What does "Lo Seilech Rachil" entail? Why does the Torah always present it together with a expression of "Halichah" (See for example, Yirmiyah, 6:28)?
Rashi: 'Rechilus' is the spreading of negative gossip that Reuven hears about Levi in Shimon's house. What generally happens is that Reuven goes from house to house, 1 digging out scraps of derogatory information about others, which he subsequently passes on as he makes his rounds. 2
Ramban: "Rechilus" is from the same root as "Holchei Rachil 3 (with reference to peddlers, who travel from place to place to sell their wares). 4 By the same token, Holchei Rachil tend to go from place to place peddling their gossip, and the Torah refers to them as "Hilchei Rachil", because, wherever they go they announce their wares - like a peddlar. 5
Rashbam (citing Targum Onkelos): "Lo Seilech Rachil" means ? 'Do not announce Rechilus!' 6 ? because it entails going from town to town announcing teh evil that so-and-so perpetrated. 7
Targum Yonasan: The Torah forbids pursuing [to hear and speak] Lashon ha'Ra 8 if it is in order to harm the person about whom one is speaking. 9
Moshav Zekenim #1: It is a warning to Beis-Din not to behave 10 softly 11 towards one litigant and harshly towards the other one. 12
Moshav Zekenim #2: It is a warning against slandering one's fellow-Jew.
Moshav Zekenim #3: It is a La'av against a Dayan telling the losing litigant that he vindicated him but what could he do, since his colleagues outnumbered him and declared him Chayav.
Sanhedrin 30a: If two Dayanim rule that one of the litigants is innocent and one, that he is guilty, the Sofrim, when writing the final P'sak, only write 'Zakai' to avoid transgressing "Lo Seilech Rachil" - against the Dayan who ruled that he was Chayav.
See Rashi, who cites many proofs n support of this explanatqion.
Rashi: The word 'Rachil' is equivalent to 'Ragil' - since it entails going on foot from one house to another - and a 'Chaf' and a 'Gimel' (which both emanate from the same part of the mouth) are interchangeable. It seems that it was also customary for the recipient of the news to provide a snack (a sort of 'le'Chayim') to establish his guest's integrity, which explains why Onkelos translates it as 'Lo Seichul Kurtzin' (See also Dani'el 3:8 and B'rachos, 58a). Rashi adds that the reason that Onkelos calls it 'Kurtzin' (a wink - See Mishlei, 6:13) is because they would wink and make signs to one another, so that others would not understand. The Ramban disagrees wit this interpretation of Targum Onkelos - See Ramban DH 've'Onkelos Tirgem'.
Which is based, in turn, on Shir ha'Shirim, 3:6 and Yechezkel, 26:12.
Rashi too, adds this point to his explanation of 'Rechilus'.
See Ramban DH 'Aval Ikar'.
Rashbam: As in Daniel, 3:9 and Shmu'el 2, 22:14.
The Rashbam disagrees with Rashi's interpretation of Targum Onkelos.See answer #1, note 2.
And he refers to it as 'Lishna Telisa'ei' (three-part talk), because it kills three people - the one who speaks it, the one who hears it and the one about whom it is spoken. See Peirush Yonasan. Refer also to 19:16:1:1**. Oznayim la'Torah: Rashi in Arachin, 15a, explains that he is the third person who spreads the rumors from Reuven to Shimon, and that it kills three when Reuven and Shimon kill each other and the relatives kill the Holech Rachil.
But not if it is in order to bring about a 'To'eles (something positive).
Perhaps "Seilech" is an expression of 'behavior'.
Moshav Zekenim #1: A play on the word "Rachil.See also Torah Temimah, note 105.
What is the difference between Rechilus and Lashon ha'Ra
Rashi: Rechilus: Refer to 19:16:1:1 - as opposed to Lashon ha'Ra, which entails simply speaking evil about a fellow-Jew.
Targum Yonasan and Yerushalmi Pe'ah, 1:1: Rechilus is synonymous with Lashon ha'Ra, 1 and the Torah mentions it because it is the way of Ba'alei Lashon ha'Ra to peddle their wares in the way described.
Rashbam: Refer to 19:16:1:3.
Yerushalmi Pe'ah Ibid.: Rechilus and Lashon ha'Ra are really one and the same, and the reason that the Torah adds Rechilus here is to teach us that just as Ruchlim (peddlars) go from one person to another elaborating what they heard about P'loni from P'loni, so too, do Ba'alei Lashon ha'Ra slander others and elaborate on the Lashon ha'Ra that they speak. Torah Temimah, citing the Yerushalmi, permits speaking Lashon ha'Ra about Ba'alei Machlokes. See Ba'al ha'Turim.
What are the connotations of "Lo Sa'amod al Dam Re'eicha"?
Rashi (citing Sanhedrin, 73a): It is a prohibition against seeing a fellow-Jew dying and doing nothing about it - there where he is able to save him. 1
Rashbam: It means that one is obligated to save a fellow-Jew from his attacker, even if it means killing the attacker in the process.
Targum Yonasan, Sifra and Pesachim, 113b: It means that a witness should not refrain from testifying in Beis-Din on behalf of his fellow-Jew.
Moshav Zekenim: If the Rebbi convicted the litigant, and the Talmid knows a reason to exempt him, it is a La'av against him remaining silent.
Rashi (Ibid.): Such as where he is drowning in a river or is being attacked by a wild animal or by robbers. See also Torah Temimah, note 110, who elaborates.
Why is "Lo Sa'amod Al Dam Re'echa" mentioned together with Rechilus?
Riva #1 and Moshav Zekenim: To teach us that, despite the warning against speaking Lashon ha'Ra, if Reuven hears that Shimon plans to kill Levi, he is obligated to inform him. 1
Riva #2 citing R. Moshe of Kutzi: It is all one La'av - Do not speak Rechilus, in case the hearer acts upon the information and kills the person about whom the Holech Rachil is speaking). 2
Oznayim la'Torah: It is a warning against the recipient of the Rechilus not to hear out the speaker, in order not to cause the death of the two people involved. 3
Oznayim la'Torah (citing ): This extends to saving Levi's property.
Moshav Zekenim: This explains why the Torah does not say "ve'Lo Sa'amod?" (with a 'Vav').
Refer to 19:16:1:3*. See also Oznayim la'Torah, DH 'Lo Seilech Rachil' #1.
