, the basis for Hashem’s response to Yehoshua, “and do וא לזגנהל דיעי םשו ,ןידל קשועהו ןלזגה ואיביש
you think I am an informer? Go and cast lots (to determine who the sinner רוקמו ויטרפ לכב הז רבד רואיבו .קזינהו קשענהל
is).”
ףיעס 'ט ללכב תוליכר תוכלהב ןמקל ןייע הז ןידל
We have also found this idea expressed in other parts of the Torah, for
example, in Gemara Yevamot (20b) “Wherever it is possible to fulfill both .ש"יע 'ו 'ה
a Mitzvat Aseh and a Mitzvat Lo Ta’Aseh, if you can accomplish both then
do so” and in Gemara Babba Kamma (28a) “He should have pulled out his
ox and he didn’t.” (Please see those references). Concerning a “Rodef” םייחה רוקמ

– a pursuer running after a fellow Jew to kill him, if it is possible for
someone to save the pursued “victim” by injuring \ destroying one of the
pursuer’s limbs and instead this person killed the Rodef, he is considered .בא 'ט ,'ב רדא ח"כ ,ולסכ ט"י - תרבועמ הנש .בא ו"ט ,ןסינ ו"ט ,ולסכ ו"ט - הטושפ הנש :ימוי חול
to be a murderer for killing the Rodef needlessly. This law is brought
down in Choshen Mishpat, in section #421, paragraph #13, in the context אֵטוֹח )גי( אוּה םִא לבא ,וּנּמִּמ בוֹט האוֹרה םִא הז לכו .ג
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of someone observing a Jew hitting his fellow Jew and is unable to rescue
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him, etc. The implication though, is that if the observer could have הז ירֵה ,וּהוֹמכּ הלּאה תוֹרבֲעבּ הלוֹח אוּה םגו ,וֹתוֹמכּ

rescued the victim using some other strategy (and didn’t, and instead hit
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the pursuer), the observer is characterized as a thug who beats up people. וירָָתּסִמ וֹתוֹלּגבּ וֹתנוּכּ ןיא ,הזכּ שׁיִא יִכּ .וֹמסרְפל רוּסא
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So too in our case, since the observer can circumvent the problem (of רבכוּ .הזבּ וֹתוֹזּבלוּ דיאל חֹמְשִׂל םִא יִכּ ,הארְילוּ הבוֹטל
speaking Lashon Hara) in order to conclude a beneficial outcome, namely, לאערְזי יֵמדּ תא יִתּדְקַפוּ" :)'ד 'א ַעֵשׁוֹה( הֶז ןָיְנִעְבּ רַמֱאֶנ
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to “rescue” his fellow Jew using some other approach and doesn’t (and
instead discloses the sin of his fellow Jew) he is characterized as someone הוצִמ אוּהי הָשׂעֶשׁ יִפּ לע ףא יִכּ הנִּה ,"אוּהי תיבּ לע
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who is literally speaking Lashon Hara. Please see further on in the 2
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th
section of this sefer dealing with the Laws of Esurei Rechilut, the 9 Kelal, ידֵי לע ןכּ הוּטצנ יִכּ ,לאערְזיבּ באחא תיבּ תא וֹתירִכהבּ
notation #35.
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וֹמכּ ,תוֹרוֹדּ העבּרְא דע הכוּלְמ הז רוּבֲע וֹל הנְתּנו ,איִבנ
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And what I wrote above “to achieve a useful outcome by some other
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strategy” means whether this goal is something beneficial, to assist the תיבל ָתיִשׂע יִבבלִכּ רֶשׁא ןעי" :)'ל 'י ,'ב םיִכָלְמ( רַמֱאֶנֶּשׁ
victim who was “wronged” or his goal is to disgrace this evil person, as
I wrote above in the 4 halacha, both are inclusive of this explanation.
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I will illustrate this concept with an example because on occasion it is 57 Single witness testimony in Beit Din in matters of monetary dispute
possible to reach this beneficial outcome even if the sinner’s identity is is obligatory and will compel the defendant to swear in defense of his
kept anonymous, as long as it is clearly obvious to everyone how terrible innocence.
293 296
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