Question:
Hello,
Thank you so much for your help.
My question is regarding if something is lashon hara. I prefaced the question to my friend who is a Rebbetzin saying that this is t’oles and it’s not lashon hara, and then I asked her if it was ok to eat at a certain local restaurant because I was not clear if it was permitted based on the level of kashrut. I have nothing against the owner, the restaurant, or anyone affiliated with it- no ill intent. Could it be considered lashon hara to ask a learned person if it’s ok to eat at a certain “kosher” restaurant? She had previously mentioned that I should eat at another restaurant instead of this one, and so I remembered I wanted to ask her to clarify if it was ok to eat at this specific restaurant…did I accidentally speak lashon hara, or is it not lashon hara because it was for a constructive purpose? If it was lashon hara, what is the teshuva- do I need to apologize to the owner (he did not lose a customer as my friend was not eating there to begin with…)
Thank you sincerely.
Answer:
It is not lashon hora, because it is for a toeles- to know if you can eat there or not, and you did nothing wrong. If fact you did the correct thing by asking before eating and not just assuming that “it has a supervision so it must be alright”. There is also no need to ask anyone mechila.
Best Wishes
