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.וּנידֵָי
2
החיתפ
םייח ץפח
Chafetz Chayim הרימשה תבוח סרטנוק לַע שָׁמֻּחַבּ י"ִשּׁרְַבּ ןֵיַּעְו( "'ה ידֵוּמִּל ךְִיַנָבּ לָכְו" :)ג"י ד"נ הָיְעַשְׁי(
Kuntres Chovat HaShemirah
Introduction
How so very great is this sin in the eyes of Hashem Yitbarach,
as the gemara relates (Yevamot 62b) that Rebbe Akivah had
24,000 students and they all died in the period between Pesach
and Shavuot because they did not extend proper respect to each
other. Nominally, the sin of (abusive) hurtful language does
not carry with it a death penalty (and yet they were all killed).
The reason for their deaths could only have been because their
actions caused a public desecration of Hashem’s Name since the
public saw these great Torah Sages arguing with each other and
the greater a person is, the greater is the desecration he causes
of Hashem’s Name. This is similar to the incident involving
Korach (Bamidbar 16:2) that his 250 supporters were the leaders
of society, prestigious people who were of renown, meaning their
sin was amplified because of their position. Thus, my brothers
and friends, those who are zealous to uphold the word of Hashem
and His mitzvot, we should see to it to strengthen ourselves and
guard our words, as the halacha proscribes, for the sake of the
honor of His holy Name, and by virtue of our efforts Heaven’s
honor will be publicly sanctified.
(9) My brother, understand something else, there are several
organs in every person that must be carefully protected in order
that they not become ruined. For example, one’s sense of sight,
that one should not defile his eyes because he will need them
in the Coming Future to behold the pleasantness of Hashem
(Tehilim 27:4). Similarly (he must protect) his sense of hearing
and not damage it, as is well known from the Midrashim of
Chazal, that in the future HaKadosh Baruch Hu will learn Torah
with the Jewish people, as the pasuk says (Yeshaya 54:13) “All
of your children will be students of Hashem.” (Please see Rashi
in Chumash commenting on the pasuk [Bamidbar 23:23] “There
will come a time when they tell Yaakov and Israel – ‘What has
Hashem done,’ meaning, they will study directly with Hashem
and will be informed of His doings) and so one must be able to
hear (Tehilim 85:9) “what are the words that will be spoken by
Gd.” Additionally, Chazal have taught in Gemara Ketubot (5b)
“one should never listen to nonsense since it (since those words)
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.םירִָביֵאָל הָלִּחְתּ םיִוְכִנ ןֵהֶשׁ יֵנְפִּמ ,םיִלֵטְבּ םירִָבְדּ ויָנְזָאְל םָדָא ַעיִמְשַׁי לַא םָלוֹעְל :):'ה תוֹבֻּתְכּ( ל"ַזֲח וּרְמָא םַגְו ."'ה לֵאָה רֵ
הרימשה תבוח סרטנוק
ב קרפ
עדַוֹנ ןֵכָא" :)ד"י 'ב םָשׁ( תוֹמְשׁ תַשׁרָָפְבוּ .םִירְַצִמְל לֵארְָשִׂי
וּנֵבּרַ הֶשֹׁמ רַמָאֶשׁ ,םָשׁ דוֹע .י"ִשּׁרַ שׁוּרֵפְבּ םָשׁ ןֵיַּע ,"רָבָדַּה
ביִשֵׁהֶשׁ ,"יִל וּניִמֲאַי אלֹ ןֵהְו" :)'א 'ד תוֹמְשׁ( םוֹלָשַּׁה ויָלָע
."שָׁחָנְל יִהְיַו 'וֹגְו ךָדֶָיְב הֶזּ הַמ" :)'ב םָשׁ( ךְרַָבְּתִי 'ה וֹל
וֹרְתִי תַשׁרָָפְבוּ ."גֶלָשַּׁכּ תַערַֹצְמ וֹדָי הֵנִּהְו" :)'ו( םָשׁ דוֹע
לֵארְָשִׂי יֵנְבּ בירִ לַע 'וֹגְו הֶשׁמ םִע םָעָה ברֶָיַּו" :)'ב ז"י םָשׁ(
וּלקְְלִקֶּשׁ לַע ,"קֵלָמֲע אֹבָיַּו" :)'ח םָשׁ( הֵּל ךְיִמְסוּ ."'וֹגְו
עַמֵשׁ אָשִּׂת אלֹ" :)'א ג"כ םָשׁ( םיִטָפְּשִׁמ תַשׁרָָפְבוּ .םרָוּבּדְִבּ
אָתיִאדְִכּ ,לֵבּקְַמַה לַעְו רֵפַּסְמַה לַע יֵאקָ אוּהֶשׁ ,"אְוָשׁ
:)ב"ל ח"כ םָשׁ( ליִעְמַּה ןַיְנִע לַע הֶוַּצְתּ תַשׁרָָפְבוּ .ארָָמְגַבּ
עַמְשִׁנְו" :)ה"ל םָשׁ( הָשׁרָָפַּה לָכְו ,"ביִבָס ויִפְל הֶיְהִי הָפָשׂ"
13. Quoting from Sefer Shemirat HaLashon, in English translation, entitled
Mazal Elul, Book 2, 13th chapter:
This insight explains a statement made by Chazal (Devarim Rabbah 11:9)-
At the time when HaKadosh Baruch Hu said to Moshe (Devarim 31:14)
“and now (‘they’- “hayn” in Hebrew) the days are coming closer when
you will pass on.” Moshe responded: "With the word ‘they’ I praised You
(Devarim 10:14)” “…‘they’ belong to Hashem your G-d of Heaven and
beyond the Heaven...” and You are answering me back with the word
‘they’?! So HaKadosh Baruch Hu replied- But you also used ‘they’ in
another (negative, Lashon Hara) context when you said “…‘they’ won’t
believe me...” Superficially Moshe had no explanation (why Hashem used
the word ‘they’ to inform him he was going to soon pass on). But with this
insight, the explanation flows very well. HaKadosh Baruch Hu told Moshe
decisively “…‘they,’ your days, are coming closer (to an end)...”, and that
was why Moshe was troubled, (why the “decisive” language) and he said-
But I used the word ‘they’ to praise You, i.e., “…‘they’ belong to Hashem
your G-d...” and You answered me back with ‘they’ (to inform me of my
end? – Decisively). Thus HaKadosh Baruch Hu replied- This is measure-
for-measure, that you (first) used the word ‘they’ decisively.
14. This is a reference to the sound of the bells woven into the hem of the
tunic’s skirt.
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