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Introduction to החיתפ
Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפסל
Laveen - L8-9
ג ואל - ןיואל

taken from Gemara Yomah (23a) in its discussion of the subject of revenge םייח םימ ראב
“..'A' says “Lend me your scythe,” and 'B' answers – “No!” The next day
'B' asks to borrow a hammer and 'A' answers – “Just as you would not lend שיר[ ארפסב אוה םירבדה רוקמ .'וכו ימנ רבועו )ג(
me your scythe, I will not lend you my hammer” – that is an example of
revenge. What is an example of “holding a grudge?” 'A' says “Lend me תא רוכז ל"זו אצת 'פב ן"במרה ואיבה ]יתוקוחב 'פ
your scythe” and 'B' answers – “No!” The next day 'B' asks to borrow a
hammer and 'A' answers – “Take it, I am not like you at all, I would not אוהשכ ךבבלב לוכי ,'וגו םירמל ךיהלא 'ה השע רשא
hold back lending you something you wish to borrow that you had refused ירה תושעלו דואמ רומשל תערצה עגנב רמשה רמוא
to me.
אהתש רוכז םייקמ ינא המ אה רומא בלה תרימש
The examples used in this discussion, namely the hammers or scythes that .ךיפב הנוש
were used by the gemara, were meant to illustrate the halacha and were
not intended to exclude other situations. Because in any circumstance םלצא יכ ,השוריפו :ונושל הזו הז לע ן"במרה בתכו
where someone asks a favor and the request is denied it is forbidden to
take revenge or to hold a grudge against the one who denied the favor. דואמ רומשל ,תערצה עגנמ - "תערצה עגנב רמשה"
This is the opinion of Rebbe Eliezer from Mitz in his Sefer Ye're'im in םכתא ורוי רשא לככ הב תושעלו ,ךאובת אלש
his enumeration of mitzvah # 197 where he comments as follows: How
do we know that the text of the Torah is referring to taking revenge for a אהתש םירמל ךיהלא 'ה השע רשא תא רוכזו ,םינהכה
monetary issue (eg., a denied request to borrow money) and not because of .ל"כע ךיפב תאז ריכזמ
hurtful words? We learn this from the thirteen ways the Torah is analyzed
for its meaning. The Torah in the proximity of this text is focused on
monetary matters, specifically the laws of employee wages, cheating רומג ואל ונניא ן"במר ירבדל ףאד רמול רשפאש ףאו
(Vayikrah 19:13) (Vayikrah 19:10-“peret”) uncollected fallen grapes left ארפסה שירד דואמ רומשלד אמלעב איובירמ קר
in a vineyard following a harvest, theft, disputed money and lies. The
Torah did not specify “tools” per se but rather even other kinds of “money” יתא ת"ל אוה הרימש לכו רמשהד ואלה רקיעו
that are not tools are mentioned in order to teach us that we are warned ,תוצמה ינומ לכל רומג ואל אוהש תרהב תציצקל
not to refrain from giving charity or becoming involved in other acts of
kindness with our money just because this other person did not treat us ונויצש ארקד איובירמ אוה אתיירואד אניד פ"כע
with the same kindness, since to do so would be an act of revenge. We are
also warned by the Torah not to hold a grudge because this other person רהזהלמ ונבלמ חיסהל אלש דואמ רומשל י"שה
withheld a request from us. .תערצל רוסיאה ונתוא איבי אלש ידכ ר"השלמ

What I wrote above regarding the Lav of “harboring feelings of hatred” רמשה ל"יקד ףא ןיואלד אררגב ותוא ונינמש המו
and transgressing the Lav of “bearing a grudge” is the opinion of Rabbeinu
Yonah in Shaare Teshuvah in section #38. That the punishment one אוהש רוכז לצא ביתכ אכהו ,השע - השע לצא ביתכד
receives is not for speaking (i.e., for saying that you will not reciprocate ,םידרח רפסב עמשמ ןכו 'א תוא ןישעב ןמקלדכ השע
with a favor) but rather the punishment is for hiding that feeling in one’s
heart. This is also the opinion of the Chinuch in his listing of mitzvah #242 הז ארק רקיעד ןויכ ינאש אכהד הארנ ד"נעלד םושמ
where he writes that merely remembering in one’s own heart that someone םגד רשפא תרהב תציצקד ואל אוהו רומג ואלל יתא
refused to do a favor is a violation of the Lav (quoted up until this point).
That also seems to be the opinion of the Rambam at the end of Hilchot ,ואל ללכב סנכנ הז

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