Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, dives deep into this very idea, specifically in its commentary on Psalm 120. It all begins with a plea: "Save my soul from the tongue of falsehood."
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) imagines the people of Israel crying out to God, begging to be saved from this particular evil above all others. Because, they say, the lashon hara (לשון הרע), the evil tongue, is the trouble. All our troubles, perhaps.
The Midrash paints a vivid picture. All the other limbs of the body have their specific functions, their moments of rest. But the tongue? It's “idle and silent, yet it can harm both great and small, near and far.” It doesn't carry burdens or stand guard, and yet its potential for damage is immense. It seems so unfair, doesn't it?
And the tradition doesn't shy away from the consequences. Lashon hara, we're told, is a "third," meaning it kills three: the speaker, the listener, and the subject of the slander. That's a pretty devastating image. The Midrash illustrates this with the story of Doeg from the Book of Samuel, whose slander led to his own demise, the massacre of the priests of Nob, and ultimately contributed to the downfall of King Saul. Powerful stuff.
The text even draws a parallel to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Just as the serpent’s words brought about humanity's exile, so too does the evil tongue perpetuate harm and separation. As we find in Numbers, when the people spoke against God and Moses, God sent "fiery serpents" among them. The tongue, the Midrash reminds us, is like a serpent, "sharpened" to deliver its venomous words.
But what makes the tongue so uniquely dangerous? The Midrash compares it to an arrow. A sword, drawn in anger, can be sheathed. There's a chance for reconciliation, for cooler heads to prevail. But an arrow, once released, cannot be called back. The words are out there, doing their damage, regardless of whether the speaker regrets them. It's a chilling thought.
The Midrash uses the image of embers under ash to illustrate the lingering, often unseen, impact of lashon hara. Just when you think the fire is out, the coals can still burn. Similarly, the effects of malicious words can smolder beneath the surface, causing pain and destruction long after they were spoken.
The text then shifts to a lament, a sense of being lost and adrift. "Woe to me that I have sojourned in Meshech," it cries, listing a series of exiles. It’s a feeling of being surrounded by those who are drawn to Gehenna (גהנום), often translated as Hell, and dwelling among the "tents of Kedar," representing instability and rootlessness. It’s a powerful image of the soul struggling to maintain its integrity in a world filled with negativity.
Finally, the Midrash touches on the longing for peace, contrasting it with the ever-present reality of conflict. "I am peace, and when I speak, they are for war," it says. This verse is interpreted as God speaking to the Messiah, desiring to begin with peace, but encountering only opposition and a thirst for battle. Yet, the Midrash offers a glimmer of hope, quoting Isaiah: "Peace, peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near." It suggests that even those who are distant or estranged can find reconciliation and healing.
So, what does all this mean for us? The Midrash Tehillim isn’t just an ancient text; it’s a mirror reflecting our own struggles with communication, with the power we wield through our words. It challenges us to be mindful, to consider the lasting impact of what we say, and to strive for peace, even when surrounded by conflict. It’s a reminder that true strength lies not in the sharpness of our tongues, but in the kindness and compassion we choose to express. What kind of world would we create if we truly took that to heart?
