A terrible disease has spread among us. It is pretty well known, but not recognized as being dangerous. Its cure is also within the means of every person, but it is a hard one. That disease is chatter and talkativeness. In this week’s Parasha, Parashat Metzora, we read about a phenomenon that arose among people who talked a lot, and spoke Lashon Hara (gossip and libel) about those around them. Such people would get an unpleasant rash, and they would have to sit alone, outside of the city, in atonement for their superfluous, needless chatter. But, even if you are familiar with this problem, please note another problem: The prohibition against Lashon Hara holds not only when speaking about others; it holds even when one is speaking about oneself! Yes – don’t speak derogatively about yourself. Don’t belittle yourself and your abilities. Usually, such negative speech is the idea of the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination), trying to stop us from moving forward on the right path, and so he works on convincing us that we’re not worth much, and that our small actions are valueless. So you should know that such a notion is simply a lie. Every Jew and Jewess is a valuable treasure, a diamond; and each and every mitzvah and good deed that we do just helps bring this out more and more. Therefore, we should watch our speech, and speak only good things, both about others and about ourselves. Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Shmuel Raskin Budapest
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 10:11:04 +0000
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