Group None

There is no heter to believe lashon hara, even if the speaker spoke it to his face, since we have heard no acknowledgment of this from the one spoken about; how much more so [are we not to believe it] if the speaker is not now before him, but only says that he would have spoken it to his face. And, in our many sins, men greatly stumble in this. And even if he remains silent now, when the demeaning things are said before him, even so, no proof is to be taken from this that what was said was true. And even if it was always his [the object's] nature never to remain silent when he was told something against him, and this time he does remain silent, [this is no proof of his guilt], for perhaps, this time, he overcame his nature and resolved "not to answer to the quarrel," or perhaps he saw that certainly they would believe the words of the speaker rather than his — as is the nature of the world, it being commonly held that if one but speak the things to the other's face, even if the other deny them a hundred times, he will be believed no more — wherefore he took counsel with himself that it were better to remain silent and be of the company of "the shamed." This being so, it is forbidden to take proof from this [his silence] that the thing is true.