This, and many other positive values that we hold dear, are our Jewish contributions to the world. Love your neighbor as yourself. Be fair and righteous in judgement. Watch what you say.
Our Torah, the world’s most published book, which is more than 3,300 years old and which has been our guiding light for millenia, teaches the art of mindful speech.
For all of these years, our great thinkers, scholars, and teachers have further clarified, refined, and elaborated the general principles of proper speech, as well as the finer points. They give examples, discuss different circumstances, and show us how to navigate tricky situations. They pass down to us a legacy of greatness in this area, in human communication, to be a “light unto the nations”.
As Jews, we don’t build empires. We build communities. We don’t conquer people, we care about people. What a legacy we have: Warm, caring communities of people who treat each other with respect and dignity. If we haven’t perfected it yet, at least the principles are there.
For one month of Clean Speech, let’s focus on our speech, familiarize ourselves with the detailed guidelines, and work together as individuals, families and communities to make some much needed progress in how we speak. The world needs it. Our community needs it. We need it.
Daily To-Do:
Share this video series with a friend in the community. When we make progress on our speech together, it’s so much more powerful.