One must also take care not to praise his friend with praise that leads to loss, as in a guest's going out to the city square and proclaiming to all how lavishly his host entertained him with food and drink and how many pains he took for him. For through this, "empty" men will gather and converge upon the host and consume his fare. Of one such as this it is written (Mishlei 27:14): "He who blesses his friend in a loud voice early in the morning, it will be accounted a curse to him." And from this it may be derived that the same is true of one who received a loan from his friend and publicized to all his great generosity. For through this many disreputable men will converge upon him and he will not be able to put them off. And one must heed his mouth and his tongue not to be suspect in his words and not to be regarded as a speaker of lashon hara. And if he brings himself to be suspected, this is in the category of the "dust" of lashon hara.
2
*מה שלא זכרתי נורא בי פלניא (אש אצל פלוני) בענין אבק, אף שכן כתבתי לעיל בכלל ב' (באר מים חיים ב') ומקורו מרשב"ם בבא בתרא (קס"ה. דבור המתחיל 'אבק'), והשערי תשובה לרבנו יונה, כי ראיתי אחר כך בדברי הגהות מימוני בפרק ז' מהלכות דעות ובדברי הסמ"ג, ומשמע מדבריהם דהוא לשון הרע גמורה.
גַּם יֵשׁ לוֹ לְאָדָם לִזָּהֵר מִלְּשַׁבֵּחַ אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ בְּשֶׁבַח, הַבָּא לִידֵי הֶפְסֵד, (ח) כְּעִנְיַן הָאוֹרֵחַ, שֶׁיֵּצֵא בִּרְחוֹב הָעִיר וִיפַרְסֵם לַכֹּלּ, אֶת אֲשֶׁר גְּמָלוֹ בַּעַל הַבַּיִת טוֹבָה בַּאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה וְטָרַח לְפָנָיו הַרְבֵּה, כִּי עַל יְדֵי זֶה יִתְלַקְּטוּ אֲנָשִׁים רֵיקִים וְיָסוּרוּ אֶל בֵּית בַּעַל הַבַּיִת וִיכַלּוּ אֶת מָמוֹנוֹ. וְעַל עִנְיָן כָּזֶה נֶאֱמַר {במשלי כ"ז י"ד}: "מְבָרֵךְ רֵעֵהוּ בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל בַּבֹּקֶר הַשְׁכֵּם קְלָלָה תֵּחָשֵׁב לוֹ". וּמִזֶּה יֵשׁ לִלְמֹד, דְּהוּא הַדִּין, אִם אֶחָד הִשִּׂיג הַלְוָאָה מֵאֵת חֲבֵרוֹ, וּמְפַרְסֵם לַכֹּל אֶת גֹּדֶל טוֹבָתוֹ, כִּי עַל יְדֵי זֶה מָצוּי הוּא, שֶׁיִּתְקַבְּצוּ אֵלָיו אֲנָשִׁים רָעִים, וְאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהִשָּׁמֵט עַצְמוֹ מֵהֶם. וְחַיָּב הָאָדָם לִשְׁמֹר פִּיו וּלְשׁוֹנוֹ, (ט) שֶׁלֹּא יֵחָשֵׁד בִּדְבָרָיו, וְיִתְּנוּ אוֹתוֹ כִּמְסַפֵּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, וְאִם הֵבִיא עַצְמוֹ לִידֵי הַחֲשָׁד, הוּא בִּכְלַל אֲבַק לָשׁוֹן הָרָע *.
One must also take care not to praise his friend with praise that leads to loss, as in a guest's going out to the city square and proclaiming to all how lavishly his host entertained him with food and drink and how many pains he took for him. For through this, "empty" men will gather and converge upon the host and consume his fare. Of one such as this it is written (Mishlei 27:14): "He who blesses his friend in a loud voice early in the morning, it will be accounted a curse to him." And from this it may be derived that the same is true of one who received a loan from his friend and publicized to all his great generosity. For through this many disreputable men will converge upon him and he will not be able to put them off. And one must heed his mouth and his tongue not to be suspect in his words and not to be regarded as a speaker of lashon hara. And if he brings himself to be suspected, this is in the category of the "dust" of lashon hara.
*מה שלא זכרתי נורא בי פלניא (אש אצל פלוני) בענין אבק, אף שכן כתבתי לעיל בכלל ב' (באר מים חיים ב') ומקורו מרשב"ם בבא בתרא (קס"ה. דבור המתחיל 'אבק'), והשערי תשובה לרבנו יונה, כי ראיתי אחר כך בדברי הגהות מימוני בפרק ז' מהלכות דעות ובדברי הסמ"ג, ומשמע מדבריהם דהוא לשון הרע גמורה.