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םייח ץפח רפס
Introduction to
Sefer Chafetz Chayim ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
ןיואל - םייחה רוקמ

From the outset, one must know that the kelalim \ rules of Lashon ידֵי לע אוֹבל ןיִליגרְה ןיואל רָשׂע העבִשׁ וּנבַשִּׁח ירֲֵה
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Hara and Rechilut apply even to truthful statements, as I will

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explain further on, with G‑d’s help, citing the authoritative opinions .לארְָשׂיל קרַ רפּסְמ אוּה וּלִּפא ,תוּליִכרְוּ ערָה ןוֹשׁל רוּפִּס
of our sages who codified these laws. The esur of Lashon Hara and רֵתוֹי וֹרוּסִּא ,יִתוּכּ ינְפִבּ לארְָשׂי לע ןיִשׁלמ אוּה םִאדּ
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gossip apply equally if the comments are made in the presence of
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the person who is the subject of the Lashon Hara (the “victim”) or רֶשׁאכּ רוּסמ ללכִבּ םיִמעְפִל סנכנו ,רוּמח רֵתוֹיו לוֹדגּ
even not in his presence. This esur applies equally to the speaker
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of Lashon Hara and to the person who is listening to this speaker ללכִבּ ערָה ןוֹשׁל תוֹכלִהבּ ןמּקַל םֵשּׁה הצרְי םִא ראבנ
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and accepts what he hears as truth, as will be explained further on. ידֵיִבּ הָתיִמ ןהילֲע םיִביּחֶשׁ ,ל"נּה ןיואלּהֵמ הבּרְהו .יניִמְשׁ
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The listener violates these laws if he accepts as true the comments
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made by the speaker, even if he did not encourage the speaker to ,םֵשּׁה לוּלִּח לעו םוֹתיו הנמלאדּ תוּנגּ לע וֹמכּ ,םימָשׁ
make his remark. The law applies to the listener if he believes what ינְפּ ןיִבּלמ ,ןוֹגכּ ,אבּה םלוֹע ןינִעבּ עגוֹנֶּשׁ ןהֵמ הבּרְהו
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he heard and, in so doing, violates a Lav of the Torah of accepting a
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false report about a fellow Jew, as the Torah teaches (Shemot :1) תא ליגּרְמֶּשׁ יִמל ,וֹרבח ןוֹלקְִבּ דבּכְּתִמוּ םיִבּרַבּ וֹרבח
“Do not accept a false report.” Each of these rules has implications רֶשׁאכּ ,תוּליִכרְוּ ערָה ןוֹשׁל לֶשׁ הזּה רוּמחה ןוֹעבּ וֹמצע
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and consequences just like any other rules of the Torah; G‑d should
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give us the merit to thoroughly understand them. .ןמּקַל לֹכּה םֵשּׁה הצרְי םִא ראבנ
Understand that when I write “this person transgresses either Laveen
or Aseen or the three curses” that I will explain further on, I am
referring either to Lashon Hara or to Rechilut whether the remark is
a lie or true. In the coming text, in the Be’er Mayim Chayim, I will
use the expression “the first four qualities” of “the eight qualities.”
By “four qualities” I mean: Lashon Hara, Rechilut \ gossip, lies,
or truthful statements that are nevertheless hurtful and forbidden.
Whenever a person speaks any of these four qualities he violates a
Lav or an Aseh or invokes upon himself one of the curses that are
explicit in the Torah. In the text that follows, once I have referred
to the “first four conditions,” the only remaining task is to explain
each one of the Laveen or the Aseen in the context of whether or not
it was spoken in the presence of the person who is the subject of this
remark, or not in the presence of this person, or if the law applies to
the speaker or to the listener who accepts the remarks as true.
Lashon Hara is speech, language or communication that defames or
denigrates or humiliates a fellow Jew. Rechilut \ gossip is tale-bearing,
repeating something someone else said about you or did to you.
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