Halakhah for Sotah 83:4
א"ר ירמיה בר אבא ארבע כיתות אין מקבלות פני שכינה כת ליצים וכת חניפים וכת שקרים וכת מספרי לשון הרע
The class of liars, as it is written: He that speaketh falsehood shall not be established before Mine eyes.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps CI, 7. ');"><sup>7</sup></span> The class of slanderers, as it is written: For Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness; evil shall not sojourn with Thee<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. V, 5. The Psalm deals with the evil of slander. ');"><sup>8</sup></span>
Chofetz Chaim
(14) It also is apparent that [in all eight modes] he also transgresses (Devarim 28:9): "And you shall walk in His ways," whereby we have been commanded to emulate the traits of the Holy One Blessed be He, all of which [traits] are for the good alone, as Chazal have said (Shabbath 133b): "Just as He is merciful, you, too, be merciful; just as He is gracious, you, too, be gracious," and the like with the other good traits, as is explained by the Rambam (Hilchoth Deoth 1:5 and 6). And we find with the Holy One Blessed be He, in His pure and holy traits, that He hates delation [informing] in all modes, even against the most reprehensible of men, as Chazal have said in the episode of Achan [viz. Joshua 7] (Sanhedrin 11a): "Am I [the L–rd] a delator for you?" And He hopes for the good and not for the bad (viz. Tanna d'bei Eliyahu 1), and (Sotah 42a): "Four classes do not behold the Divine Presence: …the class of the speakers of lashon hara, as it is written (Tehillim 5:5): 'For You are not a G–d who desires wickedness, evil shall not dwell with You.'" Therefore, one who habituates himself to this evil trait does not walk in the way of the L–rd, which is only to do good to others, and he does the opposite — wherefore the Torah designated [lashon hara] as "evil" — so that he also transgresses this positive commandment [i.e., "And you shall walk in His ways."]
We have thus enumerated fourteen positive commandments, which tend to be transgressed by lashon hara and rechiluth (aside from the aforementioned seventeen negative commandments). And though all the seventeen negative commandments and fourteen positive commandments cannot obtain with one man and with one slur, as is clear to the reader, still, all who are habituated, G–d forbid, to this evil trait will certainly transgress all of them in the course of time. For sometimes he will come to speak lashon hara against an elder, and sometimes, against a sage. And sometimes he will demean him to his face and sometimes not to his face, as mentioned above.
We have thus enumerated fourteen positive commandments, which tend to be transgressed by lashon hara and rechiluth (aside from the aforementioned seventeen negative commandments). And though all the seventeen negative commandments and fourteen positive commandments cannot obtain with one man and with one slur, as is clear to the reader, still, all who are habituated, G–d forbid, to this evil trait will certainly transgress all of them in the course of time. For sometimes he will come to speak lashon hara against an elder, and sometimes, against a sage. And sometimes he will demean him to his face and sometimes not to his face, as mentioned above.
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