Our Continuing Effort to Educate
I beseech you to correct one fault – severe speech of others; never speak evil of any man, no matter what the facts may be
Henry Ward Beecher
The Power of Listening
President Donald Trump
He does not understand or care about the negative power of the words he uses. The name calling and finger pointing he spews from his mouth dehumanizes people. And this causes all the violence in our world.
Guard Your Tongue
Who is the man who desires life and loves days that he may see the good? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit" (Psalms 34: 13-14) See the Let's Begin button for your first lesson.
Positive Commandment 1 “Remember what the Lord your G-d did unto Miriam by the way as you came forth out of Egypt (Numbers 24:9
The Torah obligates us to vocally recall the punishment Miriam received for speaking lashon-hara about Moshe. There were numerous factors that might have mitigated the gravity of Miriam sin and thus her punishment: (1) She spoke about her brother whom she loved dearly...
Positive Commandment 2 “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18)
Torah obligates us to be equally considerate of the property and dignity of others as we are of our own. By speaking or listening to Evil Speech a person shows that he does not love the subject, definitely not to the degree that he loves himself. Although a person...
Positive Commandment 3 “In righteousness shall you judge your neighbor”
This verse obligates us to give someone the benefit of the doubt when we see him performing an action that could be interpreted in his favor. If an average mitzvah observer does or says something and the chances of a favorable judgment and unfavorable judgment are...
Positive Commandment 4 “If your brother be waxen poor and his means fail him when he is with you, then you shall uphold him” (Leviticus 25:35)
The Torah obligates us to give financial aid to a fellow Jew in order to prevent his becoming poor. This could be in the form of a grant, a loan, or some other source of income. If you relate The Torah obligates us to give financial aid a fellow Jew order to prevent...
Positive Commandment 5 “You shall rebuke your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:17)
If someone tells you Evil Speech, and instead of rebuking him to assist him by listening to his narrative, violate this command. It is important to remember that rebuke should be administered as soon as you realize that the narrative contains Lashon-Hara. Do not wait...
Positive Commandment 6 “To him you shall cleave” (Leviticus 10:20)
This commandment requires us to keep in the company of learned people so that we should learn from their example If you forsake their company to join a group of people speaking Evil Speech, you violate this commandment.
Positive Post 7 “You shall fear my sacred place” (Leviticus 19:13)
We are obligated to act with reverence when we enter a synagogue or a school as they are considered school or a holy place. Any one who speaks Lashon-Hara/Evil Speech violates this commandment.
Positive Commandment 8 “Before the gray-haired you shall rise up, you shall honor the face of old man”(Leviticus 19:32)
This verse requires us to honor a Torah scholar, even if he is not a, and an elderly person, even if he is not a scholar. If someone relates Lashon-Hara about a wise person or an elderly person in his presence, he violates this commandment.
Positive Commandment 9 “You shall sanctify him” (Leviticus 21:8)
This verse obligates us to show respect to Priests - members of the priestly family. If you speak Lashon-Hara about a Cohen in his presence, you violate this commandment.
Positive Commandment 10 “Honor Your Father and Mother” (Exodus 20:12)
The Torah obligates us to honor our parents. Speak Lashon-Hara/Evil Speech about your father or mother, to violate this commandment. Verse also includes an elder brother.
Positive Commandment 11 “The Lord your G-d shall you fear” (Numbers 10:20)
We are obligated to realize that HaShem is aware of every move you make, and that there is retribution for every wrongdoing. Someone who is careless with his speech violates this commandment.
Positive Commandment 12 “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Numbers 6:7)
Every single word of the Torah study is a fulfillment of a mitzvah. Conversely, every word of Lashon-Hara/Evil Speech that you speak, you are guilty of wasting time studying Torah, not having spent your time fruitfully studying Torah.
Positive Commandment 13 “from a false matter you shall keep yourself far” (Exodus 23:7)
If you add untrue details to the Lashon-Hara/Evil Speech that you speak about someone, you violate this commandment.
Positive Commandment 14 “Walk in His ways” (Deuteronomy 28:9)
We are required to emulate the attributes of G-d. "Just as He is merciful and compassionate, so too, we must be merciful and compassionate. Among God's attributes is His hatred for Lashon-Hara.