Save my soul from the tongue of falsehood. The people of Israel said before the Almighty, "Just as You saved us from everything, please save me from this, and we will no longer have any trouble, for the tongue of falsehood is the trouble." This is why it is said, "Save my soul." All of a person's limbs, some sit and some stand, some move his hands, and some lift and carry. However, the tongue does not sit or stand but is idle and silent, yet it can harm both great and small, near and far. If it were a limb, it would be like any other limb, walking on one foot and another. "What do you gain and what do you add?" It is a sinner and not a benefit. The Almighty said to the thieving tongue, "You steal to eat, even though it is written, 'Thou shalt not steal' (Exodus 20:15). He steals only for a moment, as it says (Proverbs 6:30), 'Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite.' But you, the tongue, have lifted nothing for your soul, and you have killed. I will do to you what you did to the world from the beginning, slandering people like the serpent. So I will do to you, the serpent of the desert, as it is written (Numbers 21:6), 'And the people spoke against God and against Moses.' What did God do to them (Numbers 21:7)? 'And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people.' Why serpents? Because it was the serpent that slandered, as it says (Psalms 140:4), 'They sharpened their tongues like a serpent.'" "And I also do the same to them as I said to the serpent (Genesis 3:14), 'dust shall you eat, etc.' What will it give you and what will it add to you, etc.' Lashon Hara (evil tongue) is called the third, and it kills three: the one who speaks it, the one who accepts it, and the one it is spoken about. Similarly, you find in Doeg, who killed himself, and he has no portion in the world to come. And he killed Ahimelech the priest, as it says about him, 'and Nob, the city of the priests, he struck.' And he killed Saul, as it is said (Samuel I 31:6), 'and Saul died, and his three sons, etc.' And so, the wicked gentile is like the serpent that strikes, as it says (Jeremiah 46:22), 'her voice moves like a serpent,' etc. The tongue is compared to an arrow, and why is it that if a person draws the sword in his hand to kill his friend, he pleads with him and begs for mercy, the killer consoles him and returns the sword to his sheath. But the arrow, once shot and even if the shooter regrets it, cannot be returned. Therefore it is said, "Half a hero who is skilled with a bow, etc." This ember is one whose coals are not extinguished. There was a story of two people who went into the desert and sat under a broom tree. They collected some wood from the broom tree, cooked their food, ate, and then left. After a year, they came back to the same place in the desert and found ash from what they had lit. They said, "We have been here for twelve months and we ate in this place. Let us eat from the ash." So they ate from it and their feet were burned by the coals under the ash because they could not be extinguished. Therefore, the evil tongue is compared to the coals of broom trees, as it is said, "Half a hero who is skilled with a bow, etc." Similarly, this wicked person kills people with his tongue. Just as the arrow does not know its target until it reaches it, so too the evil tongue does not know its target until suddenly its words come out to kill or prohibit. This person is in his place, and they write about him where he is and kill him. Therefore, it is said, "Half a hero who is skilled with a bow, etc." And so Moses said to Israel (Psalms 91:5), "You shall not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, from the babble of the heathen." Therefore, it is said, "Half a hero who is skilled with a bow, etc."Woe to me that I have sojourned in Meshech. What woe is mine that I have sojourned in Meshech, where they led me from Babylon to Media, from Media to Javan, and from Javan to Edom. As it says (Isaiah 18:7), 'With a prolonged and prolonged pull.' What is the meaning of prolonged that I was drawn with them? I dwelt among the tents of Kedar. What are the tents of Kedar, whose faces are darkened like the edges of a sackcloth? What is it that I lived among those who are drawn to Gehenna? I dwelt among the tents of Kedar, who have neither a place to sit nor stand, but today they pitch their tent here and tomorrow there and elsewhere. Thus, the wicked will be like the tents of Kedar, dwelling here today and tomorrow going to another place. My soul has much dwelt among them, etc. Is there anyone who hates peace? Esau hates peace, as it says (Leviticus 26:6), 'And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down and none shall make you afraid.' When will this be so? 'And I will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land' (ibid.). And there is no evil beast except the pig, as it says (Psalms 80:14), 'The boar out of the wood doth ravage it.' This is what the wicked do. 'I am peace, and when I speak, they are for war' (Psalms 120:7). What is the meaning of 'I am peace'? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the Messiah, 'May your advent be for peace,' as it is said, 'Proclaim ye this among the nations: prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say: "I am strong" ' (Joel 4:9, 10). Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to the Messiah, 'By peace alone do I desire to begin speaking with the nations; hence it is said, "But I am peace, and when I speak, they are for war" ' (Zechariah 9:10). Isaiah also says, 'Peace, peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near' (Isaiah 57:19). In its literal sense, it means that I do not repulse any creature; if a man has given his heart to repent, I will no longer remember his sins. Hence it is said, 'Peace, peace to him that is far off and to him that is near.' And all who come to me, I go to him and heal him, as it is said, 'And I will heal him' (Jeremiah 33:6). 'But the wicked are like the troubled sea, for it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt' (Isaiah 57:20). Such are the wicked, who do not desire peace, as it is said, 'For there is no sincerity in their mouth' (Psalm 55:22). Why don't they seek peace? Therefore it is said, "I am peace; when I speak, they are for war" (Psalm 120:7).
