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

way of defending himself (Rav Hunah had no choice but to implicate his 'ו ללכב ל"נכו רוסא כ"ג ר"השל תעימשד ףא
sharecropper in order to deflect the criticism from himself) therefore he
was compelled to speak this truth. With this approach the understanding קר לבקל אבקוע רמ תנוכ היה אלד אוה טושפד
of the Gemara Arachin (16b) flows very well regarding the incident ידכ בטיה הז לע כ"חא רוקחל ידכ ןנע ברמ עמש
involving Rav Hunah and Chiyyah Bar Rav who were sitting before (the
Master) Shemuel. (Chiyyah Bar Rav said to Shemuel) “Did the Master see ןכ היהש ומכ ןנע בר בלמ תומוערתה ז"יע ריסיש
how he (Rav Hunah) was annoying me?” (Rashi explains) Meaning, that ללכב אוהד עומשל הוצמ יאדוב הז ןפואבו ףוסב
he was hitting me and prodding me. Rav Hunah accepted upon himself
not to annoy him anymore. After Chiyyah Bar Rav left, Rav Hunah said .)תוכז ףכל ןדו םולש תאבה
to Shemuel (I was only responding to him in‑kind because) he did such‑
and‑such to me. Please see that reference. Rav Hunah’s only intention הגהנה דומלל שי ל"נה אבקוע רמד השעממו
(in telling Shemuel what Chiyyah Bar Rav did to him first) was to deflect
the criticism from himself by speaking out the truth of what had happened וריבחל רפיס דחא םא ונייהד ,ולא םינינעב הלודג
and not to humiliate Chiyyah Bar Rav, and there was no other way to do ימ היהי ,ופדיגו ופריח וא הער ול השע ינולפש
this except by saying what actually happened. (A comparable proof to this
leniency is found in Choshen Mishpat, paragraph #421, sub-paragraph # אל יאדובד רודה ילודגמ וליפא ,רפסמה היהיש
1, in the Hagahot; please see that reference). תא ונממ לאשלמ וריבח שובי אל כ"פעא ,רקשי

However, one must be extremely careful not to omit any of the details םימעפ הברה יכ ,הלחתמ היה רשא השעמה םצע
th
that are explained further on in the 14 halacha of this Kelal. Because if היהש ןנע ברמ היארהו ,וכפהל ןינעה ז"יע הנתשי
something is omitted in using this leniency, most certainly a person will
fall into the sin of speaking Lashon Hara. If not for the useful outcome תובותכב אתיאד ומכ והילא יוליג ול היהו ארומא
discussed here, in deflecting criticism from himself, even if the speaker had השעמה אבקוע רמ ונממ שרדשכ כ"פעא )ו"ק ףד(
no intention of denigrating his fellow Jew, those remarks would be Lashon
rd
Hara, as we wrote above in the 3 Kelal, the 3 halacha, since ultimately .בוטל ערמ ןינעה ז"יע הנתשנ ותומילשב
rd
the “victim” would be denigrated by those remarks and the Torah forbids
Lashon Hara even if the remarks are true. אתיאד אהמ םינפבש ירבד לע תושקהל ןיא ןכו
Now to return to our discussion: Don’t question what we have said – that יב ביתי הוהד אייח 'רב )א"ע ג"ל( ןישודיקב
it is forbidden to say that someone insulted you ‑ using as your basis for אלו הימק יברב ןועמש 'ר ליזאו ףילחו אתוחסמ
9
the question the Gemara Ketubot (69a) regarding an incident involving
הובאל ל"א אתאו ,דפקיאו ,הימקמ אייח 'ר םק
ימקמ םק אלו םילהת רפסב ול יתינש םישמוח ינש
69 Gemara Ketubot (69a) Rav Anan sent a note to Rav Hunah addressing him
(seemingly casually) by his first name. The note asked that Rav Hunah collect היה ךיאו ,םש רחא השעמ דוע אנווג יאהכו ,'וכו
for a woman the one-tenth of her father’s estate that she was entitled to. Rav
Hunah objected to the casual presumption of the note and instructed Rav ,יבר ינפל הז רבד רפסל יברב ןועמש 'רל רתומ
Sheshat (at the risk of excommunication if he did not comply) to deliver a
response “Anan, Anan!, should I collect that money from fixed land properties עדיש קר ותונגל היה אל ןועמש 'ר תנוכד ל"יד
or from moveable assets, and by the way, answer me, who sits at the head of ול ןיעמשנ ויהי וירבדו הז רובע וחיכויו הזמ ויבא
the room in a mourner’s house?” Rav Sheshat delivered the note and said Rav
Anan is a Master but Rav Hunah is a Master’s Master. Rav Anan complained .*ומצעב וחיכומ היה םאשמ רתוי

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