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.
אֵין שׁוּם הֶתֵּר לְהַאֲמִין בְּלָשׁוֹן הָרָע, אֲפִלּוּ אִם הַמְסַפֵּר סִפֵּר עָלָיו (ב) הַלָשׁוֹן הָרָע בְּפָנָיו, כֵּיוָן שֶׁלֹּא שָׁמַעְנוּ הוֹדָאָה עַל זֶה מִפִּי הַנִּדּוֹן, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן אִם אֵין מְסַפֵּר עַתָּה בְּפָנָיו, רַק אוֹמֵר, שֶׁהָיָה אוֹמֵר אֶת הַדְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ בְּפָנָיו, דְּאָסוּר לְהַאֲמִינוֹ מִטַּעַם זֶה, וּבַעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ הָרַבִּים, הָעוֹלָם נִכְשָׁלִין בָּזֶה מְאֹד. (ג) וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם הוּא שׁוֹתֵק עַתָּה, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאוֹמְרִים עָלָיו הַדִּבְרֵי גְּנוּת בְּפָנָיו, אֲפִלּוּ הָכֵי { אף על פי כן} אֵין לִקַּח מִזֶּה שׁוּם רְאָיָה לְהַחְלִיט, שֶׁהַדָּבָר אֱמֶת, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם טִבְעוֹ תָּמִיד, שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁתֹּק, כְּשֶׁאוֹמְרִים לוֹ דָּבָר, שֶׁלֹּא כִּרְצוֹנוֹ, וּבְזוֹ הַפַּעַם הוּא שׁוֹתֵק, כִּי אוּלַי נִתְגַבֵּר עַתָּה עַל טִבְעוֹ וְגָמַר בְּדַעְתּוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲנוֹת עַל רִיב, אוֹ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁרָאָה, שֶׁבְּוַדַּאי יַאֲמִינוּ יוֹתֵר לְדִבְרֵי הַמְסַפֵּר מִלִּדְבָרָיו, כַּמִּנְהָג הָרַע שֶׁל הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁמֻּסְכָּם אֶצְּלָם, שֶׁאִם רַק יְסַפֵּר אֶת הַדְּבָרִים בְּפָנָיו, אֲפִלּוּ אִם הַשֶּׁכְּנֶגְדּוֹ יַכְחִישֶׁנּוּ מֵאָה פְּעָמִים, לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לוֹ שׁוּב, וּלְכָךְ הִסְכִּים אָז בְּנַפְשׁוֹ, שֶׁטּוֹב יוֹתֵר לִשְׁתֹּק עַל זֶה וְלִהְיוֹת מֵּהַנְּעֱלָבִים, עַל כֵּן אָסוּר לִקַּח רְאָיָה מִזֶּה לְהַחְלִיט, שֶׁהַדָּבָר אֱמֶת.
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.