Question:
Hello,
Thanks so much for your help.
I was recently at a restaurant and the person I was with began speaking with a family near us. He was speaking to them regarding their geographic origins and the (from what it seemed) implication of the wife’s orthodox conversion. The person I was with gestured to me, pointing between himself and the couple, indicating (it would seem) that I should be impressed that he knew what country the lady was from (I was on a potential shidduch date, I am female, my date is male). I laughed and said something indicating that he is well traveled and he knows alot about global things. I realized after that maybe my laugh could be misinterpreted by either of the couple near us that I may have been laughing at them (I was not, I was sort of nervous because I did not know how to answer the person I was with in the best way- I wanted to be modest but properly polite- it happened very quickly) When the couple left, the man said goodbye to the person I was with and the lady smiled at me and we indicated a friendly goodbye. My question is: could my (somewhat nervous) laugh be considered lashon hara? If I in no way wanted to cause upset to the couple, yet my nervous laugh could have offended them, what is the teshuva as I do not know their names or how to find them.
Thank you sincerely. Happy, healthy and sweet New Year!
Answer:
I don’t think you have to be concerned about it.
You don’t know if they took it as an insult, and it could be that the other people didn’t take your laugh as conveying anything derogatory, and to me it doesn’t sound like you did anything that is lashon hora. If you want, have it in mind on Yom Kippur
Have a kesiva v’chasinma tova
