Words of Faith: Words matter, so choose carefully

Recently, I was asked if Jews have sermons at their religious services. After a pause, I answered “It depends.”

It depends on what one means by sermon. If a sermon means words shared from a biblical basis intended to provoke thought or learning, then yes, there are sermons. At Temple Solel we have a mix of content for the space in time reserved for this; called either D’Var Torah or a Midrash.

A Midrash is meant to fill in the gaps in the stories of Torah, the five books of Moses. It’s an apocryphal interpretation or illustration of what is in the Torah. The root of the Hebrew word Midrash means to inquire and generally means the story behind the story. A Midrash may or may not have research behind it, and is intended to share more about the people in those stories, or explain motivations for actions taken.

An example of the Midrash is that Abraham’s father was an idol maker and Abraham took it upon himself to smash those idols one day, telling his father that the largest idol had done so. A more modern equivalent is the story of George Washington chopping down a cherry tree. There is no proof for either story, but both illustrate character traits for the individuals.

A D’Var Torah translates as “word of the Torah” and is usually based on the week’s Torah reading. It might be closest to a sermon. A D’var can tie the Torah portion of the week to modern life, go deeply into a portion or give a higher level overview. The word, D’Var translates variously as “word,” or “deed.” From the first portion of the Torah, words ARE action; “God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.” God spoke and the world began; With words alone.

All words have power, not just the ones from the Bible. Perhaps our words cannot create an entirely new world as in Genesis, but certainly have the ability to change the one we are on.

Our words have impact, whether we mean them to or not. We read about cyber bullying resulting in young people taking their own lives. We see how political parties demonize others with speeches and careful positioning of data. We hear soaring speeches from leaders sharing visions of change, even as the nothing at home really changes.

Words matter; the use of the word data as opposed to fact or demonize instead of portray colors the images we derive. The words we choose paint specific pictures, whether we realize or intend it. If we use our words to actively put horns and tails on people, it makes it really difficult to pause, think and reach out to find a common ground for sharing. Do we use our words to actually portray our intentions? And if so do we follow through on them? Words like “I forgive you,” “I am grateful for you” or “I trust you.”

It is hard to take a moment to pause and review our words, before speaking. If our words really are translated to actions, would we speak the same way? If we were to look at our words as acts, and weigh them just as carefully, what changes could we make to make our world a better place?

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Words of Faith: Words matter, so choose carefully."