Last week we learned about what we are allowed to eat. Boundaries were set to give us the opportunity to make choices. These choices affect what we put into our body; how elevated we wish our bodies to become. You are what you eat!
This week we learn about the laws of speech. Boundaries are set dictating what we allow out of bodies, specifically out of our mouths. When we use our words to hurt others it can effect our homes, our belongings and our bodies.
It’s so easy to eat anything we want and to say anything we want. But the restrictions allow us the opportunity to make choices, to elevate ourselves. We can feel good about what we say and what we don’t say. Sometimes silence is golden!
Azi z”tl steered clear from loshon hara, no matter what. When people spoke about other people, he simply walked away, quietly, without fanfare. Rather than lose friends, he was admired, especially since he did it in such a civilized and sensitive manner.
Our lips are gatekeepers. They can help us take a moment to decide what goes in and what goes out. The resting position of the face is with lips closed. Let’s try to take an extra second to decide whether or not to open our mouths. That moment is so powerful. The mountains we can climb just by closing our lips!