Lashon Nekiah - Clean Language

Lashon Nekiah - Clean Language is speech using alternative terminology for concepts that the speaker does not wish to mention directly. The source of the term "clean language" is in the Babylonian Talmud. In Tractate Pesachim (page 3, side a) a Braita is brought: "It was taught in the school of Rabbi Yishmael: A person should always speak in clean language."

Its Origin

The use of "clean language" is a halachic obligation. In Chazal, many warnings appear not to defile one's speech, and severe punishments are mentioned for this, such as: "Even if a decree of seventy years of good has been sealed for him, it is reversed to bad." And also, "They deepen Gehinnom for him." And "For this sin, the youth of the enemies of Israel die." (The expression "enemies of Israel" itself is an example of clean language used in euphemistic form, as explained further).

From here, Chazal ruled: "A person should not utter an unseemly word from his mouth, and a person should always speak in clean language." This ruling was established in many places in books of halacha and mussar.

The source for speaking in clean language is based on what appears in Parshat Noach, where Hashem avoided saying that a certain animal was impure and instead used the expression: "And from the animals that are not pure," even Moses later when showing the Jewish people which animals are permitted for consumption and which are not, expressed about the impure animals that they are forbidden for consumption, and did not use the term "impure."

The Talmud contains many quotations from the Torah and Prophets, in which the verse lengthened its words to write in "clean language." So great is the Jewish insistence on speaking in "clean language" that even the expression "or l'yom" (light of day), which actually symbolizes the evening before it, stems from the desire not to use the word "night," which evokes negative connotations, but rather words like "light" and "day" which evoke a positive feeling (Tractate Pesachim 3a).

Chazal especially take care to use clean language in matters related to modesty and the area between a man and his wife. Thus, for example, the expression "my house" appears instead of "my wife," "gadabout" and "one who goes outside" instead of 'prostitute' and also simply "sin," without specifying that it refers to the sin of harlotry.

The Rambam in his book Moreh Nevuchim (Part 3, Chapter 8) notes that the holy tongue is called so because it is structured on the basis of clean language because "they are things that silence is beautiful for them, and if necessity brings about their mention, a solution must be found for this, through nicknames from other languages." As a central example of this, he brings the organs that only have nicknames in the holy tongue. As can be found in the Talmud: "that place," "his strength" and more.

In the Zohar, a process is described that is created from the use of unclean language: when a person utters a derogatory word about another person, the sound of the derogatory word rises upward and destructive angels connect to the sound, the sound awakens the great abyss, and the destructive angels harm the person.

Regarding Parshat Metzora, there are several references from the Rebbe: The Rebbe points out that in various books it is called "Parshat Tahara" (the portion of purity), and the Rebbe also instructed the Committee for Writing a Torah Scroll for the Children of Israel to write in the certificate for children who merited a letter in this parsha 'Parshat HaTahara.' The Rebbe Rayatz would avoid mentioning the name of the parsha, but at most wrote or said the day of the month and so forth. Nevertheless, the Rebbe noted in later years that in recent generations, it is the Jewish custom to call it by this name and explained the reason: since the revelation of 'transforming darkness into light' is already close, to make from 'Metzora' - Torah, "the Torah of the Metzora." Later he added that this name hints that we already feel close to the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, who is called by this name.

In the Rebbe's Language

• "Distinguished IDF personnel" - and not 'IDF disabled,' which points to the true essence of people who sacrificed their souls for the Jewish people.
• "House of healing" - and not 'house of the sick,' named for the true purpose of the institution.
• "A Jew who is not (yet) fully observant of Torah and mitzvot" - instead of the term 'secular,' since every Jew is part of a 'holy nation' and cannot change his true essence which is holy and not secular.
• "Bringing close those who are distant" - The Rebbe opposed this expression, since no Jew is distant.
• "To distinguish regarding Jews" - There is separation only between Israel and the nations, but not between one Jew and another (no matter what state he is in).
• "By chance" - nothing is by chance, everything is by Divine providence.
• "Another place" - There is no Jew who is in another place, because Hashem is present everywhere.
• "Euphemistic language" - Instead of describing a certain situation in a negative way, the Rebbe describes it in reverse language such as "not in an upward trend," so as not to give strength in speech to the non-positive trend.
• "Opposite of life" - The Rebbe avoided expressing that a person who died is dead, but used the expression "opposite of life."

See Also

• Concluding on a Positive Note

Further Reading

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Springer, "The Language of His Teacher," Kfar Chabad Weekly, Issue 2043 page 84 (5784)

External Links

• Rabbi Moshe-Mordechai Laufer, "One Should Always Speak in Clean Language," HaMevaser newspaper, brought on the Shturem website, Friday, 29 Sivan 5773
• Zalman Ruderman, Maaseh Rebbi
• 'Nitzutzei Rebbi' column in the Hiskashrus weekly: Speech of the Nasi HaDor, Issue 99 ** • ** Clean Language and Holy Mouth, Issue 429
• Byad HaLashon: Not Passed Away 'Before His Time' and No Chassid is 'Mythological'
• Yehoshua Mondshine, The Rebbe's Carefulness and Strictness in Matters of Halacha and Minhag, Keramim website