They are: a) He must be careful not to immediately conclude that harm will result, but must reflect carefully from the beginning to see if the result will, indeed, be harmful.
(And in this third condition, we shall include yet another matter — that aside from his intending benefit and not being motivated by hatred, he must first reflect as to whether benefit will actually sprout from this — as opposed to what happens very often, that even if tells him, he will not listen to him, but will enter into partnership with him, and afterwards, when his partner angers him with something, he will tell him: "He was right when he told me not to become your partner," and the like. For such people, whom he recognizes to possess this evil trait of rechiluth, no heter is conceivable, for it makes these blind men stumble in the absolute negative commandment of rechiluth.)
e) All this is permitted only if absolute harm will not come to the one spoken of because of what is said about him. That is, they are not permitted to do him any positive harm, but only to deprive him of the good that might have come to him from the partnership. Even though [even] this is bad for him, in any event it is permitted. But if absolute harm comes to him because of what is said about him, it is forbidden to speak about him; for this would require other conditions, as will be explained below, the L–rd willing, in sections 5 and 6. And how much more so [is it forbidden] if he sees that his story would cause the subject great harm, more than the din prescribes (viz. below, section 5).
וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: א) יִזָּהֵר מְאֹד, שֶׁלֹּא יַחְלִיט תֵּכֶף אֶת הָעִנְיָן בְּדַעְתּוֹ לְעִנְיָן רַע, רַק (ב) יִתְבּוֹנִן הֵיטֵב מִתְּחִלָּה, אִם הוּא בְּעֶצֶם רַע.
They are: a) He must be careful not to immediately conclude that harm will result, but must reflect carefully from the beginning to see if the result will, indeed, be harmful.
ב) שֶׁלֹּא יַגְדִּיל בְּסִפּוּרוֹ אֶת הָעִנְיָן לְרַע יוֹתֵר מִמַּה שֶּׁהוּא.
b) He must not exaggerate the matter to be worse than it actually is.
ג) שֶׁיְּכַוֵּן (ג) רַק לְתוֹעֶלֶת, דְּהַיְנוּ, לְסַלֵּק הַנְּזָקִין מִזֶּה, וְלֹא מִצַּד שִׂנְאָה עַל הַשֶּׁכְּנֶגְדּוֹ.
c) His intent must be for benefit only; that is, to remove the harm from the first, and not because he hates the other.
(וּבְזֶה הַפְּרָט הַג' נִכְלָל גַּם כֵּן עוֹד עִנְיָן אַחֵר, שֶׁמִּלְבַד הַכַּוָּנָה, שֶׁיְּכַוֵּן לְתוֹעֶלֶת, וְלֹא מִצַּד שִׂנְאָה, יִתְבּוֹנִן מִתְּחִלָּה, אִם תָּבוֹא מִזֶּה תּוֹעֶלֶת, לַאֲפוּקֵי {להוציא} (ד) מִמַּה שֶּׁמָּצּוּי כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ אִם יֹאמַר לוֹ, לֹא יִשְׁמַע לוֹ, וְיִשְׁתַּתֵּף עִמּוֹ, (ה) וְאַחַר כָּךְ כְּשֶׁיַּרְגִּיזוֹ חֲבֵרוֹ בְּאֵיזֶה דָּבָר, אוֹמֵר לוֹ: יָפֶה אָמַר עָלֶיךָ פְּלוֹנִי, שֶׁאֵין רָאוּי לְהִשְׁתַּתֵּף עִמְּךָ, וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, לַאֲנָשִׁים כָּאֵלּוּ שֶׁהוּא מַכִּירָם, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם מִדָּה רָעָה זוֹ דִּרְכִילוּת, לֹא יְצֻּיַּר שׁוּם הֶתֵּר, כִּי הוּא מַכְשִׁיל אֶת הָעִוְּרִים הַלָּלוּ בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה גְּמוּרָה דִּרְכִילוּת).
(And in this third condition, we shall include yet another matter — that aside from his intending benefit and not being motivated by hatred, he must first reflect as to whether benefit will actually sprout from this — as opposed to what happens very often, that even if tells him, he will not listen to him, but will enter into partnership with him, and afterwards, when his partner angers him with something, he will tell him: "He was right when he told me not to become your partner," and the like. For such people, whom he recognizes to possess this evil trait of rechiluth, no heter is conceivable, for it makes these blind men stumble in the absolute negative commandment of rechiluth.)
ד אִם (ו) הוּא יָכוֹל לְסַבֵּב אֶת הַתּוֹעֶלֶת הַזּוֹ, מִבְּלִי שֶׁיִּצְטָרֵךְ לְגַלּוֹת לְפָנָיו עִנְיָנָיו לְרַע, אֵין לְסַפֵּר עָלָיו.
d) If he can effect this benefit [in some other way] without having to speak badly of the other, he should do so.
ה כָּל זֶה אֵינוֹ מֻתָּר, רַק אִם לֹא יְסֻבַּב עַל יְדֵי הַסִפּוּר רָעָה מַמָּשׁ לַנִּדּוֹן, דְּהַיְנוּ, שֶׁלֹּא יָרֵעוּ עִמּוֹ מַמָּשׁ, רַק שֶׁתּוּסַר מִמֶּנּוּ עַל יְדֵי זֶה הַטּוֹבָה, שֶׁהָיָה עוֹשֶׂה עִמּוֹ הַשֶּׁכְּנֶגְדּוֹ, אַף דְּמִמֵּילָא דָּבָר זֶה הוּא רָעָה לוֹ, מִכָּל מָקוֹם מִתָּר. אֲבָל אִם יַגִּיעַ לוֹ עַל יְדֵי סִפּוּרוֹ רָעָה מַמָּשׁ, (ז) אָסוּר לְסַפֵּר עָלָיו, כִּי יִצְטָרֵךְ לָזֶה (ח) עוֹד פְּרָטִים, וִיבֹאֲרוּ לְקַמָּן אִם יִרְצֶה ה' בְּסָעִיף ה' ו'. וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן אִם הוּא רוֹאֶה, שֶׁיְּסֻבַּב עַל יְדֵי סִפּוּרוֹ לַנִּדּוֹן רָעָה רַבָּה (ט) יוֹתֵר מִכְּפִי הַדִּין, דְּאָסוּר לְסַפֵּר עָלָיו. וְעַיֵּן לְקַמָּן בְּסָעִיף ה', מַה שֶּׁכָּתַבְנוּ שָׁם.
e) All this is permitted only if absolute harm will not come to the one spoken of because of what is said about him. That is, they are not permitted to do him any positive harm, but only to deprive him of the good that might have come to him from the partnership. Even though [even] this is bad for him, in any event it is permitted. But if absolute harm comes to him because of what is said about him, it is forbidden to speak about him; for this would require other conditions, as will be explained below, the L–rd willing, in sections 5 and 6. And how much more so [is it forbidden] if he sees that his story would cause the subject great harm, more than the din prescribes (viz. below, section 5).