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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Aleph ‑ Halachah 1 א הכלה - ב ללכ

Ketubot (46a) mentions the Lav of “Do not peddle gossip” in the context תיל אתלת יפאב ארמאתימד אתלימ לכ )א"ע
of a warning against slandering someone, which is the most serious Lav
of them all because it is a lie, nevertheless the gemara does not mean to ימצע תא יתאצמ ךכיפל ,אשיב אנשיל םושמ הב
exclude Lashon Hara or Rechilut where the remarks are truthful (and are יפכ ויטרפ לכב י"הזעב הז רבד ראבל רבדב ביוחמ
nevertheless forbidden). For we see that the gemara in Sanhedrin (29a)
asks “Where do we learn that a judge may not say to the loser of a court קיתעאו .םינושארה ירפסב יתאצמו יתשפח רשא
case (where the justice’s decision was based on a majority opinion and הזמו ל"נה אנוה בר רב הבר לע דחא לכ שוריפ
this particular judge was part of the minority who did not rule against
this person) ‘I ruled in your favor’? (And the gemara answers) The Torah הזמו ,וז הכלהבש םירקיע המכל בר תלעות היהי
teaches, “Do not peddle gossip in society.” Also the Sifra in perashat איה האדיחי תעד ואל םינפב יתבתכש המש עדת
Kedoshin (Vayikrah 19:16) and the Yerushalmi in the first perek of Peh’ah .הזל םימיכסמ םינושארה לכ םא יכ
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(1 halacha, page 4b) explicitly say that the Lav of Lashon Hara and the
Lav of Rechilut are derived from (the Torah’s warning) “Do not peddle אתלת יפאד םיניידה לכ ןינעה תבחרהב הפ עיצאו
gossip.” The speaker is like a peddler (who peddles articles from one
place to another place) since he conveys information about one person to ןינעל ןיבו ,תוליכר ןינעל םג תמא לע וליפא
another person). Please reference the second section of this commentary, ןושל לש קבא ןינעל ףאו ,לבקמ ןינעל ןיבו רפסמ
st
th
dealing with the laws of the esur of Rechilut, in the 1 Kelal, in the 8
notation of the Be’er Mayim Chayim. Rather the Gemara Ketubot means ךרטצא אלש ידכ ,אתלת יפאד ןידה תוליכרו ערה
to say that the esur of “Motzee Shem Ra” (slandering) is most certainly םייחה רוקמב בותכא אלו ,דוע םירבדה לופכל
not excluded from inclusion in the category of this Lav (of “Do not peddle
gossip”). תרזעב ילחה הזו הזמ םיאצויה םינידה ירוציק קר
VOL-1 .י"שה
(K1/1/4)-(4)..and the sin of speaking gossip \ Rechilut: This
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is the opinion of the Rambam (Hilchot De’Aut, 7 perek, 2 halacha) בר רב הבר רמא )א"ע ט"ל( ארתב אבבב ןניסרג
th
nd
that the pasuk “Do not peddle gossip” most certainly does include the הב תיל אתלת יפאב ארמאתימד אתלימ לכ אנוה
Lav of Lashon Hara since the speaker in making his remarks despises
the victim. However, according to the Ra’avad in his commentary on the דחא םאש ןינעל שריפ ם"בשר .אשיב אנשיל םושמ
Rambam who holds that Rechilut is an even more serious sin than Lashon רתומ ,אתלת יפאב תונג ירבד וריבח לע רפיס
Hara, it is possible to say that the esur of Lashon Hara evolves from the
pasuk (Shemot 23:1) “Do not accept a false report,” that the words “Do not רביד ינולפ ול רמולו ינולפ ותואל ךליל ךכ רחא
accept” are a warning against speaking Lashon Hara, as is brought down איוהו ,היל תיא ארבח ךרבחד םושמ ,ךכו ךכ ךילע
אנשיל םושמ הב תילו ייולגיאל אדיבעד אתלימ
Quoting the Rambam as follows: What is the definition of a “Rauchel (a ןכ םג ם"בשר הדומ ןושארה ןינעל לבא .אשיב
gossip monger)?” (and thus prohibited by the Torah’s Lav of “Do not peddle
gossip”). (Answer) One who acquires information and goes from place to רוסיא לע רבועד ןמקל ה"יא איבנש םיקסופה לכל
place saying: “This is what Plony said and I heard such-and-such about
Plony. Even though the remarks are true, they destroy the world. There is a .אתלת יפאב רפיסד ףא תוליכר
sin that is much greater than this which is inclusive of this Lav, namely Lashon
Hara, meaning the speech used by a person to denigrate his fellow Jew, even
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