THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH OF ELUL…

Knowing that our words should be seasoned with salt- the whole entire time— Elul, places a special requirement on us to evaluate and recalibrate every word that comes out of our mouths.

With dedication and discipline, applied in this process, we will become masters at apprehending our thoughts before they even slip out of our mouths as words.

Her’s a short torah teaching for you on this eve of Rosh Chodesh Elul, The Head of the Month of Elul

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One man spread a rumor about another.

He later felt regret, and went to the rabbi to ask how to make amends. “Go to the store and buy a bag of seeds,” said the rabbi, “then go to a big open field and scatter the seeds into the wind. Do so and report back to me in a week.”

The man did as he was told, and came back the next week to find out what to do next. “Now,” said the rabbi, “go back to the field and pick up all the seeds.”

“But,” the man protested, “those seeds have scattered far and wide! I’ll never find them all. Many have even already taken root!”

“Exactly,” explained the rabbi. “Now you understand. When we speak badly about another person, the effect is far and wide. And it is damage that can never be fully undone.”

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the hand of the tongue: and they that love it, shall eat the fruit thereof.

The Sages of Old explained it this way….  ”Negative speech is even worse than a sword—since it kills many people, even at a great distance.” (Talmud, Arachin 15b)

Evil Speech (loshon hara) is equivalent to murder. The Talmud teaches that evil speech  (gossip) is like a three pronged tongue which kills three people: the person who says it, the person who listens to it and the person about whom it is said.   

We know this to be true because we have seen people carrying the weight of someones words around for decades. We have seen words break another persons spirit, causing such spiritual harm, that some have barely survived.

Remembering hurtful words from their childhood and re-experiencing them on a recurring basis, even nursing the words in their heart. Never letting them go. They nurse and rehearse these words to such a degree that they torment their own souls.

This Elul, we shall walk away from the pain of the past and the witchcraft of words.

Tonight as we pray, we will gather up all the seeds of words we have misplaced and misspoken, every word that hurt, insulted, or harmed in anyway.

We ask the LORD to bind up every wound we have inflicted upon anyone with our words.. intentionally, or unintentionally. Help me LORD, and heal all that I have harmed.

For every heart we have broken we repent, and ask the LORD to replace our words in their hearts and minds with healing words of love, kindness and tender mercies.

I pull down every stronghold I have built up over my life and anyone else through the careless use of my words. I strip away the very sound of any and every hurtful word that I spoke from their ears and from their hearts.

In these 29 days of Elul, I dispatch my prayers to root our every hidden place that my words have done damage. Heal me LORD, of any particle or residue of anger that caused harsh words to fall from my tongue toward my neighbor. I command my flesh to be silent, to speak sparingly, to submit to the wisdom, knowledge and counsel of the Most High GOD through His Word.

I Decree and Declare this very day, that my words shall become seasoned with salt. AMEN.

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Let your speech be always with grace,  seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Colossians 4:6 KJV

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• ELUL, DAY 4 –Words Are Like Arrows…