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

three people is exempt from Lashon Hara, I feel obligated to explain רוסא ןיכרעב 'סותה ירבד יפלד בתכש 'ט ןיואל
this statement, with G‑d’s help, in all of its details as I have found them
in the writings of the Early Authorities. I will quote the explanation of ,אתלת יפאב רבדה עמש םא ףא ךכ רחא דיגהל
every one of these Authorities who have commented on the statement .הזב ןמקל בותכנש המ ןייעו
made by Rabbah Bar Rav Hunah. This explanation will greatly benefit
an understanding of several fundamental laws that deal with this issue
of speaking in the presence of three people. In quoting these Early ארמימ לע תופסותה שוריפ י"הזעב ונרריב ירה
Authorities, you will come to understand that what I wrote in the Mekor הז ךותבו .אתלת יפאב ריתהש אנוה בר רב הברד
Chayim is not the opinion of a single individual but rather all Authorities
are in agreement in this regard. 28 לע וליפא תוליכרו ערה ןושל ןינעל ןידה ונרריב
In the essay that follows, I will review in detail all of the laws in this broad רפסמ ןינעל ןיב ,אתלת יפאבו הרמ יפאבו תמא
subject that deal with disclosures made to three people, even disclosures קבא ןיד ןהירבדל ונרריב םגו ,לבקמ ןינעל ןיבו
that are truthful and disclosures that are gossip \ Rechilut. I will review the
law as it applies to the speaker and as it applies to the listener. I will review .ל"נה םינינע לכל םהינש לש
the law as it applies to remarks that allude to but are not actual Lashon
Hara or gossip (i.e., Avak Lashon Hara). I will detail these laws here,
once, so that I will not have to repeat myself later, but I will summarize
this commentary in an abridged form in the Mekor Chayim. And here I
will begin with the help of Hashem Yitbarach. :ה"הגה
The Gemara Babba Batra (39a) is quoted as follows: “Rabbah Bar Rav
Hunah said the following: Any remarks made in the presence of three people אבבב םש תופסותה ובתכש הממ ונירבד לע גישת אלו *
are not Lashon Hara.” Rashbam (commenting on that reference) explains ןושלש יפ לע ףאו ובתכש 'וכו ןניעב אתודהס ה"דב ארתב
the context of the gemara, that if someone made remarks denigrating a VOL-1 אמלא םדא ינבמ ןתוא ןימילעמש יפל ונייה עמשנ ןיא ערה
fellow Jew in the presence of three people, it is permissible for someone to
go to that person who is the subject of the remarks (the “victim”) and tell יכהד וניא הזד ,ןיכרעב םשוריפכ ןירבוס ןיא תופסותהד
him so-and-so said this about you. The reason it is permissible is because םהינפבד ירת יפאבו דח יפאב וריתה אל ךכיפלד ושוריפ
of the rule that if three people know something “word will get out” (word
will pass from friend-to-friend) and will get back to the person who is the שייבתמ היהש ןושלב רמאמה רמואו ומצע תא רמוש ןיא
subject of the remarks, and remarks that will inevitably become generally אלו רבדה ומילעי אמתסמש ומצע תא ךמוסו וינפב רמול
known do not fall into the category of Lashon Hara. However, Rashbam הז לע ךמוס ןיא השלשב לבא ערה ןושל םושמ ומסרפי
does agree with the unanimous opinion of all the Authorities that I will
quote, with G‑d’s help, that this first person who said the remarks to three רמאמכ 'וכו ךרבחו וריבחל דיגי אל םהמ דחאש טלמי אלד
people has violated the Lav of Rechilut. 29 שוריפל ירייא קבאב ןאכ םגד ערה ןושל קבאב םלוכו ל"זח
רמול ומצע תא רמוש אמתסמ ןכ לעו ל"נכו תופסותה
These five commentaries on “אתלת יפאב” \ “In the presence of three people”are ךכיפלו אשיב אנשיל םושמ היב עמשימל אלד ןושלב
summarized in an appendix at the end of this Kelal.
.כ"ע .ל"זח וריתה
Rabbi Hillel Zaks quoted in Sefer Netivot Chayim (Rabbi Moshe Kaufman,
#34 Abraham Ben David Street, Bnei Brak, 5765) changes “Rechilut” to
“Lashon Hara.”

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