Prohibition 1
"YOU SHALL NOT GO ABOUT AS A TALEBEARER AMONG YOUR PEOPLE" (LEVITICUS 19:16)
Prohibition 2
"YOU SHALL NOT UTTER A FALSE REPORT" (Exodus 23:1) This verse is also rendered as "You shall not accept a false report" (Psochim 118A This prohibition bans the the speaking of or accepting of evil speech.
Prohibition 3
TAKE HEED CONCERNING THE PLAGUE OF LEPROSY (Deuteronomy 24:8) Sifri explains that this verse refers to Lashon Hora (Evil Speech) which is punishable by the infliction of leprosy.
Prohibition 4
"BEFORE THE BLIND DO NOT PUT A STUMBLING BLOCK" (Leviticus 19:14) This verse prohibits us from placing a spiritual stumbling-block in the path of others. If someone causes another to sin, he violates this prohibition. By speaking or listening to Evil Speech, you not...
Prohibition 5
"BEWARE LEST YOU FORGET THE LORD YOUR G-D" (Numbers 8:11) This prohibition is against being conceited. One who ridicules others is generally motivated by a felling of superiority. If he were aware of his own faults, he surely would not deprecate others. The gravity of...
Prohibition 6
"YOU SHALL NOT PROFANE MY HOLY NAME" (Leviticus 22:32) Do not speak G-d's name in vain.
Prohibition 7
"YOU SHALL NOT HATE YOUR BROTHER IN YOUR HEART" (Leviticus 19:12) Do not speak in a friendly manner about someone to his face and then speak badly about that person behind his back.
Prohibition 8-9
"YOU SHALL NOT TAKE VENGENCE NOR BEAR ANY GRUDGE AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF YOR PEOPLE" (Leviticus 19:18) If you are angry at someone because he refused to grant you some favor and in revenge you speak evil speech about him, you have violated these two prohibitions, in...
The Power of Words
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the differnce between lighteming and a lightening bug." Mark Twain
10.”One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity or for any sin” (Dvorim 19:15)
If a solitary witness testifies against someone before a Bais Din (Jewish Court) in a nonfinancial matter, violates this prohibition besides being guilty of speaking Lashon-Hora/Evil Speech. In financial matters the testimony of a single witness as practical effects....
Words for the Wise!
The Last Prayer in the Jewish Silent Devotion.
May the expressions of my mouth and thoughts of my heart find favor before you, my G-d, my Rock and my Redeemer. My G-d, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceitfully.To those who curse me, let my soul be silent; let my soul be like dust to...
The World We Make With Words
Talking to Kids about Politics
I went to the library recently and found this article in USA Today. As I have an interest in politics and communication I decided to write this blog post. It starts with the idea that “Political leaders bullying makes our kids less kind.” It continues with “when the...
A Better Way To Understand Our World
People delivering therapy understand the idea of a Presenting Problem. The issue here is client will come to a therapist repair to discuss an issue that is easy to discuss. Unfortunately, this issue is not the real problem unless the therapist understands this concept...
The Torah’s Surprising Cure for Gossip
A Biblical View of Evil Speech (Rabbi Jonathan Sacks)
Communicating for Better Outcomes
"Communicating for Better Outcomes" is a concise, to-the-point, and practical essay that outlines the basics of one-to-one communication. This essay was writ- ten by Louis H. Kraus, the founder of the nonprofit, Better Outcomes. It deals with both basic communication...
CHANGE
Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary." (VIKTOR E. FRANKL, "MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING"
How to Cure Your Own Neurosis
"The Neurotic learns to laugh at himself maybe on the way to self-management, perhaps to cure." (The individual and his religion: by Gordon W Allport) ...
Anxiety: Control Your Thoughts
WHAT CAUSES OUR PROBLEMS?
"Human misery is more often caused not so much by stupidity as by ignorance, particularly by our own ignorance about ourselves." (Carl Sagan, author of The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
Why can’t we find answers”
"There is an old adage that when answers are vague and situations difficult to resolve, it's generally because we don't have all of the information we need – something is missing. Growing body of evidence just that this is Cicely the case for the most controversial...
