Parshas Tetzaveh (Zachor) 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Mar 7
- 2 min read
ועשית מעיל ... פעמון זהב ורמון ... (כח-לא,לה)
MASHAL: A story is told about a fellow who approached the holy Chofetz Chaim zt”l, with a request to purchase all of his seforim - except one, his magnum opus Sefer Chofetz Chaim. “I don’t want that one,” the man explained, “because it talks about guarding your mouth, and for me it’s too hard to control myself, so I think I’ll pass on that sefer.”
When the Chofetz Chaim heard this, he responded with the following account: When I was preparing to write this sefer, I asked the Gadol Hador, R’ Yisroel Salanter zt”l, whether it was perhaps better not to write it, since Chazal teach us that everyone transgresses the prohibition of avak lashon hara, and we know it’s better to be a shogeg, a mistaken sinner, than a maizid, a rebel. By not informing them of the severity of the sin, I’ll prevent them from intentionally transgressing it.
R’ Yisroel responded, “It’s worth writing the entire sefer Chofetz Chaim if even one person will speak lashon hara with a krechtz, a sigh. The value of that one krechtz is so great that it’s worth writing the entire sefer so that even if someone will speak lashon hara, at least he’ll do it with a sigh!”
NIMSHAL: Chazal say the meil and it’s noise-making paraphernalia, the pomegranates and bells, atone for lashon hara, a noisemaking sin. The Chofetz Chaim explains, based a Gemara (Sanhedrin 99b), that the noisy bells represent the times a person should make noise - learning Torah, whereas the pomegranates that don’t make noise, represent all other times - when a person ought to keep his mouth shut lest he say the wrong things. As brought earlier, Chazal say most people, when they open their mouth, end up saying avak lashon hara, a sin of epic proportions!