KEY
#5: The Key to Being Torah
Observant
By
Brother Rabbi Dani’el
Rendelman
Emet Ministries
ravemet@comcast.net
Do
you want to be Torah observant?
The
spiritual walk to be holy
and blameless before the
Almighty can be frustrating
at times. Yes, with so many
books, articles, conferences,
interpretations, doctrines,
theologies, and creeds flooding
the believer, just trying
to be observant to the commands
of the Scriptures can be
a challenge. Many seek to
live a righteous live, yet
few know were to start.
What
about you? Do you want to
live in the presence of
the Most High, to have a
life full of blessings and
peace? Do you know where
to begin this journey towards
a life of holiness?
Well,
if you the desire to move
forward in your spiritual-walk,
yet struggle with what to
do next, be encouraged by
the words of the brother
of the Messiah. “We all
stumble in many ways. If
anyone is never at fault
in what he says, he is a
perfect man, able to keep
his whole body in check.
When we put bits into the
mouths of horses to make
them obey us, we can turn
the whole animal. Or take
ships as an example. Although
they are so large and are
driven by strong winds,
they are steered by a very
small rudder wherever the
pilot wants to go. Likewise
the tongue is a small part
of the body, but it makes
great boasts. Consider what
a great forest is set on
fire by a small spark. The
tongue also is a fire, a
world of evil among the
parts of the body. It corrupts
the whole person, sets the
whole course of his life
on fire, and is itself set
on fire by hell. All kinds
of animals, birds, reptiles
and creatures of the sea
are being tamed and have
been tamed by man, but no
man can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil, full
of deadly poison. With the
tongue we praise our Adon
and Father, and with it
we curse men, who have been
made in Yahweh’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come
praise and cursing. My brothers,
this should not be. Can
both fresh water and salt
water flow from the same
spring,” Ya’akov (James)
3:2-11. Controlling the
tongue is a great starting
place to begin if you truly
desire to be Torah observant.
Hand
in hand
We
can do all types of outward
religious things like wearing
tzitzit, keeping kosher,
honoring the Shabbat, attending
Bible studies, and giving
money, but our heart devotion
is fully expressed in the
way that we treat each other
with the power of speech.
Our true religion is shown
through the words that we
share. Simply put, the words
we say are the truest expression
of what we believe. As Rabbi
Nachum said, “One who is
able to control his speech
for good can truly be called
torah observant and will
most definitely inherit
eternal life.” Ya’akov says
in chapter 1 verse 26, “If
anyone considers himself
to be religious and yet
does not kept a tight reign
on his tongue, he deceives
himself and his religion
is worthless.”
The
Purpose
The
purpose of the spoken word
is to express the emotions
of the heart, to build up
or tear down. The scriptures
say in Mishlei (Proverbs)
18:21, “The power of life
and death is in the tongue.”
This is illustrated first
in the sefer Beresheet (Book
of Genesis). Creation(life)
and the fall(death) both
manifested because of the
power of the tongue. Through
the spoken word all things
came into being. The earth
was formed, the ocean was
given its’ salty taste,
the zebra was painted with
stripes, and the crown of
creation, man himself, was
made by the mouth of Yahweh.
The sages say that, “Yahweh
breathed upon Adam and Adam
became a speaking spirit.”
And we know that the adversary
spoke through the serpent
“did Elohim really say?”
From Adam to the tower at
Bavel all people spoke the
sacred language of Hebrew.
Because of the misuse of
the mouth, Yahweh then scattered
the tower builders and gave
the different languages
to mankind.
The
power of words is seen in
the story of Yitz’chak (Isaac)
giving his blessing in Beresheet
27:35. Yitz’chak’s blessing
was pronounced over the
wrong son but the deed was
done. Once the blessing
was spoken it could not
be retracted because words
are eternal. Yes, once you
say something you can never
take it back. The expressions
your vocal chords make continue
as sound waves forever.
“The grass withers, and
the flowers fade, but the
words of Yahweh remains
forever,” Yesha’yahu (Isaiah)
40:8.