Name Calling is very dangerous!
Name calling dehumanizes people and makes any action taken against them OK!
Guard Your Tongue
"Who is the man who desires life (Chofetz Chaim) and loves days that he may see the good? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit" (Psalms 34: 13-14)
A detailed view of Evil Speech
Dehumanization
The way we use language, particularly finger-pointing and name-calling, is very dangerous. Even though we may not think much of it truth is that name-calling dehumanizes people. This may seem like no big deal, but in fact it is a very, very big deal! By dehumanizing...
“Schools Turn to a New Chatbot To Help Support Students”
This article appeared recently in the Wall Street Journal. What caught my attention was this note "Sonar Mental Health, developer of the AI powered quote well-being companion" named Sonny, rolling out its hybrid model, which are struggling to meet demand for...
Words Matter
Words Matter “When we think we are using language, language is using us. As linguist Dwight Bollinger put it (employing a military metaphor), language is like a loaded gun: It can be fired intentionally but it can wound or kill just as surely when fired accidentally....
A Note About Our Upcoming Book
Communicating for Better Outcomes This is neither a doctoral thesis nor the result of new research. There is plenty of information out there that has yet to be understood, integrated, and put to appropriate use. I hope to do a little bit of that here.I am not going...
Understanding the Impact of Evil Speech
In our daily lives, words wield a power beyond measure. They can uplift, inspire, and heal, but they can also wound, degrade, and destroy. The concept of "evil speech" transcends mere words; it delves into the deeper realms of intention and consequence. As Marshall...
We: The People
We The People This world is what we have made of it. If it is ruthless today is because we have made it ruthless by our attitude. We change ourselves. We can change the world, and changing ourselves begins with changing our language and methods of communication. -Arun...
Stop Kidding Ourselves
Stop Kidding Ourseleves Our brains have bugs. Politicians use their rhetoric to manipulate our bugs.We stay with our group point fingers at everybody else and blame them for all the problems. The truth is that we all start out pretty much alike it’s all the stuff that...
Finding a Moral Compass in Challenging Times
Finding a Moral Compass in Challenging Times
Mass Psychosis
What does “virtual” mean?
vir·tu·al Share:adj.1. Existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form, or name: the virtual extinction of the buffalo.2. Existing in the mind, especially as a product of the imagination. Used in literary criticism of a text.3. Computersa....
I AM Affirmations: Sovereignty, Inner Power, Courage, Vigilance, Love, Freedom and Awakening (REMIX)
This recording was written and is being performed by Kenneth Soares. I have been using it for several months now and I want to share it with any of you, who may be struggling as I am. "You can find it on YouTube.)
Government vs Technology
From fines to guidelines, governments are moving to end Big Tech's unregulated run. How will this rivalry shape our society? Will Big Tech yield to government pressure?
Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?
WRITTEN BYThe Editors of Encyclopedia BritannicaEncyclopedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree…. Encyclopedia...
Who writes History
If you control history and what and how is being taught, you control humanity. This is what's being going on, but it's all coming out now...It's a great time to be alive.
Introduction to Basic Communication
Introduction We cannot survive without other people. Our relationships, and how well we communicate in them, help us define who we are. We all want to be heard, understood and appreciated. We need each other to feel whole, valued and connected. When we communicate...
Vaccines won’t work
US virologist breaks down COVID-19, how to curb spread.Lessons learned from Dr. Djaballah about the COVID-19, caused by the SAR-CoV2 virus, can be summed up in several notes. Check out the video interview with Dr. Djaballah for more in depth. - How much do we know...
The True Believer
The True Believer: Thoughts On The Nature Of Mass Movements is a non-fiction book authored by American philosopher Eric Hoffer. Published in 1951, it depicts a variety of arguments in terms of applied world history and social psychology to explain why mass movements...
Historian: White Terrorist Groups Attacked Democracy
As Washington reels from the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob intent on overturning the 2020 election results, lawmakers are considering new impeachment proceedings against President Trump for fomenting the insurrection. Civil War and Reconstruction...
