By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for The Five Towns Jewish Times
It was a terrible Chillul Hashem, plastered all over the New York City newspapers. Kapparos are a minhag Yisroel – that, certainly, was not the Chillul Hashem. The Chillul Hashem was in our reaction to the particular activists who were protesting the Kapparos in Boro Park.
GESTURES ARE FORBIDDEN TOO
Let us be perfectly clear. A gesture of Nivul Peh is also considered Nivul Peh. This is clear from the words of Rav Shlomo Luria in his Yam Shel Shlomo (Bava Kamma 4,11) where he writes, “A person should be careful in his speech just as in his actions [regarding Nivul Peh].” The Hebrew term “maasav” thus includes gestures of Nivul Peh.
SOURCES
The Gemorah in Psachim 3a cite Rabbi Yehoshuah Ben Levi: A person should never allow an unseemly word to come out of his mouth, for the Torah went eight letters out of its way to avoid writing something unseemly (Bereishis 7:8). The Torah states min Hab’heima “Asher ainena t’hora” – from the animal that is not pure” instead of just saying, “Hab’haima hatme’ah – the animal that is impure.” Many extra words are used by the Torah to teach us this very important lesson – not to sully our Neshamos by cursing.
The Midrash attests to this on the verse in Dvarim (23:10), “When you go out to war guard yourself from every evil matter.” How does the Midrash (VaYikra Rabbah 24:7) define evil matter? You guessed it – “unseemly words” referred to in Hebrew as Nivul Peh.
A BIBLICAL PROHIBITION
Indeed, the Midrash seems to indicate that it is a Biblically forbidden prohibition whether in war or not in war – it is just that it is more common in wartime or in the soldier’s barrack rather than in the typical social structure or setting to which the Torah generally speaks. In fact, the Machzor Vitri (424), one of the foremost students of Rashi, writes that the prohibition is biblical.
There may be a different source for a biblical prohibition, too. The Torah tells us (Dvarim 23:17), “Lo yireh becha ervas davar—There shall not be seen within you an unseemly thing…” Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani in VaYikra Rabbah (24:7) rereads the words to say “ervas dibur” instead of “ervas davar.” The verse now reads – “There shall not be seen within you an unseemly statement – namely “improper speech.”
And so the young man depicted in the photo above has violated a severe prohibition.
NOT INNOCUOS
And it seems that it is not just an innocuous, harmless little activity. The Gemorah in Shabbos (33a) tells us that because of the sin of verbal cursing, great problems come to Israel. Harsh decrees are promulgated, the youth die young, orphans and widows cry out and are not answered. In other words, the repercussions are rather serious. The Shla (Osios Shin Shtika 24) writes that cursing is the Avi Avos HaTumah – the ultimate source of impurity.
The Neshama, or soul, reflects the divine aspects of mankind. In contrast, cursing reflects the Nefesh Habahamis—the animalistic aspect of mankind. Interestingly enough, scientists believe that there is also cursing in the animal kingdom. Frans de Waal, a professor of primate behavior at Emory University in Atlanta, explains that when chimpanzees are angry “they will grunt or spit or make an abrupt, upsweeping gesture that, if a human were to do it, you’d recognize it as aggressive.”
Such behaviors are threat gestures, and can be interpreted as a form of cursing.
The bottom line is that cursing emanates from and reflects the lowliest aspects of human behavior.
AVI AVOS HATUMAH
The reason cursing is called “Avi Avos HaTumah by the Shla HaKadosh is that such activity undermines the holiness of Klal Yisroel, both of oneself and of others. In fact, the Gemorah in Kesuvos (5b) instructs the others just how they should react. The Gemorah states that fingers were created like straight tent pegs for a reason – so that someone who hears Nivul Peh can place his fingers in his ears to blot out the sound.
The Midrash tells us that the Jews in Egypt reached the 49th level of impurity, but even then, they did not succumb so low as to curse (Psikta Zuta Shmos 6:10). They did not change their language implies, according to the Midrash, that they did not change their manner of speech either. We see how serious such activity truly is.
REDUCES LIFE
It also reduces our pre-designated life spans. The Gemorah in Niddah (16b) states that even if one had a life span of seventy years, nivul peh can turn it around in the wink of an eye.
Surprisingly enough, however, the TaZ (YD 124:1) states that the reason the Gemorah uses the wording “one who removes curse words from his mouth” rather than “one who issues curse words from his mouth” is to show us that the prohibition is only when one does so intentionally and willfully. Otherwise, it may not be the most proper thing, but it does not violate the biblical prohibition.
It is interesting to note that philosophers are sometimes at a loss in defining why exactly cursing is wrong. From a Torah perspective, of course, the issue is impurity. Man was created in the Divine Image and possesses a Chailek Elokah mimaal – a Divine section from Above. Cursing and the uttering of profane words darkens and sullies that Divine section from Above that we all possess.
