SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
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Day 98 ¨C Pertinent Information????
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The prohibition, ¡°Do not accept a false report¡± (see Day 91), teaches us that loshon hora should not be listened to and must not be accepted. However, when the information being conveyed is important to know for constructive reasons,
it merits one¡¯s attention and may be listened to. Just as relating negative information l¡¯toeles, for a constructive purpose, is not considered speaking loshon hora, so too is listening for a constructive purpose considered responsible and proper.
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Information that one may listen to includes anything that might help to prevent or correct undue harm to any individual, be it the listener, the speaker, the person spoken about, or another party. It would also include information that could help prevent or
correct damage that is physical, financial, emotional or spiritual.
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It is correct to listen to a person¡¯s claim against someone else if one thinks that he can be of help in rectifying the situation, or if the listener or someone else might be vulnerable to similar treatment by the person being spoken about. It is permissible
to listen to information about a person with whom one is planning to collaborate in a joint venture, if the information is pertinent to that relationship. In all of the above instances, the information is being listened to for a constructive purpose, and hence
is not considered loshon hora.
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SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
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The Day of Judgment
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The way in which an individual tends to judge others can well determine his own status as a tzaddik (righteous person) or rasha (wicked person) for all eternity.
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The Sages teach that whether or not an individual is deemed meritorious is determined by weighing the sum of his merits against his sins. The Sages further state regarding the great Day of Judgment at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead: Three Books will
be opened ¡ª one for the completely righteous; one for the completely wicked; and one for those in between. The completely righteous will immediately be inscribed for eternal life; the completely wicked will immediately be inscribed for Gehinnom; and those
in between will descend to Gehinnom and [after enduring a period of retribution] will then ascend (Rosh Hashanah 16b).
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If Hashem will judge an individual by the measure of strict justice, then even if that individual had performed countless good deeds through the course of his lifetime, he will nevertheless be left with very few merits by the time his judgment has ended. Many
of his deeds will have been found lacking in proper detail or method, while those whose performance was wholesome might not have been accompanied by proper love of God, awe of Him, or were devoid of the joy with which a mitzvah should be performed. Thus, most
good deeds will be found blemished in some way. The individual¡¯s remaining good deeds will be far outweighed by his sins, and thus he will be deemed a rasha for eternity.
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Keep reading Day 99, the lesson for Shabbos
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SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
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Day 99 ¨C A Matter of Intent??
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While listening to negative information for constructive purposes is not a violation of the prohibition against accepting loshon hora, before taking the liberty of listening to such information one must be sure that he will not
be guilty of causing the speaker to sin.
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We have seen that in order to convey pertinent information that would otherwise be considered loshon hora several conditions must be met. For example, the speaker¡¯s intent must be to bring about a positive result. If the speaker does not have constructive intent,
his words are loshon hora, despite the fact that the information is important for the listener to hear. In such a case, being a listener would be a transgression of ¡°Before a blind person do not place a stumbling block¡± (Vayikra 19:14).
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If one is privately doing business with someone and then, by coincidence, a friend begins speaking loshon hora about that very individual, one is required to interrupt him or walk away! Since the speaker is unaware that the listener is doing business with this
person, the speaker is talking loshon hora and must be stopped. After interrupting him, one may tell him that the information he had begun to relate may be important to the listener, and that he may continue speaking provided that he can honestly relate it
for that constructive purpose.
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SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
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Meriting Divine Favor
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However, if Hashem will judge the person with compassion and seek to find him meritorious, the sum of his good deeds will remain intact. Moreover, if the person will merit the full measure of Hashem¡¯s Attribute of Compassion, then the sum of his sins will be
diminished, for many of them will be found to have been carried out unwillfully or will be attributed to some outside factor for which the sinner will not be held responsible.
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In summation: Heaven has infinite ways through which to find an individual meritorious. Through such consideration, the individual¡¯s good deeds will outweigh his sins, thus granting him the eternal status of a tzaddik.
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The way in which Heaven judges an individual is reflective of the way in which that individual acts toward his fellow on this earth. If it is his way to judge others favorably, then Heaven will judge him favorably. However, if it is his way to view others critically
and to express his views to others, then the Heavenly angels will speak of him in the same fashion.
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Thus, one must always bear in mind that at the moment when he expresses a judgment of his fellow¡¯s actions, he is determining the way in which he himself will be judged by the Heavenly Court.
SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
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Day 97 ¨C Whom not to rebuke?????
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The obligation to reprove one¡¯s fellow Jew does not apply to a non-observant Jew who is in the category of a mumar (one who is aware of halachic requirements and ignores them ¨C see Day 14). However, a non-observant Jew who sins out ignorance must be instructed
gently regarding loshon hora. The beauty of shmiras halashon can be appreciated even by those whose observance level is minimal, and should be shared with them at the earliest opportunity.
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Nevertheless, one does not rebuke a non-observant person with whom he does not have a relationship. It is obvious that such reproof will not convince the person to refrain from speaking loshon hora in the future, and will only serve to anger him. This would
be similar to the situation (in Day 93) where reproof would cause worse sin to occur and is therefore inappropriate.
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This rule holds true for an observant Jew as well. It is wrong to offer rebuke to someone with whom one has no real relationship, if it is clear that he will not change his ways and that he be offended by the person¡¯s meddling in his affairs.
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Rebuke in such a case would cause hatred and, possibly, even more loshon hora.
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SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
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A Classic Illustration
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The following incident, recorded in the Talmud (Shabbos 127b), illustrates the extent to which a Jew must judge his fellow favorably:
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A man from Israel¡¯s Upper Galilee hired himself out for three years to someone living in the southern portion of the Land. At the end of the three years, on the eve of Yom Kippur, the worker requested his wages so that he could return home and feed his family.
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His employer responded,¡±I have no money.¡¯¡¯
¡±Then pay me with fruit,¡¯¡¯ said the worker.
¡±I have none,¡¯¡¯ came the reply.
¡±Pay me with land.¡¯¡¯
¡±I have none.¡¯¡¯
¡±Pay me with livestock.¡¯¡¯
¡±I have none.¡¯¡¯
¡±Pay me with pillows and blankets.¡¯¡¯
¡±I have none.¡¯¡¯
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The worker slung his pack over his shoulder and headed home, bitterly disappointed.
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At the conclusion of Succos, the employer appeared at his worker¡¯s door, with money in hand, along with three donkeys, bearing food, drink and delicacies. The food was brought inside and the two enjoyed a hearty meal together. Afterwards, the employer paid
the worker in full.
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The employer then asked, ¡±When you asked for your earnings and I replied that I had no money, what did you think?¡¯¡¯
The worker replied,¡±I thought that perhaps a deal that you could not pass up had come along and you had used all your cash for that.¡¯¡¯
¡±And when I said that I had no land?¡¯¡¯
¡±I thought that perhaps all your land had been leased to others.¡¯¡¯
¡±And when I said that I had no fruit?¡¯¡¯
¡±I thought that perhaps your fruits had not yet been tithed.¡¯¡¯
?¡®¡®And when I said that I had no pillows or blankets?¡¯¡¯
¡®¡®I thought that perhaps you had dedicated all your possessions to the Temple.¡¯¡¯
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The employer exclaimed, ¡®¡®I make an oath that that is exactly what happened! ...Just as you judged me favorably, so too should the Omnipresent judge you favorably.¡¯¡¯
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And indeed, the Sages teach, ¡®¡®One who judges his fellow favorably is judged favorably [by Heaven]¡¯¡¯ (ibid.).
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