Blog Test - WIP

This Shabbat we begin the fifth and final book of the Chumash. In English the book is called Deuteronomy, however in Hebrew it is called Devarim, the Book of Words. It is called this, in part, because it contains a number of Moses's farewell speeches to the younger generation who are about to enter the land of Israel. 
Moses, as we read in several places, will not be leading them to the Promised Land. Thus his intention is to provide direction to those who will soon become responsible for life in their new homeland. Put somewhat differently, Moses hopes that even though he will not be with them physically, his voice will remain with them and, in that way, he will continue to inspire them to become the best human beings that they can become.
 
Speech, in biblical terms, is an essential aspect of what it means to be human. 
Much of Jewish ethical and moral teachings concern themselves with the proper and improper use of speech. 
Our ancestors understood this with great clarity. They realized that one can use the power of speech to build the world and, conversely, they can misuse the spoken word to destroy worlds, as well. This is all summed up in a well-known Yiddish aphorism: "the entire world rests on the tip of the tongue".
 
Jewish tradition has always encouraged debate and argumentation. For Jews, a world without lively conversation was unthinkable but, on the other hand, our tradition consistently warns us against gossip and tail bearing. Again Yiddish tradition points to the destructive power of language in the aphorism: "one cannot cleanse oneself from Jewish talk even in ten waters” - meaning that once words have left our mouths they cannot be withdrawn and their damage is, unfortunately, often irreparable.
 
As a child I remember hearing the following parable about the power of speech. The parable speaks of a man who maligned a competitor. The competitor was so wounded by the poisonous words that he committed suicide. The competitor was grief stricken when he heard about the death of his adversary and he sought the counsel of the Rabbi. The man wanted to know whether there was some way in which he could make amends for his atrocious speech. The rabbi told him to take his feather pillow, to go to the edge of the city, and to cut the pillow open and let the wind carry away all the feathers. The heartbroken man followed the rabbi's directions. The next day he went back to the rabbi and he said to him "I did what you asked, what's next?" The rabbi told him to take the empty pillowcase and gather up all the feathers he had released. Well you know the end of this tale, don't you? It was simply impossible to recapture the feathers. The rabbi concluded his teachings by saying "once words leave your mouth they cannot be withdrawn".
 
We live in a world where people speak incessantly, often paying little attention to the effect of their words on those around them. All too often, in our own community, when we debate sensitive issues we may say awful things to each other. It is such situations that we need call to mind the Yiddish saying: "A vort iz azoy vi a fayl", a word and an arrow are the same- they can both cause irreparable damage.

With warm wishes for a Shabbat Shalom & a meaningful Tishah B’ Av - a day to recall the power of words & learning to care for each other.

Rabbi Neal Rose
neal@bnaiamoona.com
314-576-9990 x110