Good evening. We're going to speak about Lashon Hara (talk negatively), even for a constructive purpose. We should try to emulate a hunter. Before the hunter shoots his arrows, he contemplates where their destination is going to be. Since his main goal is to hit his prey, he'll try very hard to ensure that his arrows will not hurt or harm innocent bystanders along the way. So too, although we're sometimes forced to talk negatively for a constructive purpose, we must be very careful to analyze the far-reaching effects of our words. Chas VeShalom (God forbid), will they hit any innocent bystanders? Chas VeShalom, will they cause any damage to someone they weren't intended for? This is what one has to be very careful about when we let the arrows, those words, go.
So here's tonight's halacha (Jewish law). Tonight we're going to talk about revealing information about a prospective business partner. Let's say you know that somebody is about to go into partnership with a guy who is completely irresponsible as a businessman. You know it's going to be a really bad idea, and your friend is about to enter into something that is really going to be bad for him. You know what happened to the other partners who partnered up with this guy, and now your friend is going down the same path. What are you allowed to do? What are you allowed to say?
Well, the Chafetz Chaim said that in a case where all the requirements for To'elet (constructive purpose) are met—where you have nothing against this future business partner, you keep only to the facts you know about his previous partnerships, and you tell your friend about them straight away—not only is it permissible to tell your friend the negative information about the partner he's about to partner up with, but it's actually an obligation. You're not allowed to withhold negative information. Aderaba (on the contrary), you'll be over on Lifnei Iver lo titen michshol (Do not place a stumbling block before the blind). You'll be causing your friend to trip over a stumbling block if you allow him to enter this partnership without giving him the heads-up about who he's about to partner with.
However, this is true if the partnership has not yet been sealed. But if the partnership has already been finalized, then the halacha is very different. In such a case, you have to analyze your friend's nature. If he's the type of person who will hear something bad about the partner he just signed up with and go and break up the partnership without consulting a rabbi, without consulting a Beit Din (rabbinical court), then you're not permitted to reveal the negative information to him. However, if he's the type who's going to go to a Rav, and he's not going to be rash or jump, then you could tell him the negative information, with the advice and guidance to speak it over with his local Orthodox rabbi.
And finally, what would happen if you hear your friend is going into a partnership with somebody else, and the person they're going into a partnership with is responsible, but you think maybe it's not a good idea because you know that this person is really having a hard time financially? It's not good to partner up with someone who's down in the dumps. In this case, although you feel the information about the financial situation of the guy your friend is going into partnership with is important to tell your friend, and you feel it's important to the partnership, nonetheless, you've got to remind yourself: parnasah (livelihood) is in the hands of Hashem. Just because this guy didn't do well in his past financial dealings does not mean that this will be his turning point, and this partnership might be the success that he didn't see in his past. And therefore, you cannot and should not go and tell your friend. Aderaba, pray for them, that the two of them succeed.
Chafetz Chaim should be a Melitz Yosher (advocate for good) for all the sick people of our community and all of Klal Yisrael. And especially, he should be a Melitz Yosher for all the people who are waiting to hear the results of their tests, that they should hear only good news in the zechut (merit) of Shemirat Halashon (guarding the tongue). Have a good night.