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

genuine Tzadik. This concept is taught in Gemara Babba Batra (10b) that a םירִחאל רבדּה תא תוֹלּגל וֹל ןיא - הזּה יִשׁיִלְשּׁה )זט( ןכ
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father who donates a “Selah” to charity in order that his son be cured of his
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illness is nevertheless called a genuine Tzadik. Similarly, the Gemara in .םייּח םימ ראבִבּ ןיּעו ,הרֶקְִמבּ וּלִּפא
Babba Metzia (82b) teaches that regarding a loan which was made because
the lender wanted the use of the collateral (egs., a $1,000 loan secured by
a shovel because the lender wanted to use the shovel), one Authority holds
the lender earned a mitzvah but the other Authority holds the lender only
extended a loan because he wanted to use the collateral and no mitzvah is וּרבּדַי אלֶֹּשׁ )זי( םוִּצֶּשׁ ןיבּ ,הרָהזאה ןוֹשׁלִבּ קוּלִּח ןיא .ח
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earned. This halacha, that he does earn merit, was said by Rebbe Akiva and
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the law follows his opinion and not the opinion of his colleague (Gemara םכִּמ עדַוּי לאֶשׁ ,םהל רמאֶשׁ ןיבוּ ,ללכּ ןינִעה הזִּמ דוֹע
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Eruvin 46b). However, he must be careful under all circumstances, G-d
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forbid, not to regret having done the mitzvah. For example, if he donated לֶשׁ תוּנגּהֵמ תוֹלּגל רוּסא )םינפאה לכבּ( ינוגּ לכבּ ,רבדּ
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money on condition that his son would be cured of his illness and live and
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he was not cured, G-d forbid, and the father regretted the donation, or, in ידֵי לעדּ ,וילע רמאנֶּשׁ יִמל ןכֶּשׁ לכו ,רחאל וּלִּפא ינוֹלְפּ
our scenario, he lectured the public on some aspect of Torah and then was ארָבח ךְרָבחדּ ,וֹל וּלִּפאו לֹכּל ףוֹסּבל הלּגְּתי ,רחאל הלּגיֶּשׁ
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not paid the fee he expected, he sould not regret the charitable mitzvah he
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performed or regret having given the lecture. (Please refer to the Tosafot וּיה םיִעְמוֹשּׁה םִא אקָודַדּ )טי( ,טוּשׁפּ הארְנ דוֹע .*הּל תיִא
in Gemara Pesachim (8b), citation beginning with “Sheh’yiz’keh” (He
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will merit inheriting a portion in Olam Haba). אלֹ םינְשׁ ינְפִבּ וּרְפִּס םינְשׁ םִא )איִצוֹהל( יקֵוֹפּאל ,הָשׁלְֹשׁ
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From the perspective of truth, we are obligated to give the lecturer the .םייּח םימ ראבִבּ ןיּעו ,ללכּ ארֵָתּה יאה ךְיַּשׁ
benefit of the doubt. As the Torah teaches us (Vayikrah 19:15), one must
judge a fellow Jew with righteousness (i.e., that your fellow Jew who is
lecturing\ teaching Torah is doing so with the primary intention of bringing
Mekor Hachayim Usually the criticism comes from people who themselves have no Yir’at ,לבא ,וֹמצעבּ הרָיִמאה רוּסִּא דצִּמ אוּה וּנרְבּדֶּשׁ הז לכו .ט
the listeners closer to Hashem).
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Shamayim (meaning, they have no credible fear of Hashem). Therefore,
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תא םיִעְטהל וֹא תחא הבֵתּ וּלִּפא ףיִסוֹהל ,םוֹלָשׁו סח
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when these “critics” hear someone speaking words of mussar and
rebuke related to laxity in Torah observance, which grates against them
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,ןוֹעְמִשׁ לע עמְשׁנֶּשׁ הֶשֲׂעמּהֶשׁ רמוֹל ,עֵמוֹשּׁה ינְפִבּ רבדּה
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and they try to find fault with the lecturer, as the pasuk states: Mishle
(15:12) “A scoffer does not like being rebuked.” In fact, though, the
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,ינוגּ לכבּ רוּסא יאדּו הז ,הזבּ אצוֹיּכו וילע עמְשׁנ הפי
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liabilities \ shortcomings that they ascribe to the lecturer are really their
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own liabilities and shortcomings. Chazal teach in Gemara Kedushin
(perek Asara Yochasin, Gemara Kedushin 70a) critical people who are
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הזבדּ ,דוֹעו .אָתלְתּ יפּאדּ ארָבסּה יִפּ לע וֹמצעֵמ ףוֹסּבל
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constantly finding fault in others in fact suffer themselves from those very וילע עמְשׁנ היהֶשּׁ המִּמ רֵתוֹי ,וירָבדְִבּ וֹתוֹא לקֵלקְַמ אוּהדּ
same faults and in fact you will find very often that there is nothing in the לכבּ אמלע ילּכל רוּסא הזו ,תמאל הז רבדּ לבּקְַמֶּשׁ חכוּמ
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lecture that is a basis for ridicule. In truth, often the lecture is interpreted
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within the expectations of the listeners. There are those people who prefer ,'א ףיִעס 'ז ללכִבּ ןמּקַל 'ה הצרְי םִא רֵאבְּתיֶּשׁ וֹמכוּ ,ינוגּ
hearing new insights into the meaning of pesukim, some people prefer
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hearing analysis, some prefer parables: “Now let’s see, if the leture did .םָשׁ ןיּע
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