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Shmirat Haloshon
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SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
? Day 126 ¨C Old Information?????????? ? The prohibition against speaking rechilus may apply even if the listener is already aware of the information being conveyed. Rechilus includes any statement which may foster animosity; repeating how someone maligned or acted against the listener might make the listener better aware of details that would be cause for added hatred.? Moreover, if the listener had not yet given much thought to the information, repeating it could be cause for animosity to form. ? ? SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON ? Recipe for Success ? The infinite benefit of avoiding strife in financial matters through proper bitachon, trust in Hashem, can be understood with the following parable: ? A father distributed portions of food to his sons who were gathered around his table. One son reached over and snatched his brother¡¯s portion. When the victim saw that his portion would not be returned, he went to the head of the table and told his father what had happened. ¡°I am sure, Father,¡¯¡¯ said the son, ¡°that you do not want me to fight with my brother. That is why I am requesting another portion for myself.¡¯¡¯ Upon hearing this, the father kissed his son on the head and handed him a larger portion than before. The father said, ¡°Let your foolish brother keep your original portion. The next time we eat together, you will receive a double portion, while he will get nothing.¡¯¡¯ ? Now, what would the father¡¯s reaction have been had the victimized son yelled at his brother and attacked him physically until he succeeded in retrieving his portion? Surely the father would have been very upset. He would have told the victim, ¡°I would have gladly given you another portion rather than have you and your brother come to blows with one another. What utter foolishness you have demonstrated!¡¯¡¯ ? When a Jew adversely affects another¡¯s financial affairs and refuses to honor a request that he cease his wrongful practices, and the victim pleads before Hashem that He replenish his losses¡ªsurely he will find favor Above for demonstrating his trust in Hashem and pursuing the path of peace. And his trust will be rewarded with yet greater success in his business endeavors. ? However, if one chooses to feud with the person who has done him wrong, he will not find favor before Hashem, like the victimized son in our parable who upset his father by taking matters into his own hands.1 ? 1. Of course, the victim has every right to seek restitution in a Jewish court of law or pursue other avenues which are sanctioned by halachah. ? SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
? Day 127 ¨C Overt and Covert????????? ? As with other forms of loshon hora, halachah does not differentiate between rechilus that is stated explicitly or merely implied. A statement in which names are omitted is still rechilus if the listener can deduce the identities of the people involved. Also, it is forbidden to communicate rechilus through body motion, sign language or any other means. Likewise, it is forbidden to make available written or recorded material if awareness of its contents could create ill feelings between individuals. ? ? SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON ? The Folly of Dishonesty ? Above, we spoke of the great reward for avoiding strife in situations where one has clearly been wronged. And what of the one who committed the wrong, who profited at the expense of his neighbor¡¯s loss? He acted wickedly and foolishly, for his sinful tactics will not earn him one cent more than what has been decreed for him on Rosh Hashanah. By denying his neighbor that which was rightfully his, he will ultimately be denied that which had been decreed for himself. In the end, his wrongful gain will cause his rightful earnings to become lost as well, for, as the Sages teach, the punishment for forcing one¡¯s personal burden upon another Jew is the loss of one¡¯s possessions (Succah 29b). ? The Sages further teach: ¡°If you take that which is not your own, your own will be taken from you¡± (Derech Eretz Zuta ch. 3). To be dishonest in financial matters is to exchange the channel of sustenance that Heaven provides for one that is sinful. Hashem declares: ¡°It is not enough that the wicked rob, but they even inconvenience Me to return the money to its rightful owner¡± (Sanhedrin 8a).1 ? The above is illustrated in the episode of Yaakov and Lavan. Before fleeing Lavan¡¯s house, Yaakov was shown in a prophetic dream that the birth of unusually colored sheep in his flock was Divinely decreed compensation for Lavan¡¯s ill treatment of him. As Rashi explains, an angel had brought colored sheep from Lavan¡¯s flock to Yaakov¡¯s so that this would occur. As justification for such Divine intervention, Yaakov was told in his dream, ¡°... for I have seen all that Lavan is doing to you¡± (Bereishis 31:12). And as Yaakov later told Lavan directly, ¡°I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages a hundred times¡± (ibid. v. 41). ?
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