[Avodah] a troubling halacha

[Danny Schoemann]

> On the one hand, Mechaber Yoreh Deah 402:12 says that "there's no obligation".
> On the other hand, he also brings the pasuk "He who speaks dibbah is a k'sil"
> (Mishlei 10:18). So you can decide for yourself whether the Mechaber's true
> intention is that "one need not" or "one should not".

> What I'm looking for is some sort of explanation of why we presume that the
> potential avel would prefer not to know about the death.

Why don't we simply assume that it has nothing to do with the Avel,
but rather with the bearer of the news.

Shlomo Hamelech asserted: Being the harbinger of bad news is foolish.
Why would anybody want to be the town fool?

So now you have to weight being a fool vs. doing the guy a "favor".

Now we can understand why the Poskim sometimes suggest that the
"favor" outweighs the foolishness.

This also explains why you can hint at the bad news if asked directly;
you're not being harbinger of bad news.

May we all be the bearer of good news.

- Danny