To try to justify someone/ find excuse for/ extenuate
To teach him righteousness. To speak and detail things for his good. To plead for his justification (the opposite of hearing is a mixed or mixed sound).
("Rava said: Give me a rabbinical rabbinate to come to Dina, so that my rabbi, Abu Sa'diya, may not be angry with me, for he is not a fool who turns away from her merits" - Shabat Kait (may Allah be pleased with him), and so: "And when an old man is unable to turn his face, he still turns away from his master's merits and reminds himself of his nightly conversations" - H. Beer/ To a place The wind is blowing, 327).
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
הִפֵּךְ בִּזְכוּתוֹ
Definition (Hebrew)
לִמֵּד עָלָיו זְכוּת. אָמַר וּפֵרֵט דְּבָרִים לְטוֹבָתוֹ. הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְהַצְדִּיקוֹ (הֵפֶךְ מַשְׁמָע עִרְבֵּב אוֹ בָּחַשׁ).
("אָמַר רָבָא: תֵּיתֵי לִי דְּכִי אֲתָא צֻרְבָּא מֵרַבָּנַן לְקַמַּאי לְדִינָא, לָא מָזֵגְנָא רֵישִׁי אַבֵּי סַדְיָא כַּמָּה דְּלָא מְהַפֵּכְנָא בְּזָכוּתֵהּ"- שַׁבָּת קַיִט ע"א, וְכֵן:"וּכְשֶׁכְּבָר לֹא יָכוֹל לְהָסֵב אֶת פָּנָיו עוֹד הָיָה מַהְפָּךְ בִּזְכוּתוֹ שֶׁל רַבּוֹ וּמַזְכִּיר לְעַצְמוֹ אֶת שִׂיחוֹתָיו הַלֵּילִיּוֹת"- ח.בְּאֵר/ אֶל מָקוֹם שֶׁהָרוּחַ הוֹלֵךְ, 327).