If there’s one thing America learned this week, it’s to watch what comes out of your mouth. In our advanced digital age of google glass and smartphones, no action is safe from being posted on youtube and no word is protected from being posted on social media within minutes.
Donald Sterling was one of America’s most successful enterpeneurs. As the genius who turned the LA Clippers into one of the most successful teams in the NBA, he quickly became a billionaire.
Until he spoke with his girlfriend this week.
Never again can he attend the NBA event to watch his own team play and history has branded him a pariah.
All because of one conversation.
Providentially, the name of the Torah Portion this week is Emor, which means “Speak!’ Quite surprising in light of the Torah’s instruction to say little, but do much,” or “the best thing for a person is silence’.
Man is created in the image of G-d. Just like G-d created the world through speech, our speech also creates.
Speech is so much more than merely passing information. It actually is a self fulfilling prophecy:
Slander isn’t just bad. It actually concretizes the concept and brings it to life. If you want to like the person that you love, say nice to them and about them.
So there’s a powerful lesson about making amazing things happen: ‘Whether you say you can, or you say you can't, you’re right!’
Wishing you a Shabbat of Positive Affirmations,
Rabbi Dovid and Chana Vigler