Nourish Your Biblical Roots

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Schalem from here in the Holy Land. Welcome to the
Nourish Your Biblical Roots podcast. I'm your host, ya el Estein,
President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Each week, we'll explore the Jewish roots of your Christian
faith and nourish those roots with inspirational insights and ancient

(00:29):
teachings that are so relevant to our lives. Today, let's
get started. On today's episode, we're going to discuss the
most powerful tool that God gave to humanity. I'm sure
you have a lot of different ideas going through your

(00:50):
head of what that is, but maybe you haven't thought
about what the most powerful tool is. It's the power
of speech. The truth is that most people are unaware
of how powerful our words are and how much they
shape our lives. However, as we will see today, our
words have incredible potential to both destroy and to create,

(01:14):
to inflict damage, and to bring about the deepest healing.
In Jewish thought, speech features prominently, and many books have
been written over the centuries devoted exclusively to this subject.
The subject of speech will focus on a verse from Leviticus. Today,
we'll focus on just one of the verses from Chapter fourteen,

(01:36):
verse four, It says the priest shall order that two
live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet, yarn, and
hissup be brought for the person to be cleansed. Before
we get into the teaching on this verse, we need
to understand the context. This chapter discusses the skin defiling

(01:57):
disease known in Hebrew. As we learn about how a
person was diagnosed with sarah'at, what happens after a person
was diagnosed, and most importantly, how he or she was
eventually cleansed and purified from the tsarat. Sarat is commonly
defined as leprosy, but we don't really know exactly what

(02:21):
it was. What's very clear from the verses in the
Bible is that sarahat wasn't like any other illness. For
one reason, it was a physical disease that was caused
by a spiritual condition. That's why it was diagnosed and
treated by a priest and not by a doctor. In

(02:42):
the original Hebrew of the Bible, a person who contracts
sarahat is called mitsura. The Jewish Sagees explained that this
term is a contraction of three Hebrew words that hint
at the cause of sarah'at mitsura is a contraction of
the words moze sim rah. Those are three Hebrew words

(03:04):
which means speaking badly about other people. According to the
Jewish sages, sarah'at, the skin defiling disease, was caused by
the spiritual misdeed of spreading gossip and using speech in
a way that harms others. Once a person was diagnosed
with sarah at here, she was placed into quarantine. I

(03:26):
think we all have a whole new appreciation for what
that means these days. In fact, it's amazing the same
word used in the Bible for quarantine, which is badad,
is the same word when we're put into quarantine in Israel.
It's called bidud directly from the Bible. And I think
we've all learned firsthand just how painful it can be

(03:49):
to be put in bidud, to be put in quarantine, or,
as the Bible versus telling us what has to happen
in bedud, how painful it is to be separated from
other people. I think we can really understand how going
into bedoed, going into quarantine is totally an appropriate consequence

(04:10):
for the person who had saraht The person harmed other
people through gossip, and so part of rectifying the sin
was being isolated from other people. If you can't act
nicely with other people, is what I hear God saying,
then don't be around other people. But if you're going
to be around other people, spread love, spread nice words,

(04:33):
spread blessings. If you're going to be around people and
spread bad things and make them feel bad, then move
away from them. By being an isolation for a period
of time, Suddenly the person was able to gain a
new appreciation and respect for other people. And so what
we learned from this verse on sarat is that it
was caused by speaking bad about other people. The conceptu

(05:00):
quens of that was having to go in isolation and
be dooed in quarantine. And now the third part is
after the quarantine, the afflicted person had to bring a sacrifice,
and through that sacrifice he became cleansed. Through this spiritual

(05:22):
act of bringing a sacrifice, his physical skin disease went away,
and he was able to reunite with his people. Now
this is where our verse picks up, so I'm going
to read it again. This is the verse the priest
shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar

(05:42):
wood scarlet, yarn, and hissop be brought for the person
to be cleansed. So part of the purification process involved
two birds, one to be slaughtered and one that was
ultimately set free. According to Jewish tradition, God designated birds
as part of the process because they're creatures that constantly

(06:04):
chirp and sing and chatter. The birds represent the power
of speech, which the afflicted person had misused causing the
sarah at in the first place. But why were two
birds brought and not just one? Why was one set
free and the other killed? The Jewish ages explained that

(06:26):
the sacrificed bird symbolized the negative speech and the necessity
to obliterate it from our lives of the second bird
represented positive speech, and it was set free to demonstrate
that positive words should flow freely from our mouths. We
should always be spreading them across the world. It's not

(06:50):
enough just to refrain from saying hurtful things. We have
a responsibility to use our God given gift of speech
to bring goodness into the world. Okay, there's a lot
to unpack here, and I want to start up understanding
why the words we say or don't say are so
important in the first place. They're just words you might say,

(07:16):
not actions. But whenever I talk about speech, I have
to go back to the day that I made Aliah.
When I moved to Israel, I remember getting on the plane,
after living in America for twenty one years, after studying
in college, after teaching, after being able to use the

(07:37):
English language in a way that I felt was a gift,
being able to express myself through language, being able to
communicate with others through language, being able to maneuver the
world through speech. And when I came to Israel, one
of the hardest things was not having speech. I didn't

(08:02):
speak Hebrew, and it took away everything from me. Suddenly
I couldn't connect to people. I couldn't express myself. I
also couldn't set up a bank account or the electricity
in my house. But even more than those practical things
that were hard to get done, I remember feeling so lonely.