In
Hebrew the word for mouth
is “peh.” Peh literally
means “talk, wish, word,
two edged, saying, sentence,
and sound.” Lips in Hebrew
is “sawfaw” which is defined
as “natural boundary of
the mouth, speech, beard,
upper lip, and language.”
Words
were given by Yahweh to
reveal who we really are,
to express our hearts. Simply
put words are thoughts verbalized.
Yahshua said in Mattityahu
(Matthew) 12:34, “The mouth
speaks out of the abundance
of the heart.” What we think,
what we believe will eventually
manifest through the mouth.
The thoughts we think become
the words we say which influence
the actions we take. So
herein lies the battle of
the ages, we must choose
to speak either life or
death. For in a split second
our innermost thoughts can
become our outermost expressions.
We must choose our words
carefully. Washington Irving
once said, “The tongue is
the only tool that grows
sharper with use.” While,
the Psalmist prayed, “Set
a guard of Yahweh over my
mouth, keep watch over the
door of my lips,” Tehillim
12:4.
Just
think about it, haven’t
you said something that
you later regretted? Do
you remember screaming out
a bad word while you were
mad? Have you ever slandered
your brother or cursed in
front of your children?
Yes, words slip out easily.
And words expose who we
really are. What we utter
can influence nations from
going to war, settle a dispute
between a husband and a
wife, and destroy the reputation
of a good man. Maybe we
should pray, “Father make
my words as sweet as honey
for tomorrow I may have
to eat them.”
Wise
or Wicked?
Biblically,
the expressions of the mouth
prove who we are. The words
we speak are indications
of what the state of our
heart is. For example, the
Bible divides people into
two categories; first there
are the wise whose words
are full of encouragement,
truth, love, and inspiration.
Second there are the wicked
or foolish, whose words
are many and whose expressions
are often evil.
The
wise person speaks blessings
continually. “The tongue
of the wise brings healing,”
Mishlei 12:18. The scriptures
also say in Mishlei 15 that
a wise or righteous person
speaks the right things
at the right times and these
words are pure and pleasant.
The
Bible often speaks of the
wicked in reference to the
terms of their speech. The
wicked are full of violent
words, which are of little
value. The wicked pour forth
curses like a sewer and
“the advice of the wicked
is deceitful,” Mishlei 12:5.
To the wicked Yahshua said,
“You brood of vipers, how
can you who are evil say
anything good? For out of
the overflow of the heart
the mouth speaks,” Mattityahu
12:34. While the righteous
pray that Yahweh will use
their tongue for good, the
wicked say “our lips are
our own, who is lord over
us,” Tehillim 12:4.
The
story is told of Rabbi Gamliel
who once told his servant
that he was going to have
some friends over for dinner
and the servant should prepare
the absolute best meal.
The servant was to go to
the local market and purchase
the best food for the guests
of honor. Dinnertime came
and Rabbi Gamliel and his
guest found their table
full of tongue. Surprisingly,
tongue was the main course
served to the distinguished
guests. The Rabbi wasn’t
happy about this and inquired
to the servant why tongue
was purchased and served.
The servant replied, “I
got the best for your dinner
party, Rabbi. Isn’t the
tongue the organ of scalability,
the organ of eloquence,
kindness, and worship?”
The Rabbi then responded,
“Well if this is the best
food to offer then tomorrow
we will have another meal
and I want you to go to
the market and get the worst
food possible.” The next
day the servant went to
market, prepared the dinner,
and served beautiful dishes
for the Rabbi and his guests.
Again all of the food served
contained tongue in some
manner or another. By now
the Rabbi had lost his patience
and said, “Didn’t I tell
you to get the worst food
at the market?” The servant
said, “Sir I did get the
worst food possible. Isn’t
the tongue the organ of
folly, the organ of blasphemy,
of defamation, lying, and
cursing.”
Lashon
Hara
“Lashon
hara” is the Hebrew term
the sages of our faith have
named wicked words. Lashon
hara literally translates
“evil tongue” or “evil speech”
or even “negative communication.”
