Rabbi Twerski wrote me today that the chassidic works are replete with "bris halashon mechuvan negged bris hamaor" and that shemiras halashon leads to shemiras habris.

Does anyone have a source for this?

R' Tvi Meir says that "Bris haloshon mechuvan..." is from Chazal, but I don't know where.

He also says the posuk "Al titein es picha l'hachti es bisorchoh" means exactly that, I don't know the source for that either.

He also brings from the Bnei Yisoschor that a dibur ossur is a "komoh shileima" which means that it does the same thing as Mz"l and is therefore closely connected.

This is apparently his own vort: Chazal say "Lo nechtam gzar dinam elah al yidei miraglim" Both the word nechtam and miraglim are both hinting at midas hayisod which is called chosem and also raglayim (as in raglicha lo batzekoh) And Chazal are telling us that all that was caused by the L"H of the meraglim.

Thank you Battleworn, that's beautiful!

This is what Rabbi Twerski wrote me today:

There are many people who are desperate and say that they would do anything to be free of the compulsion. Here is something that will indeed take much effort, but if one is really ready to do anything, this can help greatly:

WATCH YOUR SPEECH!. Be meticulous in avoiding ALL lashon hara (defamatory talk), any untruth, and any coarse language.

In order to know what proper speech is and what is forbidden, avail yourself of the Chafetz Chaim's "Guard Your Tongue."

This may seem simple, but it really takes great effort, because we are in the habit of talking without giving much thought to what we say. To become conscious and watchful of speech is anything but simple, but if one is really interested in being free of sexual compulsions, this can be of great help.

Twerski

You can't imagine how much R' Tvi Meir stresses this point. (Mostly in the shovavim shmusen.)

I'll share with you a little from Shmos 5759.

There are three areas of Tahara that we need to work on. 1) guarding the mouth 2) guarding the eyes and 3) guarding the bris. The Chida says this is hinted to in the posuk. Odom le'amal yulad. Amal stands for Ayin Ma'or Lashon. It says in seforim Hakidoshim that the main effort needs to be concentrated on what is more in our hands IE: the eyes and mouth and then Hashem will take care of the rest. But the y"h tries to convince us to invest our efforts on what not in our hands {so that we'll end up getting nowhere and being full of frustration}

The "mittele Rebbe" of Chabad explains the posuk "Evilim miderch pishom umei'ovonoseihem yisanu" that the way they fell and became evilim was because of "Derech Pishom" -they weren't careful with the causes [They didn't watch their eyes and mouth] But umei'ovonoseihem yisanu -instead of doing teshuva on ,and rectifying, the causes; they foolishly concentrate on the sins themselves.

This is a very very important yesod for anyone that wants to succeed in any area. Always conentrate on what's in your hands "Kol mah she'yeish bikochachoa asei..." 

While this is not the source, see that the the first bracha of the shema (shachris)  says "v'chulam poschim es pichem BIKEDUSHA" and then it says "UVETAHARA", this suggesting that opening the mouth in kedusha(holiness) leads to tahara (purity).

(the translation of the passage is as follows: "And all of them open their mouths in HOLINESS and PURITY")





Incidentally, perhaps "bris halashon" is not limited to lashon harah, but also to the development of an eidele speech, such as talking kindly, not using profanities, sarcasms, cut offs, not raising the voice tone, etc.

Thank you battelworn!

YosefYakov, is that your OWN vort? Gevaldik!

Guard
ספר חרדים פרק סו אות ט

Regarding Learning Chofetz Chaim,

Click here  dcompanion@chofetzchaimusa.org for A daily lesson from the Chofetz Chaim: A Daily Companion/Mesorah Publications.
To subscribe: e-mail us at  with subject "subscribe"

I have been getting it Daily for a few months now, it's Great!

E.L.

Thank you N.B. and battlworn for those sources.  This was driving me crazy, I have definitely seen this concept a few times in Rav Tzadok and other chassidesh seforim, but could not recall where exactly.  Well, at least I have a few sources. 

Dear Reb Guard and Reb Yaakov,
Regarding another source, See the mafteach in the (very nice) Yad Ramah edition of the Shaloh h"K for something a bit earlier than chassidish, and I recall reading this concept quite a few times in the out-of-print Peleh Yoaitz from the Hornisteipeler (not the older, sefardic sefer by same name). Rabbi T would be especially familiar with those kesovim, being from his elter zayde, I think. Abigezund!

It's very interesting.... I heard that the mechanchim say, when a kid goes off the derech, it almost always starts with dirty language earlier on.
(NOT that this is supposed to be some kind of proof, just an interesting thought)

I've heard from R' Yisroel Reisman (possibly quoting from R' Tzadok, though I'm not certain) that the face contains all the sefiros of the body - and the mouth is the "yesod" of the face.

Not sure I got all the kabbalistic terms correct, that's not my area of expertise, but that's the basic idea.

I've also heard from R' Kelemen that the mouth is called the "machshir kesher" - which fits with that idea very nicely.

just wanted to add this to the connection of שמירת הלשון and our struggle.

The Chofetz Chaim in Shmiras Haloshen goes to great lengths to predicate safeguarding the tongue with striving for peace and running away from מחלוקת. he dedicates a few chapters of his holy sefer extolling the virtues and great benefits of  שלום. he bring the following gemara in Gitin 52a:



we learn from this gemara that the YH is drawn to battle "דאיגרי בהו שטן" with those that are argumentative and quarrelsome. to paraphrase the baal duver himself he sorta "lives in their house" of the בעלי מחלוקות.

to me this was a great eye opener -I definitely don't want this dude in my house......

so i say to myself Noora keep learning those 2 halachos in sefer Chofetz Chaim with a we  itty bitty teaspoon of shmiras halashon  every day  to to keep the "despised one" away  ;D ;D ;D


love to all

Noorah

Sichon melech ha'emori ve'Og melech Habashon.

Siach is a loshon of speach, Vayeitzei Yitzchok lasi'ach besodo, melech ha'emori=speaking.

'Og, Bashan' is begematria 'Ayin roeh, lev chomed'

(In yiddish Og is an eye.)

Thanks Noorah for sharing.