But this din is subject to various qualifications, as I shall explain. For if he [the object of the lashon hara] were a "mediocre" person, a plain man of Israel, who generally guarded himself against sin, and "stumbled" in this sin only occasionally, and it is possible to assume that he committed this sin unintentionally, or that he did not know this thing to be forbidden, or that he thought the ruling to be a stringent one [chumra], or conducing to a good trait in general, which saintly men are circumspect in — then, even if he saw him transgress this several times, he should certainly be given the benefit of the doubt, and it is forbidden to expose him, so that he not be an object of shame before his people, and so that he not be shamed even in his own eyes. And it is forbidden to hate him for this, for he must be judged in the scales of merit, this being a positive commandment of the Torah, according to many poskim, viz. (Vayikra 19:15): "In [the scales of] righteousness shall you judge your friend."
אַךְ יִתְחַלֵּק זֶה הַדִּין לִפְרָטִים אֲחָדִים וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאֲבָאֵר, דְּאִם הוּא (ט) אִישׁ בֵּינוֹנִי כִּסְתָם אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁדַּרְכּוֹ לְהִשָּׁמֵר מֵחֵטְא וְנִכְשָׁל בְּחֵטְא רַק לִפְעָמִים, (י) וְיֵשׁ לִתְלוֹת, שֶׁעָשָׂה דָּבָר זֶה שֶׁלֹּא בְּמִּתְכַּוֵּן, (יא) אוֹ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁדָּבָר זֶה אָסוּר, אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה סָבוּר שֶׁהוּא חֻמְרָא וּמִדָּה טוֹבָה בְּעָלְמָא, שֶׁהַכְּשֵׁרִים נִזְהָרִין בָּזֶה, (יב) אֲזַי אֲפִלּוּ רָאוּהוּ כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים שֶׁעָבַר עַל זֶה, בְּוַדַּאי יֵשׁ לִתְלוֹת בָּזֶה, וַאֲסוּרִים לְגַלּוֹתוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לְבוּז בְּעֵינִי עַמּוֹ, וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּעֵינִי עַצְּמוֹ גַּם כֵּן לֹא יִתְבַּזֶּה, וְאָסוּר לִשְׂנֹא אוֹתוֹ עֲבוּר זֶה, דְּצָּרִיךְ לְדוּנוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת, וְהוּא מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה דְּאוֹרַיְתָא שֶׁל "בְּצֶּדֶק תִּשְׁפֹּט עֲמִיתֶךָ" לְכַמָּה פּוֹסְקִים.
But this din is subject to various qualifications, as I shall explain. For if he [the object of the lashon hara] were a "mediocre" person, a plain man of Israel, who generally guarded himself against sin, and "stumbled" in this sin only occasionally, and it is possible to assume that he committed this sin unintentionally, or that he did not know this thing to be forbidden, or that he thought the ruling to be a stringent one [chumra], or conducing to a good trait in general, which saintly men are circumspect in — then, even if he saw him transgress this several times, he should certainly be given the benefit of the doubt, and it is forbidden to expose him, so that he not be an object of shame before his people, and so that he not be shamed even in his own eyes. And it is forbidden to hate him for this, for he must be judged in the scales of merit, this being a positive commandment of the Torah, according to many poskim, viz. (Vayikra 19:15): "In [the scales of] righteousness shall you judge your friend."