In the Blessed One's love for His people Israel and His great desire for their good — to the point of calling them "sons," and "the portion of the L–rd," and "inheritance," along with many other terms of affection which show His great love for Israel, viz. (Malachi 1:2): "I have loved You, said the L–rd, etc.," He distanced them from all forms of evil, especially from lashon hara and rechiluth. For it is these which bring men to quarrels and contention and which very often can lead to the spilling of blood, as the Rambam wrote (Hilchoth Deoth 4:1): "Even though there are no malkoth [stripes] for transgression of this negative commandment, it is a great sin, which leads to the killing of many souls in Israel, for which reason it [i.e., 'Do not go tale bearing among your people' (Vayikra 19:16) is followed by: 'Do not stand (idly) by the blood of your brother' — as evidenced by [the episode of] Doeg Ha'adomi and Nov, the city of priests (viz. I Samuel 22:9)."

Some additional great evils brought about by this despicable trait: It is well known that the sin of the [primal] serpent was brought about by the lashon hara that it spoke against the Holy One Blessed be He, saying [to Eve]: "He [G–d] ate from this tree [the Tree of Knowledge] and created the world," by which Eve was enticed to do likewise (viz. Shabbath 146a): "The serpent was 'intimate' with Eve and injected zuhamah ['pollution'] into her" — hence, [(the sin of) illicit relations], and also death to all mankind — hence, the spilling of blood. And through this [i.e., lashon hara] it induced Adam and Eve to transgress the will of the Holy One Blessed be He. It follows that one who speaks lashon hara adopts its [the serpent's] trait, which undermines the creation.

And the descent of Israel into Egypt, too, stemmed initially from this [i.e., from lashon hara], viz. (Bereshith 37:2): "And Joseph brought evil report of them [the sons of Leah] to their father," whence it was decreed by Heaven, measure for measure, that he be sold into slavery, his having accused them of calling their brothers [from the maidservants] "slaves" (viz. Bereshith Rabbah 84:7 and Yerushalmi Peah 1:1). Though Joseph had a heter [halachic license] for bringing this "evil report," as the exegetes explain, it is to be noted that this heter did not avail him [and he was sold into slavery].

And again, the entire reason for our present exile is the sin of the spies (viz. Tehillim 6:25-27): "And they murmured in their tents [against the land]. They hearkened not to the word of the L–rd. And He lifted up His hand [in oath] against them… to scatter them in the lands," as Rashi explains there and as the Ramban wrote (on Bamidbar 14:1). And it is stated in Arachin (15a) that the sin of the spies was essentially lashon hara, their giving out an evil report of the land. And because they then (on the eve of the ninth of Av) cried a "vain" cry, it (the ninth of Av) was decreed for them as a "crying" for the generations [e.g., the destruction of both Temples, etc.]. And countless other evils befell us because of this grave sin. For all the sages of Israel who were killed by King Yannai in the days of Shimon ben Shetach, the brother-in-law of King Yannai, were also killed because of the sin of rechiluth (viz. Kiddushin 66a). And the murder of the tanna, R. Elazar Hamodai, (which also contributed to the destruction of Betar) was likewise caused by rechiluth which was spoken against him before Ben Koziva (viz. Eichah Rabbah 2:4).

And because of the gravity of the evils found in this evil trait, the Torah exhorted us specifically against it by negative commandment, viz. (Vayikra 19:16): "Do not go talebearing among your people," as shall be explained below (as opposed to anger, cruelty, and levity and the other corrupt traits, which even though they undermine the majesty of the soul and its form, and they were alluded to in many places in the Torah, as explained in the words of Chazal — with all this, there is no explicit negative commandment against them [as there is against rechiluth] in the count of taryag [the 613 commandments] of the Torah.

And we shall note yet another reason for the Torah's exhorting us explicitly against these — lashon hara and rechiluth. For when we analyze them in truth, we find them to include almost all the negative and positive commandments which obtain between a man and his neighbor and many between a man and his Maker, as we shall explain, G–d willing. It is for this reason that the Torah exhorted us against these explicitly, so that we not become enmeshed in this evil snare. I shall explain this with the help of the Blessed One. And from this there shall follow, incidentally, great benefit vis-à-vis many other halachoth. And also, perhaps, because of this, the yetzer will be smitten when he [the transgressor] perceives the great havoc and harm wrought by his speech. And here I begin, with the help of Him who grants a man knowledge.

First we must know the principles of these halachoth of lashon hara and rechiluth. ("Lashon hara" is speaking disparagingly against one's friend, and "rechiluth," telling one the evil thing that his friend has spoken against him or done against him.) [The principles]: It [lashon hara and rechiluth] is forbidden even if true, as will be explained below, please G–d, in the name of all the poskim. Also, the prohibition of lashon hara and rechiluth applies both in his [the object's] presence and not in his presence. Also, there is no difference between speaking and receiving [lashon hara and rechiluth], all of which we shall explain further. A "receiver" of lashon hara is one who believes in his heart what is told him by his friend even if he does not abet him in the telling but only believes in his heart the lashon hara and rechiluth that he has heard. If he does believe it, he is called "the bearer of a false report" and transgresses (Shemoth 23:1): "Do not bear a false report." All of these principles have roots and branches, as in the other parts of the Torah. May the L–rd grant that we know them comprehensively.

And know that whenever we write that he transgresses both the negative and the positive commandments and the three "curses" attaching to them, which we shall mention and elucidate below, our intent is both lashon hara and rechiluth, and both what is false and what is true. And this is what we shall refer to in the Be'er Mayim Chayim as "in the first four modes" (unless we explicitly state that it applies only in one of them). And it shall then remain necessary for us only to explain in respect to all of the negative or positive commandments whether they apply in his [the object's presence or not in his presence, or to the speaker or to the receiver.

And those negative or positive commandments which include all of the modes, I shall refer to, in short, in the Be'er Mayim Chaim as "in all the eight modes" — that is: lashon hara and rechiluth, in his presence or not in his presence, both to the speaker and to the receiver, and both if false or if true. (Remember these things, for I will not reiterate them in the introduction.)

First we shall explain how many negative commandments one transgresses in the speaking of lashon hara and rechiluth, and then, how many positive commandments. Then, how many "curses" he brings upon himself, and, further, how many great issurim [prohibitions] result from this.

I shall divide this introduction into two parts; the first, to be called "Makor Chaim," and a supercommentary around it called "Be'er Mayim Chayim." The reason for these names I have given in the preface. In the Be'er Mayim Chayim it will be made clear to which mode each negative or positive commandment applies, along with some other halachoth. This I begin with the help of Him who grants a man knowledge.