A major reason why people insult others or talk badly about them is because they lack he knowledge of alternative ways of communicating their displeasure with someones behavior. When someone wrongs or annoys us, it is easy to make disparaging remarks about them or to them. But if you think about it, what is your real goal? it is to influence the person to change, isn’t it? When we master positive techniques to do this, we will accomplish much more than we will by speaking lashon hora and other negative forms of speech.

Lesson 2
If you are told that a person getting tzedakah/charity is not needy, you are obligated to continue giving him charity until the matter is verified by a careful accurate inquiry. Hearing from others doesn’t allow one to speak negatively about such a person.

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Lashon Hora = Saying a derogatory/negative statement about someone else that is TRUE
Motzi Shaim Ra (Defamation of Character) = Saying a derogatory statement that is FALSE
About Whom is it Forbidden to Speak Lashon Hora - Any Individual Jew - Alive or not, - adult or child, family member (spouse, in-laws, parent, child, siblings), groups/sects of Jews, Entire Jewish Nation
Rechilus - A word used to depict someone who goes to a person and tells them what someone else has said about them.

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These lessons are derived from a few books:
Guard your Tongue: Adapted from Choeftz Chaim by Zelig Pliskin
The Power of Words by Zelig Pliskin
Chofetz Chaim: A Lesson a Day - The Concepts and Laws of Proper Speech Arranged for Daily Study By Shimon Finkleman and Yitzhok Berkowitz
Purity of Speech: A short lesson on the halachot of shmirat Halashon
Chofetz Chaim - A Daily Companion: Arranged by Reb Yehuda Zev Segal

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