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

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

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

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