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Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation
 
 
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The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation (established in 1989) is a non-profit Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism is a Jewish denominations of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict constructionist and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim....
 Jew
Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish organization based in Monsey, New York
Monsey, New York

Monsey is a Political subdivisions of New York State#Hamlet , in the Ramapo, New York, Rockland County, New York, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern, New York; south of Airmont, New York and west of Nanuet, New York....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, dedicated to spreading the teachings of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan
Yisrael Meir Kagan

Yisrael Meir Kagan sobriquet as The Chofetz Chaim was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakha, and ethics whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life....
 who was known as the Chofetz Chaim
Chofetz Chaim

"The Chofetz Chaim" is a book on the Jewish laws of speech written by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan.The book is about the mitzvah relating to correct speech and the Lashon hara....
 ( "Seeker [of] Life" in Hebrew
Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world....
) based on his work of Jewish ethics
Ethics

Ethics is a word for a philosophy that encompasses proper conduct and good living. It is significantly broader than the common conception of ethics as the analyzing of right and wrong....
 of the same name dealing with the prohibitions of gossip
Gossip

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information thus transmitted....
, slander and defamation known as Lashon Hara
Lashon hara

Lashon hara is the prohibition in halakha of telling gossip. Speech is considered to be lashon hara if it says something negative about a person or party, is not previously known to the public, is not seriously intended to correct or improve a negative situation, and most importantly, is truth....
 in Jewish law (Halakha
Halakha

Halakha ? also Hebrew transliteration Halocho and Halacha ? is the collective body of Judaism religious law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions....
).

The Foundation has become a popular fixture in the English-speaking Orthodox world.






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The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation (established in 1989) is a non-profit Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism is a Jewish denominations of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict constructionist and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim....
 Jew
Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish organization based in Monsey, New York
Monsey, New York

Monsey is a Political subdivisions of New York State#Hamlet , in the Ramapo, New York, Rockland County, New York, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern, New York; south of Airmont, New York and west of Nanuet, New York....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, dedicated to spreading the teachings of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan
Yisrael Meir Kagan

Yisrael Meir Kagan sobriquet as The Chofetz Chaim was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakha, and ethics whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life....
 who was known as the Chofetz Chaim
Chofetz Chaim

"The Chofetz Chaim" is a book on the Jewish laws of speech written by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan.The book is about the mitzvah relating to correct speech and the Lashon hara....
 ( "Seeker [of] Life" in Hebrew
Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world....
) based on his work of Jewish ethics
Ethics

Ethics is a word for a philosophy that encompasses proper conduct and good living. It is significantly broader than the common conception of ethics as the analyzing of right and wrong....
 of the same name dealing with the prohibitions of gossip
Gossip

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information thus transmitted....
, slander and defamation known as Lashon Hara
Lashon hara

Lashon hara is the prohibition in halakha of telling gossip. Speech is considered to be lashon hara if it says something negative about a person or party, is not previously known to the public, is not seriously intended to correct or improve a negative situation, and most importantly, is truth....
 in Jewish law (Halakha
Halakha

Halakha ? also Hebrew transliteration Halocho and Halacha ? is the collective body of Judaism religious law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions....
).

The Foundation has become a popular fixture in the English-speaking Orthodox world. It utilizes a vast array of communication tools including books, tapes, video seminars, telephone classes and a newsletter, designed to heighten awareness of their values in "judging others favorably, speaking with restraint and integrity, and acting with sensitivity and respect". The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation's website asserts their belief in the "Torah
Torah

The term "Torah" , or Five Books of Moses or Pentateuch, refers to the entirety of Judaism's founding Halakha and ethical religious texts....
's timeless recipe for building a world of compassion and harmony".

It has received serious commendation for its work from leading Haredi rabbis. Rabbi Moshe Francis, head of a prominent Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
 Kollel
Kollel

A kollel is an institute for advanced Torah study of the Talmud and of rabbinic literature for Jewish men, essentially a post-graduate yeshiva which pays married men a regular monthly stipend or annual salary to study Judaism's classic texts in depth....
 has written that:

Years ago, an organization like the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation -- which is marshaling the latest technology and enlisting the best communicators to help Klal Yisroel fight loshon hara and other sins of speech – would have been unimaginable. Our efforts to control loshon hara have succeeded because we have taken a preemptive approach, teaching young children about the pitfalls of this aveira, honing their sensitivity and inspiring them...(Based on an address given by Rabbi Moshe Francis at the Torah U'Mesorah
Torah Umesorah - National Society for Hebrew Day Schools

Torah Umesorah - National Society for Hebrew Day Schools is an Orthodox Judaism organization that fosters and promotes Torah-based Jewish religious education in North America by supporting and developing a loosely affiliated network of 760 Independent school Private school Jewish day schools catering to more than 250,000 children, yeshivas a...
 Conference of Principals held in Chicago in early 2000.)


