22 | SEPTEMBER 5 • 2024 J
N

A

generation ago, if you 
experienced bad service 
in a restaurant or a dirty 
hotel room, you told a few friends 
about your unfortunate experience. 
It might have influenced their 
decision about future 
dining choices or 
where to stay on 
vacation, but the 
impact on those 
businesses was 
insignificant. In 
today’s digital age, the 
power of the internet 
allows users to broadcast their 
displeasure to thousands of people 
around the world within minutes.
The effects of an online review 
cannot be underestimated. Whether 
you’re choosing a venue for your 
daughter’s wedding, a tour guide 
for your family vacation or a new 
orthodontist to put braces on your 
kids, chances are you’ve consulted 
online reviews to help guide your 
decision. These reviews have 
become an integral part of how we 
interact with businesses, yet the 
ethical considerations of leaving a 
review are often overlooked. 
As both a rabbi and the owner 
of a technology company that 
manages Google reviews, I’ve 
given much thought to the Jewish 
ethical perspective on this modern 
phenomenon.

THE EVOLUTION OF
ONLINE REVIEWS
Online reviews have revolutionized 
how consumers make decisions. 
Historically, word of mouth and 
personal recommendations were the 
primary ways people learned about 
a business. Today, anyone with 
internet access can instantly share 
their opinions with the world. 
 Websites like Google, Yelp and 
TripAdvisor have become go-to 
sources for evaluating everything 
from restaurants and hotels 
to doctors’ offices and service 
providers.
Businesses understand the 
significance of these reviews. A few 
negative comments can significantly 
hinder a business’ success, 
especially if they are unjustified or 
exaggerated. Some individuals allow 
their pent-up emotions regarding 
their less-than-ideal experience to 
influence the way they write their 
online review. It’s crucial, therefore, 
to approach the act of leaving a 
review with a sense of responsibility 
and ethics. We might not think that 
Jewish wisdom weighs in on the 
phenomenon of the online review, 
but Jewish sages through the ages 
have certainly had much to say 
about how one’s public opinion can 
hinder another business’ interest.

THE IMPACT OF A REVIEW
When you leave a review, you’re not 

just expressing 
your opinion; you’re influencing 
the decisions of countless others. 
 For businesses, especially small 
ones, a negative review can be 
detrimental. Restaurants, for 
example, are often judged harshly 
for minor infractions. A resort 
might receive a low rating because 
the check-in process was slow, 
despite providing a comfortable stay 
with wonderful amenities that led 
to an enjoyable vacation. Doctors, 
whose reputations are critical to 
their practice, can be unfairly 
criticized over a single interaction.
Service providers and vendors are 
also frequently reviewed, and their 
livelihoods can be affected by the 
words of a dissatisfied customer. 
While feedback is important for 
growth and improvement, the ethics 
of how that feedback is delivered 
should be carefully considered.

JEWISH ETHICS AND 
ONLINE REVIEWS
In the Jewish tradition, the concept 
of ethics in speech is paramount. 
The Torah warns against lashon 
hara (negative speech), which 
includes making derogatory or 
harmful comments about others. 
While lashon hara typically 
refers to speech, the principle 
can easily be extended to written 
communication, including online 
reviews. 

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, in his 
book A Code of Jewish Ethics, 
explains that even truth-telling can 
be regarded as lashon hara in cer-
tain contexts. 
A bad experience at a store might 
have been an isolated incident at an 
establishment that usually priori-
tizes the highest level of customer 
service. What might have been a 
bad day for a store clerk can lead to 
a significant loss of revenue for the 
business if others read your critical 
review without considering that it 
was an anomaly and certainly not 
the norm for that store.
One important Jewish principle 
that should guide us when leaving a 
review is dan l’kaf z’chut — 
giving the benefit of the doubt. This 
means assuming the best in others 
and being cautious before passing 
judgment. 
 If your experience with a busi-
ness was generally positive, but one 
minor issue didn’t meet your expec-
tations, it may not be ethical to leave 
a scathing review. Instead, consider 
the overall experience and whether 
the issue was significant enough to 
warrant a public complaint.

 The 
Jewish Ethics
 of Google 
 Reviews

OUR COMMUNITY
JEWS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Rabbi Jason 
Miller

just expressing 

Jewish Ethics