Defiling the Mouth in Halacha

BE"H

This is the 2nd installment in a series about improving our speech, l'ilui nishmat Saul Bruckner, a'h

The following is taken from http://www.frumtoronto.com/Blogger.asp?BlogCategoryID=96&ShowEntryID=5982

It's from the site and email list of http://www.halachafortoday.com


Halacha For Today:
Tuesday, 1st Day Rosh Chodesh Elul 5771
August 30, 2011
1) It is forbidden to [unnecessarily] talk about impure things and actions or use words that refer to impure actions. (See Sefer Chareidim Perek 24:49)This is referred to as "Nivul Peh, defiling the mouth".Besides for the fact that such speech will lead to impure thoughts, such [unnecessary] speech in its own right is a sin, as the Torah (Devarim 23:15) says "V’Lo Yir’eh Becha Ervas Davar, and you shall not see anything revealed". The word "Davar" also means "word" and Chazal learn from this that a word (i.e. speaking) regarding Ervah is also forbidden. (See Talmud Yerushalmi Terumos Perek 1:6. See also Chareidim ibid., Mesilas Yesharim Perek 11 and Midrash Raba Vayikrah Perek 24:6)

Please feel free to contact me with any questions and I can try to answer/clarify them as best as I can. If not I can attempt to refer you to an authority who can. Part 2 of this subsection coming tomorrow, G-d willing.

Thank you for reading,
Esther Asna

Rabbi Yudin on Shofar vs. the Mouth

With G-d's help this is the first of our series about improving our speech, in memory of Saul Bruckner, may he rest in peace.

Rabbi Yudin has a great message about the ill effects of problematic speech in the following Dvar Torah:

"The Bais Halevi (Drush 15) notes a startling understanding of shofar as prayer. A prayer is as effective as the source from which it emanates. Indeed, the spoken word is the distinctive mark of man. The Torah (Braishis 2:7) states that Hashem blew into man’s nostrils the soul of life, which the Targum translates as "ruach mi-mal’lah" (a spirit of intelligent speech). However, over the course of time, man sullies and misuses his divine gift of speech. Lashon Harah, r’chilus, and nivul peh are not only forbidden forms of speech, but they limit the effectiveness and proficiency of the mouth. And thus the quality of the spoken prayer is often significantly diminished. Therefore, Hashem in His kindness allows us to communicate with a region that is deeper than the spoken words, namely the ruach – the spirit of man. When Hashem blew of His existence into man, it meant that part of the divine is present in man. It is from this holy and pure source that the sounds of the shofar emanate. As this part of man is more holy, the prayer that issues forth is holier, and thus the concluding blessing asking G-d to accept the shofar sound of His people Israel with mercy is most understandable."

This is taken from the following page:
http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2002/moadim/ryud_roshHashana.html

Shana Tova and Hatima Tova,
EAC