How much more so [is he forbidden to relate it] if he did nothing [actively] wrong to him, but did not bestow upon him benefactions which [in his eyes] he should have bestowed upon him in the form of loans or charity or hospitality and the like. If he goes and relates this to others afterwards to demean this man thereby, this is absolute lashon hara according to the din, as we wrote above (Principle V, section 1); and he also transgresses in this several other negative commandments aside from the issur of lashon hara, as we explained in the aforementioned principle. And, in our many sins, many go astray in this, as we see in practice — that if one is not accepted as graciously as he would like in one city, then, when he travels later to a different city, he publicizes demeaningly the prominent men of the first city because they did not assist him in his affairs. How much more so, if he defames the whole city in general because of this, is his sin egregious! For the issur of lashon hara, even if true, as we wrote above, obtains even if he speaks against one man; how much more so, if he speaks against an entire city in Israel which is staunch in belief in the L–rd, is this sin a grave one.
וְקַל וָחֹמֶר אִם לֹא הֵרַע לוֹ, רַק לֹא הֵיטִיב עִמּוֹ בְּטוֹבוֹת, אֲשֶׁר הָיָה רָאוּי לְהֵיטִיב עִמּוֹ בְּעִנְיְנֵי הַלְוָאָה וּצְּדָקָה וְהַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, אִם הוּא הוֹלֵךְ וּמְגַלֶּה אַחַר כָּךְ דָּבָר זֶה לַאֲנָשִׁים לְגַנּוֹת פְּלוֹנִי בָּזֶה, לָשׁוֹן הָרָע גְּמוּרָה הִיא מִן הַדִּין, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ לְעֵיל בִּכְלָל ה' סָעִיף א', וְעוֹבֵר בָּזֶה עוֹד עַל כַּמָּה לָאוִין אֲחֵרִים, לְבַד אִסוּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ בַּכְּלָל הַנַּ"ל. וְנִכְשָׁלִין בָּזֶה, בַּעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ הָרַבִּים, הַרְבֵּה אֲנָשִׁים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָנוּ רוֹאִין בַּעֲלִיל, שֶׁאִם לֹא יְקַבְּלוּ לְאֶחָד בְּסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת כִּרְצּוֹנוֹ בְּעִיר אַחַת, כְּשֶׁהוּא נוֹסֵעַ אַחַר כָּךְ לְעִיר אַחֶרֶת, מְפַרְסֵם לִגְנוּת עֲבוּר זֶה הָאֲנָשִׁים הַחֲשׁוּבִים דְּשָׁם, מִפְּנִי שֶׁלֹּא סִיְּעוּהוּ בְּעִנְיָנָיו. וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן אִם מְבַזֶּה עֲבוּר זֶה סְתָם לְכָל הָעִיר, (לב) בְּוַדַּאי עָוֹן פְּלִילִי הוּא, כִּי אִסוּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, אֲפִלּוּ עַל אֱמֶת, שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ לְמַעְלָה, הוּא אֲפִלּוּ אִם מְסַפֵּר עַל אִישׁ פְּרָטִי, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן עַל עִיר שְׁלֵמָה שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל הַמַּחֲזִיקִים בֶּאֱמוּנַת ה', וַדַּאי עָוֹן גָּדוֹל הוּא.
How much more so [is he forbidden to relate it] if he did nothing [actively] wrong to him, but did not bestow upon him benefactions which [in his eyes] he should have bestowed upon him in the form of loans or charity or hospitality and the like. If he goes and relates this to others afterwards to demean this man thereby, this is absolute lashon hara according to the din, as we wrote above (Principle V, section 1); and he also transgresses in this several other negative commandments aside from the issur of lashon hara, as we explained in the aforementioned principle. And, in our many sins, many go astray in this, as we see in practice — that if one is not accepted as graciously as he would like in one city, then, when he travels later to a different city, he publicizes demeaningly the prominent men of the first city because they did not assist him in his affairs. How much more so, if he defames the whole city in general because of this, is his sin egregious! For the issur of lashon hara, even if true, as we wrote above, obtains even if he speaks against one man; how much more so, if he speaks against an entire city in Israel which is staunch in belief in the L–rd, is this sin a grave one.