אֵין חִלּוּק בִּלְשׁוֹן הָאַזְהָרָה, בֵּין שֶׁצִּוָּם (יז) שֶׁלֹּא יְדַבְּרוּ עוֹד מִזֶּה הָעִנְיָן כְּלָל, וּבֵין שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם, שֶׁאַל יִוָּדַע מִכֶּם דָּבָר, בְּכָל גַּוְנִי {בכל האפנים} אָסוּר לְגַלּוֹת מֵהַגְּנוּת שֶׁל פְּלוֹנִי אֲפִלּוּ לְאַחֵר, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן לְמִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עָלָיו, דְּעַל יְדֵי שֶׁיְּגַלֶּה לְאַחֵר, יִתְגַּלֶּה לְבַסוֹף לַכֹּל וַאֲפִלּוּ לוֹ, דְּחַבְרָךְ חַבְרָא אִית לֵה *. עוֹד נִרְאֶה פָּשׁוּט, (יט) דְּדַוְקָא אִם הַשּׁוֹמְעִים הָיוּ שְׁלֹשׁה, לַאֲפוּקֵי {להוציא} אִם שְׁנַיִם סִפְּרוּ בִּפְנִי שְׁנַיִם לֹא שַׁיָּךְ הַאי הֶתֵּרָא כְּלָל, וְעַיֵּן בִּבְאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים.
There is no difference in the language of the exhortation, whether he exhorted them not to mention the subject at all anymore, or whether he said to them, "Let none of this be made known by you" — in all modes, it is forbidden to reveal the demeaning of another, even to a different person; how much more so to the person demeaned himself. For if it is revealed to another, in the end it will become known to all, and even to him [the person demeaned] through the channels of "Your friend has a friend, etc." It also seems obvious that [the heter of apei telata applies] only if the hearers were three, as opposed to an instance of two who spoke before two, where this heter does not apply at all. [See Be'er Mayim Chayim.]