Guarding speech and the soul's inner light

במד' מי האיש החפץ חיים כו' דכתיב זכור כו' אשר עשה ה"א למרים כו'.

In the Midrash: "Who is the man who desires life (mi ha'ish hechafetz chaim)…" (Tehillim 34:13), and it is written "Remember… what Hashem your God did to Miriam…" (Devarim 24:9).

The Midrash links the metzora's affliction to the verse about desiring life and to the command to remember Miriam's punishment for lashon hara.

שמצוה לזכור תמיד עונש לשון הרע.

That it is a mitzvah to always remember the punishment of lashon hara (evil speech).

There is a constant obligation to keep in mind the gravity of lashon hara, as the Torah commands regarding Miriam.

כדאיתא לכוין במאמר להודות לך הפה לא נברא אלא להודות.

As it is brought, to have in mind in the saying "to thank You" — the mouth was created only to give thanks (l'hodos).

The mouth's true purpose is to praise and thank Hashem; this is what one should intend when reciting such words.

ובאמת הפה הוא פיהן של בנ"י שנבראו רק להעיד על הבורא ית' כדכתיב עם זו יצרתי כו'.

And in truth the mouth is the mouth of Bnei Yisrael, who were created only to bear witness to the Creator, as it is written "this people I formed [for Myself; they shall declare My praise]…" (Yeshayahu 43:21).

The mouth's purpose finds its fullest expression in Bnei Yisrael, whose very reason for being is to testify to Hashem and declare His praise.

וזה עיקר הבריאה כדכתי' אדם אתם.

And this is the essence of creation, as it is written "you are called 'adam (man)'" (Yevamos 61a).

Being "adam" in the fullest sense — the purpose of creation — belongs to Bnei Yisrael, who fulfill the role of bearing witness to Hashem.

וכתיב וייצר ה"א כו' ויפח באפיו נ"ח ויהי האדם לנפש חי'.

And it is written "And Hashem God formed [the man]… and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (nishmas chaim), and the man became a living soul (nefesh chayah)" (Bereishis 2:7).

The Torah's account of man's creation describes both the formed body and the divine breath of life that animates it.

א"כ הגוף הוא יצירה בפ"ע ורק שיש בו נשמת אלקי ממעל שצריך האדם לעורר כח הנשמה שבו והיינו דכתיב לנפש חי'.

If so, the body is a creation in its own right, and only that there is within it a divine soul from above (neshamah Elokis mima'al), which a person must awaken — the power of the soul within him — and this is the meaning of "a living soul."

The body is a distinct creation; what makes man truly "alive" is the divine soul placed within it, which a person must actively rouse and bring to expression.

נפש היא התשוקה והרצון.

"Nefesh" is the yearning and the will (teshukah and ratzon).

The "soul" here refers to a person's inner desire and will — the drive toward connection.

שאם האדם מאסף כל הרצונות ומשתוקק לדבוק באל חי.

That if a person gathers all his desires and yearns to cleave to the living God (Kel chai) —

When a person collects all his scattered desires and channels them into a single yearning to cleave to Hashem —

אז מוצא חיות אלקים בקרבו.

— then he finds divine vitality (chiyus Elokim) within him.

— he discovers and awakens the divine life-force already dwelling inside him.

והוא בכח הפה בתורה ותפלה.

And this is through the power of the mouth, in Torah and tefillah.

This awakening of inner vitality is accomplished specifically through the mouth — by learning Torah and davening.

כדמתרגמינן לרוח ממללא.

As we translate [the verse "a living soul"] as "a speaking spirit (ru'ach memalela)" (Onkelos, Bereishis 2:7).

Onkelos renders "living soul" as "speaking spirit," underscoring that the faculty of speech is the very expression of man's living, divine soul.

לכן מי שחפץ ומשתוקק אל החיים צריך לשמור הפה.

Therefore, one who desires and yearns for life must guard his mouth.

Since the mouth is the channel of life, anyone who seeks true life must carefully guard his speech — answering the Midrash's "who is the man who desires life."

וע"י לשון הרע בא נגע.

And through lashon hara comes the affliction (nega).

Misusing the mouth for evil speech brings on the affliction of tzaraas.

סגירו.

A "closing up" (sgiru).

The nega is a kind of sealing or shutting — a covering over.

דהיינו שהגוף מכסה הארת הנשמה שבקרבו.

That is, the body conceals the illumination of the soul within him.

The affliction represents the body's coarseness covering over and blocking the light of the neshamah inside.

והרי הוא כמת.

And he is then like a dead person.

With the soul's light obscured, the person is considered as if dead, since true life is the revealed inner soul.

ואיתא במד' ה' תורות כ' בנגעים.

And it is brought in the Midrash: five times "torah (instruction)" is written regarding nega'im.

The Midrash notes that the word "torah" appears five times in the laws of the afflictions.

לומר לך המספר לשה"ר ככופר בה' חומשי תורה.

