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Introduction to החיתפ
Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפסל
Laveen - L16
ה השע - ןישע

Yirmiyah Bar Addah, “Four categories of people will not be allowed to וינפבו םינושארה םינפוא 'דב ונייה רבועד םינפב ש"מו
sit in G‑d’s presence: scoffers \ cynics, flatterers \ manipulators, liars and
those who speak Lashon Hara.” Where do we learn that flatterers are .דבל לגרמה קרו וינפב אלשו
included in this grouping of four categories? The text says “Flatterers will
not come before Me.” The flatterer is called “one who defiles the land” רבד תולגל ונרסאש המ םירבדה ןכות תא עדיל הצרת םאו
and he transgresses the Lav of “Do not flatter and do not defile” and causes םיקוליח הזב שי יכ ןאכ ררבל רשפא יא תמא לע וליפא הז
G‑d’s presence to depart from Israel. As the pasuk says (Eyov 13:16) “Do
not flatter” and the very next pasuk says “and do not defile the land in ראבנ םש תוליכר תוכלהב עיגנשכ םשה הצרי םאו םיבר
which you live and in which rests My presence.” .'ט ללכב םש ןייע בטיה
What I wrote above, that this is inclusive of flattery \ manipulation, and
I wrote “at the very least” is all taken from Rabbeinu Yonah’s Shaare
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Teshuvah (3 sha’ar), section #187 and the end of section #192 (please .ןויס 'ט ,טבש ט"כ ,ירשת 'כ - תרבועמ הנש .ןויס ט"י ,טבש ט"י ,ירשת 'כ - הטושפ הנש :ימוי חול
see that reference).
Understand that this Lav is applicable to the first four conditions, and both םייחה רוקמ
in the presence of the person who is the subject of theremark and also
not in his presence. Also, it is applicable only to the flatterer. This is all וֹא ערָה ןוֹשׁלה תא וֹתלבּקַ ידֵי לע רבוֹע םיִמעְפִלו )ה(
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relevant to the first case that I discussed above. But regarding thesecond
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case that I discussed above, this Lav is applicable only to the listener. ,"חיִכוֹתּ חכוֹה"דּ )ז"ט ט"י םש( הֵשֲׂע תוצִמ לע םגּ תוּליִכרְה
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And what I wrote above in discussing thesecond case, that that situation
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is absolutely the Lav of flattery \ manipulation whenever the listener adds וֹרבח תוּנגִבּ וֹל רפּסל ליִחְתמ וֹרבחֶשׁ האוֹר םִא ןוֹגכּ )ה(
any of his own comments to the speaker’s remarks, those comments come קפס םִא וּלִּפאו ,רפּסְמהל ןיִעמְשׁנ וּיהי וירָבדֶּשׁ עדֵוֹי אוּהו
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from Gemara Sotah (41a,b) which discusses King Agrippas who was
reading from the Torah. When he came to the pasuk (Devarim 17:15) .אְטחה רֹמגי אלֶֹּשׁ ידֵכּ ,וֹחיִכוֹהל ןידּה ןִמ ביּחְמ ,הזבּ וֹל
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“You may not appoint a king over you who is not Jewish,” his eyes welled
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up with tears (because he wasn’t Jewish). But the people around him all רבוֹע יאדּובּ ,וֹרבח לע ערַה וֹרוּפִּס רֹמגִל וֹחינּמ םִא ןכלו
comforted him by saying “You are our brother.” At that moment they were
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deserving of annihilation because they violated the Lav of flattery. .*וֹז הֵשֲׂע תוצִמ לע
This is also the opinion of Rabbeinu Yonah in section #187 (first part of
that section). Therefore when one recognizes or sees or knows that his
“friend” has committed some crime and he reinforces that deceit \ sin, or ה"הגה
if one person sins against another by speaking Lashon Hara or oppressive
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language and his smooth‑talking friend glosses over it with flattery \ רֹמגיֶּשׁ רחא וֹחיִכוֹהל העיִמְשּׁה תֵעבּ וֹתְּעדַבּ םיִכּסי םִא ףַאו *
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manipulation (implying he committed no sin- that is the esur “flattery”). וֹרבחֶשׁ ,האוֹר דחא םִאֶשׁ ןכָתּי ךְיאדּ ,אוּה ןידּכּ אלֶֹּשׁ ןכּ םגּ ,וֹרוּפִּס
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What I commented, that one is obligated to place himself in a tenuous לע לכאֹיֶּשׁ הלִּחְתִּמ וּנּחינּי ,הליִלחו סח ,ריזח רַשׂבּ לכוֹא לארְָשׂי
situation and reprimand the speaker, is based on the cited Rabbeinu Yonah ילוּא ,ףכֵתּ וֹחיִכוֹהל ביּחְמ ןידּה ןִמ יאדּובוּ ,ךְכּ רחא וּנּחיִכוֹיֶּשׁ ךְמס
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who proves it from thereferenced Gemara Sotah and that which I wrote
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at the end, that if the listener just lets the speaker’s remarks pass without .וֹמצע ינְפִבּ הֶשֲׂעַת אלֹ אוּה תיזכּ לכדּ לֹכאלִּמ קֹסְפיו וּנּמִּמ לבּקַי
comment because he doesn’t want to get involved, and the circumstance is .וֹמצע ינְפִבּ רוּסִּא אוּה תוּנגּ לֶשׁ רוּבּדִו רוּבּדּ לכּ יֵמּנ ןדַידִבּ ןכו
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such that his reprimand could have a positive effect, then he too is called
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