Nivul Peh Causes Troubles to Increase

BE"H

This is the 4th installment in a series about improving our speech, l'ilui nishmat Saul Bruckner, a'h.

So here is the aforementioned passage as cited in Rav Pesach Eliyahu Falk's book, Oz veHadar Levusha, or Modesty - An Adornment for Life. He mentions the Gemara in Shabbos 33a, which he translates on page 202, #5, paragraph 1: "As a result of speaking nivul peh, troubles increase, harsh decrees are made, young people die, orphans and widows cry for help and are not answered."

In the following paragraph, Rav Falk explains that these punishments refer to a type of withdrawal of G-d's Hashgacha Pratit, or watchful eye, so to speak, from us. I hope Rav Falk doesn't mind my quoting and paraphrasing his book.

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.

Thank you for reading,
Esther Asna

Nivul Peh Taints One's Neshama -

BE"H

This is the 3rd installment in a series about improving our speech, l'ilui nishmat Saul Bruckner, a'h. This is Part 2 to yesterday's Part 1 from Halacha for Today.

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

2) Furthermore, Nivul Peh taints a Jew’s Neshama. (See Chofetz Chaim in Sefer Nidchei Yisroel Perek 20)One who [regularly] uses Nivul Peh is risking having his Tefilos rejected by Hashem and causing his Neshama to not be taken up to heaven when he goes to sleep at night and thus losing out on the nightly cleansing that a Jew’s Neshama usually receives, spiritually an extremely dangerous thing to miss out on. (See Sefer Chareidim ibid. where he also refers to Nivul Peh as "Avi Avos Hatumah, the most severe kind of impurity)

Using Nivul Peh can unfortunately reverse seventy years’ worth of good judgments against a person and cause him much suffering; whereas controlling one’s mouth can reverse seventy years’ worth of bad judgments and save a person much suffering. (See Talmud Shabbos 33a where the Gemara enumerates many other consequences of using Nivul Peh. Merubah Midah Tova M’Midas Puraniyos, good measures are always given more abundantly than their converse. See Rashi Shmos 20:6)

Blogger's note: What amazing hashgacha - I just ran into the above-referenced passage in the Gemara in Rav Falk's book on Tzniut. More on that tomorrow, G-d willing.

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.

Thank you for reading,
Esther Asna

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

Nivul Peh - A Definition

The following explanation of Nivul Peh was taken from:

http://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/eng/?orderby=3


Nivul Peh Rabbi Gideon Weitzman
Adar I 6, 5771
:1) Could I safely say that nivul peh is speech which illustrates sexual conduct or that insites lust in the average individual?2) Is speech that reference to excretory organs or excrement also nivul peh?If not, what isur is it? where it it written that reference to excretory organs or excrement is assur?I’m not asking bc I have doubt, but because I want a source.

Answer:Shalom U'verachah,The Ramban explains that Hebrew is lashon hakodesh because it does not have names for the reproductive organs, thus if we strive to be holy we should not explicitly name these organs, unless neccesary for education or in a medical context etc. but not just in every day speech. Any discussion of inappropriate matters of modesty can be considered nibul peh. This includes swearing and cursing. The Gemara even speaks about how the Torah added words so as to say the animal that is not clean and not call it an "unclean animal." Kol Tuv

Attempting to Bring Mashiach by Working on our Speech

H-shem Sefatay Tiftakh, Ufi Yagid Tehilatekha. H-shem, open my lips and my mouth tells your praise. Our mouths are holy vessels. Let's keep them clean and use them for holy words, kind words, encouraging words. H-shem has endowed some with a talent to use language to write and speak. Let's do so in an elevated fashion as befitting our status as the Chosen People, as well as people created in G-d's image. It's a new year, the Aseret Yemei Teshuva. What better time to start than now?

Today I had an idea after being hit with an idea that we need to work on this area that I want to do something to help myself and others strengthen ourselves in our speech. So with G-d's help, I will try over the next while to locate sources about this subject to feature here.

Thanks to my husband, RC, and "Ben Olam Haba" of the Halacha for Today emails for his encouragement to write this.

Shanah Tovah U'Metuka,
EAC (Aimee Ben-Ezra Cohen)

This section of the blog is in memory of and l'ilui Nishmat Saul Bruckner, a'h who gave importance to utilizing our power of speech positively. If anyone has other ideas to contribute to this tribute/effort, please let me know and please pass on to other E.R. Murrow alumni if possible.

Thoughts of teshuva, blogs and improving our speech

Dear Readers, if you are out there, whoever you are :)
Shavua tov and hatima tova,

I want to do something for the cause of cutting down on nivul peh. I was thinking of writing a blog post but not sure where I want it to go. There are beautiful Jewish neshamot that I know of, some with blogs of their own, and I feel sad when they have a writing or speaking talent and use inappropriate language to express themselves. I wish I knew what to say or how to say it. At one point I wanted to get people in on sponsoring a page in one of those Positive Word Power books but I didn't get any takers. It was in memory of a high school principal by the name of Saul Bruckner a'h (a secular Jew in a public HS) and one thing that stands out that I remember from him is that he was against foul language; saying that English has so many words for expressing onesself that why do we need to use the inappropriate ones, or something to that effect. Some things could be to find articles on the topic and post backlinks to them here and in other places, or get together people to sponsor something at Chofetz Chaim Heritage. But how can I raise awareness?
Any ideas?
Please let me know.

Thank you,
EA