To tell you that one who speaks lashon hara is like one who denies the five books of the Torah.

The fivefold "torah" teaches that evil speech is as severe as denying all five Chumashim of the Torah.

הרמז כי יש ה' מוצאות הפה לכ"ב אותיות התורה.

The hint is that there are five points of articulation (motza'os) of the mouth for the 22 letters of the Torah.

The Sefas Emes connects the five "torahs" to the five places in the mouth from which the 22 letters of the alef-beis are formed.

והם חקיקות פנימיות שחקק הקב"ה בפיו של אדם להיות בו רשימות מכ"ב אתוין דאורייתא.

And these are inner engravings (chakikos penimius) that the Holy One, blessed be He, engraved in the mouth of a person, so that there be in him impressions of the 22 letters of the Torah.

Hashem inscribed within the human mouth the capacity to form the holy letters — making each person's speech-faculty a repository of the Torah's letters.

וע"י הלשה"ר הם סתומים.

And through lashon hara they become sealed (stumim).

Evil speech stops up and blocks these inner engravings of the Torah's letters.

ולהיפוך המייגע עצמו בדברי קודש תורה ותפלה נפתחין חקיקות הללו.

And conversely, one who toils in holy words — Torah and tefillah — these engravings are opened.

By laboring in Torah and prayer one unseals and activates these inner letter-engravings within the mouth.

ואז מאיר בו כח הנשמה ונק' חי.

And then the power of the soul shines within him, and he is called "living."

When the engravings are opened, the neshamah's light radiates and the person is truly alive.

ולכן בש"ק דסהדותא איקרי ובנ"י מעידין על הבורא ית' לכן ניתוסף להם נשמה יתירה.

Therefore on Shabbos Kodesh, which is called "[a day] of testimony (d'sahaduso ikri)," and Bnei Yisrael bear witness to the Creator, an additional soul (neshamah yeseirah) is added to them.

Shabbos is the day of testimony, when Bnei Yisrael use their mouths to attest to Hashem as Creator; this is why they merit the neshamah yeseirah.

והיינו דכתיב וינפש.

And this is the meaning of "vayinafash (and He rested/was re-souled)" (Shemos 31:17).

The word "vayinafash" hints at the "nefesh" — the additional soul and renewed will that Shabbos brings.

כמ"ש לעיל לנפש חי' הוא הרצון.

As stated above, "a living soul" is the will (ratzon).

Recalling the earlier point, "nefesh" denotes the inner will and yearning, which is intensified on Shabbos.

ובש"ק נמצא זאת התשוקה כדאיתא בספרים פי' ויכולו השמים כו' שנמצא בהם ההשתוקקות וזה נשאר אצל בנ"י בכל השבתות.

And on Shabbos Kodesh this yearning is found, as it is brought in the sefarim regarding the explanation of "vayechulu hashomayim (and the heavens were completed)…" — that within them is found the yearning (hishtokekus), and this remains with Bnei Yisrael on every Shabbos.

The "completion" of creation carries the sense of yearning, and this yearning for Hashem is renewed within Bnei Yisrael every Shabbos.

לכן איתא במד' כי הנגעים הם עדות על שבחן של בנ"י כדאיתא ועם אדם לא ינוגעו כו' שבנ"י שנק' אדם להם ניתן מצות טהרת הנגעים.

Therefore it is brought in the Midrash that the afflictions are testimony to the praise of Bnei Yisrael, as it is brought "and they shall not be afflicted like other men (v'im adam lo yenuga'u)…" — that Bnei Yisrael, who are called "adam," to them was given the mitzvah of the purification of afflictions.

Paradoxically, the very susceptibility to nega'im is a mark of Bnei Yisrael's greatness: precisely because they are "adam," bearers of the divine soul, their bodies react to spiritual flaw and are given the laws of purification.

ועיין במד' תזריע על הפסוק נכונו ללצים שפטים.

And see in the Midrash Tazria on the pasuk "judgments are prepared for scoffers (nachonu l'leitzim shefatim)" (Mishlei 19:29).

The Sefas Emes refers to the Midrash that contrasts how affliction works for the scoffing nations versus for Bnei Yisrael.

ופירשנו כי באומות אין הנגע עושה רושם בהם והם נכונים לזה.

And we explained that among the nations the affliction makes no impression upon them, and they are "prepared/fixed" for this.

For the nations, a nega leaves no spiritual mark, because they lack the inner soul that would react to it — they are simply "set" in that state.

כי לא המתים יהללו.

For "the dead do not praise [Hashem]" (Tehillim 115:17).

Those lacking the revealed inner life — the "dead" — do not praise Hashem and are unaffected by spiritual afflictions.

ורשעים בחייהם נק' מתים.

And the wicked, in their lifetimes, are called "dead."

The resha'im, cut off from inner vitality, are considered dead even while alive.

כי החיות הפנימי לא נמצא בהם.

For the inner vitality is not found within them.

