Even if one sees that if he takes it upon himself never to speak demeaningly of a Jew, or to say anything else that is forbidden, his livelihood will suffer greatly, as when he is in the employ of others who have not the faintest trace of Torah about them (and it is well known that, in our many sins, such men are steeped in this sin to such an extent that if they see one whose mouth is not open [in lashon hara] as wide as theirs, they take him for a fool and a simpleton and because of this may dismiss him from his job and deprive him of a livelihood), in spite of this, it is forbidden [to transgress], as is the case with all the other negative commandments, for which one must give up all that he possesses rather than transgress (viz. Yoreh Deah 157:1).
אֲפִלּוּ אִם הוּא רוֹאֶה, שֶׁאִם הוּא יַרְגִּיל עַצְּמוֹ בַּמִּדָּה הַזֹּאת, שֶׁלֹּא לְסַפֵּר לְעוֹלָם בִּגְנוּתוֹ שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכדּוֹמֶה מִדִּבּוּרִים הָאֲסוּרִים, יְסֻבַּב לוֹ הֶפְסֵד גָּדוֹל בְּעִנְין פַּרְנָסָתוֹ, כְּגוֹן, שֶׁהוּא תַּחַת רְשׁוּת אֲחֵרִים, וְהֵם אֲנָשִׁים שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם רֵיחַ תּוֹרָה, וְיָדוּע הוּא, שֶׁבַּעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ הָרַבִּים, אֲנָשִׁים כָּאֵלּוּ הֵם פְּרוּצִּים מְאֹד בְּזֶה הֶעָוֹן הֶחָמוּר, עַד שֶׁאִם יִרְאוּ אֶת מִי, שֶׁאֵין פִּיו פָּתוּחַ כָּל כָּךְ כְּמוֹתָם, יַחֲזִיקוּ אוֹתוֹ לְשׁוֹטֶה וּפֶתִי, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה יְסַלְּקוּהוּ מִמִּשְׁמַרְתּוֹ וְלֹא יִהְיֶה לוֹ בַּמֶּה לְפַרְנִס אֶת בְּנֵי בֵּיתוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן אָסוּר, (י) כְּכָל שְׁאָר לָאוִין, שֶׁמְּחֻיָּב לִתֵּן כָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ וְלֹא לַעֲבֹר עֲלֵיהֶן, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּיוֹרֶה דֵּעָה {בסימן קנ"ז סעיף א' בהגה"ה}, עַיֵּן שָׁם.
Even if one sees that if he takes it upon himself never to speak demeaningly of a Jew, or to say anything else that is forbidden, his livelihood will suffer greatly, as when he is in the employ of others who have not the faintest trace of Torah about them (and it is well known that, in our many sins, such men are steeped in this sin to such an extent that if they see one whose mouth is not open [in lashon hara] as wide as theirs, they take him for a fool and a simpleton and because of this may dismiss him from his job and deprive him of a livelihood), in spite of this, it is forbidden [to transgress], as is the case with all the other negative commandments, for which one must give up all that he possesses rather than transgress (viz. Yoreh Deah 157:1).