וְלִפְעָמִים (ו) מִצְוָה לִשְׁמֹעַ, מַה שֶּׁאֶחָד מְסַפֵּר דִּבְרֵי גְּנוּת עַל חֲבֵרוֹ, כְּגוֹן, שֶׁהוּא מְשַׁעֵר שֶׁעַל יְדֵי שְׁמִיעָתוֹ אֶת הָעִנְיָן בִּשְׁלֵמוּת, יִהְיֶה אַחַר כָּךְ בְּכֹחוֹ לְהַרְאוֹת לִפְנֵי הַמְסַפֵּר אוֹ שְׁאָר הַשּׁוֹמְעִים, שֶׁאֵין הַמּעֲשֶׂה כֵּן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עָלָיו אוֹ שְׁאָר עִנְיְנֵי זְכוּת*. וְעוֹד יֵשׁ אֹפֶן אַחֵר גַּם כֵּן דְּמִצְּוָה לִשְׁמֹעַ, כְּגוֹן, אִם בָּא אֶחָד לְפָנָיו לִקְּבּל עַל חְבֵרוֹ מֵאֵיזֶה דָּבָר, שֶׁעָשָׂה נֶגְדּוֹ, וְהוּא מַכִּיר בְּהַמְסַפֵּר, שֶׁבָּזֶה שֶׁיִּתֵּן אֹזֶן לִדְבָרָיו, יִהְיֶה יְכֹלֶת בְּיָדוֹ לְהַשְׁקִיט אֶת אַפּוֹ מֵעָלָיו, וְלֹא יָשׁוּב עוֹד לְסַפֵּר לַאֲנָשִׁים אֲחֵרִים, (כִּי אוּלַי הָאֲחֵרִים יַאֲמִינוּ לִדְבָרָיו וְיִהְיוּ מְקַבְּלֵי לָשׁוֹן הָרָע), וּבָזֶה יִתְרַבֶּה הַשָּׁלוֹם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. אַךְ בְּכָל הַהֶתֵּרִים, שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ בְּעִנְיַן הַשְּׁמִיעָה, יִזָּהֵר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ מְאֹד, שֶׁלֹּא יַאֲמִין בְּעֵת הַשְּׁמִיעָה בְּהֶחְלֵט, רַק לָחוּשׁ לָזֶה בִּלְבַד, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִלָּכֵד גַּם הוּא בְּרֶשֶׁת עֲוֹן קַבָּלַת לָשׁוֹן הָרָע.
And sometimes it is a mitzvah to hear one's speaking demeaningly of his friend, as when he feels that by hearing the story completely, he might be able thereafter to show the speaker or the other listeners that what was said about him was not true, or other things in his favor. And there are yet other circumstances in which it is a mitzvah to hear. As when one comes before him to complain against his friend for something he has done against him, and he knows that by listening to him he might assuage his wrath so that he will not repeat the story to others (for perhaps the others would believe him and thereby be "accepters of lashon hara"), and by this he would "increase peace in Israel." But in all of the heterim that we have mentioned in respect to hearing, he must take great care not to believe what he hears categorically, but only to "suspect," so that he, too, not be ensnared in the net of the acceptance of lashon hara.