LEV364 We are forbidden to rob. The prohibition against robbing applies to forcibly taking an article from another person. For example, grabbing someone's possession from his hand, or entering someone's house against his wishes and stealing his possessions, or openly going into someone's field and taking his fruit. (Rambam, Hilchos Gzaila v'avaida 1:3). Below are the basic laws of this prohibition: 1) The prohibition against robbing applies to any article belonging to either a Jew or a non-Jew. (Choshen Mishpot 359:1). 2) It is forbidden to rob even when the article has little value. (ibid. 359:3). 3) You may not force someone to buy something against his will. 4) If a Jew takes another Jew to a court whose decisions are not based on Torah law, it is considered robbing to accept any payment which is not in accordance with halacha. The court's decision that one person must pay the other does not render it permissible to accept the money. (Chofetz Chayim in Sfas Tomim, ch. 3). 5) If a person offers you something out of embarrassment, but really does not want to give it to you, you must not accept it because this would be similar to robbing. (Sefer Chasidim 316 and Pele Yoatz, section gezel). 6) It is an especially serious sin to rob from the poor as it is stated, "Rob not the weak because he is weak, neither crush the poor in the gate. For the Lord will plead their cause and rob the life of those who robbed them" (Mishle 22:22,23). (Shaarey Tshuvah 3:110). 7) Rabbi Chayim of Brisk used to say that robbing people of their sleep is included in this prohibition. (Heard from his grandson, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, Rosh Yeshiva of Brisk Yeshiva in Jerusalem). The Chofetz Chayim commented that robbing people of their sleep is worse than robbing money. Money can be returned, sleep cannot. Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian admonished his students that roommates in a dormitory must be especially careful not to wake up anyone who is already sleeping. He told them that they must be as quiet as possible in order that they should not disturb the sleep of others (Leviticus Eliyahu, vol. 1, pp. 183-4). Of course, to wake someone up for morning prayers is not only permissible but is actually a mitzvah. Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian would don his talis and tefilin and go from room to room in his yeshiva to personally awaken his students for the morning prayers. A) Be careful not to talk loudly when someone is sleeping. B) If someone has a "Do not disturb" sign on the door, do not knock unless the matter is urgent. You might wake up someone. C) Neighbors should keep the volume of a tape recorder or record player down to a minimum in the evenings. 8) An employee must not waste time during his hours of employment. When a person is hired for a job (and paid by the hour, week, or month) his time belongs to his employer. Any waste of time is considered robbing, and he must ask his employer for forgiveness. Moreover, even if the employee performed a mitzvah during the time in which he should have been working, he is guilty of transgressing. In the Talmud (Taanis 23b) we find that Abba Chilkiyah would not even take the time out to return the greeting of Torah scholars while he was working for an employer. (Mesilas Yeshorim, ch. 11).

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LEV376 We are forbidden to give harmful advice. We are forbidden to cause someone to sin. The Chinuch (232) writes that there are two basic aspects to this prohibition: a) You are forbidden to give someone harmful advice. A person who seeks advice is blind about the matter in question. An example of this transgression would be advising someone to sell his house only because you want it for yourself. b) You are forbidden to cause or aid someone to sin. For example, if a fellow Jew asks you to give him unkosher food, you are forbidden to do so. Blind in this sense refers to someone who is spiritually or morally blinded by passion or ignorance. [Transcriber's note: Author provides many illustrative examples].

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LEV387 We are forbidden to curse others. It is forbidden to curse even the deaf who are unable to hear the curse. All the more so it is forbidden to curse people who are able to hear. (Sifra).