The Foundation has raised significant funds and adevertizes its activities and events by taking out very prominent ads in the Yated Ne'eman (United States)
Yated Ne'eman (United States)

Yated Ne'eman is a weekly Haredi Judaism newspaper/magazine that is based in Monsey, New York and published in English and distributed mostly in the New York City metropolitan area where large communities of Haredi Jews reside....
; Hamodia
Hamodia

Hamodia is a Hebrew language daily newspaper, published in Israel. A daily English language edition is also published in the United States and Israel, and a weekly edition is published in England....
; The Jewish Press
The Jewish Press

The Jewish Press is an United States weekly newspaper, geared toward the American Jews. It describes itself as "America's Largest Independent Jewish Weekly"....
 and others, as well as by distributing newsletters to the English-speaking Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism is a Jewish denominations of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict constructionist and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim....
 and Haredi
Haredi Judaism

Haredi or Chareidi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
 public.

The founder and director of the Foundation is Michael Rothschild.

Wide ranging appeal and acceptance


The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation's publications, programs, and hence its goals have been furthered by the wide acceptance and recognition it has gained in the English-speaking Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism is a Jewish denominations of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict constructionist and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim....
 and Haredi
Haredi Judaism

Haredi or Chareidi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
 world for its mission of publicizing the importance of the mitzvot
613 mitzvot

The 613 Mitzvot are statements and principles of law and ethics contained in the Torah or Five Books of Moses. These principles of Biblical law are sometimes called commandments or collectively as the "Law of Moses" , "Mosaic Law," or simply "the Law."...
 ("commandments") of not speaking lashon hara or the spread of any form of slander:

Integrated into educational work by organizations

  • The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation's publications at its annual Tisha BeAv events were commended by Rabbi Kalman Packouz
    Kalman Packouz

    Rabbi Kalman Packouz is an Orthodox Judaism rabbi who has pioneered various Jewish educational initiatives geared towards baal teshuva outreach....
     of Aish HaTorah
    Aish HaTorah

    Aish HaTorah is a Orthodox Judaism organization and yeshiva. Aish HaTorah, is a staunchly pro-Israel, Religious Zionism organization, that promotes Jewish pride and helps send young American Jews to Israel....
    : "...Last week on Tisha B'av many synagogues around North America had a program on judging people favorably. I was very impressed with a handout from the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation, which works hard and effectively to educate Jews about the Laws of Speech..." and "...'The Road to Tranquility" ... proceeded with a quote made available from the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation... an organization dedicated to raising the quality of interpersonal relationships..."
  • The Orthodox Union
    Orthodox Union

    The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America , more popularly known as the Orthodox Union, or OU, is one of the oldest Orthodox Judaism organizations in the United States....
     (OU) cites and promotes the work of the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation:


...If you were inspired by the message of "An E-Mail from Hashem
Names of God in Judaism

In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title. It represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relation of God to the Jewish people....
" may I suggest that you contact the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation. I have no affiliation with this organization, but they do terrific work in disseminating the legacy of the Chofetz Chaim, who fought so valiantly against loshon hora. In particular, I would encourage you to sign up for their daily e-mail and join the machsom lifi program. You may also wish to arrange a community wide machsom lifi campaign as well. (Participants in the machsom lifi program accept upon themselves to be extra careful with shimiras haloshon during a designated period of time each day as a tool to overall improvement.) What a great zechus (merit) this would be for Klal Yisrael during these perilous times if thousands of Jews become more careful in guarding their speech.


Reported in the Orthodox and general Jewish media

The Jewish media has taken note of the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation's work:

In recent years, the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation has carried on (Rabbi Yisrael Meir) Kagan
Yisrael Meir Kagan

Yisrael Meir Kagan sobriquet as The Chofetz Chaim was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakha, and ethics whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life....
's work and steps up its efforts at this time of year. On July 29, we mark Tisha B'Av, known as the time when national calamities hit the Jews. But instead of blaming outside forces, the Talmud
Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
 says that the cause of the destruction of the Second Temple
Second Temple

The Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Judaism worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot....
 was the senseless hatred and ill will displayed between Jews. Since gossip and ill will are very much contemporary issues within Judaism, the Chofetz Chaim Foundation has created videos and other programs to spread the message about lashon hara...Tisha B'Av 2001


  • The Jewish World Review
    Jewish World Review

    Jewish World Review is an online magazine published Monday through Friday , which seeks to appeal to "people of faith and those interested in learning more about contemporary Judaism from Jews who take their religion seriously." It carries dozens of syndicated columns written mostly?although not exclusively?by Conservatism writers, both Jewis...
     utilizes as a resource and quotes from "Chofetz Chaim: A Daily Companion," a project of Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation and Mesorah Publications" and "Chosen Words: A newsletter for personal and spiritual growth...is produced by the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation."
  • Nachum Segal
    Nachum Segal

    Nachum Segal is an United States radio disc jockey. He has been the host of the show Jewish Moments in the Morning, commonly abbreviated to JM in the AM, since September 1983....
     has promoted the work of the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation on his popular radio shows in the New York area and on his show's website: "Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation presents a Tisha B'Av video with Rabbi Yissocher Frand
    Yissocher Frand

