Have you ever said something and immediately regretted it?
Has another person ever hurt your feelings, by saying something that bothered you?
Have you ever had a respectful discussion with a friend, and resolved an issue?
Have you ever uplifted someone with some encouraging words?
Our words are powerful. They can hurt and they can heal. They can uplift and they can put down. They can sustain relationships or erode them…
But how careful do we really need to be with our speech?
In this week’s Torah portion, we are given insight into the seriousness of Lashon Hora – harmful words (literally “evil tongue”). Examples include: slander, gossip, put-downs and needlessly harsh speech.
The Parsha discusses the Kohen Gadol’s (High Priest) entry into the “Holy of Holies”, the innermost chamber of G-d’s holy house on Earth.
The Kohen Gadol is the only one allowed inside, and he is only allowed entry once per year, on Yom Kippur.
He enters to offer the sacred Ketoret (incense) offering to G-d.
“…when he (the Kohen Gadol) comes to provide atonement…he shall provide atonement for himself, for his household, and for the entire congregation of Israel.” (Leviticus 16:17)
The Ketoret offering atoned for the sin of Lashon Hora. The great Rabbi, known as the Chofetz Chaim, explained that this shows us the seriousness of evil speech.
The first thing the Kohen Gadol does at this incredible moment, before he can atone for all of the other sins of the entire Jewish People, is to ask forgiveness for the sins of evil speech.
In other words, the first priority, of the holiest day of the year, for the holiest representative of the Jewish People, at the pinnacle moment of holiness in the holiest place on Earth, is to apologize for misusing our gift of speech.
Words are incredibly powerful.
When used hurtfully, they can completely destroy people’s lives.
When used positively, they can build entire worlds.
If you are looking to grow, and to become your best self, follow the example of the Kohen Gadol: make it your first priority to use your words carefully.
Your efforts will eventually lead to a better you…a better community…and a better world.
Shabbat Shalom,
Danielle and the JET team
