Machshavah Lab

Q&A #21: "What should I do if my friends are speaking lashon ha'ra about our other friends?"

March 17, 2023 Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss Season 11 Episode 22
Machshavah Lab
Q&A #21: "What should I do if my friends are speaking lashon ha'ra about our other friends?"
Show Notes

Length: 46 minutes
Synopsis: This might be the best Q&A of the year. At the very least, it was the most practical. This morning (3/17/23), in our Friday Q&A, we took up a single VERY multi-faceted question (at least seven parts!) about how to deal with a situation (in the past, present, and future) where you're with a group of friends who engage in prohibited speech (whether rechilus, lashon ha'ra, motzi shem ra, letzanus, etc.) about other mutual friends. I would describe this as more of a "Mishlei workshop" than a traditional Q&A, because we spent the entire 45 minutes discussing and strategizing about this situation from as many angles as we could. In addition to answering the initial seven parts of the question, I feel like we all learned a lot about how to live a life of integrity, authenticity, and Torah values in the face of powerful social challenges.
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מקורות:
רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות ו:א
תהלים א:א-ב
משלי יא:יג; כ:יט
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The Torah content for the rest of Adar has been sponsored by my friend and chavrusa Zack, with the following dedicatory message: When asked, "Who is a leader you greatly admire?" my grandfather z”l immediately comes to mind. Each person who entered his presence was brought closer to a better version of themselves. This was due to his staunch belief in people and his uncompromising values. Knowledge is similar — it is indiscriminate and uncompromising in its power to help us become our best selves. Thank you Rabbi Schneeweiss for spreading knowledge, and may the memory of my grandfather, Naftali ben Tzvi, be a blessing.
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
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