Page 362 - V1

Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Lashon Hara ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Beit ‑ Halachah 2 א הכלה - ב ללכ

38
rabbis of the gemara (Shabbat 118b) gave to this character trait. And in ,ןנברד אחילשב רקפתמ יאד ה"דב י"שר ןושל הזו
this particular circumstance Rabbah Bar Rav Hunah permitted remarks
when they were made in the presence of three people because of the rule ,ינפריח רמא חילשו ןיד תיב חילש ףריחש רמולכ
“word will get back to the victim.” Because of this rule, the speaker would ל"זו 'וגו םישנאה יניעה ארמגה יתיימ הז לעו
carefully choose his words so that even if the victim would hear about what
he said there would be no basis for the victim to admonish the speaker, השמ השמל היל רמאד חילשד ואל יא ,הז לע י"שר
saying “you talked about me!” But if the speaker’s remarks were actual םישנאה יניעה י"שר תנווכד ראובמ .עדי יוה אל
Lashon Hara, then with certainty Rabbah Bar Rav Huna’s exemption of
speaking in the presence of three people does not apply and the remarks רפיס ןכ יפ לע ףאו חילשה לע יאק רקנת םהה
would be forbidden even if they were spoken in front of three people. ןתד והופריחש המ ה"ע וניבר השמל הז רבד חילשה

And the Tosafot’s understanding is that the remarks would be Lashon Hara אנשיל יוה אל אניד יבד אחילשלד אמלא םריבאו
even if the remarks were true, because if that was not the case, then the
Tosafot should have established the case where the comment is permissible, יבד אחילש ואל יאד ארמגב עמשמד ירה ,אשיב
as someone making remarks that were provocative but truthful. Aside from תיבל הז רפסל רוסא והופרחש רחא םדא קר אניד
this, we have already explained that according to all Authorities Lashon
Hara applies even to truthful remarks. And so how would the leniency ערה ןושל הזו הזמ תלעות היהי אלש םוקמב ןיד
of “in the presence of three people” be relevant here (when the remarks ,ארקממ היאר הז לע איבהדמ אתיירואדמ
were provocative – the leniency most certainly would not apply) as I wrote
above in the beginning of this essay. 'רכ )ו"ט ףד( ןיכרעב םש קספ ומצעב אבר ירהו
The reader should not be surprised by what I explained in the beginning ימימ רמאד יל אריבס יסוי 'רכ אנא םש רמאד יסוי
(of this essay) that Abaye misunderstood Rava and that is why he said ירבד יפל ןכ םאו ,ירוחאל יתרזחו רבד יתרמא אל
to Rava “certainly these remarks are arrogant and Lashon Hara!” and
Rava answered him saying “I hold like Rebbe Yossi” who was referring אברד אבילא רתומ אהי ארתב אבבד תופסותה
to Avak Lashon Hara, which was an entirely different context than the ,יסוי 'רכו וינפבכ יוהד אתלת יפאב ןכ םג רמול
39
one understood by Abaye, and you must say this also conforms to the
commentaries of other Early Authorities who dealt with this gemara. This )ב"ע ט"ל( ארתב אבבב ןניקסמ אלה יכה ואלבו
is also what the Shetah Mekubetzet explicitly wrote in his commentary on
Gemara Babba Batra (39a) in his quoting the Aliyot of Rabbeinu Yonah. אנידב אנוה בר רב הברכ והל תיא אמלע ילוכד
With G‑d’s help, I will write his words in the conclusion of this sefer. אחולשל היאר איבהל ךירצ המ כ"או אתלת יפאד
(Please see that reference).
יכה ואלב ה"ע וניבר השמ לש וחולשמ אניד יבד
What evolves from the opinion of the Tosafot is that there is no exemption
for Lashon Hara in the presence of three people except in a circumstance אמלעד םדא קר אניד יבד אחולש היה אל וליפא
םישנא 'ג ינפל הז רפסל רתומ ןכ םג רחא ופריחש
Rebbe Yossi further said that “Never once in my life did I ever have to ,אמלעד םישנא 'גמ ןיד תיב יעירג המו אמלעד
retract anything I said to someone else.” Rashi comments – If the person
who was the subject of my comments came up to me and asked if I made
those remarks about him, I never even once had to retract and say “I never
said that,” because from the very beginning I always spoke the truth and
I hold that any remarks which would have been made even in front of the

345 332
volume 1 volume 1