And there is no distinction in this between [reporting him to have transgressed] an absolute negative commandment or an absolute positive commandment of the Torah, which is well known to be forbidden, in which instance he will certainly be shamed before the hearer, but even if it is something which many Jews are not careful about, in which instance he will not be greatly demeaned, such as saying about one that he does not want to learn Torah or that something which he said is false and the like (unless there be some benefit in this, such as apprising his friend that something is false, intending only his benefit, as will be explained below in Principle 10) — even in such instances, it is forbidden. For in any event, according to his [the speaker's] words, he is a man that does not fulfill the Torah. And it is even forbidden to speak against him in the branches of the mitzvoth, such as that he is stingy and does not honor the Sabbath as he should (this [the honoring of the Sabbath] being included in the positive commandment of "Zachor" [i.e., "Remember [Zachor] the day of the Sabbath to sanctify it" (Shemoth 20:8)], as explained in Charedim].) Or even if he maligns him for violating a general edict of the Rabbis, as when they [the Rabbis] rule that ab initio this and this should not be done. And [it is forbidden] even if not spoken to his face, and even if it is true, he [the speaker himself] having seen him do this thing.
וְאֵין חִלּוּקּ בָּזֶה, בֵּין אִם הוּא לָאו גָּמוּר אוֹ עֲשֵׂה גְּמוּרָה דְּאוֹרַיְתָא הַמְפֻרְסָם שֶׁהוּא אָסוּר, שֶׁבְּוַדַּאי יִתְבַּזֶּה מְּאֹד לִפְנֵי הַשּׁוֹמֵּעַ עַל יְדֵי סִפּוּרוֹ, אֲפִלּוּ אִם הוּא דָּבָר, (ה) שֶׁאֵין נִזְהָרִין בָּזֶה הַרְבֵּה מֵהֲמוֹנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאֵין לוֹ בָּזֶה גְּנוּת גָּדוֹל כָּל כָּךְ, כְּגוֹן לוֹמַר עַל אֶחָד (ו) שֶׁאֵינוֹ רוֹצֶּה לִלְמֹד תּוֹרָה אוֹ שֶׁדָּבָר פְּלוֹנִי שֶׁסִפֵּר הוּא שֶׁקֶר (אִם לֹא שֶׁיֵּשׁ תּוֹעֶלֶת בָּזֶה שֶׁהוֹדִיעַ לַחֲבֵרוֹ שֶׁהַמַּעֲשֶׂה הוּא שֶׁקֶר וּמְכַוֵּן רַק לְתוֹעֶלֶת וּכְעֵין שֶׁנְּבָאֵר לְקַמָּן בִּכְלָל י') וְכָל כַּיּוֹצֵּא בָּזֶה אַף עַל פִּי כֵן אָסוּר, כֵּיוָן שֶׁעַל כָּל פָּנִים לְפִי דְּבָרָיו הוּא אִישׁ, שֶׁאֵינֶנּוּ מְקַיֵּם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה. וַאֲפִלּוּ לְסַפֵּר עָלָיו בְּעַנְפֵי הַמִּצְּוֹת, כְּגוֹן שֶׁהוּא עַצְּרָן בְּמָמוֹן וְאֵינוֹ מְכַבֵּד שַׁבָּת כָּרָאוּי, שֶׁדָּבָר זֶה נִכְלָל בְּמִצְּוַת עֲשֵׂה דְּזָכוֹר, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתב בְּסֵפֶר "חֲרֵדִים", אוֹ אֲפִלּוּ הוּא מִלְּתָא דְּרַבָּנָן בְּעָלְמָא, שֶׁהֵם אָמְּרוּ, (ז) שֶׁאֵין רָאוּי לַעֲשׂוֹת זֶה הַדָּבָר לְכַתְּחִלָּה, וְהוּא מְסַפֵּר עָלָיו, אֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו, וְהוּא אֱמֶּת, שֶׁרָאָהוּ בְּעַצְמוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, (ח) גַּם כֵּן אָסוּר.
And there is no distinction in this between [reporting him to have transgressed] an absolute negative commandment or an absolute positive commandment of the Torah, which is well known to be forbidden, in which instance he will certainly be shamed before the hearer, but even if it is something which many Jews are not careful about, in which instance he will not be greatly demeaned, such as saying about one that he does not want to learn Torah or that something which he said is false and the like (unless there be some benefit in this, such as apprising his friend that something is false, intending only his benefit, as will be explained below in Principle 10) — even in such instances, it is forbidden. For in any event, according to his [the speaker's] words, he is a man that does not fulfill the Torah. And it is even forbidden to speak against him in the branches of the mitzvoth, such as that he is stingy and does not honor the Sabbath as he should (this [the honoring of the Sabbath] being included in the positive commandment of "Zachor" [i.e., "Remember [Zachor] the day of the Sabbath to sanctify it" (Shemoth 20:8)], as explained in Charedim].) Or even if he maligns him for violating a general edict of the Rabbis, as when they [the Rabbis] rule that ab initio this and this should not be done. And [it is forbidden] even if not spoken to his face, and even if it is true, he [the speaker himself] having seen him do this thing.