Welcome to Daily Halacha. Today we're going to learn a halacha (Jewish law) about the issur (prohibition) of Lashon Hara (harmful speech). Lashon Hara is well known to be one of the most serious aveirot, serious sins. There are over 21 pesukim (verses) associated with the sin of Lashon Hara that one can break if he speaks Lashon Hara too often.
There's a question that just came up: Can one speak Lashon Hara against a goy (non-Jew)? Can one speak Lashon Hara against a kofer, an apikores? The Chafetz Chaim brings down in Sefer Chafetz Chaim that a person is allowed to speak Lashon Hara about a kofer, about an apikores. A kofer, an apikores, is somebody that denies the Torah is true, that argues head-on, totally disagrees with Chazal, with the rabbis of the Gemara
And even when you're allowed, the Chafetz Chaim says, it's very important to mention that the reason to speak Lashon Hara against him shouldn't just be, “It's good to speak about other people.” It's never good to speak negatively about other people. But if there's a mission, if there's a goal—meaning, the reason why he's speaking Lashon Hara against a kofer is in order for others not to look up to that individual, so they shouldn't learn from him—then a person is allowed to talk Lashon Hara in that case. But it's never good to get used to speaking negatively about others, even when it's allowed, because then it could lead a person to speak Lashon Hara out of habit when it's not allowed.
And 99% of the time, with questions like, “Are you allowed to talk Lashon Hara or not?” a lot of the time, you're not allowed to speak Lashon Hara unless you know all the details carefully and they fit the bill. So therefore, it's never good to get used to speaking Lashon Hara, even about a goy or even about a kofer.
Now, this doesn't mean that it's necessary. Sometimes it is necessary to teach your children, friends, and other people to stay away from this and this person, because he's very bad, and he's a kofer, and he denies Torah. Sometimes it's very necessary. And when it's necessary to speak Lashon Hara about a kofer, then a person has an obligation to do the right thing. Then a person has an obligation to do the right thing. Then a person has an obligation to do the right thing: to educate others to stay away from such a bad person who denies the Torah. But overall, in the bigger picture, when it's not necessary, it's never good to get used to talking Lashon Hara and speaking negatively about people.
Reb Chaim Kanievsky brings that in a sefer: it could be an issur de-rabbanan (rabbinic prohibition) to talk Lashon Hara about a goy. It's definitely not issur min haTorah (by Torah law). It's mutar (permitted) min haTorah to speak Lashon Hara about a goy, because the pasuk (verse) says, “Lo telech rachil be'amecha (Do not go about as a talebearer among your people).” Be'amecha means in your nation, within your nation. So therefore, halachically min haTorah, you're allowed to talk Lashon Hara about a goy, but there might be a prohibition.
But a goy that doesn't even keep the seven mitzvot (commandments) of Bnei Noach—he's totally a bad goy that doesn't keep the seven mitzvot of Bnei Noach—there's not even an issur min haTorah; even according to the rabbanan (the rabbis), you're allowed to talk Lashon Hara about him. But even then, if it's not necessary, it's not a good thing to get used to talking Lashon Hara about other people, even when it's allowed.
When it comes to a kofer, when it comes to somebody who's Jewish but he's a kofer, there are Rabbis who hold that it's good—it's good to speak Lashon Hara about them here and there, in order to educate the next generation.