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Introduction to החיתפ
Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפסל
Curses - C4
ג רורא - ןירורא

Mekor Hachayim
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ליֵעל וּנרְאבּ רבכוּ ,"לוֹשׁכִמ ןֵתִּת אלֹ רוִּע ינְפִל"דּ )ד"י
(And G‑d forbid if the Lashon Hara was directed against one’s .םָשׁ ןיּע ,הז ללכִבּ ןכּ םגּ אוּהֶשׁ ,'ד תוֹא ןיואלבּ
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father or mother, there is a fourth curse that will befall him (Devarim
27:16) “Cursed is the person who degrades his father and mother.”
th
Please see my commentary on the 10 Aseh in the Mekor Chayim םייח םימ ראב
and in the Be’er Mayim Chayim).
םימ ראבב 'ד תוא ןיואלב ליעל ןייעו .'וכו ןכ םג רבוע )ב(
There is a well‑known teaching of Chazal in Gemara Shv’uot
(36a) that the word “cursed” includes “damned and repudiated” ולאב רוע ינפלד ואלב רבועד םש ראובמה םינפואה ןתואב םייח
and also includes “excommunicated and ostracized.” Accordingly, .הז רורא לע ןכ םג רבוע אפוג םינפוא
everyone who knows that he has not been careful to avoid this bitter
sin should now be in great fear for his soul that maybe, Gd forbid, הצעב וריבחל ץעיימש ימ ןכ םג ללוכ ךרדב רוע הגשמד עדו
Heaven has excommunicated him because of it. This is similar to ואלב ראובמכ ומצע תבוטל קר ןיוכמ ץעיימהו ול תנגוה הניאש
what is written in the Sefer Chareidim regarding degrading one’s הז ואל לע םירבוע םירוסרסהו םינכדשהמ הברהו .רוע ינפלד
father or mother. (Please see that reference).
תולאלו ,רוע ינפלד ואלהל םיששוח םניאו םיברה וניתונוועב
There are several other evil things that can evolve from this profound .רחא םוקמב הזב ונכראהו ,םשנעמ ונרמשי םשה ,לביע רה
sin of Lashon Hara such as terrible cruelty and anger which are
themselves profound sins, as Chazal stated in Gemara Shabbat
(105b). Often this kind of speech can lead to mockery and cynicism םייחה רוקמ
and other similarly bad character traits.
,רקְֵפה וֹמכּ וֹלצא רבדּה הָשֲׂענ ,םוֹלָשׁו סח ,םִאו )ג(
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Therefore, from everything that has been said in the Introduction, one
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can understand the magnitude of the destruction that can come from לע דוֹע רבוֹע )ג( ,וּנּמִּמ רֵמָשִּׁהל וֹמצע לע לבּקְַמ וֹניאֶשׁ
Lashon Hara or gossip. The Torah therefore illustrated this esur and םיקִי אלֹ רֶשׁא רוּרא" :)ו"כ ז"כ םירִבדּ( אוּהו יִשׁיִלְשׁ רוּרא
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gave us a Lav that is more explicit for this bad character trait more
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than for any other bad character trait, specifically (Vayikrah 19:16) אלֹ רֶשׁא וֹשׁוּרפֶּשׁ ,"םָתוֹא תוֹשֲׂעל תאֹזּה הרָוֹתּה ירֵבדּ תא
“Do not peddle gossip in society,” as I commented on earlier. רמוּמ ארָקְנ אוּהו ,הרָוֹתּה לכּ תא םיּקַל וֹמצע לע לבּקַי
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And with this I will conclude the Introduction. לע רבוֹע שׁפנ טאְשִׁבֶּשׁ ןויכּ ,הז ידֵי לע דחא רבדל )ד(
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וֹלצא 'ה תרַוֹתּ לֶשׁ הז רבדּ קיזחמ אוּהו ,הזּה רוּמחה רוּסִּא
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My dear reader, I ask of you to please review this Introduction and
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then review it again because it will most certainly help you in the לוֹדגּ ןכּ לעו ,הּלּכּ הרָוֹתּה לכל רמוּמ ראְשׁ וֹמכּ ,רקְֵפהל
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future more than anything else. It is an anthology of the commentaries
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of our Early Sages who completely guarded themselves against .אוֹשׂנִּמ וֹנוֲֹע
this terrible character trait and whose pure and holy words pierce הערָ הדִּמ ידֵי לע אוֹבל ןייוּצְמה ןירִוּרא 'ג וּנבַשִּׁח ירֲֵה
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through darkness like the light of a torch and work to enter into our
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.וֹזּה
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volume 1 volume 1