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VOL-3
Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Yud - Halachah 11 גי הכלה - י ללכ

his “testimony” outside the framework of a Beit Din, his remarks most .וינינִעבּ וּהוּעיִּס אלֶֹּשׁ ינְפִּמ ,םָשׁדּ םיִבוּשׁחה םיִשׁנאה הז
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certainly are Lashon Hara. All of this is true (and the remarks are Lashon
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Hara) even if the witness saw what one person did to another and most יאדּובּ )בל( ,ריִעָה לָכְל םָתְס הֶז רוּבֲע הֶזַּבְמ םִא ןֵכֶּשׁ לָכְו
certainly it is true, that the remarks are forbidden in our discussion, if the
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speaker makes remarks about what this person did to him. Here, in our ,תמא לע וּלִּפא ,ערָה ןוֹשׁל רוּסִּא יִכּ ,אוּה יִליִלְפּ ןוֹע
case, the leniency of Rabbeinu Yonah is not at all applicable, i.e., allowing ,יִטרְָפּ שׁיִא לע רפּסְמ םִא וּלִּפא אוּה ,הלְעמל וּנבַתכֶּשׁ
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single witness testimony in monetary matters because this speaker does
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not qualify as a “witness” since he is presenting testimony on his own תנוּמאבּ םיקִיזחמּה לארְָשׂיבֶּשׁ המלְשׁ ריִע לע ןכֶּשׁ לכו
behalf (unless there would be a useful outcome as a result of disclosing his
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remarks, as I will explain further on). .אוּה לוֹדגּ ןוֹע יאדּו ,'ה
Moreover, it is forbidden for one party to a legal dispute to present
arguments (i.e., to testify) before a judge prior to actually coming into the םייח םימ ראב
Beit Din even though he is certain the law supports him, and if he does
present arguments he violates the Lav of (Shemot 23:1) “Do not issue a ורופיסבש רעשמ אוהש אל םא .ריעה לכל )בל(
false report” as the gemara cites in this regard Masechet Sanhedrin (7b)
and Masechet Shvu’ot (31a) and as codified in Shulchan Aruch Choshen ריעה התואל הזמ חמצי םישנאל הזה רבדה תא התע
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Mishpat paragraph #17 (5 paragraph). Most certainly this is also the law םיעמושש םישנאה ולא םא ןוגכ ,אבהל לע תלעות
in the case we are discussing here, where one man, the speaker, is relating
what this person did to him, because the Torah’s Lav is also inclusive ריעה ישנאל חיכוהל םחכב שי ולש רופיסה תא
of this scenario, as the gemara concludes in Masechet Pesachim (118a), םיחרוא תסנכה תוצמ םדיב ןיאש רובע איהה
that the pasuk of “Do not accept a false report (lo tisa sheima shav)”
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is also a formal warning aimed at the speaker of Lashon Hara, even וזה תלעותל קר ןיוכמ אוה הזה רפסמהו יוארכ
though the Torah uses the expression “a false report (sheima shav),” we ראשב רהזי כ"יפעא ךא ,רתומד הארנ םתונגל אלו
are forced to say that means it is forbidden in any and all circumstances
for this speaker to present his remarks in front of a judge. Moreover we .הזב ורסחי אלש ןמיסה תלחתב ל"נה םיטרפה
are forced to say that the Torah calls this “a false report (sheima shav)”
even though the speaker knows it is the truth because the listener doesn’t
know if the speaker is telling the truth and also in order that the listener .בא ו"ט ,ןסינ 'ה ,ולסכ ה"כ - תרבועמ הנש .בא 'כ ,ןסינ 'כ ,ולסכ 'כ - הטושפ הנש :ימוי חול
not be influenced by what he has heard (as the Rambam writes in Sefer
HaMitzvot, Lav #281, that this is the reason the Torah forbids a judge from םייחה רוקמ
listening to premature testimony from one party to a court dispute). Most
certainly this is also the law here in our discussion as well, because the ידֵי לעֶשׁ ,רֵעַשְׁמ אוּה םִאדּ ,יִל הארְנ ןכ יִפּ לע ףאו .גי
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essential acceptance of what the speaker is saying, believing the speaker is
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telling the truth and then formulating an opinion based on that belief, i.e., הלוע וֹל הָשׂע )גל( ינוֹלְפֶּשׁ ךְיאה ,םיִשׁנאל רפּסיֶּשׁ ,הז
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לע תלעוֹתּ הזִּמ וֹל אוֹבל לכוּתּ ,הזבּ אצוֹיּכו ןוֹממ ןינִעבּ
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6 As the pasuk can also be read as “Do not issue a false report” \ “Lo tasi
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sheima shav,” (meaning, ‘Do not convey a false report,’ referring to a speaker םִא ,וֹל ןיִעמְשׁנ ןהירֵבדֶּשׁ ,םיִשׁנאל רפּסיֶּשׁ ,ןוֹגכּ ,אבּהל
of Lashon Hara, in this case – one who reports to someone else something
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“bad” that was done to him). קזּההו הלזגּה וֹל ביִשׁי הז ידֵי לע ילוּאו ,הז לע וּהוּחיִכוֹי
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