Word Prompt – VORT – Keshet Starr

Words are powerful.

A vort celebrates a young couple’s engagement, the name representing the verbal commitment they make to one other. But as anyone who has been in any relationship can tell you, words continue to matter as the engagement and marriage develop. Our words can rescue each other and uplift each other in difficult times. Our words can also cut each other down, causing irreparable harm. The old phrase “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is one of the most untrue aphorisms out there. Words can, and do hurt – and sometimes cut much deeper than physical violence ever could.

Vorts show up in other ways in Jewish life, such as sharing words of Torah, of inspiration and reflection. Words can allow us to connect with others, to compliment them when they need a boost, and to help them feel less alone when they are struggling. Words can be a bridge, or a buoy to those lost in suffering.

Like so many things in life, words depend on what we do with them – and can be used to build or destroy. The choice to do one or another is ours to make.