Lashon Ha’ra
Nevertheless they flattered him with their mouth, and they lied to him with their tongues. Psalm 78:36 (Hebrew World translation)
Tongues – The psalmist observes that people return to God in adversity. When they have emptiness, years of trouble and death, they flock to the Almighty for comfort and help. They remember that God is their fortress and their redeemer.
But –
Because they show no constancy in their love, they are soon flattering God and lying to Him. The psalmist considers this a case of lashon ha’ra (the evil tongue). For the rabbis, this was the greatest of all sins. To understand their concern, we need to look a little deeper into their thinking.
Lashon ha’ra is speech that disparages another person, even when it is true. Perhaps it is all the more dangerous when the words spoken are actually true, for it then avoids the charge of slander but at the same time diminishes the person. I have no doubt that each of us has experienced the effects of lashon ha’ra. Someone said something about us that was in fact true, but it was said in such a way that we were humiliated, ridiculed, or shamed. Perhaps this is the reason we commonly say, “The truth hurts.” What concerned the rabbis is how ubiquitous these actions are. The very fact that such disregard for the well-being of another is such a common aspect of our speech meant that nearly everyone is defacing the image of God in another person without giving it a second thought. That’s why the rabbis considered it the greatest sin. It is the sin of indifference to the image of the Creator spread across the whole world. In fact, the Talmud taught that the ancient temple was destroyed because of lashon ha’ra. Serious indeed!
In this verse, the psalmist points out that lashon ha’ra is not limited to our denigration of God’s image in human beings. We exhibit the same sinful behavior toward God when we flatter Him (patah – to entice, to deceive, to enlarge) and lie to Him (kazav – to lie, to bear false witness). No wonder James is so concerned about the power of the tongue. If it can bring down the temple, what can it do to the temple of the Holy Spirit?
Will it take adversity for us to confront this most common of sins? Or will we read, understand, and be healed?
Topical Index: lashon ha’ra, evil tongue, lying, deceiving, Psalm 78:36
This is powerful. Thank you, Skip.
You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15.7,8)
First word from me? “Ouch.” “These people.” (or better yet..) “those people..” ah..-much better. Yeah, those guys over there- they are the guilty ones.. (Feelin’ better about my self already..) Not.
“May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my Strength and my Redeemer.” This also, was the psalmist’s prayer. But is it David’s alone? Could this be my prayer as well? Written by David, but belonging to me (as well..)?
What’s down in the well is going to come up in the bucket. (just the facts m’am..) What’s in the well? Flattery and lying? G-d knows. Yes, He does. Ever too well- He knows.
“All things are open and naked in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. In Him, we live and move and have our being.” G-d knows, do we? “Every idle (non-productive) word that men shall speak- we shall give account in the day of judgment.” I didn’t say this..- He did. How many idle (non-productive) words proceed out of my mouth during the course of the day?
And what of the power of our words? The power of one single word. (It doesn’t take much,- does it “idiot”, “stupid,” -“ugly.”) Do I speak hurtful words or healing words? – What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket. What I need and what we all need is to draw water from a different well. A well that has been purified. A well filled with “living water.” Where does this “living water” come from? Shall we return to the adulterous woman at the well? Are we “this woman?” “Friendship with the world” has been identified as adultery with G-d. How friendly are we with “this world?” Feelin’ comfy? or like you don’t belong here, but rather were made for a different world? We are twice-born people living in a once born world,- no wonder we are written up as a “peculiar people.” Those Christians, those Jews,- “those people.” Words that separate and divide, or words that reconcile and unite. Just words? -or just words? lol!- We report.. -you decide.
We are to love the LORD our G-d with our lips and well as our life. “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so!” (-that’s what He said..)
These verses sprang to mind when reading Skip’s column today:
Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Proverbs 12:4, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.”
Psalm 17:3, “I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.”
Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Today again, I choose to speak life.
Upon waking yesterday morning, feast of uneven bread, when I just became cconscious I heard an internal voice telling me that the fruit of every word I utter comes upon me in either a blessing or a curse. It said that I am reaping the fruits of my words. And now, I read your Today’s Word. I pray that we all are mindful of our words. Praise Ha Shem! I’m now very convicted about uttering or writing the letters of His Name–and this doesn’t come from a Jewish law but from my heart. Time to be very careful!
Skip – Once again your words, the concepts, examined a deeper issue. The layers were peeled back to expose this troubled area. I had a time of contemplation and then the hope of healing brought determination and peace. Thank you. Susan
“The truth hurts.”
On the one hand, my mother taught me if I didn’t have something good to say about someone
Then to say nothing at all
On the other hand, she taught me that I was only as good as my word
Sort of a “double bind”
On the one hand, when we speak the truth it can often hurt the other
And speaking the truth does not always make us feel so good either
“Because they show no constancy”
Hmmm
In contrast to showing “no constancy”
Al Pacino, who plays the cop, Vincent Hanna, in the movie Heat
Is constancy personfied
In a constant state of existential anxiety, Vincent Hanna tells us:
“I gotta hold on to my angst. I preserve it because I need it. It keeps me sharp, on the edge, where I gotta be”
But, for me, his most inspirational comment comes
when he states his position on “walking his talk,” which is also my favorite scene
A mediocre husband and not a particularly good father, Vincent Hanna has one redeeming quality
As he tells us in a very powerful scene
“I say what I mean, and I do what I say”