Rabbi Adam Shulman October 19, 2009 Make Every Word Count Parshas Ki Seitzei contain one o!

the i" incident that hould be remembered on a daily ba i # A!ter $arnin% the &e$ to %uard them elve a%ain t the 'iritual malady o! tzaras, the Torah command the &e$i h 'eo'le to (Remember $hat Hashem did to Miriam on your $ay out o! E%y't#) *he !ull im'ort o! thi tory i di cu ed at len%th in the Chafetz Chaims cla ic tory, a !undamental

$ork Shemiras Halashon# +et de 'ite all that ha been $ritten about thi ,ue tion remain # Why i thi

tory o im'ortant that the Torah command it remembrance

daily- *he E"odu !rom E%y't and the .ivine Revelation at Har Sinai eem im'ortant enou%h to be remembered daily !or their im'act on &e$i h hi tory# Shabbos al o eem like omethin% that mu t be remembered con tantly becau e it de!ine the 'ur'o e o! Creation# While rememberin% the hi%h 'oint mi%ht be 're!erred, rememberin% the cata tro'hic in o! the /olden Cal! and it continual e!!ect on &e$i h hi tory alon% $ith the eternal con!lict bet$een the &e$i h nation and Amalek, the embodiment o! anta%oni m a%ain t /0d, add ome ober color to the current tate o! &e$i h and $orld a!!air # 1o$ doe the eemin%ly el!0contained tory o! Miriam !ind a 'lace $ith all o! the e ma2or event and idea in &udai m3e!ore attem'tin% to an $er thi ,ue tion, another ource di cu in% the everity o! the in o! lashon hara, the evil 'eech $hich cau e tzaras, need to be e"amined# *he Gemara in Arachin 14b deduce !rom a number o! di!!erent ver e that the in o! lashon hara i $or e than the three cardinal in !or $hich one mu t die rather than tran %re # +et, the in o! lashon hara contain no court ordained 'uni hment to one $ho tran %re e it# What about lashon hara make it $or e than murder, idolatry and illicit relation - Rabbi O her Chaim 5evene, in hi $ork Set in Stone, e"'lain that o! the three !unction man 'er!orm , thou%ht, action and 'eech,

Rabbi Adam Shulman October 19, 2009 only 'eech can be de cribed a overtly human# 6urthermore, Targum Onkelos de!ine 1a hem7 blo$in% a oul into man a makin% him into a 'eakin% bein%# *he Maharal add that even a ne$born7 !ir t !orm o! e"'re ion, cryin%, com'lete it tran ition !rom the $omb into thi $orld# Additionally, Hashem made the $orld throu%h ten utterance o! 'eech# *hi , e"'lain Rabbi 5evene, lead to the everity o! im'ro'er 'eech# *hrou%h one7 evil 'eech, the mo t human o! trait , a $ell a the medium throu%h $hich Hashem created the $orld, become 'erverted# Surely thi can be con idered $or e than even the mo t heinou o! in # With the le on o! the im'ortance o! 'eech in mind, the con tant need to remember the tory o! Miriam become under tood# *he im'ortance o! 'ure 'eech can never be over tated# Even a eemin%ly harmle comment made by Miriam about her o$n brother Mo he, $hom he

had ri ked her li!e to ave $hen he $a a baby, aid to no one el e e"ce't her brother Aharon received evere .ivine 'uni hment# *he %i!t o! 'eech mu t be con tantly 'er!ected and utili8ed to it !ulle t o that one only communicate the very be t o! thin% # Sim'ly avoidin% 'eakin% the !orbidden may not be enou%h# Every individual mu t try to en ure that $hat they ay come out in the mo t e!!ective $ay 'o ible in order to %uarantee that mankind7 uni,ue %i!t o! communication i never $a ted#