36 April 4 • 2019
jn
H
arry Potter. The Wheel of Time.
The Lord of the Rings. These
are three widely read fantasy
novels, with magic seeping
through every page. All are per-
sonal favorites of mine as well.
Years ago, when I read works
of fantasy, I was struck by the
accepted fact that in the realm
of magic, words themselves had
power.
Could this be true? Do
words have power? We know in
Genesis God created the world
by speaking: “Let there be light.
”
Would that indicate words have
the capacity to create? Does
the Harry Potter killing curse
“
Avada Kedavra” come from
“
Abra Cadabra” and originally
from Avda Ke’
adabra Kezu,
Hebrew for “It shall be done,
just like I say”?
In this week’
s portion, we
meet the Metzorah, the spiritual
leper. Cast out from the communi-
ty, marked by spiritual leprosy, the
Metzorah spends a week in solitary
introspection, reflecting on his deci-
sion to use his mouth for evil speech
(Lashon Hara) about his fellow man.
This “time out” period for the
Metzorah is designed to bring home
the message that words do indeed have
power. The only way a person marked
by this leprosy can become officially
ostracized is for the Kohen to speak
out loud the words “You are impure.
”
When the Metzorah has repented and
been forgiven, it is only by the Kohen’
s
verbal statement of “You are now pure”
that he is released from this status.
Furthermore, it is incumbent upon
the Metzorah to have others pray for
him, using their words as the vehicle
through which he is healed — yet
another reminder to the Metzorah of
the power of words.
A story is told of a man who visited
the Great Sage Rabbi Yisroel Meir
Kagan (1839-1933), also known as the
Chofetz Chaim (desirer of life).
“I have spoken much Lashon Harah
in my lifetime,
” the man said. “How
can I repent for this?”
The Chofetz Chaim instruct-
ed him to take a down pillow
to the marketplace, cut it open
and leave it there. When the
man returned and reported that
he had done so, the great sage
instructed him to return and
gather up all the feathers.
“What!” exclaimed the man.
“How can I possibly find every
feather? They are scattered
across the entire town!”
“Exactly” said the Chofetz
Chaim. “Now do you realize
how damaging each word of
evil speech can be? How can
you possibly undo the dam-
age?”
With the point driven home,
the man understood the true
extent of the damage done with
his words and was ready to
begin his repentance.
On the other hand, the potential of
words to heal and create positivity is
also unlimited.
The Talmud (Berachot 55b) tells
us that if a person were to have a sad
dream, he should recount it to three
friends, who should then say, “Good
it was and good it will be,
” because
the very act of saying it was a positive
dream makes it so.
Think of the incredible possibilities
to create peace and positivity in the
world. Wishing someone a “good day”
is much more than a pleasantry; it
changes the day for the better. A “good
morning” makes it so, and an excla-
mation of l’
chaim! (to life) can extend
life itself.
Let us all join to ensure that every
word is a positive word, building a
more positive and peaceful world
together. ■
Rabbi Shragie Myers is an adult com-
munity educator and the executive
director of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah.
Rabbi Shragie
Myers
Parshat
Tazria:
Leviticus
12:1-13:59;
Numbers
28:9-15;
Ezekiel
12:1-20.
(Shabbat
HaChodesh).
The Magic Of Words
spirit
torah portion
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