Chasidut su Salmi 51:17

This shall be the Torah concerning the one struck with skin blanch [metzora] on the day he becomes clean. He shall be brought to the priest (Lev. 14:2), and our Sages of Blessed Memory interpreted metzora as one who speaks evil [motzi ra], for afflictions come through the sin of evil speech. But the matter is according to what is written, When God began to create etc. (Gen. 1:1), and our Sages of Blessed Memory interpreted: “For the sake of Torah and for the sake of Israel” (cf. Rashi, ad. loc.); so we find that Israel is something very important to Blessed God, since for their sake all of the Worlds and all the Creations were created. And Blessed God takes pleasure from each one of Israel, even from a greatly wicked person: “Your temples [rakatekh] are like a pomegranate (Song of Songs 6:7) – even the empty ones [reykanim] among you are as full of mitzvot as a pomegranate” (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 57a). And when a person speaks evil about one of Israel, even if he speaks truth, he nullifies the Blessed Creator’s pleasure (if it were possible) and causes Him sadness (if it were possible) as is stated, [And the Lord …] was saddened in to His heart (Gen. 6:6), and inverts the pleasure [oneg] into affliction [nega]; therefore his “wage” is measure for measure, affliction comes upon him. And our Sages of Blessed Memory said: “Evil speech is as great as idolatry, sexual immorality, and murder” (Babylonian Talmud, Arakhin 15b). But we must be precise: what connection does idolatry have to evil speech? But the matter is according to what is written, By the word of ADONAI were the heavens made (Psalm 33:6), that all of the Worlds and all of the Creations were created through speech comprised of the 22 letters of the Torah, which is called Heavenly Sovereignty. For when the Sovereign does not speak, no one knows how to do His Will; and when he speaks His Will is revealed, and that is Heavenly Sovereignty whose Sovereignty is in all jurisdictions. And we find in Sefer Yetzirah that [the letters] are established in the mouth, that Blessed God established the 22 letters: the World of Speech, Heavenly Sovereignty, the Attribute of ADONAI-ness, ADONAI, open my lips (Psalm 51:17), were established in the human mouth.

Go yourself (Gen. 12:1): Rashi explained, “For your pleasure and your benefit.” Now, our Sages of Blessed Memory said, regarding the verse, Do you indeed, who are mute, speak righteousness? (Psalm 58:2): “How should a person act in this world? Let him make himself as a mute. Could this even apply to words of Torah? The verse teaches, speak righteousness” (Hullin 89a). For it is known that it is written, Lord, open my lips (Psalm 51:17), because the Blessed Creator, the whole earth is full of [God’s] glory (Isaiah 6:3), no place is void of [God]; but [God’s] glory connotes cloaking as is known, that Blessed [God] is cloaked in each thing. And this aspect is called Shekhinah because it dwells [shokhein] in each thing; and that is the Blessed Name Lord. And it is also called the world of speech since By the word of YHVH the heavens were made (Psalm 33:6) and “the Holy Blessed One created the world through Torah” (Zohar 1:5a), meaning through the twenty-two letters of the Torah – the world of speech – all the creations were created. And it is stated in Sefer Yetzirah, “They were set in the human mouth” (Sefer Yetzirah [Luria ver.] 2.3), and that is the meaning of Lord, open my lips. And therefore our Sages of Blessed Memory said that “Evil speech is equivalent to idolatry” etc. (Arakhin 15b), for a person who speaks evil speech does not believe that his words are the world of speech, the charateristic of Lordship. And that is [the meaning of the verse], With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us? (Psalm 12:5), as we have explained elsewhere. And that is [the meaning of the Talmud’s statement], “Make himself as a mute,” meaning his essence. That is, he should not speak any speech unless he believes that of his own account he is mute, and his only speech is the world of speech, the characteristic of “Lord” as we have explained. And they ask: “Could this even apply to words of Torah,” that a person should not learn unless he believes as we have explained? “The verse teaches, speak righteousness,” it is a mitzvah to learn even if it is not for its own sake. And that is [the meaning of] what our Sages of Blessed Memory said, “Someone who converses meaningless conversation transgresses a positive commandment, as it says, you shall speak of them (Deut. 6:7) and not of meaningless things” (Yoma 19b). And it would seem, how could it be possible that a person should speak no speech other than words of Torah as is implied by the language of you shall speak of them etc.? But the explanation is this: you shall speak of them means to say that whatever you speak, you should believe that you speak with the Torah, whose speech is the world of speech, the twenty-two letters of the Torah as we have explained. And when you speak through world-guiding, do not worry, for the Holy Blessed One created the world through Torah and guides the world through Torah; all the world are led by the twenty-two letters of Torah, the world of speech, but only if you believe this as we have explained. But if you speak not for the sake of world-guiding, that is called “meaningless things.”

Contemplate this: the World of Speech speaks through you, and were it not so, it would not be possible to speak. This is the meaning of (Psalms 51:17) "Adonai, open my lips." So too with thought, which could not exist were it not for the upper World of Thought. You are like a Shofar, and what is blown into you is the sound that comes out. If you remove yourself from the breath blown in, no sound will come out. Therefore, without the strength of the Blessed One, God forbid, you could neither speak nor think.