The posuk refers to one who “slaughters outside the camp.” Homiletically, if a person speaks negatively of others, destroying his character and “slaughtering” the reputation and honor of another person, he will have to answer for this misdeed.
Anyone who has ever waited in the outer room for his turn to speak to the Gerrer Rebbe, R’ Pinchos Menachem Alter zt”l, could not help but feel the tangible fear gripping each waiting chasid. It was almost possible to cut the tension in the room with a knife! He knew that he was about to encounter greatness. Yet, upon watching each person exit the Pnei Menachem’s room, it was clear that his face was completely transformed. The fear had been replaced by relief—a smile that displayed a combination of purity and love. Only someone who experienced this transformation could understand it.
One time, a bachur who wasn’t even a Gerrer chasid was so brokenhearted that he felt compelled to unburden himself and ask for a brachah from the Pnei Menachem. It was his father’s medical condition that brought him to the Rebbe’s door. For a number of weeks, his father had been suffering terrible pain. Finally, after a whole battery of tests, the diagnosis had come back... and it wasn’t good. His father was suffering from a very serious and bitter illness. The experts said that his only hope was to travel out of the country to a world-renowned medical center where there was a small chance that they would be able to help him. Of course, the darkness in the house and the depression was palpable.
The bachur walked into the Pnei Menachem’s room, but upon looking at the holy countenance of the Rebbe, he simply lost his ability to speak. “I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth. His face seemed to be burning with a holy fire. I thought I was standing in front of a malach, a celestial angel,” said the bachur. “He, however, looked straight at me with eyes full of compassion, peering deep into my heart and into my soul, and he prodded me to share my feelings with him. Finally, I found my voice and told him the whole story. Gently, he asked me, ‘What do they speak about in your house at the table?’ Unsure how to reply, I stood there quietly. The Rebbe prodded, gently, sympathetically. ‘Do you at times talk about other people?’ I nodded my head. It was true, and I didn’t have the nerve to actually admit it outright to the Rebbe. The Pnei Menachem wasn’t finished: ‘Are there times when you place a person on the “operating table” and talk about him as if he were a specimen undergoing an operation?’ I again nodded, clearly acknowledging that this was the unfortunate situation in our house.
“The Rebbe reached out, took hold of my hand, and said, ‘The rule is that he who says good things about others brings upon himself a Heavenly outpouring of good. He who talks negatively of others can bring upon himself terrible difficulties. Tell your father that no evil will befall the person who refrains from speaking ill of another...’
“I left the Pnei Menachem’s room with renewed hope and optimism. The knowledge that the Rebbe had just endowed me with was a wondrous piece of advice, a conduit for the miraculous yeshuah that we so desperately needed. I returned home armed with the knowledge that I—my entire family—had work to do. I fulfilled the words of Chazal that teach that a person cannot be quiet when he hears his father or mother engaged in sinful speech. The next time such words were spoken, I told my father about my visit to the Rebbe and everything that he had said. Our entire family immediately accepted to strengthen themselves in this area. My father flew out of the country for treatments and miraculously returned a healthy man!
“A while later, when my father had already regained his strength, I happened to be walking with him on the street where the Pnei Menachem lived, and suddenly I saw the Rebbe walking a bit further down the street. We both ran to him and I introduced my father to the Rebbe, while expressing my deepest thanks for his advice which had certainly brought the yeshuah. Smiling, the Rebbe said simply, ‘Remember the kabalah that you made. You must maintain it!’
“From that time on, the entire atmosphere in our home underwent a transformation. The words of the Rebbe, ‘He who says good things about others brings upon himself a Heavenly outpouring of good’ became our slogan for life—a healthy life!”
Rabbi Dovid Hoffman is the author of the popular “Torah Tavlin” book series, filled with stories, wit and hundreds of divrei Torah, including the brand new “Torah Tavlin Yamim Noraim” in stores everywhere. You’ll love this popular series. Also look for his book, “Heroes of Spirit,” containing one hundred fascinating stories on the Holocaust. They are fantastic gifts, available in all Judaica bookstores and online at http://israelbookshoppublications.com. To receive Rabbi Hoffman’s weekly “Torah Tavlin” sheet on the parsha, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