(08:24):
I remember feeling like I had so much I wanted
to share with the world, all of these new experiences
of moving to a new country and settling my life
in the Holy Land, and I couldn't. I couldn't create
something that I wanted to create, like relationships like thoughts
that would be transformed into action. It's extremely difficult to

(08:51):
function in our world without the ability to communicate in
some way. However, aside from giving us the ability to
communicate function in our physical world, what Judaism teaches is
that speech has an incredible power that we can't even
see beyond the need to just communicate. So we go

(09:15):
back to Genesis when God created the world we know
it specifically, says v Yomer Hashem he or Vihi or
God spoke it into being, and God said, let there
be light, and there was light. He could have snapped

(09:35):
his fingers or thought the world into being. There was
nobody there to hear God talk. So why did God talk?
God used words in order to teach us how powerful
words are, that they literally have the power to create.

(09:56):
The Hebrew word debear, which means beak, is almost the
same Hebrew word as davar, which means thing or matter.
These words being so almost identical so similar, shows us
what God is trying to say, that our speech creates

(10:21):
physical reality. As kids, we grew up saying abracadabra when
we were doing a magic trick. Do you remember that, well,
do you know where the words come from. The Bible
is the starting point for everything. Adam gave a name
to all of the animals to represent their core. But

(10:43):
here abracadabra comes from the words abra cadabra, which means
I create with my words. The one faculty that God
gave man that he didn't give animals is the power
of speech. It's what makes us more god like than

(11:05):
animal like. Is the one way that we reflect the
image of God, unlike any other creatures. God spoke this
world into being, and we continue through our speech every
second of every day, speaking God's holiness will into this world,

(11:27):
or using our speech. God forbid for negative This is
why the sin of negative speech was punished so harshly
with Sarah'at. To use our speech in order to harm
others is to misuse the greatest gift that God gave us.

(11:48):
Our ability to speak gives us an awesome power, and
it comes with a huge responsibility. If we aren't careful,
our words can inflict severe harm on other people. Most
of us grew up hearing the phrase sticks and stones
may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.
I can still sing it. I heard it so many

(12:09):
times when I was younger from other kids. But you
know what I've realized as an adult, and especially as
an adult in faith who has studied these words of
wisdom from the Bible on speech. Sticks and stones may
break my bones, but names can never hurt me is
just untrue. We have all been the victims of hurtful words,

(12:31):
and I'm sure that, like me, you have learned that
words can be extremely painful, sometimes even more painful than
something physical, and they can also have some very real consequences.
For example, gossip can ruin a relationship or even stop
someone from getting a job. Hateful words can hurt someone

(12:54):
so deeply that it can affect a person for the
rest of their life. If they were told when they
were younger that they're ugly, or they're mean, or that
they're petty, those words can enter the person's consciousness to
form the way they look at themselves for the rest
of their life. Another thing to consider is that once

(13:18):
harmful words are released into the world, they are impossible
to retrieve. The damage is irreversible. I always think about
a story I heard when I was young about a
man who went around slandering the rabbi of his town
speaking bad about the rabbi, and after some time he
regretted his actions and turned to the rabbi for forgiveness.

(13:40):
He said he would do anything to make amends. He
realized that he wasn't right in speaking so bad about
the community's spiritual leader, and he wanted to ask for forgiveness.
So the rabbi looked at him and he said, go
take a pillow, open it, let the feathers scatter into
the wind, and then come back to me. So the

(14:01):
man went and he did as he was told, and
he returned to the rabbi. He said, I opened up
the pillow, let the feathers go all over. Do you
forgive me now? And the rabbi said, I'll forgive you
after you do one more thing. Now, go and collect
all of the feathers. And the man looked at him stunned.

(14:22):
But that's not possible, he said, And then the rabbi
made his point. It's like that with words as well.
He said, once they leave your mouth, it is impossible
to retract them, and who knows how far they will reach.
Of course, the rabbi went on to forgive him, but

(14:42):
this was an important lesson and one that's stuck with me.
Sometimes we can be forgiven, and yet the damage that
we have done can never be undone. Knowing that our
words can never be completely taken back once they leave
our mind should cause us to be extremely careful about

(15:04):
what we say. In Judaism, being careful with speech is
something that's taken very seriously. It's something that we ask
God for help with in our daily prayers called elokinitzor
help us from speaking bad about other people. Some people
have a practice to study one of the many Jewish
books about proper speech for a few minutes every day

(15:26):
or even once a week, but to make it part
of their practice, some people have a practice to set
aside one hour every single day in which they are
extra careful not to speak any gossip or any form
of negative speech. And you know what, many people even
bring it in not to speak at all about anyone

