Torah Tuesday continues with our session on Shemirat HaLashon, Guarding Our Tongues or Proper Speech. Today in the calendar, in the 10th chapter, the 3rd paragraph, we have a very important principle: we see how crucial what a person is thinking or what they intend is to how we rule on the nature of the statements they make.
Let’s say somebody has derogatory information, and revealing it to somebody would protect that person from harm, like a horrible marriage or an unsuccessful business. So the Chafetz Chaim has given us what we call Lashon Hara LeTo'elet: even derogatory information, if it’s shared for a constructive purpose, is called Lashon Hara. But if you meet seven conditions, which we’ve discussed before and will again, then that person is protected from being considered a sinner.
But it seems that sometimes there might be impure intentions. A person has a flaw: he’s not 100 honest, he’s somewhat lazy, and he doesn’t get up in time or get to places where he has to be on time. He has a flaw—not saying he’s a bad person—there’s something that’s a weakness or a negative in his entire picture as this good, upstanding Yehudi (Jewish person).
Now, if somebody spots that same weakness in somebody else and wishes to expose it, he’s required to remain silent. Where do we see that? How do we know that? The Chafetz Chaim brings it from King Yehu. He killed Achav’s family, a family of far from upright Jews who had brought Avodah Zarah (idol worship) into the Jewish people. He was fulfilling—or so he thought—a prophecy that Hashem would in fact wipe out this family because of their improper hashkafot (worldviews). So he looks at it this way: “I’m fulfilling a divine prophecy because Hashem promised that Achav’s family would be destroyed because of its idol worship.” But Yehu himself and his family, although not to the degree of Achav, did in fact engage in a certain degree of idol worship. Therefore, he was disqualified from imposing the prophetic punishment on Achav and his family. He was guilty of the same sin. He was invalidated—or, as we say in the 21st century, cancelled—from the right to impose the punishment, even the one declared by Hashem in a prophecy. So Hashem said, “I will take revenge on the house of Yehu because he took revenge on Achav.”
Now, why should this factor be significant? If someone sees something wrong and can fix it by reporting it, why should his own guilt regarding similar behavior hold him back from revealing it, especially if it’s harmful to somebody else? The Chafetz Chaim answers very briefly: the person’s intention in revealing this subject matter is not for good. It’s not out of yirat Shamayim (fear of Heaven). He wants to shame somebody else or, as we say, rejoice in his downfall. In other words, because he is guilty of the same behavior, Hashem lets us know with 100% certainty: he may be well-intentioned, but his intentions are not pure, and therefore he cannot speak this particular Lashon Hara.
So let’s say, for example, a guy runs a business and he’s not a thief, he’s not a crook, but he’s not 100% in accordance with Halakha (Jewish law) in many little areas. It may not be millions; it may be dollars, but still he cheats. The Chafetz Chaim says it’s impossible that his motivation in revealing to others that somebody else cheats is pure. It’s probably a desire to ridicule or belittle the other party.
Let’s say that’s not me, and I’m in this situation. I know something, I happen to do it, but what am I supposed to do? This guy does it too, and he’s hurting people. You have an expression in the community: “See your local rabbi.” You have to see your rabbi; you have to discuss it with him. There may be an opportunity to save victims from the flaw even though you have the same flaw to some degree, but you can’t do it on your own; you need a rabbi to tell you.
So there’s a message here. Our chachamim (sages) tell us it’s in Masechet Kiddushin, daf ayin (page seventy), amud rishon (first side), 70A, as your ArtScrollers say: Kol HaPosel, anyone who invalidates or criticizes somebody else, they usually have the same problem. If a person points out a fault in somebody else, they probably suffer from the same fault. So sometimes the only reason we notice the flaw is because we have the same flaw, and the laws of Lashon Hara tell us: before we speak about others, fix yourself first.