Parashat Metzora
This week’s reading is an opportunity to spend some quality alone time with Parashat Metzora, usually read in tandem with Parashat Tazria, which was the subject of last week’s posting.
The subject of the power of speech to create and destroy is worth talking about.
Last week we mentioned the concept of lashon hara, “evil” speech in general terms.
Specifically, lashon hara is the dissemination of true information with the intent, consciously or otherwise, to mock, belittle, deride, or otherwise prejudice public opinion against someone or something.
Outright falsehood and mendacity used in a slanderous manner is known as motzi shem ra (bringing about an evil name),
Our sages teach us that the name of our parasha, “Metzora”, literally, one inflicted with tzara’at (commonly mistranslated as leprosy)is a contraction of ”motzi (shem) ra”.
Both are byproducts of a far more common type of speech, called rechilut- gossip.
According to Maimonides, seemingly harmless gossip leads to harmful gossip.
It is fitting to dwell on these matters as we prepare ourselves for Pesach, for Passover. Our rabbis teach us that the word Pesach can be read as “peh sach”, the mouth speaks. This can be our opportunity to participate in an exodus from rechilut, the mindless gossip that masks the power and beauty of inspired speech. Along with the positive commandments to remove chometz (leavened food) and eat matza, the the Torah instructs us: V’Higadeta l’Vincha ba’Yom ha’Hu Leimor, ba’Avur Zeh Asah Hash-m Li b’Tzeisi m’Mitzrayim– And you shall relate to your child on that day, saying: It is because of this that
Hashem did for me when I came forth out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8).
Indeed, the very mitzvah of “V’Higadeta l’Vincha”, you shall tell your child, is our chance to make a tikkun, a repair, of the damage caused by our enslavement to unenlightened small talk. This is the beginning of the month of Nissan, the first month of the Jewish calendar. What a fine time to begin to cultivate a sensitivity to the power of speech, and the beauty of silence.
Rabbi David Cohen, the famous Nazir of Jerusalem, and main disciple of Israel’s first Chief Rabbi Rav Kook, used to spend his shabbat day in a ta’anit dibbur, a “fast” of silence. Rav Kook himself wrote “Sometimes we can sense the ties between our speech and the world. This is the beginning stage of redeeming speech from its exile.”
May we, our hearts, minds, and mouths look forward to an end to the long winter of our exile, and and may we be together, if not this, then next year, in Jerusalem.
Shabbat Shalom, and a Chag Pesach Kasher v’Sameach,
Rabbi Greg
PS
the following is a special prayer composed by the venerable Chafetz Chaim, author of Sh’mirat HaLashon, a major work devoted to helping us master this part of our spiritual growth.
Gracious and merciful G-d, help me to restrain myself from speaking or listening to derogatory, demeaning or hostile speech. I will try not to engage in L’shon ha-ra, either about individuals or about an entire group of people. I will strive not to say anything that contains falsehood, insincere flattery or elements of needless dispute, anger, arrogance, oppression or embarrassment to others. Grant me the strength to say nothing unnecessary, so that all my actions and speech cultivate a love for your creatures and for You.
