"You're a wimp and a flatterer!! Not only didn't you contradict his
venomous tirade against Israel, you were nodding your head so hard, hoping
that he'd see you, I thought it would fall off !! You'd do anything to close
that deal."

"You shall not flatter" is basically what our sages learn from Bimidbar
35:33 (The Hebrew words are similar.) To compliment someone in earnest or to
make him feel good is a mitzva. To flatter (lie favorably about) someone
because you want to "butter them up"is an aveira (sin). [There is much more
to be understood about "flattery".]

Use your actions, words, and motions for mitzvos.

Have a great Shabbos !!

Rabbi Chaim Flom
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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rabbi Mitterhoff,

quote:

"You're a wimp and a flatterer!! Not only didn't you contradict his venomous tirade against Israel, you were nodding your head so hard, hoping that he'd see you, I thought it would fall off !! You'd do anything to close that deal."

ARe you using the above as an example of flattery?

Dear Gila,
Thanks for the question.
Nodding one's head to in order to "butter up" someone is flattery. The Chofetz Chaim says this explicitly in his Be'er Mayim Chaim #16 on the Sefer Chofetz Chaim (Section #1 where he discusses the negative commandments one can violate of Loshon Horah).

Dear Gila,
By accident my response went out before I finished. (I hit the "Tab" button to start a new paragraph, and the next thing I saw was "your message was sent". Sorry 'bout that.
Similarly, nodding the head could or making a face could be classic Loshon Horah.
Thanks again for the question and please feel free to do so again. (If you feel my answer wasn't satisfactory, certainly let me know.)
Take care.
Chaim Flom

I see, you're saying that flattery is not just using verbal means but can also be transgressed via gestures.

Thank you!

Correct!!