Friday, April 1, 2011

Halachasizing of lashon harah: Mussar principles versus halachic rules:


The following post on Hirhurim has a link to Dr. Benny Brown's paper regarding the transformation of lashon harah - but it applies also to other matters. As affirmation of his basic thesis - my son told me that the Rosh Yeshiva of Slobodka Yeshiva in Bnei Brak told him that the Chazon Ish had said, "Lashon Harah is not a complicated topic. All one needed to remember was not to use speech to hurt others."

 This is also reflected in Rav Sternbuch's teshuva regarding a principal's refusal to listen to lashon harah regarding child abuse as well as the Rav Chaim Ozer's refusal to sign the Chofetz Chaim's pledge never to speak lashon harah.


Hirhurim

Audio Roundup CXXXIX
March 31, 2011

by Joel Rich

Dr. Benny Brown’s paper (pdf link fixed) concerning the Chofetz Chaim’s “halachasizing” approach to lashon hara resonated with some of my lay person’s musings on the subject. My Hirhurim comment prior to reading the paper was “llimud v’lo lmaaseh I always go back to the same question – why was there no real compendium on lashon hara rules until the C”C?

3 comments:

  1. Somebody recently told me that the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum, did not permit the Chofetz Chaim's sefer into his yeshivos, and this was the rule until relatively recently.

    I'd be curious to know if others can confirm this information, and what the reason was.

    ReplyDelete
  2. suffice it to say that even though the CC is the foremost authority in recent times on LH, there are many poskim who disagree with him (basically on the "toelet" issue.)

    but its hard to hear such dissent, due to the predominance of aguda.

    (and i assume you mean the sefer "chofetz chaim", not his other sefarim.)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rabbi E: The Benny Brown link doesn't work. It comes up as "page not found."

    MiMedinat HaYam-

    "but its hard to hear such dissent, due to the predominance of aguda."

    What type of non sense is that? The Eidah HaCharedis is being silenced by the predominance of the Agudah???

    ReplyDelete

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