I have been giving a weekly shiur on Sefer Chafeitz Chaim for some time. Just last night, we finished the sefer. Minutes after the shiur concluded, I received two different emails inviting me to online presentations about the Chafeitz Chaim, whose yarhtzeit is today, 24 Elul. Amazing coincidence, no?
The last syef, 15, of the last siman, 9, of Hilchos רכילות, which follows a slightly larger section on Hilchos לשון הרע, begins with an all too common scenario that the Chafeitz Chaim uses to demonstrate just have fast and how deeply a relatively parve situation can dive into the murky waters of רכילות ולשון הרע. Near the end of that example, the saintly Chafeitz Chaim explains how one should act in that situation.
Then, for the last paragraph, the closing thought and message, that same saintly Chafetz Chaim seems to take a sharp left turn.
ודע/Now know that everything we have written in this sefer regarding the great care one must take to stay away from the sin of לשון הרע is relevant only to those who are included in עמיתך/Your nation. But those people who deny the Torah of HaShem, even only a single letter and who mock חז''ל/our Sages -- it is a mitzvah (sic) to expose and publicize their heretical opinions and to disgrace them so that no one will learn from their evil ways.
Why do you think the saintly Chafeitz Chaim would end his sefer on the evils of רכילות ולשון הרע on this note, giving us not only permission but actually encouraging us to publicly and with intent to harm speak gossip and slander? I have a few ideas.
- The Chafeitz Chaim from the beginning to the end of his incredible sefer stresses time and again that this is not mussar, this is not "beyond the letter of the law"; this is pedal to the metal practical halacha. To that end, it has parameters. Analogously to bishul akum, tumas meis, returning lost objects, and kashrus At their core these are laws received along with the rest of the Torah from the Creator of the Universe. We do not refrain from רכילות ולשון הרע because we are nice. We refrain from them because the Creator ordained their prohibition.
- רכילות ולשון הרע are extremely powerful. They, like any other powerful weapon, can be used effectively to battle our enemies. Any enemy of HaShem is our enemy. The rabbi's of the Reform Jewish Religion and other apostates seek to battle against HaShem by spreading vicious lies (I shall not dignify their lies as simply "misinformation"). We must do everything in our power to stop them from seducing unsuspecting and less knowledgeable Jews to their false ideology. Showing the hypocrisy and deeply rooted evil of their lies is the best weapon against them. Violence against them would only turn them into martyrs. When you have facts, you don't need anger and you don't need violence. The facts speak for themselves. The enormous evil that can result from transgressing the laws of רכילות ולשון הרע shows just how powerful a weapon they can be. If they can cause such damage when used for evil, the benefit we can realize from them when used for the sake of Heaven is unimaginable.
- The fact that these laws -- in all their glorious detail -- apply only to the Torah observant nation -- עמיתך/Your nation -- the nation that dedicates itself to seeking attachment to HaShem, the Holy One Blessed Be He, shows the deep love HaShem has for His nation. When one Jew seeks to hurt another Jew, it is no less than when one sibling seeks to harm his brother or sister. We are all one family. HaShem is our King, yes, but also our Father, Who loves us dearly.
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