Must husband be informed of wife's adultery IV - Rav O. Yosef

Rav Ovadiya Yosef (Yabiya Omer E.H. 2:2.13): Question: A man who had an adulterous relationship with a married woman and therefore she is prohibited to her husband and then he repented. Is he obligated to inform the husband in order that the husband divorce her since she is prohibited to him or is it possible to find a leniency not to tell him because of the damage this will do to the status of his family and the embarrassment this will cause?... Answer: We can conclude from this discussion that in order not to prevent a person from repenting that it is possible to be lenient and not require that the husband be informed to avoid degradation of the family and embarrassment. We don’t say that there is absolutely no benefit in the lover repenting as it seems to be saying in Chagiga (9b), “The crooked thing cannot be fixed – that is referring to a man who has an adulterous relationship with a married woman and she becomes prohibited to her husband and he is banished from the world and passes away.” That is referring to the fact that even if the husband is informed and divorces his wife – he still cannot correct the damage that was done as Rashi explains there. That is because she will always be irrevocably prohibited to her husband. Since there are views that whenever there are not witnesses to the adultery she is not prohibited to her husband – it is appropriate to rely on these authorities in situations of great need. This is so that it doesn’t seem as one who immerses in a mikve while holding on to the source of spiritual contamination as the Shaarei De’ah (2:81) writes. However the psak is different if this baal teshuva is a heroic man and has a courageous heart to completely repent. Then we let him know – but only as good advice - that if it is likely that when the husband of this woman is informed of the adultery he will divorce her because he believes him as if he were two witnesses – then in fact it is very good to inform the husband. In that way the burden of the prohibition of having intercourse with his unfaithful wife is removed from the husband. Furthermore this repentant lover should forever be involved in repenting and doing good deeds with all his strength and should rejoice when he suffers and he should fast according to his strength. Also look at the Genizei Chaim (150b). He should be involved in a great deal of Torah study. This will restore and cure him.