Chofetz Chaim


The "Sefer Chafetz Chaim" is the magnum opus of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, who later became known simply as The Chofetz Chaim. The book deals with the Jewish ethics and laws of speech, and is considered the authoritative source on the subject.

The book

The title of the work Chafetz Chaim by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan is taken from Psalms :
The subject of the book is hilchos shmiras halashon. Rabbi Kagan provides copious sources from the Torah, Talmud and Rishonim about the severity of Jewish law on tale-mongering and gossip. Lashon hara, meaning evil speech, is sometimes translated as prohibitions of slander, but in essence is concerning the prohibitions of saying evil/bad/unpleasant things about a person, whether or not they are true.
The book is divided into three parts:

The author

Rabbi Israel Meir HaCohen Kagan is commonly known as the "Chafetz Chaim," the name of his famous work on guarding one's tongue. He was born in Dzyatlava, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire, on January 26, 1838. As his reputation grew, students from all over Europe flocked to him and by 1869 his house became known as the Radin Yeshiva. The Chafetz Chaim published twenty one books. His first work, Sefer Chafetz Chaim, is the first attempt to organize and clarify the laws regarding Lashon Hara. Other notable works include the Sefer Shmirat HaLashon, an ethical work on the importance of guarding one's tongue and the Mishnah Berurah which is a commentary on the Orach Chayim, the first section of the Shulchan Aruch, and has been accepted universally among Ashkenazi Jews as an authoritative source of Halacha.