I once overheard an older woman speaking to a friend about the current obsession with dieting. “These days,” she mused, “I’m more concerned with what comes out of my mouth than what goes into it.” There’s a world of wisdom in those words.
“Playing
on the linguistic similarity of the Hebrew for ‘leper’ (metzora) and the Hebrew for “one who gossips” (Motzi shem ra) the Sages considered leprosy to be a punishment of
the sins of slander and malicious gossip. (Lev. R. 16:11) They teach that
gossip is like leprosy because it is highly contagious. One infected person can
spread a malicious rumor to many others.” (Etz Hayyim Commentary below the line
page 652)
What
we say affects others. “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,”
says Proverbs
12:18. I only wish our elected officials from our President down would
choose their words wisely and not defame anybody. For either good or bad their
words impact people’s lives immediately and have a long-lasting effect.
But one doesn’t have to be a politician to be
guilty of the sins of gossip and slander. If truth be told we are all guilty of
the sin of gossip and slander at one time or another and our words hurt like a
piercing sword. But what we may overlook
is the effect our reckless words have on us. When we gossip, or when we malign
others, our words begin to ruin us, for we gratify the evil that is in us and
strengthen it until it overthrows us.
On
the contrary, when we guard our lips we strike a blow at this malevolence. “The
tongue of the wise promotes health,” continues Proverbs
12:18. We protect our souls, for we weaken the very thing that lies in wait
to ruin us.
If
you “set a guard” over your mouth and “keep watch over the door” of your lips (Psalm 141:3),
you won’t have to eat your words. Let your words promote life, not destruction.
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