And from all that we have written, we can see the greatness of the error that people always become involved in: If we see someone speaking lashon hara against his friend, not in his presence, and demeaning him — if you ask him: "Why are you speaking lashon hara?" he will immediately reply: "Because he, too, spoke against me before this and this man." This is a great error for two reasons. First, the one who told you this may not be believed according to the Torah by reason of acceptance of rechiluth, as we have written many times — then how is it permitted for you to go and speak about him because of this? And second, even if the thing were true, that he did speak about you, it is still forbidden to speak lashon hara against him because of this, as we wrote in section 11 above.
וּמִכָּל מַה שֶּׁכָּתַבְנוּ נוּכַל לִרְאוֹת אֶת גֹּדֶל הַטָּעוּת, שֶׁמִּשְׁתַּבְּשִׁין בּוֹ בְּנֵי אָדָם תָּמִיד, שֶׁאִם נִרְאֶה לְאֶחָד, שֶׁמְּדַבֵּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע עַל חֲבֵרוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו, וּמְגַנְּה אוֹתוֹ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁאָלֶנּוּ: לָמָּה אַתָּה מְדַבֵּר עָלָיו לָשׁוֹן הָרָע? תֵּכֶף יָשִׁיב לְךָ: מִפְּנֵי שֶׁגַּם הוּא דִּבֵּר עָלַי בִּפְנִי פְּלוֹנִי וּפְלוֹנִי. וְזוֹ טָעוּת גְּדוֹלָה מִפְּנִי כַּמָּה טְעָמִים: אֶחָד, שֶׁמִּי שֶׁסִפֵּר לְךָ זֶה, אָסוּר מִן הַתּוֹרָה לְהַאֲמִינוֹ מִפְּנֵי קַּבָּלַת רְכִילוּת, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים, וְאֵיךְ יִהְיֶה מֻתָּר לֵילֵךְ וּלְסַפֵּר עָלָיו מֵחֲמַת זֶה. וְעוֹד, דְּלוּ יְהֵא שֶׁהַדָּבָר אֱמֶת, שֶׁהוּא דִּבֵּר עָלֶיךָ, (מ) גַּם כֵּן אָסוּר מֵחֲמַת זֶה לֵילֵךְ וּלְדַבֵּר עָלָיו לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, (מא) וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ בְּסָעִיף י"ד הַנַּ"ל.
And from all that we have written, we can see the greatness of the error that people always become involved in: If we see someone speaking lashon hara against his friend, not in his presence, and demeaning him — if you ask him: "Why are you speaking lashon hara?" he will immediately reply: "Because he, too, spoke against me before this and this man." This is a great error for two reasons. First, the one who told you this may not be believed according to the Torah by reason of acceptance of rechiluth, as we have written many times — then how is it permitted for you to go and speak about him because of this? And second, even if the thing were true, that he did speak about you, it is still forbidden to speak lashon hara against him because of this, as we wrote in section 11 above.