The Tongue Wagger

Metzora 5784 - Guard your tongue from evil and lips from deceit

Elohai Netzor - Rabbi Josh Warshawsky

I did something very exciting this week: I officially became a pulpit rabbi! I signed on with Congregation Agudas Achim in Columbus, OH - the wonderful and special community I have had the honor of serving this year as interim rabbi-in-residence. Lots more to say about that, and this article does a good job of saying it if you’re interested in more! I am feeling very grateful for and thrilled about this opportunity. And don’t worry! I’ll still be traveling and sharing music and Torah with a few synagogues around the country each year as well. 

I have spent a lot of time getting to know this community this year. One of the things I have learned is the importance of just being present, being kind, and listening with a full heart.  It’s the magic elixir that creates relationship, community, and warmth. 

This week’s Torah portion, metzora, takes us even deeper into the laws of lepers and leprosy, but the rabbis and commentators want to take us immediately into the realm of metaphor (why wouldn’t they?) and they explain that metzora is really an acronym for motzi shem ra מוציא שם רע - one who brings out a bad name - a “tongue wagger” or slanderer. 

And thus we come to a powerful story that I want to share with you this week - about a magic elixir! 

There was an incident involving a certain peddler who would circulate in the towns and would proclaim and say: ‘Who seeks to purchase the elixir of life?’ Rabbi Yanai said to him: ‘Come in here and sell it to me.’ He said to him: ‘You and those like you (i.e. ones who study Torah like you) do not require it.’ [Rabbi Yanai] pressed him and he came to him. [The peddler] reached into his sack and took out… the book of Psalms! He opened it up and showed him the verse: “Who is the person who desires life (Psalms 34:13)?” What is written after it? “Guard your tongue from evil…Turn away from evil and perform good.” Rabbi Yanai said: ‘All my life I have been reading this verse, but I did not know how obvious it is until this peddler came and informed [me]: “Who is the person who desires life.”’

What are we supposed to learn from this? Show up for each other. Be kind. Be present. Express more love into the world and less hate. It doesn’t always work and it doesn’t work fast, but we hope and have to believe that that’s the recipe we need. There is no magic elixir for life other than that.

Shabbat Shalom, and come visit us in Columbus!

Josh Warshawsky