Lashon Nekiah - Clean Language: Difference between revisions

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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 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,"<ref>Bereishis:7:8</ref> 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.

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,"<ref>Talmud Bavli, Tractate Shabbat 118b</ref> "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.

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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.

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 ==

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* Yehoshua Mondshine, '''The Rebbe's Carefulness and Strictness in Matters of Halacha and Minhag,''' Keramim website

== References ==

[[he:לשון נקיה]]

[[Category:Concepts in Judaism]]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 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 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,"<ref>Bereishis:7:8</ref> 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.
+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,"<ref>Talmud Bavli, Tractate Shabbat 118b</ref> "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.
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 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.
+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 ==
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 * Yehoshua Mondshine, '''The Rebbe's Carefulness and Strictness in Matters of Halacha and Minhag,''' Keramim website
+== References ==
 [[he:לשון נקיה]]
+[[Category:Concepts in Judaism]]