Published: April 6th, 2014
Latest update: April 5th, 2014
Latest update: April 5th, 2014
I used to wonder why Chazal (Chachamim Zichronam L’Vracha), the wise sages of Jewish tradition, would spend so much time emphasizing the evils of, Lashon HaRah, a transgression that includes such things as gossip, slander, and a variety of other misuses of speech. It always seemed that relatively speaking, there were so many more terrible ills in the world, horrific tragedies and heinous crimes. Why was it that Lashon HaRah so thoroughly captured the attention of these ancient sages? Why is it that the misuse of language comprises nearly half of the misdeeds that Jews annually confess on the High Holy Days?
The sages undoubtedly took their cue from the great displeasure that G-d showed Miriam for speaking badly about her brother Moses (Numbers 12:1-15). She was punished with the dreaded disease of Tzara’at, often likened to leprosy.
The childhood axiom about sticks and stones comes to mind with its reassurances that the cruel things people say could cause no harm. And, yet, there was Chazal, our “Sages of Blessed Memory,” emphasizing that “the misuse of speech kills three: the speaker, the listener, and the one about whom the slander is being spread.”
The degree of good versus evil in any generation is determined by what good people will tolerate. And these wise sages recognized that it is the language we use that shapes people’s perception of reality; this, in turn, determines what people will allow.
The classic baseball quip illustrates the point.
The first umpire says: “Some are balls and some are strikes, and I call them as they are.”
The second umpire says: “Some are balls and some are strikes, and I call them as I see 'em.”
The third umpire says:”Some are balls and some are strikes, but they ain’t nothin' ˜til I call 'em.”
Language shapes reality. Names, labels, and words have a tremendous influence on outcome and environment.
Unfortunately, there is a whole language that has been fabricated that engulfs discussions of the State of Israel. There is an entire array of duplicitous terms that regularly encases the portrayal of the Jewish state. CLICK TO KEEP READING
The sages undoubtedly took their cue from the great displeasure that G-d showed Miriam for speaking badly about her brother Moses (Numbers 12:1-15). She was punished with the dreaded disease of Tzara’at, often likened to leprosy.
The childhood axiom about sticks and stones comes to mind with its reassurances that the cruel things people say could cause no harm. And, yet, there was Chazal, our “Sages of Blessed Memory,” emphasizing that “the misuse of speech kills three: the speaker, the listener, and the one about whom the slander is being spread.”
The degree of good versus evil in any generation is determined by what good people will tolerate. And these wise sages recognized that it is the language we use that shapes people’s perception of reality; this, in turn, determines what people will allow.
The classic baseball quip illustrates the point.
The first umpire says: “Some are balls and some are strikes, and I call them as they are.”
The second umpire says: “Some are balls and some are strikes, and I call them as I see 'em.”
The third umpire says:”Some are balls and some are strikes, but they ain’t nothin' ˜til I call 'em.”
Language shapes reality. Names, labels, and words have a tremendous influence on outcome and environment.
Unfortunately, there is a whole language that has been fabricated that engulfs discussions of the State of Israel. There is an entire array of duplicitous terms that regularly encases the portrayal of the Jewish state. CLICK TO KEEP READING
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