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Mekor Hachayim Sefer Chafetz Chayim
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara

Kelal Vav

determine (4) if the remarks were true and then rebuke the victim
because of his actions. Perhaps in so doing he will be the cause
for the sinner to stop sinning or for the sinner to return the stolen
property to its owner or the sinner will mollify the victim who
was abused and insulted (or something comparable). In all these
instances it is permitted to listen to the remarks without forming
a definite personal opinion (and the reason is as I stated it above).
However, to believe the speaker’s Lashon Hara remarks as truth
would be forbidden in all circumstances (5).

K6/3. My dear reader, do not be astounded by this conclusion

of the law. (And if you would ask) if so, then how can a person
who is considering entering into a venture with another party fulfill
his obligation to the Torah (and not to listen to Lashon Hara) if
all avenues (of listening) have been closed and even passively
listening to the degradation of a fellow Jew is forbidden; perhaps
the information is relevant to me in the affairs of my business or
something else that is comparable. The answer is – Someone who
does want to fulfill his obligation to the Torah in this regard (of
hearing Lashon Hara and yet not violate any esur) should behave
as follows: - If someone comes up to you and wants to tell you
something about another Jew, and you understand (even before the
conversation gets started) that the speaker wants to denigrate a fellow
Jew, then you should pre-empt him by asking the following: “Is the
information you want to tell me relevant to me, either now or at
some time in the future or can I remedy this matter by rebuking this
fellow Jew (or something comparable)?” If the speaker responds
that the information is relevant to him or he tells him that he is in a
position to solve a problem, then it is permissible to listen to what
he has to say. However, even so, at that moment one is not allowed
to believe that what he is saying is truth. But one can suspect that
perhaps what he is saying is true until such time that the matter
becomes evident and the veracity of what he said is proven. But if
you understand from the speaker’s comments that nothing useful
can come from what he is saying or that his language is nothing but

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