Do you ever feel like people just give advice without giving it much thought?
If you ask five people for advice and get five different responses, you may feel like you need an adviser to guide you on which advice will actually be best for you. How do you know whose advice to stick with?
Thankfully, the Torah has some great advice for us.
Obviously, you want to hear from someone who understands the issue and has some experience. But there is another component at least equally important.
In Parshat Kedoshim, which we read tomorrow, the Torah instructs us: "You shall not place a stumbling block before a blind person." Beyond its literal meaning, The Talmud understands this Mitzvah to include not giving advice that is improper or unhelpful to a person who is “blind” on any given issue. In other words, it likely that the advisor will neglect to give you advice that is truly in your best interest simply because they didn't take the time to really think about you.
It turns out, giving good advice has more to do with caring and 'loving your fellow as yourself' (as the Torah instructs just a few verses later), than being an expert in the field.
The Rebbe would often suggest people to seek and followadvice from “understanding Friends” (Yedidim Mevinim).
So next time someone asks you for advice, before throwing some expert advice at them - pause, listen and empathize with them, you will be so much more helpful and it's a Mitzvah too!