CONCLUSION
The take home lesson is that we should use these periods as teaching moments. We should teach our children the Torah thinking against Nibul Peh – instead of just ignoring it. It is ironic that while helping to bring kapparos to others, someone stumbled in this regard. May Hashem bring us all kapparos and yeshuos.
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16 Responses
Everything stated here is correct and accurate.
But if this is the author’s sole catalyst..
Not condoning his behavior and we should know better. But he was definitely provoked like no other. Yackov avinu was an ish Tam but when it came to Lavan harasha Yacov dealt with him his way the rashas way a trick way.
Shkoyach Reb It is Time for Truth for your haskama of Rabbi Hoffman’s piece. So helpful to have an esteemed internet talmid chochom like yourself take time out of your own learning (internet surfing) to vet it for all of us laymen.
I am sorry. This is very sad. His face and hand gesture is blocked out on this website but it sure isn’t on the mainstream media. It is a true Chilul Hashem regardless of provocation. I as well as most normal people realize what idiots these “animals rights” people are. They are more concerned about a chicken than human being. There were incidents in the middle of Manhattan where a HUMAN BEING collapsed and people just kept walking, not bothering to stop to help. Perhaps these people should be protesting the atrocities being committed against humanity worldwide by UN MEMBER countries before worrying how we hold our chicken.
Jewish Source
There is absolutely no comparison between how Yaakov dealt w Lavan, and what this young man is doing. Yes, Lavan’s cheating provoked Yaakov, but look at the end of VaYeitzeh for Yaakov’s real reaction. When Lavan confronted Yaakov, Yaakov confronted him with the truth, a mature method that stopped Lavan in his tracks, and made a Kiddush Hashem. This young man is doing punckfarkert, the exact opposite, an immature and inaporopriate gesture, and is making a Chillul Hashem, as those who see this picture think that Jews are no different (and even worse) than the rest of humanity, chas v’shalom.
In fact, LAVAN is the one who reacted to Yaakov by “losing it,” like this young man!
The author here needs to find a new hobby. Critiquing other Jews he disagrees with it not productive nor will it change the behavior of those he critiques. Certainly the gentleman in the photo was mistaken in his reaction. But the author would be well suited to focus his energies on the true instigator of a chillul Hashem and bad behavior, namely the woman activist who was harassing Jews engaged in a mitzvah.
Bogen- aren’t you critiquing another Jew by your comment critiquing R’ Hoffman?
I agree with Bogen and respectively disagree with the rabbi please rabbi thos kids was instigated abdomen lost his cool stop looking at everything from a bad view
Why do you post these things without doing basic research.
Try this gemara on for size. Megilla 25b
אמר רב
הונא בר מנוה משמיה דרב אחא בריה דרב איקא שרי ליה לבר ישראל
למימר ליה לעובד כוכבים שקליח לעבודת כוכבים ואנחיה בשין תיו שלו
(HT Yitayningwut)
I believe this whole article is loshon horah because the kaporos center can be easily identified from the photo and the young man can, therefore, be identified, too. Webmaster, I think that this article should be immediately removed from this website,
The young man in the picture might have NOT KNOWN that yhe gesture he made had a connection with nivul peg. Im sure he didn’t think it was a nice thing to do but not to the point of obscenity.
Those who are fighting against Torah and MItsvos are our mortal enemies. If Haman or Titus or Eichmann were walking down the street, what you have done? Being polite to those who wish to destroy you is showing stupidity not civility.
Just to clarify. While I do not condone this young man’s gesture, I do not know how much he was provoked into doing such a thing. We should give him the benefit of the doubt. My previous comment was in response to another comment, which sought to find justification from the Torah for this behavior. I respectfully do not agree with the commentator.
We do not know for sure that the protestors are fighting Torah and Mitzvos. If people running the kapparos are not treating the chickens in a humane way, and it is a violation of tzaar baalei chaim, then these protestors have a point. If these protestors are protesting the using of chickens entirely for kapparos, then it would be a different story (though they would be protesting one way of practicing a minhag, not necessarily equitable with protesting Torah and Mitzvos).
Again this past Shabbos I saw crates of cooped up live chickens left out baking in the sun with no food or water. This mitzvah habo b’avera is a Chillul HaShem not to animal rights activists but to other frum yidden! I just don’t get it. No one seems to care. Am I the only one who has rachmanus on baalei chayim? USE MONEY INSTEAD!!
It’s the night before Yom kippur so I’ll hold myself back a bit but bogen and “the logical one” do you have any idea what your talking about? He should get a new hobby?? This is not some Internet blogger this is a rav well versed in many aspects of torah more so than both of you combined (I can only imagine from your comments) this is not a hobby. To take things that are wrong and learn from them is not negative and considering the time of year this is the perfect article to be here for us to read and to remind us of the sins we may have done this past year. It would be wise for you two to learn from this then to push it under the rug because you think that you are smarter than everyone else.
Have an easy fast may g-d have mercy on your soul.