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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Het 'ט ללכ - םייחה רוקמ

not in his presence, is committing a terrible sin and is deserving ןכֶּשׁ לכו ,*ערָה ןוֹשׁל ילֲעבּ תנוּכְשִׁבּ )י( רוּדל רוּסא .ד
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of excommunication, as the Shulchan Aruch brings down this law
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in Yoreh De’Ah section # , paragraph # and in section # לבּקַל וֹתְּעדַבּ ןיא וּלִּפאו ,םהירֵבדּ עֹמְשִׁלו םהמִּע בֵשׁיל
in the Shach’s commentary, sub‑paragraph #6 . And all the more
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so if this Talmid Chacham is the Authority who decides the law in ליֵעל וּנבַתכֶּשׁ וֹמכוּ ,עֹמְשִׁל וינזא הֶטּמֶּשׁ ןויכּ ,רבדּה תא
the city, unquestionably the sin is even more severe. Besides the ,וידיִמלַתִּמ דחאבּ )אי( עדֵוֹי אוּה םִאו .'ב ףיִעס 'ו ללכִבּ
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fact that this speaker is obliged to uphold him as a Torah Scholar
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and give him respect and honor since he relies on his decisions, in אוּה םִא ,וֹתִּאֵמ וֹקיִחרְהל ךְירִצ ,ןוֹשׁלּה ילֲעבִּמ אוּהֶשׁ
denigrating the Talmid Chacham the speaker prevents society from .החכוֹה וֹל ליִעוֹתּ אלֶֹּשׁ ,עדֵוֹי
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serving Hashem. In demeaning the Talmid Chacham, society will
(question the authority of this Torah Scholar and will) say – Why
should we go to him to decide disputes between us since he cannot
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mediate between us? As a result of his Lashon Hara each of these עֵמוֹשׁו ,ןוֹשׁלּה ילֲעבּ תרַוּבחבּ ספְּתנ סנֹא הזיאבּ םִאו
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people will come to “worship on a false altar” ([i.e., repudiate
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Hashem’s Torah and rationalize the law to suit themselves] Many )בי( ,רָשְׁפאֶשׁ רֵעַשְׁמ אוּה םִא ,ערָה ןוֹשׁל םירִבּדְַמ םהֶשׁ
other bad outcomes that are too numerous to list will result from אוּה ביּחְמ יאדּובּ ,הזִּמ םקָיִסְפהל םהל ליִעוֹתּ וֹתּחכוֹתֶּשׁ
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such speech, G‑d should protect us from this mindset).
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וֹתּחכוֹתֶּשׁ ,רֵעַשְׁמ אוּה םִא וּלִּפאו ,הרָוֹתּ ןידִּמ םחיִכוֹהל
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Be'er Mayim Chayim on page 199
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לקֵלקַי אלֹ )גי( ךְא ,הז ידֵי לע וּקיִסְפיֶּשׁ ,םהל ליִעוֹתּ אלֹ
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K8/5. The entire esur of Lashon Hara applies specifically to a וּרְמאֹי ןפּ יִכּ ,קֹתְּשִׁל יאַשּׁרַ וֹניא הזבּ םגּ ,הז ידֵי לע ןכּ םגּ
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Mekor Hachayim persons who are known to be apostates, it is a mitzvah to degrade רֶשׁא ,קידּצו יקִנ דוֹבכִל םהבּ רֹעגִלו תוֹנֲעל )די( ביּחְתי
“victim” who the Torah considers to be “your brother \ your fellow
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יִכּ ףא ,םהירֵבדּ לע הדוֹה יִכו ,םה וֹמכּ אוּה יִכּ ,וילע
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Jew,” someone who observes Torah and mitzvot. But to those
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and humiliate them (8) either directly to them in their presence or
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רוּבֲע בֹזֲעל ביּחְתי רֶשׁא ,םירִבדּה ןִמ דחא הזו .וֹבּ וּחיִשׂי
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not in their presence for whatever sins they were seen committing
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or sins that we’ve heard they committed (9). The Torah instructs us
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האליו ,םהירֵבדּ תא וֹעְמָשׁבּ שׁנעי יִכּ ,םיִעָשׁרְה תרַבח הז
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(Vayikrah :1 ) “Do not oppress your fellow Jew” and (Vayikrah
19:16) “Do not peddle gossip in society” and these people are not
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.םָתוֹנֲעל
included in this warning because they (have repudiated Hashem and)
don’t behave as Jews should. (This concept is expressed by David
HaMelech in) Tehilim (1 9: 1) “Those who hate You, Hashem, I
will hate (10) and those who rise up against You, I will fight.” The
definition of an apostate (11) is someone who repudiates the Torah
and denies that prophecy was given to Israel’s prophets, whether
he denies the written Torah or the Torah handed down through the
generations by oral tradition (Shas, the Talmud). This person is
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