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Reuven weighs 500 lbs. To say that he is so is loshon hara.

However, later, a blind person who heard my loshon hara is in a small elevator. The blind person hears Reuven say "Hold the door, I, Reuven, am coming to the elevator"

The blind person can then close the door and save himself from elevator failure.

Does the sin of me telling the blind person get erased because it later saved him from a loss?

If I told many people at the same time, does the entire sin get erased or only the portion that benefitted?

I made the person blind so he couldn't perceive reuvens size on his own.

Clint Eastwood
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  • "Reuven weighs 500 lbs. To say that he is so is loshon hara." Can you explain why? – Deuteronomy Feb 27 '24 at 13:42
  • Because it is true and serves no constructive purpose at the time of the utterance. – Clint Eastwood Feb 27 '24 at 13:58
  • What was the purpose of the utterance? – Deuteronomy Feb 27 '24 at 14:08
  • No purpose in mind. – Clint Eastwood Feb 27 '24 at 15:45
  • What prompted the question, out of interest? Do you have another case of sin being "kashered" this way in mind? – Rabbi Kaii Feb 27 '24 at 16:12
  • It is not clear to me that a true and publicly observed statement, stated without either a constructive or malicious intent ("the sky is blue"... "Tom's shirt is green"... "Reuven weighs 500 lbs") is deemed lashon r'a. Can you corroborate that claim with a source? It would make for a stronger question. – Deuteronomy Feb 27 '24 at 18:03
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    If someone robs a house of all their valuables, and an hour later the house burns down by accident, is the thief considered to have done a good deed by rescuing their valuables? Of course not. Even though retroactively it saved them from a loss – Chatzkel Feb 27 '24 at 18:16
  • The Chofetz Chaim in klal 10 mentions a few times that one of the requirements for toeles is to intend for the others benefit and not to enjoy putting down your friend. https://www.sefaria.org/Chafetz_Chaim%2C_Part_One%2C_The_Prohibition_Against_Lashon_Hara%2C_Principle_10.4.1?lang=bi – Chatzkel Feb 27 '24 at 18:19
  • What if you tell what you thought was a lie but it turned out to be true? – shmosel Feb 27 '24 at 20:57

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