Politics as Unusual
"Politics is our system. It orders our lives. It determines who wins and losses when governments make decisions. It determines whether the future will be brighter or bleaker for our children," according to Ann M. Delaney, in “Politics for Dummies” (5). The people we...
A Time to Fix Our Broken World
To everything thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die...a time to break down and a time to build up; a time; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance... (Ecclesiastes...
Make Lasting Change
“The material world is about bottom lines; it is driven by action and it can only be transformed by action—not just any action, but action which spiritualizes the material.” from wisdomreb@meaningfullife.com
Truth and Fiction Coronavirus
Gregg Braden Official Disclaimer: Gregg Braden is not a doctor and is in no way providing medical advice or suggestions of any kind whatsoever. Please contact your health care provider regarding adding any supplements or changes to your diet, exercises or life...
Understanding and Healing Emotional Trauma
Good-enough early nurturing fosters the neural networks which enable us to regulate our emotions healthily. People grow up trusting their emotions, be they painful of joyful, and capable of responding to our social world appropriately. In contrast, poor early...
Brain Bugs
In 1876, Thomas Edison coined a term we use to this day to describe those pesky glitches, malfunctions and other deviations from the intended paths of technology: It has been just so in all my inventions. The first step is an intuition — and come with a burst, then...
The Climate Change Denial Movement
This article, written in 2013, details the groups and the methods they use to convince us that climate change is NOT real. 91 organizations and a billion dollars a year tell us the lies that are killing our planet. The roadmap is here, now we have to figure out how to...
Repairing the World
10 Steps to Eliminate Evil Speech/Verbal Abuse Criticism, derogatory, disparaging, belittling words, put-downs, labeling/naming; words affect what we do and mold the way we think about people and the world around us. TRUE or False, but especially when they are lies,...
10 Steps to Eliminate Evil Speech/Verbal Abuse
Most of what we hear, these days, is criticism, and derogatory, disparaging, belittling and dehumanizing words. True or false, intentional or not; these words create untold emotional pain and anger. But, if you start modeling change, we can all get Better Outcomes. 1....
What is important?
"It is not important that we come together in a moment of crisis and show our patriotism by flying the flag; it is not enough that we become a superpower by building an arsenal that can destroy this earth several times over; it is not enough that we subjugate the rest...
Vision of the Future: As Presented by Marshall Rosenburg
There is HOPE! And if you look around there is people who are willing to help. We want to bring people together and help them find the path to peace and compassion. We are planting seeds for you to follow to Common Ground. Our goals are to spread understanding,...
America We Deserve Better
I can't believe how our country has changed since I was a child. My parents never let me talk about people the way we do now. If I did, they made sure that I had the cleanest mouth in town, my favorite was Ivory (it floated). In school, getting caught speaking out of...
The Trump Effect
According to The Trump Effect: An Update, years of anti-bullying progress in schools have gone to waste since the 2016 presidential election. This article is a followup from the writers’ previous two-part post about “The Trump Effect”. At first, writers Rosemary K.M....
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
By Stephen R. Covey Be Proactive. Here, Covey emphasizes the original sense of the term “proactive” as coined by Victor Frankl. You can either be proactive or reactive when it comes to how you respond to certain things. When you are reactive, you blame other people...
What You Can Do
We are looking for people, organizations and candidates who understand that we cannot expect the people who presently run the system to change it. We need people who cannot stand political rhetoric, the negativity and anger and who demand representation from our...
Why Did We Come Here?
As We Celebrate Our Independence From England, It Might Be A Good Idea To Review Our Reasons For Coming To This Land. IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776, The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary...
Harry Reid and the Grumpy Old Dog
Dear Lou, Certainly you may respond to my comment. I absolutely understand the goals of your organization. However, I find that those on the right who are bigoted, homophobic and against the rights of women to be beneath contempt. You object to using "demeaning"...
Brain Changes in Children
This article gives a good overview of the effect of Domestic Violence/Verbal Abuse on children; Brain Changes in Children. The more we learn, the more serious the problem appears to be.
The One Minute Apology
The process below is from Blanchard and McBride’s Book, "the One Minute Apology." (Blanchard Family Partnership and Margaret McBride, 2003) When I read the book several years ago, it gave new meaning to the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.If you can...