Word Power

“If one makes a vow … he shall not violate his word; according to whatever came out of his mouth he shall do” (Bamidbar 30:3)

Rabbeinu Yonah writes very strongly (Shaarei Teshuvah,Chapter 3) concerning vows or promises. He states that one who vows to give tzedakah should fulfill his obligation without delay. If one forgets to satisfy his pledge, there are unfortunately consequences. Even if a person dreams that he vowed to do a mitzvah,he must remember to honor his pledge.

The Shelah notes that the pasuk seems to repeat itself. He explains that it is intended to emphasize the importance of guarding one’s words, not to make an oath or a pledge that he will not be able to fulfill for whatever reason. The Talmud (Bava Metzia 44a)comments, “He who brought the people of the Generation of the Flood to justice will also bring to justice one who reneges on his word.”

The Talmud (Kesubos 77b)relates that R’ Yehoshua ben Levi wanted to see his place in Gan Eden. When they arrived there, the angel lifted him up so that he could see his place, and R’ Yehoshua jumped over into Gan Eden. The angel grabbed on to him, but R’ Yehoshua swore that he would not return with him to earth. It was ruled in Heaven that if R’ Yehoshua had never reneged on his word or a promise when he was in this world, then he would be permitted to remain in Gan Eden, otherwise he would have to return to earth. It was found that, indeed, R’ Yehoshua had always kept his word. As a result, he remained in Gan Eden, never having experienced the pain of death.

The Ben Ish Chai writes that, on one hand, our Sages tell of an individual who was tired on the road and prayed for a donkey, though not in a proper way. In response, Heaven sent him a baby donkey, and the individual was forced to carry the donkey on his shoulders, instead of having a donkey to ride on.

On the other hand, there is the story of an unlearned individual, with many children. As the people in shulrecited the Seder Korbanos every morning, he heard one of the people singing the words – including the perek of Eizehu Mekoman –with a beautiful tune, lingering specifically on the last five words, “eilu v’eilu nisrafin b’vais hadeshen – both these [the bulls and the goats that are completely burned] and those [the Yom Kippur offerings] are burned in the place where the Altar ashes are deposited.”

He had no idea what the words meant, but he presumed that the individual intended to bless the congregation this way. After finally absorbing the words, he began to bentsch his own children with these five words every Friday night.

One Shabbos, he hosted a talmid chacham who was alarmed when he heard the host blessing his children this way. “You are cursing the children to be burned!”

The man discontinued this practice. However, that night the talmid chacham had a dream, and he was told, “You were wrong to deter him from his custom. Hashem loves him, and He takes those five words and rearranges the letters to form blessings.”

The Ben Ish Chai explains that Hashem does chesed with a tzaddik who cherishes his speech and is careful with his words. Even if his words can be interpreted in a bad way, Hashem adjusts them to be good. However, if a person misuses his speech, Hashem will not amend his words in any way.

The Vilna Gaon once had a serious pus infection in his throat and the doctors wanted to operate on him, but the Vilna Gaon did not want to have any surgery performed. He was told of a woman who would heal the sick by saying special words, and the Vilna Gaon agreed to summon her. In order to ensure that she was not a practicing sorceress or the like he questioned her about her healing powers.

The woman said that when she was widowed many years ago, she had no money to support her children. She went to the beis medrash once, in the middle of the night, opened the aron kodesh and cried her heart out to Hashem. She sobbed for a long while, when she suddenly heard a Heavenly Voice telling her to heal the sick and she would earn money. She was instructed that before she “healed a patient,” she should request a cup of water, recite the blessing of shehakol quietly and drink the water. She should then recite the borei nefashos, and the patient would be cured.

In fact, said the woman, she had been doing this since, and had been successful.

When the Vilna Gaon heard this, he burst out into uncontrollable laughter. A huge chunk of pus dislodged from his throat with his powerful laughter, and the Vilna Gaon was cured.

The Vilna Gaon later explained that he had been sitting in the beis medrash when the woman cried in front of the aron kodesh, and she had disturbed his learning. He had thought of this idea – if only to get the woman to leave the beis medrash – but his intent was fulfilled from Heaven because he was always careful to keep his word.

The yahrzeit of HaRav Yaakov Yosef Joseph, the first and only Chief Rabbi of New York, is observed on 24 Tammuz (Thursday, July 9^th). Thousands of people travel to daven and supplicate at his kever on the day of the yahrzeit. It is known to be an auspicious time and place to pray. Many have had their tefillos answered at the kever, especially on the day of his yahrzeit. Rabbi Goldwasser invites all the Jewish Press family and beyond to join him in person on this momentous day. Rabbi Goldwasser will meet with the group at 9:30 in the morning, at the entrance of Union Field Cemetery (82-11 Cypress Avenue) in Ridgewood, Queens.