The Power of Words

A major topic of פרשת תזריע is the subject of leprosy, known as צרעת or מצורע. Some say the word מצורע is an acronym for מוציא שם רע, bringing a bad name on someone.

The only instance in the Torah where there is a direct punishment for a sin, namely, Lashon Hara, and there is a definite consequence for that sin. This would be the disease of leprosy.

The חפץ חיים is famous for his book, שמירת הלשון, or Guard Your Tongue. He saw how detrimental negative speech could be. It was the Chafetz Chaim who said that one needs to be more careful about what comes out of his mouth than that which goes in.

This is an area that is one of the most difficult Mitzvot to observe. It is so easy to stumble in this area and not be careful about what we say or hear.

This Parsha is a good reminder of the power of words, and how damaging they can be. There are things that can be said that leave a permanent wound on a person that never heals.

The remedy in the Torah is to quarantine the transgressor. Somehow, miraculously when he does Teshuva and realizes the gravity of his sin, he is cured. We must never minimize the power of speech and we must all work extra hard to avoid speaking Lashon Hara.