Our sages explore this very idea in Vayikra Rabbah 26, drawing out fascinating contrasts between human promises and divine pronouncements.
The passage opens with a verse from Leviticus (21:1): "The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the priests, sons of Aaron, and say to them: None shall become impure from a corpse among his people.” It seems straightforward, right? But Rabbi Tanhum ben Rabbi Hanilai uses this as a springboard to a much deeper meditation, quoting Psalms 12:7: “The sayings of the Lord are pure sayings.”
But what does it mean for God's sayings to be pure?
Rabbi Tanhum offers a powerful analogy. Think about a flesh-and-blood king visiting a province. Everyone showers him with praise, which he, naturally, enjoys. He makes grand promises: "Tomorrow, I will build you public buildings! Bathhouses! An aqueduct!" But... what if he doesn't wake up the next day? Where are his promises then? Empty words, right?
"But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so," the text emphasizes. "Rather, 'the Lord God is truth' (Jeremiah 10:10)." Why is He truth? Rabbi Avin explains: “Because He is a living God and eternal King” (Jeremiah 10:10). God’s words are enduring, backed by His very essence.
So, how does this "purity" manifest? Rabbi Yudan, quoting Rabbi Yoḥanan, and Rabbi Berekhya, quoting Rabbi Elazar, along with Rabbi Yaakov of Kefar Ḥanin, all citing Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, offer a remarkable insight. They point out that God sometimes uses roundabout language to avoid uttering something considered… less than pure.
They bring an example from Genesis 7:8, describing the animals entering the ark: “From the pure animal and from the animal that is not pure.” Notice anything? The verse doesn't directly say "impure animal." Instead, it uses the phrase "that is not pure" (asher einena tehora). The Midrash notes that this circumlocution adds eight letters to the Hebrew text. Eight extra letters just to avoid saying something potentially distasteful!
In another instance, regarding animals that were not pure (asher lo tehora hi), the Torah uses four words instead of the single word "impure" (hateme’a). The commitment to purity of language is palpable.
It's fascinating, isn’t it? It shows us a profound respect for language, especially when connected to the Divine.
Rabbi Yudan ben Menashe takes this idea even further. When introducing the signs of impure animals, God begins with what is pure about them! For example, Leviticus 11:4 doesn't say, "The camel, because it does not have split hooves..." Instead, it says, "The camel, because it brings up its cud..." Similarly with the hyrax, the hare, and the pig. God leads with the positive characteristic before addressing the missing one.
What does this all tell us? Perhaps it’s about the power of our own words. If God, in His infinite wisdom, takes such care to purify His speech, shouldn't we strive to do the same? Maybe it's not just about avoiding "impure" language, but also about choosing to lead with kindness, with the positive, whenever possible. It's a challenge, for sure. But it's a challenge worthy of consideration, a way to echo, in our own small way, the purity of the Divine word.