Dear Friends,
At the conclusion of the Amidah, we recite,”Guard My Tongue from Evil and My Lips from Telling Lies.” We know that we should avoid negative speech which we call “lashon hara.” In this week’s Torah portion, “Tetzaveh,” we notice that Moses’ name is not mentioned for the only time after we are introduced to Moses in Exodus, Chapter 2. In his commentary, “Living Each Week,” Rabbi Abraham J. Twersky suggests that “this omission is a consequence of Moses’ having said, when he pleaded for Divine forgiveness for the Israelites, that if they were not to be forgiven, ” Blot me out from Your Book”(Exod. 32:32).
In the end, God does forgive the Israelites, but Moses’ name, although not completely blotted out, is omitted from this portion. Why????
We must always remember that our words have consequences and that although sticks and stones can break our bones, words can break our hearts. When we say something with a mean tone, when we say things without thinking, when we speak angrily, these words have lasting impact. Moses made a statement and G-d took him seriously. G-d was trying to teach Moses and us that when we make a statement,, we need to take responsibility for it. How many of us continue to be overwhelmed by the power of negative rhetoric to create conflicts? Moses was angry with our people for building a golden calf and responded in an angry fashion.
I hope that we learn to temper our temper when engaging in difficult conversations and not make comments that are difficult to retract. May we remember that the lips that utter prayers, the tongue which says ” I love you,” and the mouth which utters many wonderful words, also have the potential to hurt and destroy.
What we say and how we say it is our choice…may we be kind and fulfill the words we pray…”guard our tongues from evil, and our lips from telling lies.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bruce Aft.