Lesson #76: Investigating
Is a person allowed to “investigate” whether somebody else is trying to cause him harm? If someone has reason to suspect that he is being targeted, how can he obtain the information he needs to protect himself without violating the laws of Lashon Ha’ra?
Let us take the example of somebody who has been working in a company for twenty years, and then a new, young employee is hired, a kid who is slick, charming, full of energy, and eager to climb his way up the corporate ladder. The senior employee notices that the new guy is exceptionally quick to point out mistakes made by others, including this senior employee’s mistakes. He becomes concerned that this new hire is seeking every possible opportunity for a promotion, and has his eyes on all senior positions. There is a real fear that he will do anything he can to make such a position available.
Halacha allows the senior employee in this situation to investigate and ask questions to determine whether this new employee is working to have him fired. Since there is reason to suspect that this young fellow is threatening his livelihood, he is permitted to protect himself by asking questions and seeking information about what this fellow is up to. This is allowed even if these questions will lead to the exposure of unflattering information about the new employee. Since the questioning is done for a legitimate, constructive purpose – to protect one’s livelihood – it is permissible, even if will result in the sharing of Lashon Ha’ra.
This applies even if one has only a slight suspicion, without concrete evidence that the new employee is working to have him fired. If the senior employee picks up the “vibes” from this new hire, and senses that he is determined to promote himself in the company and could therefore pose a threat, he is permitted to ask around for information.
After obtaining the information, the senior employee is then allowed to act upon that information in order to protect himself. He may not definitively believe the Lashon Ha’ra that he hears, but he is permitted to take necessary precautions in case the information is correct and this new employee is indeed threatening his job.
Of course, all this must be done with firm Bitahon, with faith that regardless of what we do, Hashem gives us precisely what we are supposed to have, no more and no less. Nobody can ever take from us that which we are supposed to have, and nobody can ever give us that which we are not supposed to have. We are entitled to invest reasonable effort to secure a livelihood and to protect ourselves from those who threaten it, but with the belief that no matter what happens, we always have precisely what Hashem determined we should have, no more and no less.