MESILAT YESHARIM - CHAPTER 11 CONCERNING THE PARTICULARS OF THE TRAIT OF CLEANLINESS-fornication of the mouth ...

MESILAT YESHARIM - CHAPTER 11 CONCERNING THE PARTICULARS OF THE TRAIT OF CLEANLINESS-fornication of the mouth ...

Concerning the "fornication of the mouth and the ear," that is, speaking obscenities or listening to

them, our Sages "screamed like cranes" (Yerushalmi Terumoth 1.4), " `Let there not be seen

within you a thing of nakedness' (Deuteronomy 23:15) -nakedness of speech, the uttering of

obscenities." And (Shabbath 33a), "Because of the sin of obscene speech, troubles renew

themselves and the youths of (haters of ) Israel die, G-d forbid." And (Ibid.), "If one sullies his mouth,

Gehinnom is deepened for him." And (Ibid.), "Everyone knows why a bride goes to the wedding

canopy, but anyone who speaks obscenely concerning it, even a decree of seventy good years is

converted to evil." And (Chagigah 5b), "Even a casual conversation between a man and his wife

is held up to him at the time of Judgment." And concerning listening to obscenities they said

(Shabbath 33a),` `Even one who listens and remains still, as it is said (Proverbs 22:14), `He who

has incurred G-d's wrath, shall fall therein.' " We see, then, that all of one's faculties must be

Clean of fornication and of anything related to it.

If one would gain your ear and tell you that the Sages said what they did in relation to obscene

speech only to frighten one and to draw him far from sin, and that their words apply only to hotblooded

individuals who, by speaking obscenities, would be aroused to lust, but not to those who

air them only in jest, in which case there is nothing whatever to fear- tell him that his words are

those of the evil inclination; for the Sages have adduced an explicit verse in support of their

statements (Isaiah 9:16): "Therefore G-d will not rejoice over their youths ... for they are all

flatterers and speakers of evil, and every mouth utters obscentities." This verse mentions neither

idol worship, nor illicit relations, nor murder, but flattery and slander and obscene utterance, all

sins of the mouth in its capacity of speech; and it is because of these sins that the decree went

forth, "Therefore G-d will not rejoice over their youths, and will not be merciful to their orphans

and widows ..." The truth, then, is as our Teachers of blessed memory have it, that the uttering of

obscenities is the very "nakedness" of the faculty of speech and was prohibited as an aspect of

fornication along with all other such aspects, which, although outside the realm of the act of illicit

relations itself (as indicated by their not being subject to the punishment of "cutting off" or to the

death penalty), are nonetheless prohibited in themselves; this aside from the fact that they also

conduce to and bring about the principally proscribed act itself, as in the case of the Nazarite in

the Midrash referred to above. Thought: Our Sages of blessed memory have already said in the

beginning of our Baraitha (Avodah Zarah 20b), " `And keep yourself from every evil thing'

(Deuteronomy 23:10)-a man should not think obscene thoughts in the daytime ... " And (Yoma

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29a), "The thoughts behind the sin are worse than the sin itself." And Scripture explicitly states

(Proverbs 15:26), "Evil thoughts are the abomination of G-d."