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Introduction to החיתפ
Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפסל
Aseen - A3
א השע - ןישע

Be’er Mayim Chayim לקַ ,הז לע תערַצבּ הָשׁנענו םיִבוֹטּה היֶשֲׂעמ לכּ הוּליִעוֹה
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(A3) On occasion, this person will also violate the Aseh.. judge.. תוֹלוֹדגּ רבּדַל םיִבּרְמּה ,םיִשְׁפִּטּה םדא ינבּ ראְשִׁל רמֹחו
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favorably: This is listed in the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot as mitzvat
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Aseh #177. There he writes that one is obligated to judge his fellow Jew .דֹאְמ הז לע וּשׁנעי יאדּובֶּשׁ ,םהירֵבח לע תוֹאלְפנו
favorably and not to interpret his doings and the things he says except only
in a favorable sense.
This concept is discussed explicitly in Gemara Shvu’ot at the beginning of
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the 6 perek (30a). It is also the opinion of the Se’Mag (mitzvat Aseh # 106) םייח םימ ראב
and the Se’Mak (section # 225) who discussed this in their commentaries
on the pasuk “one must judge his fellow Jew charitably.” This is also the תוצמ לע הז ידי לע רבוע 'וכו וריבחב לגרמה )א(
opinion of Rabbeinu Yonah in Shaare Teshuvah (3 sha’ar, section # 218),
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that this mitzvah is a Torah obligation (an Aseh). Nearly everything I have ,ויתוצממ 'ז הוצמ ן"במרה ןושל הז .'וכו רוכז השע
written on this subject, both here and further on, is based on his opinion,
as follows: If one sees another say something or do something and it השעש המ ונבל לא בישהלו הפב רוכזל וניוטצנ
is possible to interpret what is seen in a good and favorable way, then ידכ ,האיבנ התויה םע היחאב הרבדשכ םירמל הלעתי
if this person is G‑d fearing, one must judge him favorably even if the
circumstances lean towards being interpreted unfavorably. (This is also םהילע רמאנ רשאמ היהנ אלו ערה ןושלמ קחרתנש
the opinion of the Rambam in the first perek of Avot in the Mishnah that ורמא אוהו ,יפוד ןתת ךמא ןבב רבדת ךיחאב בשת
says...one must judge every man favorably). However, if what was seen
or heard were the actions of an average person who is careful not to sin but ירפס ןושלו ,'וכו השע רשא תא רוכז הלעתיו ךרבתי
occasionally does stumble, one still is obligated to give him the benefit of שורפ( הז לצא הז ןינע המ יכו 'וכו השע רשא תא רוכז
the doubt and judge him favorably. Regarding this Chazal have said that
one who judges his fellow Jew favorably will also be judged favorably by ןיאש ךדמלל )הזמ ליעל בתכש תערצה עגנד רמשהל
Hashem; this is the Torah’s Aseh, to judge one’s fellow Jew charitably. If לק םירבד אלהו ,ערה ןושל לע אלא םיאב םיעגנ
the circumstances lean towards judging him unfavorably, then the matter
should be left undecided because of doubt and he should not be judged לש וינפב אלש אלא הרביד אלש םירמ המו ,רמוחו
unfavorably. But if most of this person’s deeds are bad or he is not G‑d וניינבלו ,השמ לש וחבשלו ,השמ לש ותיינהלו ,השמ
fearing, etc., (please see that reference). This is also the explicit opinion
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of the Rambam in the 1 perek of Avot in the cited mishnah. Therefore I וריבח לש ותונגב רבדמה ,השנענ ךכ ,םלוע לש
expressed this Aseh in the context of an average person. .המכו המכ תחא לע םיברב
My dear reader, don’t challenge me and say that the Rambam most
certainly disagrees with Rabbeinu Yonah and the Se’Mag and the Se’Mak בלב לוכי 'וכו השע רשא תא רוכז ארפסב ונינשו
and that he is of the opinion that judging a person favorably is only a good דאמ רומשל תערצה עגנב רמשה רמוא אוהשכ דבלב
character trait but it is not an obligation and try to prove your contention
based on what the Rambam wrote at the end of his cited commentary on אהתש רוכז םייקמ ינא המ אה ,רומא בלה תרימש ירה
Avot, that it is only an act of piety because that is not so! In that citation the ,ונאובת אלש תערצ עגנמ רומשנש שוריפ ךיפב הנוש
Rambam is discussing a stranger, someone whom one does not know at all
to be either a Tzadik or a Rasha. Regarding that stranger the Torah most התוא םרוגה ערה ןושלמ רמולכ הנממ הרהזאה איהו
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