Awaiting the Redemption of Speech

Parashat Devarim

Can the Torah Heal Speech Defects?

Since I began to speak before I could walk, I have always been a woman of words. Yet, my speech was flawed by a noticeable lisp. It was a bit of an issue when I was a child, however, since I embarked on the Torah path, no one ever mentioned it. I just asked my husband if he noticed my lisp. I was happy that he replied, “only very slightly sometimes.” I was looking for an example of how the Torah heals speech defects, to introduce Healing in Parashat Devarim – the parasha of words. So, my own speech defect, which has somewhat been healed by the Torah, qualifies as a perfect example. I recall in high school; my heart would be pounding before I could offer a comment at the school assembly. Others were able to formulate exquisite sentences, with eloquent words, whereas I was shy when it came to public speaking. Yet, learning and living the Torah has opened me up, and now I can address even 100 women without batting an eyelash. Over the years, I have witnessed how learning Torah has healed countless young women. Many new, quiet students, who hardly opened their mouths in class, went through remarkable transformations in our midrasha. One such young woman, let’s call her Sarah, was especially shy like a wallflower. This was partly due to her low self-esteem, after having suffered child abuse. Sarah never volunteered to answer the teachers’ questions. She certainly shied away from asking questions of her own. It was beautiful to notice, that as the Torah began to penetrate her heart, Sarah slowly opened up like a purplish fuchsia flower, unfolding in in the morning sun. With a lot of support and encouragement, she started to participate in class discussions, posing questions and volunteering answers. As speech returned to her lips, she became more animated, and her face started to light up. She even gave over a beautiful, well-formulated student presentation. It is such a pleasure to witness, how the healing power of the Torah affected Sarah and so many others. 

The Words of Torah are Healing

The Torah is called “A tree of life” (Mishlei 31:17). The healing of the Torah is specifically expressed through healing the ability to speak, as it states, “and its leaf for healing” (Yechezkiel 47:12). “He who is dumb, his tongue will be healed and cleansed immediately through the words of Torah. The language of the Torah heals the tongue, as it states, ‘The tree of life [the Torah] heals the tongue’” (Mishlei 15:4); (Yalkut Shimoni, 3:172). Moshe is a prime example of how Torah heals speech. When he was a baby on Pharaoh’s lap, he threatened Pharaoh by reaching for his golden crown. Yet, the angel Gavriel moved his hand to grab burning coals instead and put them into his mouth (Shemot Rabbah 1:26). Since then, Moshe stuttered (Rashi, Shemot 4:10), yet his involvement in Torah healed this speech defect. It is taught in the Zohar, that the Torah is compared to a tree with branches, fruit, leaves, bark, and a trunk all connected to one another. So, too, Torah gives sustenance and life to all creatures, for, through the Torah, G-d created the world. Every word is like a covering for the inner Divine essence. Rashi explains the phrase, “Moshe explicated the Torah” )Devarim 5:5), that Moshe translated the Torah into 70 languages. He translated it, in order to widen the light of the Torah into the outer coverings, so that all would draw closer to the inner essence, and thus the inner wellspring would become more accessible (Sefat Emet, Devarim 3:2). True healing is when we are firmly connected to the Divine essence of creation. Therefore, the words of Torah are healing, because they are the manifestation of the inner life-giving essence of creation. The more we are able to express the Torah in different languages and through various vehicles of creativity, the more healing we engender in the world.

How could Moshe, with his Speech Defect, Give an Eloquent 36-day Monologue? 

ספר דברים פרק א פסוק ג

:וַיְהִי בְּאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בְּעַשְׁתֵּי עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ דִּבֶּר משֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה הָשֵׂם אֹתוֹ אֲלֵהֶ

“It came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month that Moshe spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that Hashem had given him in commandment to them” (Devarim 1:3).

