Lesson #32: Trustworthy
If we hear Lashon Ha’ra spoken by somebody with a reputation for honesty, someone whom we consider as trustworthy as two valid witnesses, we are nevertheless not permitted to believe the information he shares with us. Even if this is a distinguished, well-respected person, we may not believe the negative information which he tells us about another person.
If, however, the trustworthy person shares this information for a permissible, constructive purpose, such as if he informs a Rabbi about his congregant’s wrongful conduct, so the Rabbi can speak to the congregant and help him improve, then the Rabbi is permitted to believe the information and act upon it. However, this is on condition that the speaker saw the misconduct firsthand, rather than simply hearing about it, and that there is no possibility of interpreting what he saw in a favorable manner. If the trustworthy individual personally saw the congregant act in a way which cannot possibly be interpreted in a favorable light, and he feels that the Rabbi might be able to speak to the congregant and lead him to repent and improve his conduct, then he may share the information with the Rabbi, and the Rabbi may believe what he hears.
Nowadays, it is exceedingly rare to find people who are truly honest and trustworthy. And thus in our day and age, Lashon Ha’ra should never be believed. When necessary, we may exercise caution on the basis of negative information we hear about somebody, but we may not definitively accept it as truth.