Reviewed by Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, Head of the Baltimore Bais Din

 Shemiras halashon – observing the Torah laws of proper speech – is among the basic obligations of a Jew striving for care in performance of mitzvos. This has especially been so in klal Yisrael since the Chofetz Chaim published his sefer on the halachos of shemiras halashon nearly 150 years ago. While the halachos of Hashem are immutable, the methods of communication have definitely changed in significant ways in modern times. The invention of the telephone in 1876 was arguably the first invention which made shemiras halashon relevant to modern methods of communication. In today’s world, we can add email, social media, and all forms of electronic communication to the list of communication methods that are subject to the halachos of shemiras halashon.

The Chofetz Chaim dedicates the last chapter of the halachos of Lashon Hara to the halachos of toeles: conveying negative information for a constructive purpose. We have all heard about its application to shidduchim. Other examples that the Chofetz Chaim gives are taking on a business partner or making a loan. There is another area in which these halachos become quite relevant: when passing information about the services of a professional or the purchase of merchandise from a vendor. This article will examine what halacha has to say with regards to passing information about these different providers.

We will now give some case studies through which to examine these halachos:

For many years, Mr. Greenberg* wrote a Torah book every year, which he sent out to a specific mailing list. He built up a following of people who looked forward to getting the book each year and responded generously. The money was used to support a yeshiva. Mr. Greenberg was very proud of the money that he was able to raise, and said that his books brought in more money than any other donor to the yeshiva.

When I think of my father, Chonon Shugarman, a”h, an anecdote that he shared with us, his family, arises in my mind. That is of my father as a little boy, sucking on a candy ever so slowly, trying to keep the moment of pleasure for as long as possible. His love for life and enjoyment of the wonders of this world led my father to explore a question that he entertained even as a youngster – which was what happens after death? None of the adults around him were able to give my father an adequate answer to his persistent question. Born into a traditional family and attending Baltimore public schools, my father’s search for truth was aided by the Hebrew School he attended. By the time he reached bar mitzva, he was already keeping Shabbos and kashrus as best as he could. Later, Harav Moshe Heinemann, shlita, as well as the community surrounding TA, Etz Chaim Center, and his co-worker Chaim Pollock contributed to his becoming a proper Orthodox Jew.

Having a baby is always an exciting event, and while no two births are the same, after a few births, many women feel a certain level of comfort. They think that they know what to expect. Well, that changed when COVID reared its ugly head. I personally found my last birth and hospital stay to be a very different experience than the previous ones. I decided to ask some friends and neighbors for their say on the matter.

I recently ran my first marathon, and it struck me how much learning and growth goes into such an experience. Funny how I have likely planned and trained more for this than for my wedding, having kids or any other life changing event. I’ve learned so many lessons, and have journaled them on my blog. Here they are:

Run your own race: Someone from our local frum community organized a weekly group to focus on speed work. At this group, it was easy to fall into the feeling of having to “keep up” or wondering why I couldn’t go as fast as someone else. But my friend wisely counseled me, saying, “You have to run your own race.” What a life lesson. We need to stop all the comparison, being someone or doing something because others expect it, because others are doing it. In this life, it’s only our own race that matters.

Remember, two years ago, when ads suddenly flooded the frum Jewish media asking us to vote for a new “political party” to represent the religious community at the World Zionist Organization’s upcoming Congress? Few people in our community even knew what WZO did or why it was important. But we learned: The WZO has tremendous influence on the Israeli government’s policies vis a vis the Diaspora. It comprises parties that stand for the whole range of pro-Israel Jewish opinion, from far left to right, and the policies it adopts are determined by the vote at its Congress.

Another year is coming to a close and, that means thinking income taxes. As always, we need to see what can be done before the close of the year. Let’s go through a checklist:

Child Tax Credit: Children up to age 17 (it was 16 in the past) receive a $3,000 tax credit. (Under age six get $3,600.) This credit is fully refundable. If a family earns $40,000 and has five children, they will get back about $20,000 from the feds and Maryland, which includes the child tax credit and the earned income credit. This money is tax free. They will also get free health insurance with zero deductibles. Of course, there are also food stamps, worth maybe $1,000 per month. Doesn’t seem like a big incentive to work hard and make more money. This child tax credit is reduced for any money you have been receiving since July as that money was an advance of this credit.

To the Shadchan:

 I’m a regular Baltimore guy in my mid-twenties with a good job. I met this really wonderful girl through a dating website. Before going out, I checked into her and her family superficially as I was not really expecting it to work out. Everything seemed okay – no big red flags for the things I thought I cared about. We have gone out now several times. The girl is very nice. She is warm and funny and pretty. She is educated and hardworking – all great.

Chanukah is a time when we recognize the miracles that Hashem has done for us both thousands of years ago and in our lives today – bayamim hahem bazman hazeh. As I sit by the last of the burning Chanukah candles, I express thanks and wonder at the open miracle our family recently experienced.