Chofetz Chaim חפץ חיים

Part One, The Prohibition Against Lashon Hara, Principle 10 · Seif 10

☰ Contents Sefaria ↗
1וְדַע עוֹד, (כט) דְּשָׁוִין יַחַד דִּין סִפּוּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע עַל דְּבַר עָוֹן, שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ, וְסִפּוּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע עַל דְּבַר עָוֹן, שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקּוֹם. אַךְ בַּעֲבֵרָה, שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם, אֵין מֻתָּר לְסַפֵּר עָלָיו, אֲפִלּוּ יֻשְׁלְמוּ כָּל הַפְּרָטִים הַנַּ"ל שֶׁבְּסָעִיף ב', אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן רָאָה עָלָיו, שֶׁאוֹחֵז בָּה וְעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָה כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים בְּמֵזִיד, וְהוּא דָּבָר הַמְפֻרְסָם לַכֹּל, שֶׁהוּא אִסוּר, וְעיֵּן לְעֵיל בִּכְלָל ד' סָעִיף ז', (ל) שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ דָּבָר זֶה בְּבָל פְּרָטָיו.
And know further that the din of speaking lashon hara in the instance of a sin "between man and his neighbor" and in that of a sin "between man and his Maker" is the same, except that in a sin between man and his Maker it is not permitted to speak [lashon hara] against him even if all the aforementioned details in section 2 were satisfied, unless he saw him holding on to that sin and doing it several times wittingly, and it were known to all that it were an issur (see above Principle IV, section 7, where we explained this in all of its details.)

Hebrew: Chofetz Chaim (CC-BY-SA). English: Rabbi Shraga Silverstein (CC-BY). Via Sefaria. Learning for halacha? Please ask your Rav. All the library · Jer’s Torah Page