The check list about lashon hara (the evil tongue)

Aaron Elby - FFOZ Torah Club

Lashon hara - check list of 7 ways to know and to tell if your excuse is valid.

1. Is the knowledge first hand or confirmed?

Have you personally witnessed or confirmed the truth of what you are saying?

2. Is the matter objectively wrong?

Is the issue something that is truly and objectively wrong or does it just appear to be a problem?

3. Has an attempt been made to resolve?

Have you attempted to address that problem personally with the one committing the offense? Yeshua taught about that process in Matt 18.

4. Is the negativity free of exaggeration?

Are you taking care to be accurate in refraining from exaggerating at all as you describe the issue?

5. Are personal motives pure?

Are your motives really pure without any kind of hatred of the offending person or enjoyment about saying that negative report?

6. Have all other options been exhausted?

Have you run out of all other options about how to solve this problem without speaking lashon hara?

7. Is prevention greater than damage caused?

Are you preventing more damage than you are causing by that harmful speech?

Take all these points into consideration: If you have said no to any of these questions, then it shouldn’t be spoken!