פרשת תזריע - מצורע
זאת תהיה תורת המצרע ביום טהרתו וגו' | י"ד, בי
This shall be the law of the metzora on the day of his purification
The Medrash at the beginning of Parshas Metzorah quotes the famous story of Reb Yanai and the merchant who was harking his unusual wares in the marketplace; the סם החיים - elixir of life.
When R' Yanai expressed his curious interest, the merchant pulled out a Sefer Tehillim and read aloud the posuk, מי האיש החפץ חיים ?....נצור לשונך מרע ושפתיך מדבר מרמה - "Who is the man who desires life? .... Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit."
Said R' Yanai, "All my life I had never understood the meaning of this posuk until this merchant explained it to me." Thus, Moshe warned Bnei Yisroel saying ""וזאת תהיה תורת המצורע - These are the halachos of one who allows evil to come out of his mouth. The question is on Reb Yanai: Could it be that he never understood this posuk beforehand? What exactly did the merchant tell him that he did not know?
Explains Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer ZT"L, people think that lashon hara is just like any other prohibition in the Torah. One who refrains from it, precludes himself from punishment and by not subjecting oneself to speaking evil, one has not transgressed a לא תעשה - Negative commandment, of the Torah.
Reb Yanai understood this as well, and read the words of Tehillim as such. Until the merchant came along and explained its true meaning: Not only does guarding one's tongue avoid sin; it guarantees life!
In fact, it is the elixir of life. The non-act of refraining from lashon hara is considered as if one truly put forth a course of action to enable himself to live.
How so? The merit of one who purifies his mouth, allows his entire body to become pure, holy and full of life!
When we educate our students about lashon hara, we might stress the positive outcome of a pure mouth. It has the potential to change our lives and form us into a holy people.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.