Nisan VI: The Holy Tongue

In order to fulfill the mitzvah of ‘Passover’ we have to tell the story of leaving Egypt. Retelling the story is not intended to be a quick recap, a get-to-the-point, down the 4 glasses of wine so we can get to the feast story…oh no no NO…we are meant to analyze, debate, elaborate, discuss, recount, question and understand leaving Egypt in order that you internalize the timeless message of fighting for freedom and then becoming a free man.

Kabbala often refers to the Exile in Egypt as the ‘Exile of Speech’, Gulas HaDebor. I never realized what an extreme emphasize Jewish thought placed on the power of speech; speech the most outward expression of our most internal selves. In the very beginning when G-d decided to create the world, he used speech, ten utterances … with this in mind we should be aware of what we create when we speak, that everything we say should be meaningful and productive because with speech we build forts, we package, describe, share, and connect with others through speech, we build relationships with speech. We make ourselves and beliefs tangible through speech.

Each letter is extraordinarily powerful too. Someone told me once: With 2 stones (letters) you can build 2 houses (words) and with 3 stones you can build 6 houses, and eventually you can build cities. Our words should be holy, that way we can build holy cities.

To connect this back to the idea of Passover and our enslavement by the Pharaoh in Egypt: the word pharaoh can be divided into two Hebrew words: ‘peh rah’ meaning bad mouth or nonsense speech. And what did our enslavement in Egypt entail? It revolved around building pointless structures, storehouses that nothing would ever be stored in, out of man-made mortar bricks, achieving nothing at all. What a tragic thing…speaking empty words!! Babbling on and on and not achieving anything, just talking to talk. What type of talk fits into this category? Talking about bad, dirty, sad, gossipy things, talking about others, complaining, talking negativity, making promises you don’t intend to keep, lying, being sharp, being mean…these build jagged ugly prison. On the flip side, on the other extreme, being a slave also implies that your mouth is gagged and taped shut. That one is deprived and censored from their self expression.

So what is the remedy for such an Exile? Homeopathic medicine would recommend that you should treat like with like. Speech is the answer! That is why telling of the story of the exile is the essential mitzvot in the celebration of the Passover. Speak freedom into existence.

While speaking about positive speech, let us be more mindful about what we put into the world from our mouths (the soul’s outlet). Let’s not build meaningless storage rooms. Speak with intention! And speak into existence all your desires and dreams. Speak positive beautiful things, speak fragrant flowers, give blessings and well wishes to everyone you encounter, praise them, speak of love, peace, abundance, success, and revealed goodness.