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Sefer Chafetz Chayim
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara

Kelal Dalet - Halachah 6

this person may have repented and possibly here too. That is not a valid
question, since here too the disclosure cannot be made even to someone
who would believe the disclosure as if it were made by two witnesses,
but only to if he is discrete and has an established reputation for keeping
information confidential and would not repeat it to anyone. The disclosure
can only be made to this kind of person at the time the transgression is
made so that he should distance himself from this person until such time
that he determines this person repented.

But this is not the case if this disclosure was publicized and this person
would become forever humiliated by it even after he did repent and was
forgiven by Hashem for his transgressions. But if the disclosure was
made to a Chacham who was discrete and kept it confidential, that if it
became known to the Chacham that this person did a sincere Teshuvah the
Chacham would love him dearly without any thought at all to this person’s
previous sins. Everything we have said here can be found in Rabbeinu
Yonah (Shaare Teshuvah, 3rd sha’ar, in section #215) and one should pay
special attention to his precise wording of the sections mentioned above.
This is also the clear implication of the citation in Gemara Pesachim (113b)
that he may disclose this only to his rebbe who will hate him but he may
not disclose the incident to anyone else.

It seems to me that (the halacha is that) it is forbidden for the rebbe in
turn to disclose this information to anyone else, even to someone who
would believe the rebbe with the authority of two people. Because when
this third party learns the rebbe was repeating only what he heard (that
he did not see it himself), this third party could not believe him since this
third person does not believe this first speaker with the authority of two
witnesses. Therefore, this third party will think this first person is nothing
more than a slanderer since he does not believe the first speaker had the
authority of two witnesses and this slander was then relayed as being truth
by his audience (by the rebbe).

Mekor Hachayim

K4/6. It further appears to me that a person who will likely repeat

the same foolish mistake can be reported to his rebbe even if that
rebbe is not particularly discrete and the disclosure will possibly
become public knowledge. But if the rebbe is an authoritative
person whose words of rebuke will be accepted by this transgressor

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