Stick Out Your Tongue
- Posted on ApramThu, 14 Apr 2016 00:19:10 -05002016-04-14T00:19:10-05:0012 17, 2016
- in Bible, God, Hebrew, Messiah, metzora, Study, Torah, Yeshua
- by Hallelujah Girl
Rabbi Shimon had a servant who was a clever man. Once, Rabbi Shimon sent his servant to the market and said, ” Buy me some good food.”
The servant returned with a tongue which he had bought at the butchers. Rabbi Shimon thanked him, then he said, “Now, buy me some bad food.”
Soon the servant returned with another tongue.
Rabbi Shimon asked him, “Tell me, how can tongue be both good food and bad food?”
“But that is the truth. A tongue can be both good and bad. When a tongue is good, nothing is better than it. When a tongue is bad, nothing is worse or more harmful than it.”
How true it is ~ when a person uses his tongue for useful purposes ~ for studying Torah, praying, saying a kind word to a troubled person and the like, then his tongue is very good! But when a tongue is used for slandering, cursing, mocking, tale bearing and the like, then nothing is worse.
~“Two Tongues” , Tales of Tzaddikim-Vayikra
It’s time to stick out our tonge, my friends. How clean is our mouth. It is said that the health of our bodies can be told by the actual health of our own mouth. The Torah deals with the states of the body which render it spiritually unclean in Tazria (last week’s portion) and Metzora (Leviticus 14:1-15:33). The Holy One desires us to be taher, טהר, to be clean or pure.
To enter in to this new way we must present ourselves Holy. Yeshua became our ultimate covering to a new way of living. The Way that leads to eternal life according to the Covenant made with Abraham. This new way of living is freedom to the full assurance of hope. Drawing near in full assurance of faith. But if the tongue is foul, there is mischief brewing. Evil speech effects everything around us. When you make a negative comment you drive a wedge between yourself and the Holy One. Not only does this negative speech effect your relationship with the Holy One, it also creates a wedge between you and the person you criticize AND whoever might be listening.
“This shall be the Torah of the leper (Metzora)” ~Leviticus 14:2
Tzara’at is the biblical disease often referred to as leprosy. It was a physical disease with spiritual roots. The bible dictates that a priest ~not a doctor ~ be brought in to assess the ailment and prescribe treatment. According to tradition tzara’at was the result of lashon hara or speaking badly. The most common type of lashon hara is is slander or gossip. The term lashon hara, literally means “a bad tongue” and includes any kind of negative speech that inflicts harm on others or draws negativity into the world. Lashon hara is worse than murder according to our Sages. When you take someone’s life, you kill them once. But when you speak evil about someone, it’s like you kill their name over and over. So you see, it seems quite fitting for that person to become afflicted a disease, which left untreated leads to death.
The area that was afflicted with the tzara’at was white, as if all the life had drained out of the area. Exodus 4:6 is where we first hear of tzara’at, as Moses shows his hand to Pharaoh, it was tzara’at -white as snow. It would take seven days of isolation. Time to reflect, repent, and to keep any more venomous words from affecting more people. By the time the seven days were up, the expectation is that the affected area would be healed because of his true repentance. Toxic behaviors, bad attitudes, and negative talk is pollution. No one wants to sit outside the camp!
The good news is that if bad words, cynicism, disputes, accusations, criticism, and self righteous judgement create suffering, then good words can create blessings. When the Holy One created the world, He spoke it into existence. He didn’t just think about it, He spoke it and it appeared. There is power in the tongue, in our words!
When we use our words to encourage others, we create more positive people. When we tell ourselves how good we are, we become better individuals. When we speak life where ever we go, we bring blessings on those around us.
Shalom, Happy day,
~Hallelujah Girl
Tags: #ReadYourBible #ItsAllAboutYeshua #TorahIsTruth, metzora