It includes defamation,
slander, slur, lying, harmful
information, and perverse
speech. We all know people
who claim to be super-spiritual
believers yet their witness
is destroyed by a tongue
full of gossip. Well, the
Talmud says that lashon
hara hurts three people:
“he who relates it, he who
accepts it, and of whom
it is said.”
The
basis against speaking lashon
hara is found in sefer Vayikra
(Leviticus) 19:16 &
17, “Do not go about spreading
slander among your people.
Do no do anything that endangers
your neighbor’s life.” Sefer
Shemot says, “do not spread
false reports,” and in sefer
Titus 3:2 the word tells
us to “speak evil of no
man.” Truly, these verses
are speaking against more
than just lying. Lashon
hara is negative or perverse
speech – even if it is true.
A biblical example of lashon
hara is the twelve spies
who were sent to inspect
the Promised Land. The ten
fearful spies who brought
a negative report were spreading
lashon hara while the two
spies whose report was made
in faith spoke words that
glorified Yahweh. Either
our words are full of faith
or fear, life or death,
blessing or cures.
Some
example of lashon hara would
be similar to the following
statements:
§
“Jim and I both shop lifted
when we were 12”
§
“No one in our group studies
the Torah correctly”
§
“Did you hear the latest
about…”
§
“I can’t believe George
said…”
§
“That was really stupid
of you, you idiot”
§
“I’m going to kill you for
doing that…”
Lashon
hara also includes curses,
either against another person
or self-imposed. These statements
can incorporate wishes of
evil, negative confessions,
and “you never” or “you
always” statements. These
declarations must be dealt
with or they will bring
negative penalties. Just
as the ten spies who spoke
lashon hara caused Isra’el
to wander in the wilderness
for 40 years, the lashon
hara we speak will also
bring harmful consequences.
Yes, life and death is in
the tongue and we, as believers
must make a choice to either
yield our tongue to the
Spirit or suffer the effects
of the sin of lashon hara.
Sefer
Ya’akov makes it very plain
in 3:10, “Blessing and cursing
come from the same mouth,
and this should not be.
The Messiah himself said
in Mattityahu 12:36, “You
will have to give an account
for every idle word you
have spoken.”
The
Talmud teaches that murder,
adultery, and idol worship
all are equal to lashon
hara and “those who speak
lashon hara can not receive
the presence of the shekinah.”
A similar statement is made
by the Messiah, “One of
evil talk shall not inherit
the kingdom of Heaven,”
Mattiyahu 15:24.
If
you are a believer who desires
to walk in holiness and
righteousness you must make
a decision to either chilul
HaShem or kedushah HaShem.
To speak lashon hara is
to chilul HaShem or “defame
or curse the Name.” To use
your tongue wisely is to
kedushah HaShem or “sanctify
the Name.” What is your
desire? Perhaps we should
take note of the 1 Kefa
(Peter) 2:1, “So then rid
yourselves of all evil lying,
hypocrisy, jealousy, and
evil speech.”
The
Best Advice
It
has been said that the best
advice is to “say nothing
often!” Seriously, our words
are to be a living and lasting
example of who we are and
whose we are. The words
we speak should kedushah
HaShem. If you sincerely
want to be torah observant
the battle over the tongue
must be won.
Rabbi
Shaul, also known as the
apostle Paul said, “You
must rid yourselves of all
such things as these: anger,
rage, malice, slander, and
filthy language from your
lips. Do not lie to each
other, since you have taken
off your old self with its
practices and have put on
the new self, which is being
renewed in knowledge in
the image of its Creator,”
Colossians 3:8-9. Here the
teacher compared evil speech
with anger, rage, and malice.
He also says that evidence
of life yielded to the Almighty
is a tongue void of lashon
hara.
“Do
not let any unwholesome
talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful
for building others up according
to their needs, that it
may benefit those who listen.
And do not grieve the Ruach
HaKodesh, with whom you
were sealed for the day
of redemption,” Ephesians
4:29 & 30. This verse
undoubtedly shows that unwholesome
speech is so evil that it
grieves the Holy Spirit.