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LEV453 We are obligated to judge people favorably. This verse obligates us to give someone the benefit of the doubt when we see him performing an action that could be interpreted in his favor. (Rambam, Sefer Hamitzvos, Positive commandment 177; Chinuch 235). The Rambam lists five transgressions for which people who violate them do not usually repent. One of them is mistakenly suspecting an innocent person of doing wrong. One will usually justify his suspicion by saying, "I haven't sinned. What did I do to harm that person?" He doesn't realize that he commits a sin by considering an innocent person a transgressor. (Hilchos Tshuvah 3:4). Below are the basic laws of this commandment: 1) If you mistakenly suspect an innocent person of doing wrong, you are obligated to appease and bless him. (Brochos 31b). 2) We are always obligated to give a pious, God fearing person the benefit of the doubt. This is true not only when the chance of zchus (a favorable judgment) and chov (an unfavorable judgment) seem equal, but even when it appears most likely that his action was improper (Chofetz Chayim ch. 3 and Guard Your Tongue, pp. 49-50). Since he is always meticulously careful we should assume that in this instance also his behavior was proper under the circumstances. 3) We are obligated to give an average person the benefit of the doubt if the probability of zchus and chov seem equal. (ibid). 4) If the possibility of chov seems more likely than the possibility of zchus in the case of an average person, it is proper to leave the matter undecided in your mind. According to the letter of the law, however, you are permitted to assume the side of chov. (ibid). Even when you are permitted to judge someone unfavorably, you are forbidden to relate to matter to others for that would constitute loshon hora. (Chofetz Chayim 3:2; see Chofetz Chayim, chapters 4,5, and 10 for instances when it is permissible to relate derogatory information). 5) Even when the possibility of chov appears more likely, it is meritorious for you to give an average person the benefit of the doubt. (ibid., ch. 3). 6) We are not supposed to give a rosho the benefit of the doubt (Chofetz Chayim 4:77; Guard Your Tongue, p. 59). Since the person intentionally violates several offenses, we may assume that until he repents he will continue to do evil. The status of a rosho is not easily determined. A rosho is a person who persists in evil conduct in spite of all warnings and chastisements, but not many are capable of effectively chastising others. So while our judgment of a rosho must be an unfavorable one, we do not often find ourselves dealing with a genuine rosho (see Marganisa Tova, no. 17 and Jewish Observer, Feb. 1977). 7) If the person in question is a stranger and you do not know whether he is righteous or wicked, even though according to the letter of the law you are not obligated to judge him favorably, it is meritorious to do so nevertheless. (Chofetz Chayim, Positive Commandment 3, B'air Mayim Chayim). 8) Even when you must mentally judge people favorably, you still should be on your guard to protect yourself or someone else from a loss. (Sefer Habris, part 2, essay 13, ch. 14; Kuntros Mishpot Tzedek 2:11). 9) Although you must judge people favorably, when you are able to clarify the matter in order to correct the person if he has erred, it is proper to do so. (Shaloh; see Kuntros Mishpot Tzedek 2:12 and footnotes 19 and 20). If a community transgresses and nothing can be done to rectify the situation, you should find some merit for them. But whenever action can be taken to correct a wrong, we are obligated to take action. (Marganisa Tova, no. 9). 10) In one's prayers to God one should try to find merit for the Jewish people as a whole. (Marganisa Tova, no. 9). ... A person's taking note of other people's blemishes and faults prevents him from investigating his own shortcomings and defects -- a task more necessary, a duty more urgent. (Chovas Halvovos, Shaar Yichud Hamaaseh, ch.5). The Chazon Ish wrote that a person who reaches a high level of perfection in his character traits will master a seeming paradox: He will be sensitive to all of his own minor faults, but will overlook even the most obvious faults of others. (Emunah Ubetochon 1:11).

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LEV487 When we see that someone's life is in danger, we are forbidden to stand idly by if we are able to save him (Chinuch 237). We are obligated to trouble ourselves with a lost ox or sheep; all them more so, we must aid their owners (Shaarey Tshuvah 3:71). Below are the basic laws of this commandment: 1) If you see that someone's life is endangered (for example, if you see someone drowning or being attacked by robbers), you are obligated to save him. If you are unable to rescue him yourself, you must hire someone to save him (for example, call the police). Failure to save someone is a violation of a Torah prohibition. (Choshen Mishpot 426:1). 2) There is an opinion (Yerushalmi cited by Bais Yosef, Choshen Mishpot 426:2) that one must be prepared to risk a possible threat to one's life in order to save someone whose life is definitely in danger. The rescuer takes only a doubtful risk while the other person faces a certain danger and saving one soul is equivalent to save an entire world. But the Shulchan Aruch, Rambam, Tur, RIF, and ROSH do not cite this opinion as law (SMA, Choshen Mishpat 426:1). The Chofetz Chayim writes that a person is not obligated to jeopardize his own life to save someone else. But he must weigh the matter carefully before he decides that his own life will be jeopardized by his action (Mishnah Brurah 329:19). The Aruch Hashulchan (Orach Chayim 329) adds that in such matters everything is dependent upon the particular circumstances. 3) If you overhear someone's plans to harm another person, you are obligated to inform the intended victim. When you are able to convince the schemer not to perpetrate the crime, you are obligated to do so. (Choshen Mishpot 426:1). 4) A doctor who fails to try to heal someone or is lax in his efforts violates this prohibition. (Eved Hamelech, Vayikra, p. 92b). 5) If you are able to admonish someone and fail to do so, you violate this prohibition. We are obligated to save someone's body; all the more so are we obligated to save his soul. (Minchas Chinuch 239:4). 6) If you unnecessarily told Reuven that Shimon spoke against him or wronged him, and Reuven grew angry to the extent that Shimon's life is in danger, you have an even greater obligation than usual to remove the danger. If you are unable to do so yourself, you must ask others to help you. (Shmiras Haloshon vol. 2, ch. 17). 7) It is advisable for every city to have volunteers who are prepared to rescue others from distress. (Shaarey Tshuvah 3:71). 8) If you hear that someone is planning to do something that might endanger his life, you are obligated to try to dissuade him from carrying out the act. (Pele Yoatz, section Yoatz).

