Prohibitions Relating to Speech

BE"H

This is the 5th installment in a series about improving our speech, l'ilui nishmat Saul Bruckner, a'h.

The following is taken from a recent Hakhel email:

D. In last week's Haftara, the Navi Hoshea (14:2,3), after urging us to do Teshuva (Shuva Yisroel!) immediately instructs us on how to do Teshuva with the words "Kechu Imachem Devorim Veshuvu El Hashem--take words with you and return to Hashem. We must take our words with us--we must realize (as the Vidui Booklet points out) that a GREAT NUMBER of the sins we mention in the Vidui of Yom Kippur have to do with misuse and abuse of that great power that distinguishes us from animal--our power of speech. The Chofetz Chaim teaches that if we are more circumspect with our speech, we can be free of the following Issurim:

1. Lashon Hora--brings many, many other aveiros along with it and can destroy relationships, families and lives
2. Rechilus--as above, and perhaps even more hurtful to the person
3. Sheker-while Hashem's seal is Emes!
4. Chanufa--including egging on...'you're right!'
5. Laitzanus--mockery, poking fun, ridicule
6. Ona'as Devorim--hurtful or insulting words
7. Halbanas Panim--one reader pointed out that embarrassing another in public causes one to forfeit his share in Olam Haba--and then asked if this is so --is this the greatest aveira--even greater than Chillul Hashem....
8. Divrei Ga'avah--words of arrogance--even though the sign of greatness is humility (Iggeres Haramban)
9. Divrei Machlokes--fighting, argumentative words
10. Divrei Ka'as --words of anger that you won't be able to take back.

Perhaps we can keep this list around near a place(s) where we can look at it before we are about to make a statement or comment, or have a conversation, that is not within our usual manner of speech. Remember the VERY FIRST words of instruction of the Navi--Kechu Imachem Devorim--VeShuvu el Hashem! May you hear your success--with your very own ears!

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

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