[Avodah] Did RSRH Write LH about Shimon and Levi

[Prof. Levine]

At 03:05 PM 12/14/2008, T613K at aol.com wrote:
>According to the Chofetz Chaim, negative information may be 
>disseminated for certain kinds of to'eles.  To derive from the Torah 
>commentary of a tzaddik and great Torah scholar some kind of blanket 
>permission to spread negative information about Jews is really quite 
>a stretch.  There is also a tone of disrespect towards RSRH in the 
>very title of this thread.


Absolutely no disrespect was meant to RSRH. He is one of my heroes. 
Indeed, we just returned from a dinner marking the completion of the 
new translation of RSRH's commentary to the Chumash. I had a chance 
to briefly meet Rabbi Shelomo Danziger as well as many descendents of RSRH.

I did not derive anything. I know that what RSRH wrote is not LH. 
However, some have insisted that one cannot write anything negative 
about anybody. I believe that RSRH's commentary on what Shimon and 
Levi did proves that this is not true. There are times when it is 
permitted to write negative things about people.

Someone wrote to me

Black letter law - from the classic work of the Chofetz Chaim.
     A. There is a prohibition on Loshon HaRa - even the written 
form. No questions about that.
     B. Information that is widely known and disseminated is not 
Loshon HaRa even when spoken, unless you are providing some new "insight".


But, please do not accuse me of being disrespectful to Rabbiner 
Hirsch. The more I study of his writings, the higher my opinion of him goes.

YL


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