The Greek word for “unwholesome”
is “sapros” it literally
is defined as “rotten.”
Lashon hara is like nasty,
stinking rotten meat. And
just how exactly do you
keep meat from going bad?
You season it with salt.
“Let your conversation be
always full of grace, seasoned
with salt, so that you may
know how to answer everyone,”
Colossians 4:6. Salt is
also used in scripture as
a word picture for the Torah.
According to this verse
our conversations should
be full of everlasting mercy
and seasoned with the Torah!
If
you desire to tame your
tongue and win this constant
battle over the habit of
speaking lashon hara there
are basically two steps
that need to be taken.
1)
Meditate on Torah and speak
Torah
2)
Speak less and listen more
This
may seem elementary but
this two-step action plan
will equip you with the
tools necessary to say as
the Psalmist, “My tongue
shall speak righteousness.”
Step
Number One: Meditate on
Torah and speak Torah
We’ve
already shown that “out
of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaks.”
The old cliché is true,
“garbage in, garbage out.”
But, what if you fill your
mind with good things? “Good
in, good out” works just
the same! Just ask the Messiah,
who said, “The good man
brings good things out of
the good stored up in him,
and the evil man brings
evil things out of the evil
stored up in him,” Mattityahu
12:35. Like a super computer
that just needs to be programmed
correctly, your tongue’s
output will equal your mind’s
input. This could be why
we are told in Philippians
4:8, “Finally, brothers,
whatever is true, whatever
is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever
is lovely, whatever is admirable—if
anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about
such things.” From thinking
on things that are of good
report we ourselves will
become of good report. Clearly,
what you think is what you
say. So when you meditate
on or think on the written
instructions found in the
Torah your mouth will utter
words of the Messiah. Yahshua,
the living Torah’s words
were “spirit and life.”
Torah words allowed Yahshua
to minister healing truth
to those who came to Him
and even rebuke the adversary
without fear.
The
book of Ephesians says,
“Let the word of Messiah
dwell in you richly as you
teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom, and as
you sing psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs with gratitude
in your hearts to Elohim.
And whatever you do, whether
in word or deed, do it all
in the name of the Adon
Yahshua, giving thanks to
Yahweh the Father through
him.” His word should dwell
in us, in our heart and
then will overflow out of
us into our speech. What
is the word of Messiah?
The scriptures are clear
about this, “The word (Torah)
became flesh.” The Torah
is the word of Messiah and
the Torah is to dwell in
us richly. The Torah is
the written instruction
of the Almighty found in
the first five books of
the Bible. “Do not let the
Book of the Torah depart
from your mouth; meditate
on it day and night, so
that you may be careful
to do everything written
in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful,”
sefer Y’hoshua 1:8.
The
greatest commandment in
the scriptures tells us
to talk about the Torah
“when we sit at home, when
we are traveling on the
road, when we lie down,
and we get up,” Devarim
6:7. And the Messiah said,
“If my words remain in you
and you remain in me, ask
anything and it will be
given to you.”
Mishlei
15:4, says the “tongue that
brings healing is a tree
of life.” This phrase “tree
of life” may be unfamiliar
to you but this saying is
an idiom or codeword for
the Torah. This verse is
literally saying that the
“tongue that brings healing
is the Torah” or “when your
mouth speaks the Torah healing
comes!”
Remember
the verse from sefer Y’hoshua,
“Do not let the Book of
the Torah depart from your
mouth; meditate on it day
and night, so that you may
be careful to do everything
written in it. Then you
will be prosperous and successful.”
The key to being successful
is meditating on and acting
upon the teachings of the
Torah. When you meditate
on the Torah, the Spirit
will bring the words of
the Torah to your remembrance,
Yochannan (John) 14:26.
Of course if you’ve never
read or memorized the Torah
or put the Torah in your
mind then the Spirit has
nothing to draw from. But
if you make the study of
Torah a priority and put
the word inside you, then
when the need arises the
Spirit will bring it to
your memory. Then you can
say with confidence the
words of Psalm 119:172:
“My tongue shall speak of
your Torah for all your
commands are righteous.”
