Mishmeres HaSholom: Ask the Rav

Q: As a hired teacher of a professional training course, I was asked to prepare a specific curriculum. I was not notified as to the exact date and time that the program was to begin. I was shocked when two days later the coordinator called to inquire if I was ready to begin. “It was only two days ago that I received the message about this curriculum,” I argued.

From the coordinator’s reaction I gathered that I received the message late because of somebody’s lack of responsibility. It seemed that because of what I said the coordinator had discovered this oversight, and my words may have bordered on lashon hara.

If this were to happen again, as I assume it might, should I bear the consequences on my own and absorb the admonishment, so as not to incriminate others?

And if I did transgress in the issur of lashon hara, how can I correct it?

A: Neglecting to convey the important message, as well as neglecting to prepare for the course, are both faults caused by a lack of responsibility. According to the halachah, you are therefore permitted to explain yourself to the coordinator by telling her that you received the message late. In a case such as this, however, middas hachassidus requires that you refrain from relaying the information and absorb the fault.

Nonetheless, if you know that the one who failed to relay the message is an employee in the school, and that it is not the first time she has forgotten to pass on important messages, then there is a to’eles in being truthful. Such being the case, you should not opt for middas hachassidus, but rather be honest about the fact that you received the message late. The coordinator will thus work things out with the one who forgot to relay the message.


The questions and answers above were taken from the Mishmeres Hasholom pamphlet in Israel. For details and inquiries please e-mail us at office@hasholom.org or call 972-2 5379160.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hamodia.

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