They have no revealed inner life-force, so afflictions cannot register upon them as a call to teshuvah.

אך בנ"י שנק' אדם וצריכים להיות כלים לקבל חיות הנשמה.

But Bnei Yisrael, who are called "adam" and must be vessels to receive the vitality of the soul —

Bnei Yisrael are meant to be vessels that hold and reveal the soul's life-force.

לכן ע"י חטאים ולשה"ר נמצא בהם נגע ומעכב החיות מלהתגלות.

— therefore through sins and lashon hara an affliction appears in them, blocking the vitality from being revealed.

Because they are sensitive vessels of holiness, sin and evil speech produce a nega that obstructs the soul's light from shining through — a sign meant to prompt correction.

ויש נגעים בגוף ובגדים ובתים.

And there are afflictions on the body, on garments, and on houses.

Tzaraas can appear in three domains: a person's body, his clothing, and his home.

כמו שנמצאות אותות וחוקים בנפש האדם המילה. ומזוזה בבית. וציצית בבגד.

Just as there are signs and statutes corresponding to the person himself — milah; and the mezuzah on the house; and tzitzis on the garment.

Corresponding to these three domains are three holy signs: milah on the body, mezuzah on the house, and tzitzis on the garment — marks of kedushah in each realm.

כן נמצא ע"י החטא דברים המעכבים התגלות הקדושה.

So too, through sin, there appear things that block the revelation of holiness [in those same three domains].

Just as holiness is marked in body, home, and garment, sin produces afflictions in those same three places that obstruct the revelation of that holiness.

וכ"ז עדות על מעלתם שא"י לסבול הפגם.

And all this is testimony to their greatness, that they cannot tolerate the blemish.

The very fact that Bnei Yisrael's body, home, and clothing physically react to spiritual blemish testifies to their elevated, holy nature.

ונגע בית היא הרגשה דקה ביותר לכן כ' בו כנגע נראה.

And the affliction of a house is the most subtle sensation; therefore it is written regarding it "something like an affliction has appeared (k'nega nir'ah)" (Vayikra 14:35).

The house-affliction reflects the finest, most delicate level of spiritual sensitivity, which is why the Torah phrases it tentatively — "something like a nega."

שלאו כל מוחא סביל דא.

For not every mind can bear this (lav kol mocha savil da).

This refined level of perception is not attainable by everyone.

רק שמרגיש איזה הרגשה דקה ובא אל הכהן ומברר לו אם הוא טהור או טמא.

Rather, one senses some subtle feeling and comes to the Kohen, who clarifies for him whether it is pure or impure.

The owner merely senses something faintly amiss and brings it to the Kohen, who determines the true spiritual status.

ובמד' כולך יפה רעיתי כו' דכ' אמרתי אלהים אתם כו'.

And in the Midrash: "You are entirely beautiful, My beloved (kulach yafah ra'ayasi)…" (Shir HaShirim 4:7), as it is written "I said, you are godly beings (Elokim atem)…" (Tehillim 82:6).

The Midrash applies "entirely beautiful" to Bnei Yisrael, who were declared by Hashem to be "godly beings" — bearers of a divine soul.

ובוודאי מאמרו ית' קיים בכלל ישראל.

And certainly His pronouncement endures within the collective of Yisrael (klal Yisrael).

Hashem's declaration that Yisrael are "godly" and "entirely beautiful" remains permanently true of the klal as a whole.

ולכן משתלח המצורע והזב חוץ למחנה.

And therefore the metzora and the zav are sent outside the camp.

Precisely because the klal must remain "entirely beautiful," one bearing a blemish is temporarily sent outside the camp.

רק רצונו ית' היה להיות בני עליון כולכם.

For His will was that all of you be "children of the Most High (bnei Elyon)."

Hashem's intent is that the entire nation remain elevated, holy "children of the Most High," with no blemish in their midst.

ואחר החטא צריכים בירור מי הראוי להיות בכלל ישראל ומי להשתלח חוץ למחנה כנ"ל:

And after sin, a clarification (birur) is required: who is fit to be within the collective of Yisrael and who must be sent outside the camp, as above.

Sin necessitates a process of sorting — determining who remains within the holy camp and who must temporarily be separated for purification — so that the klal can remain wholly pure and beautiful.

Summary: The mouth was created so that Bnei Yisrael could bear witness to Hashem, and man's true "living soul" is the inner divine soul awakened through Torah and tefillah. Hashem engraved within the mouth the impressions of the 22 holy letters; lashon hara seals these engravings, covering the soul's light so the speaker is "like a dead person," while toiling in Torah and prayer reopens them and reveals the soul's life — which is why Shabbos, the day of testimony, brings a neshamah yeseirah. Bnei Yisrael's very susceptibility to nega'im (on body, garments, and homes — paralleling milah, tzitzis, and mezuzah) testifies to their greatness as sensitive vessels of holiness, and after sin a birur is needed to keep klal Yisrael "entirely beautiful."