Words Never Lost

Did you know that nothing in creation can ever be completely destroyed? The Zohar states that “nothing is lost in this world, even the breath of the mouth…even the word spoken by a human being, even a sound; all have their area and location.”
 
Science has only discovered this phenomena fairly recently [in the 18^thcentury] but was already known through divine transmission from our holy Torah. Physical matter can never cease to exist but is destined only to decompose and change form; in fact, this world we inhabit will only exist for 6,000 years in its present form and will then be reconstructed. Neither can energy be destroyed but can only change form. Everything in creation is in a process of flux, changing its structure, even in what we term inanimate objects. The universe is only made up of about 7 elements and miraculously [and it really is an open miracle if you think about it properly] we see such unbelievable diversity – I mean, just think about it, we humans are made from a combination of those very elements, that’s pretty awesome.

Physical matter and energy, in other words, our body and our soul, according to our holy sources are also indestructible, but are destined at some point to decompose, separate from each other temporarily, only to be recreated for a higher purpose [our sages tell us that the “luz bone” at the back of the neck is indestructible and it is from this bone that the resurrection of the dead will proceed].
 
So what impact should this have on us as Jews? What makes man unique is the power of free will and speech and the influence that has on creation; in this respect, we emulate the ultimate Creator.  Our sages tell us that after we die everything we say and do in this world is played back to us and we face the reality of who we became as a result of our sojourn in this world.  I have to admit, when I first heard this idea, I thought it was a bit fanciful to say the least, but not now.  Based on the above introduction, it makes total sense because everything in this world is a parallel to the higher spiritual worlds and vice versa.
 
It’s a pretty scary thought. That everything we say, and have said, in this world is actually still bouncing around the atmosphere and we know, also through science now which is catching up with the Torah, that what we say literally has an effect even on inanimate objects.
 
No wonder our sages are so strict when it comes to speech. Much has been written recently about the power of speech, how important it is to speak well of other people and to look for and speak about the goodness of others, rather than to dwell on their failings.  So rather than go over what has already been presented, I wanted to draw attention to another aspect that speech has on our lives: our environment.
 
Our environment affects us whether we like it or not. The Torah stresses the importance of our environment, how important it is to not to associate with people who will draw us away from our spiritual mission.  We have all too often failed in this area; we feel we are strong enough to withstand the temptations which assail our senses. Words influence. Just look at the media, the crudeness, how it distorts the truth, assassinates a person’s essence, how it can turn country against country, people against people [as we Jews know all too well, and continue to experience through the propaganda perpetrated against the Jewish nation]. And what about the everyday speech we hear on the streets, on the campus and in the workplace – the swearing, the humiliating, the criticizing, it’s everywhere. Don’t think that we are immune; spend enough time in an environment like that and we will adopt some of this speech and behavior, however subtly.
 
It isn’t always easy to parachute into a “perfect” environment but we do have choices about who we have as friends, and sometimes where we choose to live, what type of work environment we choose to be in.  The more we choose refined speech and a refined environment, the more sensitive we become and the more allergic to crassness.
 
Step into the Torah world and you’ll see what I mean. Spend time with Jews who devote their lives to service of Hashem and for sure it will rub off. We don’t have to be perfect, on even on a high level, maybe we are just starting out, but a Torah environment will lift a Jew almost by osmosis.  Instead of the speech of everyday emptiness, fill your mouths with words of Torah and kindness and experience an inner satisfaction that can’t be equaled.