Page 54 - V3

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

person, it is forbidden to rely on it as authentic and degrade him,
G‑d forbid, or even to personally conclude an opinion about him, as
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I explained above in the Kelal.
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(Even though I was apprehensive about writing this law because of 'ט ללכּ
those people who do speak Lashon Hara, that when they hear the
least impropriety about someone, they will immediately seize it and
uphold the victim as an established Rasha and demean him, and
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rationalize and justify their actions by relying on this leniency as a וֹבוּ ,ויָטרָפּ לכבּ ערָָה ןוֹשׁל קבֲא ןידּ רַאֹבי הז ללכבּ
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basis for their actions. Nevertheless, I did not refrain from stating .םיפיִעס 'ו
this, as Chazal have taught in Gemara Babba Batra ( 9b) regarding
Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakai who quoted the prophet’s words in
sefer Hoshea (1 :10) “that all of G‑d’s ways are just, righteous
people will go in His ways and sinful people (who use them in a
way that is contrary to the law) will trip and fall”).
ןוֹגכּ ,ערָה ןוֹשׁל קבא םעטִּמ ןירִוּסאֶשׁ םירִבדּ שׁי )א( .א
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Be'er Mayim Chayim on page 209
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הָתּע אוּהֶשׁ וֹמכּ היהיֶּשׁ ,ינוֹלְפּ לע רֵמוֹא היה יִמ ,רֵמוֹאֶשׁ
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K8/8. Understand that the opinion that holds it is permissible (16) המ עידִוֹהל הצוֹר יניא )ב( ,ינוֹלְפִּמ וּקְתִשׁ ,רֵמוֹאֶשׁ וֹא
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to speak Lashon Hara against people who promote argument and
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strife – that permissibility applies only if the speaker determines )ג( רפּסְמה ןכו .וּלּא םירִבדְִבּ אצוֹיּכו ,היהיּ המוּ ערַא
Mekor Hachayim “victim,” the controversy will die down. But if the speaker knows אוּה )ה( םִאו .*וֹתוּנגִבּ וּרְפּסיֶּשׁ ,םהל םרֵוֹגּ הזדּ ,אוּה ערָה
(17) that in disclosing to others the enormity of the victim’s deceit
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ןוֹשׁל קבא ללכִבּ ןכּ םגּ ,ויאנוֹשׂ ינְפִבּ וֹרבח לֶשׁ וֹחבִשׁבּ
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and people will come to realize the law is not on the side of the
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his disclosure will not cause the controversy to abate, there is no
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יִכּ ,רוּסא ויאנוֹשׂ ינְפִבּ אלֶֹּשׁ וּלִּפא ,וֹחבִשׁבּ רפּסל הבּרְמ
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distinction in the law (and the speaker may not make his remarks.
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הדִּמִּמ ץוּח :רמוֹל ףוֹסּבל וֹתוֹנּגל וֹמצעבּ ליגרָ הז ידֵי לע
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But in an instance where the speaker knows his Lashon Hara will
cause an abatement of the controversy) the following additional
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הבּרְמ הָתּא המּל :וּהוּביִשׁי ןיִעְמוֹשּׁהֶשׁ וֹא ,וֹל שׁיֶּשׁ וֹז הערָ
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conditions must also be met before the speaker’s remarks can be
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made:
1. The information that caused the speaker to conclude these ?וֹדיבּ ךְכו ךְכּ תדִּמ אלֹהו וֹחבִשׁבּ
people are determined to provoke controversy was known to
him personally and was not based on what others told him
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unless he verified (18) that what they told him was the truth. רוּסא םיִבּרַבּ לבא ,םיִבּרַבּ וֹחבַּשְׁמ וֹניא םִא ,הז לכו .ב
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. The speaker’s only motivation in making his remarks must be ליגרָ םיִבּרַ םיִשׁנא תבִּסְמִבּ יִכּ ,)םינפאה לכבּ( ינוגּ לכבּ )ו(
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