Just as it is forbidden to accept lashon hara, according to the Torah, so is it forbidden to accept rechiluth according to the Torah, it, too, being in the category of lashon hara. That is, he must not believe in his heart that what was told him about Ploni's having done to him or said about him is true. And the accepter transgresses (Shemoth 23:1): "You shall not bear a false report," aside from the other negative and positive commandments that 104 are adjoined to this, as explained above in the introduction. And Chazal have said (Arachin 15b): "Lashon hara kills three: the speaker, the accepter, and the one it was said about" (as we know from the episode of Doeg, who was banished from the world to come because of [speaking] rechiluth; and Nov the city of Cohanim was wiped out because of the rechiluth spoken about them; and Saul was killed thereafter because of having accepted the rechiluth). And the accepter is worse than the speaker. And Chazal have said (Pesachim 118a) that if one speaks lashon hara or accepts lashon hara, he is fit to be cast to the dogs, it being written: "You shall not bear a false report," preceded by: "To the dog shall you cast it."
כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאָסוּר לְקַבֵּל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע מִן הַתּוֹרָה, כָּךְ (א) אָסוּר לְקַבֵּל רְכִילוּת מִן הַתּוֹרָה, שֶׁגַּם הִיא בִּכְלַל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע. דְּהַיְנוּ, שֶׁלֹּא יַאֲמִין בְּלִבּוֹ, שֶׁמַּה שֶּׁסִפֵּר לוֹ, שֶׁכָּךְ וְכָךְ עָשָׂה לוֹ פְּלוֹנִי, אוֹ דִּבֵּר עָלָיו פְּלוֹנִי, הוּא אֱמֶת. וְהַמְקַבֵּל עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לֹא תִשָּׂא שֵׁמַע שָׁוְא לְבַד שְׁאָר לָאוִין וַעֲשִׂין הַמִּצְּטָרְפִין לָזֶה, כַּמְבֹאָר לְעֵיל בַּפְּתִיחָה, עַיֵּן שָׁם. וְאָמְרוּ חֲזַל: שְׁלֹשָה לָשׁוֹן הָרָע הוֹרַגְתָּן, הָאוֹמְרוֹ, וְהַמְקַבְּלוֹ, וּמִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר עָלָיו, (כְּמוֹ שֶׁיָּדוּעַ מֵעִנְיַן דּוֹאֵג, שֶׁנִּטְרַד מֵעוֹלָם הַבָּא בְּסִבַּת הָרְכִילוּת, וְנֶהֶרְגָה נוֹב עִיר הַכֹּהֲנִים, אֲשֶׁר נֶאֱמַר עֲלֵיהֶם הָרְכִילוּת, וְנְהרַג שָׁאוּל אַחַר כָּךְ, עֲבוּר שֶׁקִּבֵּל אֶת הָרְכִילוּת), וְהַמְקַבְּלוֹ יוֹתֵר מִן הָאוֹמְרוֹ. וְאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל: שֶׁכָּל הַמְסַפֵּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע וְהַמְקַבֵּל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, רָאוּי לְהַשְׁלִיכוֹ לַכְּלָבִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לֹא תִשָּׂא שֵׁמַע שָׁוְא, וְסָמִיךְ לֵה: לַכֶּלֶב תַּשְׁלִיכוּן אוֹתוֹ.
Just as it is forbidden to accept lashon hara, according to the Torah, so is it forbidden to accept rechiluth according to the Torah, it, too, being in the category of lashon hara. That is, he must not believe in his heart that what was told him about Ploni's having done to him or said about him is true. And the accepter transgresses (Shemoth 23:1): "You shall not bear a false report," aside from the other negative and positive commandments that 104 are adjoined to this, as explained above in the introduction. And Chazal have said (Arachin 15b): "Lashon hara kills three: the speaker, the accepter, and the one it was said about" (as we know from the episode of Doeg, who was banished from the world to come because of [speaking] rechiluth; and Nov the city of Cohanim was wiped out because of the rechiluth spoken about them; and Saul was killed thereafter because of having accepted the rechiluth). And the accepter is worse than the speaker. And Chazal have said (Pesachim 118a) that if one speaks lashon hara or accepts lashon hara, he is fit to be cast to the dogs, it being written: "You shall not bear a false report," preceded by: "To the dog shall you cast it."