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Introduction to החיתפ
Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפסל
Laveen - L6
ד ואל - ןיואל

Hara again even more harshly against that person until the point where a םייח םימ ראב
reprimand is pointless to this type of person and he becomes practically
immune from the mitzvah of being reprimanded (with G‑d's help I will ת"ל אוהש .רוע ינפלד ואלב 'וכ ימנ רבועו )ד(
further clarify this law in the sixth Kelal of the laws of Lashon Hara). All
this is because this kind of speech is so much a part of a person's habits, ג"מסבו ט"צר הוצמ ם"במרהל מ"הסב תינמנו הרומג
as if it's second nature to him and these laws become trivialized and are ינפל הזב ךיישד יתבתכש המו .ח"סק ןמיס ןיואל
meaningless to him. Most certainly this person falls into the category of
one who desecrates Hashem's honor. ףד( אעיצמ אבבב ןנירמאד הממ טושפ אוה רוע

The comment about “In particular prestigious persons” follows from the םושמ רוע ינפלד ואל לע רבוע כ"ג תיברב הולהד ):ה"ע
opinion of the Rambam in Sefer HaMitzvot. It relates to anyone who is ידיל אב היה אלו והולמ היה אל ונממ הול היה אל יאד
“well-known” for his works yet is seen by society as having committed a
sin and that it was inappropriate for this particular person to do what he did היה אל ונממ םיעמוש ויה אל וליא אוה ןכ נ"הו הריבע
even though the action itself was permissible. The action then becomes ,ריקה לא רבדמ
a desecration of Hashem's honor. This is discussed in Gemara Yomah,
at the end of the perek entitled “Yom Kippur” (86a), as an example: an אוה יכ רוע ינפלד ואל לע רבוע כ"ג יאדווב רפסמהו
important person who weighed a piece of meat in a butcher shop and did
not immediately pay for it. This is the collective opinion of the Se’Mag, ףד( מ"בב ורמא וזמ הלודגו לבקמה ינפל לושכמ ןתונ
the Chinuch and the Re'em in his Sefer Ye're'im, that even if the law רוע ינפל לע רבוע םידעב אלש ורבחל הולמהד ):ה"ע
allows this, but the general public views it as an esur, this person does
violate a Lav from the standpoint of the Torah of “Do not desecrate My .ל"כע רופכל וחור לע הלוע יכ י"שרפו םיקסופב קספנו
Holy Name.” Teshuvah is incapable of rectifying this sin. Sicknesses,
suffering and tragedies in life cannot remedy this sin. Yom Kippur will not לש ונוצר ןיא יאדווב םתה המד ןדיד ןודינב ו"ק כ"או
erase this sin. Only his death will be an atonement for this sin, as the text רבועד ןנירמא כ"פעאו ותאולה הולה ול רופכיש הולמ
teaches, “It will remain until his end” because when an important person
violates the Torah the public views this as a repudiation of Hashem's Holy לודג ונבל הכמהב ןכו הריבעה תביס ול ןיכמד םושמ
th
Name and His Torah. Similarly the Rambam comments in the 5 perek םושמ םעטהו רוע ינפל םושמ רבועד ןטק דעומב ןנירמא
of the laws of Yeso'deh HaTorah, the 11 halacha that if a prestigious
th
person (did an action or) did not speak courteously to other people or ויבא לש ונוצר ןיא יאדובד ףא ודגנ אוטחל ול םרוגד
was not pleasant to them, but instead this person was argumentative and תא םיעטמ אוהש ןדיד ןודינב ו"קו ודגנ ןבה סירתיש
angry and displayed other similarly bad character traits, this too is called a
desecration of Hashem’s Name. Especially regarding this very severe sin ןכו .רבועד רבדה תא לבקמש דע והתפמו וינזאב םירבדה
of Lashon Hara, how much must a G‑d fearing person work to constantly ריהזה ל"זו ט"צר הוצמ מ"הסב ם"במרה ןושלמ עמשמ
strengthen himself and stay completely away from this kind of behavior.
A person should never speak disparagingly or critically, that this mitzvah שיאה איבי אוה יכ התוא בבסי וא 'וכו וניתצק לישכהמ
should never be taken for granted and trivialized, G‑d forbid. םילשהל והרזעיו והתפיו ולישכה ותרזעבו ןועל אוהה

My comment above “how much even more so if the sin was committed ורמא םינפה ולאמו הריבעה תביס ול ןיכי וא הריבעה
in public” was taken from the Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot cited above. רוע ינפלד ואלב םירבוע םהינשד תיבירב הולו הולמב
Understand clearly that this sin has no limit to its punishment. This concept
is taught in Gemara Kedusheen, at the end of the first perek. If a person's םילשהל ול ןיכהו ורבח תא רזע םהינשמ דחא לכ יכ

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