(15:46):
during this hour because everything we say could be misinterpreted.
This helps them develop the ability to withstand the temptation
of speaking gossip or lashing out when angry, or saying
something that they might not think is hurtful, but someone
else could take it as hurtful. What we learn is
that it's just not good to speak about other people

(16:10):
unless our heart is completely completely clean and positive, and
developing this consciousness is really a lifetime of work. It
sounds so simple, but it's not so easy. When I
first began studying the topic of speech, I was shocked
at how difficult it was. When I started studying, I

(16:31):
thought I was coming from a strong place. I never
thought of someone who struggles in the area of gossip.
I don't speak gossip about other people, and as a
person of faith, I realized the power of my words.
But the more I learned of what could potentially be
taken as negative speech, the more I became aware of

(16:53):
the huge places that I need to improve as a
person of faith. You probably don't think of yourself as
a god, but it is so important that we master
the ability to withhold harmful words. However, the second bird
in our verse, the one that set free, teaches us
that we also need to master the ability to be

(17:16):
proactive in speaking good things into the world. We don't
just refrain from speaking bad things, but we actually focus
on put energy into speaking good things. Okay, so we
have in my family a game that I want to
share with you and occasionally and Friday nights at our

(17:39):
Shabbat meal, my family and I will play this game.
It's really fun. We start with one family member and
each person at the table has to say their three
favorite things about that person. So we'll choose my husband,
and everyone at the table will say three of their
favorite things about my husband. And then we'll go to
each child and everyone has to say three favorite things

(18:00):
about that child, including the person that we're talking about.
Is that they can also see their good points. We
move around the table until everyone has been showered with
loving and encouraging words, and it is amazing to see
how each child glows after his or her turn receiving

(18:20):
the compliments. And you know what, also, they glow after
they say something positive about others. The joy in saying
kind words is so huge that it brings a peace
to the heart, a joy to the family. And just
as much as others enjoy hearing good things about themselves,

(18:46):
you see how the person saying it feels good. Also
they know that they're creating something good in the world.
My husband and I want our children to experience not
only how words can tear others down and hurt them,
not only the sticks and stones, but also how the
power of speech can build up another person and make

(19:08):
others happy. We have the ability, my friends, to build
people up like that every single day, to make them
feel confident, to make them feel secure, to give them
the co ah, the strength that they need in order
to go out into the world and do positive things.
It is a chain reaction. There are so many ways

(19:30):
that we can use our speech in good ways. Number One, pray,
Praise God, Thank God, ask Him for everything that you need.
If we knew how powerful our prayers are, we would
pray all day long. This is probably the most powerful
use of our words because it connects us to God,

(19:51):
with whom all things are possible. Use your words and
speak to your creator. Number two where God's word with family, friends,
and neighbors. You know, sometimes when you're sitting with someone
who you might not have so much in common with,
you might be inclined to say some negative things about them.

(20:11):
Start talking about an inspiring teaching that you heard or
something that you read in the Bible that encouraged you.
You couldn't spread goodness in this way with anyone, whether
you feel close to them or not. Number three, say
I love you or let someone know that you care.

(20:32):
Number four, Say I'm sorry when we have hurt someone
or made a mistake. Sincere apologies are so hard, but
they bring so much healing. Number five. Ask somebody how
are you and really mean it. Number six Give someone encouragement.

(20:55):
It may make all the difference in their world. Tell
them that you believe in them, you believe they're going
to succeed, that you believe that they are going to thrive.
Number seven. Give someone a compliment. It might just change
their day. Number eight. Say thank you as often as
you can. It makes other people feel good, and it

(21:17):
keeps your own heart joyful and grateful. Number nine. Give
someone a blessing. Blessings are our way of channeling God
to bring goodness into the world. As creations of God,
as children of God, we have the amazing, huge, impactful

(21:41):
power to bless. Use it. Bless your children, Bless your parents.
Bless your friends, either to their face or when they're
not present, but bless them. Number ten and the last
one for right now, say amen. This one word gives
more power to all other words. There is more power

(22:07):
in our words, my friends, than we might ever imagine.
And every day we have the opportunity and the responsibility
to use our speech to help people improve their own
lives and make the world a better place for everyone.
In Proverbs chapter eighteen, verse twenty one, it says, the
tongue has the power of life and death. The tongue

(22:29):
holds the ultimate power, and this is why God gave
it to two gatekeepers, the teeth and the lips. And
we need to think twice before we open our mouth.
We are creators, and what do we want to create?
I hope that you are encouraged and inspired to use
your words wisely this week. Chevueteaux friends, have a wonderful

(22:52):
week from here in the Holy Land. Thank you for
listening to the Nourish Your Biblical Room podcast. If you
like what you have heard, visit me at my biblicalroots
dot org for more of my teachings, videos, blogs and books.
You can also follow me on Instagram at Yaelle underscore

(23:15):
Xtein or on Facebook at Yea l Xtein. Chalom and
see you next week.