Torah
Talk
Speaking
Torah not only means that
you can relate principles
of scripture, it also means
that your words are noble
and wholesome. “Through
Yahshua, therefore, let
us continually offer to
Elohim a sacrifice of praise—the
fruit of lips that confess
his name,” Sefer Ivrim (Hebrews)
13:15. Yes, when a person
makes a constant and consistent
effort to speak Torah negative
words are exchanged for
positive ones and blessings
are exchanged for curses.
Instead of speaking perversely
your words are encouraging.
“From the fruit of his lips
a man is filled with good
things as surely as the
work of his hands rewards
him,” Mishlei 12:4.
It
is by a tongue filled with
Torah that a person makes
an impact on this world;
that a person “overcomes
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their
testimony,” Revelation 12:11.
Just think about the difference
that would be made in your
work, or worship center
if your words were those
of the Torah. Can you imagine
the shalom that would surround
your home if you and your
spouse spoke the right words
at the right times, if your
communication was more clear,
and if bitter quarrels were
replaced with soft scriptural
answers? (see Mishlei 15:1)
The principle of speaking
the instructions of scripture
is made crystal clear in
1 Kefa (Peter) 4:11, “If
anyone speaks, he should
do it as one speaking the
very words of Yahweh.”
Think
about that last verse one
more time, “If anyone speaks,
he should do it as one speaking
the very words of Yahweh.”
To get a better understanding
of this verse place yourself
in this verse and read it
out loud: “If I speak, I
should do it as I am speaking
the very words of Yahweh.”
To tame the tongue you must
choose your words carefully
and choose words of the
Torah.
Step
Number Two: Speak Less and
Listen More
When
you meditate on Torah and
then begin to speak Torah,
you will naturally move
into this second phase of
controlling the tongue.
Not only will your words
be more powerful, but they
will also be less frequent.
As the time you spend in
the Word increases, verses
like the following will
become more evident and
more convincing. Ya’akov
1:9, “Take note of this:
Everyone should be quick
to listen and slow to speak.”
The Bible is full of verses
exhorting believers to tame
the tongue and open the
ears. Perhaps this is why
we were created with one
tongue and two ears, so
we can listen twice as much
as we speak.
The
Talmud teaches that “silence
heals all wounds” and the
Pirkei Avos says that we
should “say little, do much,
and greet all people with
a joyful countenance.” Wise
people know when to speak
and know to think before
speaking. “The heart of
the righteous weighs its
answers but the mouth of
the wicked gushes evil,”
Mishlei (Proverbs) 15:28.
The result of a person speaking
less will yield more time
to listen. The idea is to
really to hear what the
person says and not just
listen to the words. Profitable
listening does not happen
by accident, it is intentional.
Try looking eye to eye with
someone as they speak and
truly listen to what they
are intending to communicate.
Focused listening means
that you not only lend your
ear, but also pay close
attention to what the person
is saying, the tone they
are using, and the body
language they are moving
with. A recent scientific
study showed that the average
person speaks for only 17
seconds before he is interrupted
by the individual he is
having a conversation with.
Think about how long you
allow someone to talk before
you burst in with your comments.
Do you allow more than 17
seconds? If you’re like
most people then the answer
is “no.” That’s why many
agree that it is better
to be silent and thought
a fool than to open your
mouth and remove all doubt.
Listening allows others
to speak and gives you time
to meditate on an answer
found in the Torah. Active
listening leads to great
gain.
Our
Example
The
next time you doubt the
power of silence just remember
the example set for us by
our Rabbi Yahshua. Recall
that when He needed to address
His accusers that He did
so with authority, and when
He needed to be silent He
was hushed. When Yahshua
spoke he verbalized the
will of the Father, “For
the one whom Yahweh has
sent speaks the words of
Elohim, for Yahweh gives
the Spirit without limit,”
Yochanan (John) 3:34. Yahshua’s
words were powerful because,
as Rabbi Ed Nydle teaches,
“our words are seeds.”