    Rabbi Yissocher Frand is an United States Charedi Orthodox Judaism rabbi and author. He is a senior lecturer at Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, MD....
     and Rabbi Raymond Beyda titled 'Rebuilding the Bais Hamikdash Word by Word'" and "Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Video: 'Do You Know The Way Home?'"
  • Jonathan Rosenblum
    Jonathan Rosenblum

    Jonathan Rosenblum is the director, spokesperson, and founder of Jewish Media Resources, an organization which attempts to clarify journalists' understanding of Haredi Judaism society....
     of Jewish Media Resources, wrote in the Jerusalem Post: "...Last Sunday, 10,000 Jews gathered in the Catskills
    Catskill Mountains

    The Catskill Mountains , a natural area in New York northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, New York, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief....
     to recite Tehillim
    Psalms

    Psalms is a book of the Hebrew Bible , included in the collected works known as the "Writings" or Ketuvim....
     on behalf of the Jews of Israel
    Israel

    Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
    . On Tisha B’Av itself, 40,000 Jews in nearly 250 locations around the world, will view a video produced by he Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation devoted to avoidance of disputes..."


Work with Judaica publishers

  • ArtScroll
    ArtScroll

    ArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Judaism perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Brooklyn, New York, New York City....
    , the major publisher of Torah Judaica, co-published a number of books with the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation: "Chofetz Chaim: Loving Kindness - Pocket Size. Daily lessons in the power of giving...Published in conjunction with the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation, it has the same easy-to-use daily calendar format as Chofetz Chaim: A Daily Companion (on proper speech). Based on the inspirational lectures on Sefer Ahavas Chessed..."
  • The Jewish Press
    The Jewish Press

    The Jewish Press is an United States weekly newspaper, geared toward the American Jews. It describes itself as "America's Largest Independent Jewish Weekly"....
     (January 30, 2008) reports: "The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation has long been known for its dedication to helping Jews throughout the world take hold of the precious mitzvos of shmiras ha’lashon and ahavas Yisrael. In an unprecedented undertaking, they have put together a team of Torah scholars, halachic experts, illustrators, graphic artists, research consultants and a most innovative author – who have collaborated on a book for children that just might become a classic in the world of children’s Torah literature."..."


Help with dating and marriage readiness

The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation has published material to help Jewish couples navigate the maze of finding a marriage partner without violating the guidelines of the Torah's prohibitions of slander or hearsay, yet to also know what is permissible to ask and tell so that future spouses not be fooled or harmed by unrevealed personal information of a delicate nature:
  • Traditional Orthodox shadchan
    Shadchan

    Shadchan is a Hebrew word for matchmaker.Judaism has found that a good match or couple is most likely to be people with the same, or very similar, backgrounds....
    im ("matchmakers") who are presently very active in the field assert that:


...We feel that everyone who is involved in shidduchim, whether they are matchmakers, singles, or family and friends of singles, has an obligation to familiarize themselves with the halachos of lashon hora and richilus as they relate to this subject. Even those of us with the best intentions may unwittingly transgress these prohibitions and in doing so we have the potential to do permanent damage to another Jew's reputation and to their future. Or, precisely because we want to avoid these aveiros, we may withhold vital information that we should disclose in order to avoid deception or prevent a tragedy. The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation has excellent materials on this subject. You can contact them...(Tips That Can Help You Be A Better Matchmaker by Rosie Einhorn, L.C.S.W. and Sherry Zimmerman, Esq.)


and:

...Before you make the inquiry, we recommend that you familiarize yourselves with the Jewish laws of lashon hora (slanderous talk) as they relate to dating for marriage. The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation can send you some material on this subject for a nominal fee. Call them ... for information regarding lashon hora and dating before you start the inquiry process. We also suggest that you consult with your rabbi
Rabbi

Rabbi , in Judaism, means a religious ?teacher?, or more literally, ?my great one?, when addressing any master. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ?great?, used in many senses, including the sense of a ?master? and apprentice, whence someone who is a distinguished ?teacher?....
 about this subjects and the scope of your inquiries...(Checking It Out! - A "Formula" For Finding Better Dating Partners. By Sherry Zimmerman, Esq.).)


Utilized by Bnei Noah

  • Certain Noahide
    B'nei Noah

    Noahidism is not a modern monotheistic ideology. Noahides observe the Seven Laws of Noah which were given to both Adam and Noah. Noahides follow the most ancient belief system in the world....
     organizations and groups utilize, quote and are motivated by the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation: "Lashon Hara - There is No Justification for Speaking Loshon Hora, educational articles written by Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation..."

See also

  • Chofetz Chaim
    Chofetz Chaim

    "The Chofetz Chaim" is a book on the Jewish laws of speech written by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan.The book is about the mitzvah relating to correct speech and the Lashon hara....
     (disambiguation).


External links