Embodying Torah in our Speech

Psalm 40

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“I did not withhold my words.” (40:10)

The Psalmist might say with regret, “I did not withhold my words and I regret having said things that I cannot unsay.” In this case he has damaged relationships so his words were better left unsaid. He might say with a sigh of futility, “I did not withhold my words, but I am glad that I spoke truth to power, even though nothing has changed.” He feels good and might have a positive influence on bystanders. Or he might say with a sense of accomplishment, “I did not withhold my words and the person or organization I was addressing has changed because of what I said,” effecting positive change. Before you open your mouth, consider in which category your words are likely to fall.

Psalm 39

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“No one endures longer than but a breath.” (39:6)

Compared to the tens of thousands of years of modern human history, the life of any individual is no more than a moment. In the scheme of human history, our individual troubles are transitory and trivial. This doesn’t mean that our suffering isn’t real, but it does mean that we should contextualize it with the question, ‘how much is my pain today going to matter in 100 or 1,000 years?’ When you get frustrated and feel compelled to strike out, first take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Do this five times, ten times, or twenty times, until the urge to strike has passed. You now have the proper mindset to decide whether and how you should take action.

Psalm 15

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“… speaks truth in his heart.” (15:2)

To lie convincingly, most people, unless they suffer from a personality disorder, need to believe the lie. If you fully acknowledge the truth in your heart and mind, it is very difficult to lie. Your body will most likely give you away. Your eyes will shift, your tongue will stutter, or your voice will drop. Your body physically resists telling what it knows to be a lie. It is possible to override your body’s impulse and teach it to lie more effectively, but it is so much easier to teach your yetzer hara (selfish inclination) to tell the truth, inside and out.

Psalm 12

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“With lips such as ours, who can be our master?” (12:5)

Politicians are great talkers. They have mastered the art of articulating their positions on issues, mustering arguments in favor, and countering arguments opposed to them. Sometimes they undermine opposing arguments by attacking the character or the motivation of their opponent. We ought to follow the example of Hillel, who gave such respect to his opponents’ positions that he would teach them even before he taught his own position on the issue. He demonstrated the ability to listen deeply to others in order to truly understand them, a trait worth emulating.

Psalm 143

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Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for before You no creature is in the right. (143:2)

The American political system abhors changing one’s position on issues. They call it “flip-flopping.” Apparently, they believe that from the very first moment that a future politician takes a public stance on an issue, whether that be in an election for high school student council or maybe an op-ed piece published in a college newspaper, that one’s positions should be consistent and unchanging.

Most of us are not so consistent. Over time, we do grow and mature and our positions on issues change. Sometimes they become softer, sometimes they become firmer. Sometimes we learn something new that causes us to reject a position completely and embrace its opposite. Yet at the same time, most of us hang on to and defend whatever it is that we believe at the moment with the strength of a dog with a chew-toy.

It is very frustrating to have a conversation with someone who is so certain of his own set of truths that everything that you say is judged and found wanting. The rest of the Psalm speaks of God’s beneficence, faithfulness, and gracious spirit, but this verse peers into a different Divine facet. It is the experience of being in a relationship in which you can never do anything right, no matter how hard you try.

Reflecting off this verse, I promise not to be stubbornly enslaved to every belief, but rather to take gentler positions and be kind to those who disagree with me. I promise to affirm the inherent value of those in relationship with me and not judge so harshly that they despair of ever meeting my standards. I promise to look to God beneficence, faithfulness and gracious spirit as a model of behavior.