The Book of Devarim opens with Moshe’s 36-day monologue to the people of Israel, from Rosh Chodesh Shevat until his passing on the 7^th of Adar. Due to his serious speech defect, Moshe declined his Divine mission (at the burning bush) to go to Pharaoh, saying “I am not a man of words… for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue” (Shemot 4:10). This same Moshe, who was not a man of “devarim,” now produces a lengthy book of “devarim,” teaching and instructing for the Israelites, before his passing. This teaches us the “healing” power of Torah, as the Midrash says: See how cherished the tongue of Torah is, as it heals the tongue… Before Moshe was privileged to receive the Torah, it is written about him, ‘I am not a man of words.’ But, once he was privileged to receive the Torah, his speech impediment was healed, and he began speaking words…” (Yalkut Shimoni, 4:172). How did the Torah heal Moshe’s speech defect? Moshe, the most humble of all men (Bamidbar 12:3), did not consider himself an “ish devarim” – a man of words, qualified to guide, teach and preach. Yet, when he received the Divine Torah, he turned into becoming the best communicator in the world. This is because, when Moshe received the Torah at Sinai, he became a channel for the word of G-d. Rather than expressing his own words and ideas, he understood, without any shadow of doubt, that he was communicating eternal truth. Specifically, because of his humility and his disinterest in expressing his personal opinion, Moshe became transformed into an “ish devarim,” a person with the ability to stand before the nation and continually instruct them. His firm belief in the truth of rah empowered him to assume the role of “ish devarim” and convey words of Torah to the world (Based on an article by Rav Oded Mittelman).

Torah Redeems and Heals the Exile of Speech

When the Israelites were in Egypt, speech was in exile. As long as speech was in exile, Moshe had difficulty expressing himself.The Zohar explains: When Moshe exclaimed, “but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue” (Shemot 4:10), Hashem responded, “Who gives a person speech?  I will be with your mouth (Shemot 4:10‐12). Although Hashem kept his promise, as long as speech was in exile, Moshe’s speech defect could not be completely healed. This is because the inner dimension of Moshe is קוֹל/kol – voice [ZEIR ANPIN/Male Archetype], but דִּבּוּר/dibur – speech [MALCHUT/Kingdom – the Female archetype], which entails words, was in exile. Because Moshe was blocked from being able to express words, he said, “how then will Pharaoh hear me” when my speech, [MALCHUT] is still in exile, and I am speechless, because of exile… Yet, when the Torah was given at Mount Sinai, voice joined with speech, and then he spoke words… Then Moshe became properly whole with speech, as voice and speech were finally united (Zohar, Part 2:25b).

Awaiting the Healing of Speech and the Restoration of Malchut

It seems that this unity between voice and speech has become undone, the way knitted socks unravel. Sadly, although the majority of Jews have now returned from exile to our Promised Land, our speech is once again in exile. The quality of our words has sunk to the rock bottom level. Even though, in general, people may have become more sophisticated and eloquent communicators, our speech is often disconnected from the Torah and from our inner lifegiving essence. Don’t we often ramble on non-stop about trivial matters and waste our time in chatting online about everything and nothing? Worse yet, how much bashing, gossiping and lashon hara do we hurl at others behind their back or even in their face? I’m especially vexed by the ferocious public bashing of Naftali Bennett – the first one, in more than 40 years, to thank Hashem for the privilege of becoming prime minister, by reciting Shehechiyanu at the Western Wall. I am ashamed of the way Charedi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, denounced Bennett, calling him an ‘evil’ and ‘wicked’ Reform-Jew, who is going to rot. What a terrible chillul Hashem (desecration of Hashem’s name), that the whole world witnessed the ultimate exile of speech, as expressed by some of Israel’s religious parties. We await the redemption of Malchut from exile, the return of the Shechina, and the restoration of the pride of Jerusalem, as prophetically foretold at the closing of this week’s haftarah: “I will restore your judges as at first and your counsellors as in the beginning; afterward, you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City” (Yesha’yahu 1:26).