Shemirat HaLashon שמירת הלשון

In the preceding chapters we spoke about the individual. How much more so must one take great heed not to impute liability to Israel in general, for this sin is very severe. As we find in Pesachim 87b on Proverbs 30:10 "'Speak not ill of a servant to his master… a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother.' …Even a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother — do not speak ill of it to its Master — the Holy One Blessed be He." And see now [the instance of] Isaiah the prophet. When he saw the glory of the L-rd and said (Isaiah 6:5): "Woe unto me, for I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips; and in the midst of a people of unclean lips do I dwell, etc." — because he said "and in the midst of a people of unclean lips," even though his intent in this was not to shame Israel, (for he said this also of himself) but only to say that he was not worthy of seeing the Shechinah, neither in point of his deeds nor of those of the people in whose midst he dwelt — in spite of this, see what follows (Ibid. 6): "Then one of the seraphs flew unto me [Isaiah] and in his hand was a live coal [ritzpah]," concerning which Chazal say that "ritzpah" is acronymic of "retzoth peh" ["crush the mouth"] that slanders My children." And he died as a result of this, as they say in Yevamoth 49b: "[He (Isaiah) uttered the Name and was 'swallowed up' in a cedar.] the cedar was brought and sawed. When it [the saw] came to his mouth, he died, [this, for having said 'And in the midst of a people of unclean lips do I dwell.']"

And so, with Moses our teacher, may peace be upon him, because he said (Bamidbar 32:14): "a growth of sinful men," there descended from him Shevuel ben Gershom, who ministered to idolatry, as Chazal have said (Bava Kamma 109b, Yerushalmi 9:2). And more than this we find with Eliyahu, who, because he said (I Kings 19:10): "I have been very zealous for the L-rd … for they have forsaken Your covenant, etc.", he was removed because of this from prophecy and the Holy One Blessed be He commanded him to anoint Elisha in his place, as Chazal state (in Yalkut Melachim).

And Sefer Charedim 51 states, in the name of the Midrash that the intent of the captain who was punished because he had said (II Kings 7:19): "Even [if] the L-rd made windows in the heavens, could such a thing happen?" — his intent was that the L-rd could certainly make it happen, but this generation was like the generation of the flood, deserving that the windows of heaven be opened [for evil], as there, viz. (Bereshith 7:11): "And the windows of heaven were opened." How is it possible that for such an evil generation as this such a great miracle [for good] could happen? And Elisha the prophet answered him that because he slandered Israel, he would see the miracle, but not eat (viz. II Kings, Ibid.)

And see, my brother, this wondrous allegory in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu 7: "The children of Israel are compared to a vineyard, as it is written (Isaiah 5:7): 'For a vineyard of the L-rd of hosts is the house of Israel,' concerning which R. Eliezer Haladul said: 'The house of Israel, which is the vineyard of the Holy One Blessed be He — do not look at it [with ill intent]. And if you have looked at it, do not go down into it. And if you have gone down into it, do not derive benefit from it. And if you have derived benefit from it, do not eat of its fruit. And if you have looked, and gone down, and derived benefit from it, and eaten of its fruit, the end of that man [i.e., you] is to be cut off from the world."

And the Zohar Chadash 21b states: "R. Akiva said: 'Though one be the greatest tzaddik in the world, but he speaks ill of the Holy One Blessed be He or lashon hara against Israel, his punishment is the greatest of all. And there was no tzaddik as great as Eliyahu in the whole generation, but because he spoke lashon hara against Israel, etc.' At that time he sinned greatly against Him. Come and see what is written of him (I Kings 19:6): "And he looked, and, behold, at his head was a cake baked on coals [retzafim]," the Holy One Blessed be He saying as it were: 'This is what is fit to be eaten by one who speaks lashon hara against My children, etc.'"

R. Yitzchak said: "Eliyahu did not stir from there until he swore before the Holy One Blessed be He to impute merit to Israel always.' And everyone who acts meritoriously — he [Eliyahu] comes forward and says before the Holy One Blessed be He: 'Such and such did that man do now.' And he does not stir from there until the merit of that man is recorded, etc."

From all of this we can realize the greatness of the care that one must exercise against imputing liability to all of Israel. To the contrary, he must accustom himself always to arouse mercy and to bring their merits to remembrance. And if he does so, he will be beloved and compassionated by the Holy One Blessed be He, as we find in Yoma 77a with respect to Gavriel. When he stood outside the Divine curtain and awakened merit for Israel, the Holy One Blessed be He responded: "Who is this that imputes merit to My children?" And they brought him within [the Divine curtain because of this].

We find many references along these lines in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu, some in Chapter 19:1, which awaken much merit for Israel, viz.: "L-rd of the world, behold our affliction, fight out battles and let our shame rise before You, what is done to us at every moment. And remember how many householders there are in Israel who have no livelihood, but toil in Torah every day, always. And remember how many paupers there are in Israel whose flesh the idolators draw from them (with taxes), but who toil in Torah every day, always. Remember how many youth there are in Israel, who do not know [the difference between] their right and their left hands, but who toil in Torah all the day, always. Remember how many old men and women there are in Israel, who go early and late to houses of prayer and houses of study, and who long and lust and look for Your salvation every day, always. Remember Your covenant which You made with our fathers, with the three tzaddikim, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And You also wrote for us in Your Torah (Vayikra 25:35): 'And if your brother grows poor and his hand falls with you, then you shall uphold him.' (You, too, uphold us.) My Father in heaven, remember how many cripples and how many blind ones we have in Israel, who have no food, and, even so, give wages to teachers to teach their children Torah. My Father in heaven, remember Israel, Your eternal acquisitions, as it is written (Devarim 32:6): 'Is He not your Father, your Acquirer?' And (Mishlei 8:22): 'The L-rd acquired me [in] the beginning of His way,' My Father in heaven, remember how many widows and orphans there are in Israel, who toil in Torah and in mitzvoth every day, always, etc."

And from this every man can learn how much each one in Israel must awaken the mercies of the Holy One Blessed be He for Israel in these things and the like. For today, too, these merits and their like [still] obtain for one who recognizes in our times the depressed condition of Israel — in spite of which there are, thank the L-rd, many learners of Torah and fulfillers of mitzvoth and many upholders of Torah and bestowers of lovingkindness, and givers of charity "in all quarters and corners."

And in Tanchuma, on the verse (Devarim 16:18): "And they shall judge the people [with] a righteous judgment": R. Yehuda b. R. Shalom said: 'They should "incline" [judgment] and impute merit to them before the Holy One Blessed be He. From whom do we learn this? From Gideon the son of Yoash, in whose days Israel was [steeped] in suffering, and the Holy One Blessed be He sought a man who would impute merit to them and could not find one, the generation being poor in mitzvoth and in [virtuous] deeds. When merit was found in Gideon, who imputed merit to them, immediately the angels appeared to him, as it is written (Judges 6:11): 'And an angel of the L-rd came' [to Gideon] … and (Ibid. 14): '…and He said: "Go, with this your strength and save Israel, etc."', with this strength of your having imputed merit to My children, this being the thrust of 'And they shall judge the people [with] a righteous judgment, that they shall impute merit to the generation.'" From all of this, we can understand the eminence of one who "imputes merit," before the Holy One Blessed be He. And he [Gideon] afterwards became the chariot for the light of the holy sanctuary, which was called "the sanctuary of merit," where the merits of Israel were brought to remembrance, as we find in Sefer Charedim.