Chofetz Chaim Daily 1 Av 7:7 Asur to believe LH even if the speaker is as trustworthy as two witnesses. 7:8 If the speaker witnessed firsthand, it is mutar to believe that ploni is a bad person (stay away from him). However, you can not relate it to others. 7:9 Asur to believe LH even if speaker was masiach lefi tumo – which means it was mentioned as a random side point.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 28 Taamuz 7:3 Asur to believe LH even if heard from two people. They are wicked people who we do not trust to spoil a good person’s name because they are speaking LH. 7:4 Asur to believe a rumor that ploni did an aveira, may suspect until clarified. One may relate it in conversation, but not purposely spread it.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 25 Taamuz 6:9 Anything that is asur for someone to SAY, is also LH to BELIEVE. 6:10 One is allowed to SUSPECT that a story is true, IF there is toeles e.g. to protect himself etc. However one must still treat this suspect as a regular Jew for all matters.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 22 Taamuz 6:3 If someone wants to tell you LH, ask him if there will be toeles for you to listen. Otherwise asur. 6:4 Mitzva to listen to LH IF: 1) Letting speaker finish his story will allow you to show listeners its false. 2) Listening to angry speaker will vent his anger and prevent from spreading further.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 23 Taamuz 6:5 If one is in a group of people saying LH who will not accept rebuke & he can’t leave or put his fingers in his ears, then he MUST 1)Resolve not to believe 2)Be unhappy to listen 3)Not show consent. 6:6 It is a sin if he was aware they were going to speak LH before he joined.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 21 Taamuz 6:1 Asur to BELIEVE LH, as it says Lo sisa sheima shav. Believing is worse than speaking. 6:2 Asur to LISTEN to LH. Mutar if there is a valid toeles, for example you’ll be able to protect yourself/others.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 20 Taamuz 5:7 Asur to degrade someone’s belongings i.e. to say ploni’s store sells bad quality items. 5:8 It is worse when two people say LH, because it is more damaging.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 19 Taamuz 5:5 Saying that someone is weak can damage him for shidduchim or getting a job. Asur to say that ploni isn’t as rich as thought to be, if it will make it hard for him to get a loan. 5:6 RULE: It depends who you are talking about. A positive for one person may be very negative for another.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 17 Taamuz4:12 To repent for LH, one must ask subject mechila (only if he was hurt; socially, emotionally, etc.) It is impossible for a habitual LH speaker to ask mechila from everyone he pained.
5:1 If you see someone doing sins bein adam l’chaveiro, (ex. not lending money that he could afford) you must not tell anyone. Editor – However one must still take the appropriate steps of rebuke, etc with the seven conditions as will be elaborated upon in Chapter 10. This is especially important if one is found to be hurting another.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 18 Taamuz 5:2 Asur to tell people that ploni is weak/not smart etc. because this will damage him socially & financially. 5:3 See sefer for more details. 5:4 Worse to say that ploni isn’t such a scholar; e.g. if he’s a Rabbi, it will damage his spiritual influence and livelihood. If he’s a newlywed, it will embarrass him and his new family.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 15 Taamuz 4:9 If you see someone has bad middos, you may not badmouth him because he probably doesn’t realize the severity of his actions. Instead, influence him to change. 4:10 You may tell your children or students to stay away from a person with bad middos. However, you must explain why you are telling them.
Chofetz Chaim Daily 16 Taamuz 4:11 One seeking info about a potential shidduch/partner may ask others, and they may say necessary info (See rechilus Chap. 9 for more detail). However you must explain why you are asking so it will be with proper intention. One MAY NOT ask those who do not like the subject.