Lesson 15
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Lesson #15
Please verbalize or
have in mind that you are studying this material as a merit for a specific
single and/or Jewish singles throughout the world.
Halachah
Revealing the sins
of another
#1
- If I see someone sin, am I permitted to share this
information with others?
- That depends on many factors. I will list some of the
factors and then we will address them, one at a time. - The type of sin.
- How long ago was the sin committed?
- The frequency.
- The type of person that committed the sin.
- The reason for revealing the information.
- To whom the information is being revealed.
- The number of people who witnessed him sin.
As you can see, there are numerous
factors that must be sorted out in order to resolve this question. I will do
my best to clarify the law in each situation.
Revealing
someone’s past sins
#2
- I have a friend who used to not be meticulous in his
mitzvah observance. He has since changed his ways and is currently a
fully observant Jew. Am I allowed to reveal his past sins to others?
- Absolutely not. Since he is no longer a sinner and
revealing his past can cause him harm and/or embarrassment, it is
forbidden to do so.
Aggadah
This section is
formatted as a conversation between Oded and Menaseh. Oded is encouraging his
friend Menaseh to be more careful in guarding his tongue from evil speech. The
thoughts in this section are primarily based on the sefer, Shmiras Haloshon.
Oded: Yesterday we mentioned 7 possible causes that
can lead a person to freely speak loshon horah. They were:
·
Anger
·
Frivolity
·
Arrogance
·
Hopelessness
·
Abandonment
·
Complaining nature
·
Rationalization
Menaseh: You said that you would elaborate on each
one; so let’s start today with anger.
Oded: Sure. A person, who by nature is easily
angered, will have a hard time refraining from speaking loshon horah.
Menaseh: Why is that?
Oded: Because when a person is angry he loses his
self control. He is liable to speak whatever is on his mind.
Menaseh: So what is the solution for a person who is
afflicted with anger?
Oded: There really is no solution other than to root
out his angry nature.
Menaseh: Can’t he just work on himself to control
his speech even when he’s angry?
Oded: When people are in a state of anger, they lose
their rationality; they are controlled by their anger. Whatever commitments
were made in their calm state, will have no effect once the anger sets in.
Menaseh: Uprooting your nature is no easy feet.
Oded: That’s correct; it’s not easy. The next time
we speak, I will explain why it is so essential to do whatever it takes to
remove the bad trait of anger from ones heart.
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Sources
Halachah
1) Sefer Chofetz Chaim Sec. 1 Chap. 4
2) Sefer Chofetz Chaim Sec. 1 Chap. 4 Par. 1
Agaddah
Sefer Shmiras Haloshon Sha’ar Hatevunah Chap. 13