The meticulous purity of speech of the holy Rav Sharia Deblitzki, zt”l, is renowned. In his vast genius, he had precise mastery over all the laws of shmiras halashon, and was an expert in countless areas of halacha and rare minhagim. Everything was clear in every detail—nothing was hidden from him. His extraordinary diligence in observing these halachos matched his meticulous care in guarding his speech.
At the entrance to his home hung a large sign that proclaimed: “In this house, no words about any Jew are spoken at all—not even positive ones!” This was to prevent the natural tendency of speech that positive speech can lead, inadvertently, to harmful talk.
When he reached the age of ninety (!), he testified that from his bar mitzvah until that day, he did not recall ever having spoken lashon hara, chas veshalom, nor could he remember ever hearing or accepting it!
As a great halachic authority in all areas of Torah, many diverse questions were brought to his table, including matters not explicitly clarified in the Shulchan Aruch. In his characteristic manner, he ruled decisively on every issue, guided by Divine wisdom. Among these questions, he was frequently consulted regarding the laws of shemiras halashon, as they are intricate and nuanced, akin to mountains hanging by a thread, and not everyone is sufficiently knowledgeable in them.
He was once asked whether it is permissible to speak lashon hara about a person who, chas veshalom, possesses the impure device of the internet, which could more accurately be termed the untervelt, the underworld.
The Rav pondered the question for a few moments and ultimately ruled that, since we cannot fully know the specific reasons why someone might possess such destructive devices, perhaps it is for his livelihood or he relies on some leniency provided by a Rav, we must exhaust all possible justifications in his favor before
