Loose lips...

I just finished a particularly difficult session of damage control after someone wasn't careful about what information to impart on a recent shidduch reference call, nor how to phrase said information. I don't know whether I've accomplished anything, but I hope so.

A cautionary tale:
A woman called her son who was learning in the Holy Land, and asked him to find out about another student in his yeshiva. She had heard conflicting reports about this boy; on the one hand, his teachers had only nice things to say about him, but on the other hand, she had heard that he was lacking a certain refinement. Someone had told her that this boy hoarded food in the cafeteria, and spoke in an overly loud voice. The woman wanted her son to observe this boy himself, and confirm whether this boy acted in such a way.


The next day, the son went to the cafeteria and spotted the prospect; he chose a seat where he could observe the other student inconspicuously.


As it turned out, his mother's informant was correct - at least, partially.


Yes, the boy took a very large portion of food...in order to make sure that his two brothers who arrived later than him would have lunch to eat.


Indeed, the boy spoke with an extremely loud voice...so that the partially deaf fellow who sat at the table would be included in the conversation.


We must be very careful about what we say, how we say it, and to whom we say it to, and for what purpose...