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שבת שלום - פרשת אחרי מות/קדושים
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Video Shiur
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Click play to watch the video shiur by
Rabbi Scott Kahn about ברכת החמה |
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News and Notes
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On Monday night, the beginning of Yom HaZikaron,
the yeshiva joined the residents of Moshav Zanoach
at a ceremony to remember the fallen soldiers of the
State of Israel. On Tuesday morning, Rav Wolicki gave
a short talk about the debt of gratitude we owe these
soldiers. This was followed by the recital of Tehillim,
and standing quietly as the two minute siren sounded
across Israel.
On Wednesday, Yom HaAtzma'ut,
the yeshiva's special program began with a shiur by
Rav Kahn entitled, "Land for Peace: Asur, Mutar, or
Chiyuv?" This was followed by a screening of the film,
"The Long Way Home," which describes the years in between
the end of World War II and the founding of the State
of Israel. Later in the afternoon, the yeshiva hosted
its fifth annual Yom HaAtzma'ut barbecue, which included
delicious food and a whiffle ball game, played by students,
rabbeim, and their families.
On Tuesday,
Harold Hershman completed Seder Nashim, while on Thursday,
Dov Muchnick completed Seder Moed - his eighth siyum
of the year. We eagerly anticipate many more siyumim
from Harold and Dov, as they continue to strive to
understand as much of Torah as possible. Mazal tov!
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Lashon Hara and the Definition of Human Dignity
By Rabbi Scott Kahn
"Do not walk about as a talebearer in your nation." (Vayikra 19:16)
Chazal consider lashon hara - evil speech - one of the most serious prohibitions in the Torah. Indeed, the well-known verses in Tehillim single out care with speech as the ultimate means toward achieving long life:
"Who is the man who desires life, loving days to see goodness? Guard your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking falsehood..." (Tehillim 34:13-14)
Conversely, the magnitude of the prohibition of lashon hara is dramatically emphasized by Chazal:
"On account of four things a person is punished in this world, yet the principal punishment still awaits him in the world to come, namely: idol worship, sexual impropriety, and bloodshed, while lashon hara corresponds to all of them." (Yerushalmi Peah 1:5)
What makes lashon hara so powerful? What underlies the seriousness of this prohibition?
The Chofetz Chaim, in his classic work Shmirat HaLashon, offers several answers to this question. I would like to offer two of these responses - one which demonstrates why the avoidance of lashon hara is so praiseworthy, and the other to show why the sin of lashon hara is uniquely damaging.
The greatness of avoiding lashon hara is partly based on the inevitable results of such avoidance. When a person is determined to avoid speaking negatively about anyone - even when the negative speech will not harm the person about whom he is speaking - he will certainly also internalize the larger message of respecting others, and making sure to never cause them any pain. It would surely be unthinkable for a person who is careful with lashon hara to consider stealing, or causing bodily harm to an individual, or hurting another person in any way. If a person learns to control his mouth, and does so through a determination to think of all people respectfully, he has taken the biggest step possible toward perfecting all other aspects of his character. Thus, avoiding lashon hara also means eliminating all negative aspects of our interpersonal relations.
An alternate approach which explains why Chazal considered lashon hara worse than almost any other transgression is based on their understanding of the nature of a human being. The Chofetz Chaim notes that just as lashon hara is the worst of sins, learning Torah is the greatest of mitzvot. Its greatness derives from the reality that man's most base actions are associated with the physical world, whereas his true humanity is manifest in the realm of communication. Indeed, Onkelos tells us that the creation of man was unique in that man acquired the ability to speak; Onkelos thus translates the phrase, "Man became a living being" (Bereshit 2:7) as, "Man became a speaking spirit." While man's physical actions approximate those of an animal, the ability to speak is uniquely his.
Whereas the vast majority of mitzvot involve physical activity and the interaction with physical matter, Torah learning is directly connected to the power of speech. Accordingly, Torah learning represents the ultimate use of that which is most uniquely human, and is, therefore, the highest activity available to man. On the other hand, lashon hara is the ultimate misuse of the power which is uniquely human. In the words of the Chofetz Chaim, "When a person sins with his limbs, because they are physical, the spiritual damage he causes is not particularly great. This is not true vis-à-vis the transgressions of lashon hara and talebearing, in which he utilizes spiritual power (i.e., speech) alone; the spiritual damage he causes in the higher worlds is incredibly powerful and terrible." (Shmirat HaLason, Shaar HaZechirah 1)
"Look how serious the power of lashon hara is. For they were commanded to build the Beit HaMikdash, but because the generation consisted of ba'alei lashon hara - people who constantly speak lashon hara - it was not built in their days." (Devarim Raba, 5:10) Every day, following our counting of the omer, we plead with Hashem to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash. Do we do our part to help rebuild it, as well? Are we careful with our speech? Do we think before speaking? Have we truly perfected our power of speech - that which represents the ultimate human dignity?
Sefer Chofetz Chaim, which is often printed in the same volume as Shmirat HaLashon, contains nineteen chapters, consisting of 177 specific halachot regarding lashon hara. There are ninety days remaining from this Shabbat until Tisha B'Av. Perhaps we should all make a commitment to learn two halachot a day, culminating on Erev Tisha B'Av, in order to do our part in rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash. If we successfully learn these halachot, and inculcate that sensitivity which will prevent us from engaging in evil speech, this Tisha B'Av may become a day of celebration rather than of mourning. Perhaps, with our actions, we can bring the complete redemption, while making our lives more meaningful in the process.
May we successfully meet the challenge!
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