In
the parable of the seed
and the sower, the scriptures
declare that the “seed is
the word of Elohim,” Luke
8:11. Like seed our word
goes forth on different
types of soil. This seed
begins to grow and produce
fruit. Now the fruit is
either good or evil, dependent
upon the type of seed. Either
we are planting a rumor
weed or our tongue brings
healing like a tree of life,
Mishlei 15:4. The harvest
we reap in life is a direct
result of the seeds or words
we have sown.
One
way to have the most impact
with your words and your
silence is to really think
before you speak a single
word. Ask yourself, “Is
what I am about to say…selfish…hurting…critical…or
helpful?” or “How would
Yahshua respond in this
conversation?” Though it
makes common since to think
before speaking, this seems
to be a problem for most
people. “When words are
many sin is not absent but
he who holds his tongue
is wise,” Mishlei 10:19.
The Rabbis have written
in the Talmud that it is
“better to be considered
a fool in the eyes of man
for a lifetime because of
silence than as a wicked
person in the eyes of Yahweh
for a single moment because
of a loose tongue.”
From
Inspiration to Application
When
you begin to meditate on
Torah you will automatically
start to speak Torah. This
will also coincide with
your words becoming fewer
and your time of listening
becoming greater. This two-step
Biblical action plan can
greatly affect your tongue,
your attitude, your life,
and the life of those people
who cross your path. But,
just doing the right actions
will not ultimately give
you the lasting change needed
to tame the tongue. If you
really desire to be Torah
observant and you really
desire to control your language
please understand that the
journey truly begins with
“teshuvah” or repentance.
Teshuvah is the Hebrew term
for repentance that literally
conveys a “180 degree turning
from and a returning to.”
Yes, the key that turns
the lock from inspiration
to application is true repentance.
Take
Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) for
example, “In the year that
King Uzziah died, I saw
Yahweh seated on a throne,
high and exalted, and the
train of his robe filled
the temple. Above him were
seraphs, each with six wings:
With two wings they covered
their faces, with two they
covered their feet, and
with two they were flying.
And they were calling to
one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the
Yahweh Almighty;
the whole earth is full
of his glory.”
At
the sound of their voices
the doorposts and thresholds
shook and the temple was
filled with smoke. “Woe
to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean
lips, and I live among a
people of unclean lips,
and my eyes have seen the
King, Yahweh Almighty.”
Then one of the seraphs
flew to me with a live coal
in his hand, which he had
taken with tongs from the
altar. With it he touched
my mouth and said, “See,
this has touched your lips;
your guilt is taken away
and your sin atoned for,”
Yesha’yahu 6:1-7.
Before
Yesha’yahu could go forward
as a prophet for Yahweh
and before he could declare
“here I am, send me,” he
had to repent because of
his unclean lips. As he
turned from his sin and
returned to Yahweh, his
mouth was touched with fire
and his guilt was taken
away. Another such an example
is set before us in the
Siddur. As part of the Amidah
prayers, this short petition
will give you the words
necessary to daily seek
to the Almighty for the
power to control your speech.
Pray this now and pray it
every morning. You will
find this prayer plus the
two-step plan shown here
will equal just what you
need to tame your tongue
and be on your way to being
sincerely Torah Observant.
“My
Elohim, guard my tongue
from evil and my lips from
speaking deceitfully. To
those who curse me, let
my soul be silent; and let
my soul be like dust to
everyone. Open my heart
to your Torah, and then
my soul will pursue your
commandments. As for all
those who design evil against
me, speedily nullify their
counsel and disrupt their
design. Act for Your Name’s
sake, act for Your right
hand’s sake; act for Your
sanctity’s sake; act for
your Torah’s sake. That
Your beloved ones may be
given rest; let Your right
hand save and respond to
me. May the words of my
mouth and the meditations
of my heart be acceptable
to You, Yahweh my Rock and
my Redeemer. And He Who
makes peace in His heights,
may He make peace upon us,
and upon all Isra’el. Amen”
*other
articles are available by
this author by emailing
him at ravemet@comcast.net