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LEV513 "You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people" This is the prohibition dealing specifically with loshon hora and r'chilus. Loshon hora is the term used for a derogatory or damaging statement. R'chilus is the term used for a report that someone has spoken or acted against the listener. Both are prohibited even when true. Just as a peddler (rochil) goes from house to house selling his wares, so too, a habitual gossip goes from person to person picking up and leaving behind tidbits of derogatory information about others (see Rashi).

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LEV539 We are sometimes obligated to relate derogatory information. Rabbi Chayim of Volozhin said that the Torah wrote the two prohibitions together to teach us a lesson. When it is necessary to relate derogatory information to save someone from harm we must do so. Withholding such information is a violation of the prohibition against standing idly by the blood of your fellow man (See Chofetz Chayim, R'chilus 9b:6; The Ohr Hachayim and Malbim also discuss this idea.). Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv comments that from here we see how much effort it takes to do exactly what is proper. Since speaking loshon hara is an extremely great transgression, a person might be inclined to avoid it by resolving, "I'll always remain silent and I won't talk at all." But this is not permissible. There are times when one is actually obligated--not merely allowed--to relate derogatory information. (Chochmah Umussar, vol. 1, p. 332). Some people are normally careless in regard to speaking loshon hora. Yet they avoid relating information of practical importance, such as information in connection with a shidduch or a business partnership. In such matters, failure to relate the necessary information could cause serious harm and damage. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to know the laws of loshon hora very well. A person must know when he is obligated to be silent and conversely, when he is obligated to divulge information. (Zeh Hashulchan, notes of sefer Chofetz Chayim).

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LEV567 The real voice of Judaism advises us (B.K. 93a; Shabb. 88a; Sanhed. 49a) "to be of those who are persecuted, not of those who persecute others; to be of those who are put to shame, not of those who shame others"; not to hate another even inwardly "in thy heart [this verse; Abot ii. 15]); to believe that all those who are righteous will have a share in the World to Come. Israel claims the distinction of being the "Chosen People" not because it regards the Torah as its exclusive possession but because it chose to accept that which other nations, who according to legend had received the offer first and had rejected it. Judaism prays for the time when the world will accept the Torah and walk along its paths of peace and righteousness (Isa. ii. 2-4; Micah iv. 1-5). "Before Thee, O Lord our God let them bow and fall; and unto Thy glorious name let them give honor; let them all accept the yoke of Thy Kingdom, and do Thou reign over them speedily, and for ever and ever" (Aleinu prayer, Singer's Prayer Book, p. 77).

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LEV579 "You shall rebuke your neighbor) and you shall not bear sin because of him" This versus prohibits us from embarrassing others even when privately delivering rebuke (Erchin 16b). Rebuke must be delivered in a tactful manner that will not cause shame. If you speak loshon hora about a person in his presence and caused him shame, you violate this prohibition. If you shame someone in public, the crime is so severe that it is punishable by the loss of olam haboh (Bava Metzia 59a).

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LEV596 We are obligated to correct others when they transgress. We are commanded to correct someone who behaves improperly, whether in matters pertaining to man's relationship with God or man's relationship with his fellow man. (Chinuch 239). A person should correct his own faults before he corrects others (Bava Basra 60b). This does not free us from rebuking others; rather, it obligates us to correct ourselves first. It must be kept in mind that the goal of rebuke is to correct the wrongdoer. Therefore, a person must weigh each situation very carefully to see what will be the most effective method in that particular instance. It is especially important to exercise caution and tact when the recipient of the rebuke is not an observant Jew and you are trying to influence him to become observant. Tactless reproof can ruin the chances of influencing such a person. Very often a person should not reprove someone immediately, but should wait for an opportune moment. This takes much skill and practice, as well as patience. It is a good idea for a person to consult more experienced people to find out which methods are most effective. As a rule, if someone admonishes in a harsh, stern manner and with comments such as "Why did you do this?" Or "What's the matter with you?" it will not prove effective (see Vilna Gaon's commentary to Mishle 10:20). The most important rule to remember about rebuke is that it must be administered with love and as painlessly as possible. Only when the recipient of rebuke feels that the rebuker loves him, will he readily accept the admonition. [Transcriber's note: Author provides extended discussion of laws of rebuke with examples.]

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