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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Aleph ‑ Halachah 8 ה הכלה - א ללכ

of expression(14) Lashon Hara is forbidden (spoken, written, ןרקהו הזה םלועב םדאה ןמ ןיערפנ תוריבע 'ג
incidental, or inferential, etc.).
.ןלוכ דגנ ערה ןושלו 'וכו אבה םלועל ול תמייק

לעד יכיה יכד ,דחא םוקמ לא ךלוה לכה לבא
Be'er Mayim Chayim הדותה אל םא הזב אצויכו תולזמו םיבכוכ תדובע
(K1/8/1)-(12)..or written: This is obvious, because in all forms of ןיד תיבב ותוא ותימהש ףא אבה םלועל קלח ול ןיא
expression the Torah teaches (Devarim 27:24) “Cursed is the person who םירמואד הנשמב ):ג"מ ףד( ןירדהנסב עמשמדכ
secretly hits his fellow Jew.” This is also explicit in Gemara Sanhedrin
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(30a) “What is the text of the written judicial verdict? Rebbe Yochanan קלח ול שי הדותמה לכ ןכש הדותה תותימ יבייחל
holds the text is limited to: so and so is ‘Zakai \ Winner’.” Resh Lakish םא ערה ןושלב המכו המכ תחא לעו ,אבה םלועל
holds the text must be more descriptive: ‘Judges so and so said that so
and so is the winner and judge so and so said that so and so is the loser.’ ול ראשי םא ,ל"נכו ,הזמ רומחש הז ןועב לגרוה
Rebbe Yochanan holds that anything more than “so and so is Zakai” would ןכ םג ול היהי אלד יאדווב אבה םלועל םייק ןרקה
infringe the Lav of “Do not peddle gossip” (if the text of the verdict would
mention the name of the judge who held so and so is guilty). Even Resh םע קלוח ימלשוריה ןיא ןכ םאו ,אבה םלועל קלח
Lakish agrees with him in the essence of the law that writing can also be a .אתפסותהכ ם"במרה קספ הפי ןכלו אתפסותה
form of Rechilut. He does not disagree with Rebbe Yochanan except that if
the written verdict was limited to what Rebbe Yochanan said it might have הנוי ונברה אוה םינושארה ושרפו יתבתכש המו
the appearance of a lie. Then necessarily this same law applies to Lashon
Hara (that it is forbidden in written form as well as verbal form). חכומ ןכו ולש ערה ןושל תוכלהב הבושת ירעשב

(K1/8/2)-(13)..even if they are only hinted to: This can be seen 'ו הכלה הבושת תוכלהמ 'ג קרפב ם"במרה ירבדמ
from Rashi’s commentary in the Torah in perashat Kedoshim, in his בישחקו אבה םלועל קלח םהל ןיאש ולא םש קספש
commentary on the pasuk “Do not peddle gossip in society.” Regarding
the word “Kurtzin” used in Onkelos’ commentary, Rashi explains based רמאק אלש ירה ,ערה ןושל ילעב םכותב ןכ םג
on the pasuk in Mishle (6:13) that “Kurtzin” refers to winking with one’s רבכו ,ערה ןושל ילעב קר ערה ןושל רפיסש ימו
eyes, that the nature of people who gossip is to wink with their eyes and to
communicate their words of gossip by means of gestures, so that the other הנשמ ףסכה םשב םדוקה ןטק ףיעסב ךל יתיארה
listeners will not understand (their intent). (Rashi quoted up until this .םהיניבש קוליחה ראבל
point). This is also the obvious implication of Mishle (6:12) “A person
with no constraints, a sinner, winks with his eyes and taps his feet and
gestures with his fingers.” 26
.ןויס ז"י ,'א רדא 'ז ,ירשת ח"כ - תרבועמ הנש .ןויס ז"כ ,טבש ז"כ ,ירשת ח"כ - הטושפ הנש :ימוי חול
Do not challenge this by raising a question from Gemara Berachot (8a)
“in Eretz Yisrael they would ask a newly married man “Matza or motzei?”
Meaning, if he is in the category of ‘matza’ (referring to having found a םייחה רוקמ
וֹנוֹצרְִבּ וֹמצעֵמ רפִּס םִא ןיבּ ,רוּפִּסּה רוּסִּאבּ קוּלִּח ןיא .ה
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In a case where the court’s judges differed in their opinions and the final
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verdict followed the majority opinion. רפִּסֶּשׁ דע וֹריִצְפִהו םירִבדְִבּ וֹרבח וילע דמע )ז( םִא ןיבוּ
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