Emor
The Torah attaches great importance as to how we utilise our power of speech.
Last week in Kedoshim we were commanded “You shall not go around as a gossipmonger amidst your people.”
Lashon Harah (lit evil speech) is considered one of the worst Sins in the torah. It damages both the speaker the listener and the one who is spoken about.
The world was created by God through speech. And God said let there be light etc.
We reflect this idea in our morning Teffilah in the opening blessing to the verses of Praise (pesukei dezimra)- “Blessed is the one that spoke and the world came into being”
This teaches us that words have creative power.
The saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never harm me” is the antithesis of what Judaism teaches.
The Torah even allows us to extend the prohibitions of the Torah through the power of a vow. This is a “mere” utterance with a particular formula that makes an object forbidden to the person uttering the vow (called a Neder). This is again because speech according to the Torah has real power.
It creates obligations and prohibitions and in the context of interpersonal relationships can either build or destroy a person’s dignity and sense of worth.
Sometimes in the heat of an argument we can easily become loose with our tongues.
We don’t need to shout or raise our voices to be able to cause harm. A curt or acerbic comment can equally do the trick of causing another emotional pain.
The week the Torah opens with the commandment to “speak to the Kohanim”
The verb used is Amar as opposed to dibber. Dibber refers to harsh speech.
Amar is soft speech. Rashi explains that the commandment is actually for the priests to teach the children about the special priestly laws regarding avoiding impurity through contact with death.
Whenever teaching our children, grandchildren or great grandchildren, great care is required to ensure we speak gently in a way that will inspire them.
Let us commit to improving our power of speech and use it to love and inspire others!
Shabbat Shalom