Speech discipline: 'Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.' 'Free of perversity' (sur mimmecha pikach iqqeshut) and 'corrupt talk far from your lips' (devar tahpukot far from your mouth) emphasize control of speech. Perverse and corrupt speech represent dishonesty, manipulation, and the distortion of truth. The young person is called to a radical honesty, using words to clarify rather than confuse, to build up rather than tear down. Speech is a moral issue; the words we speak reflect and shape our interior disposition.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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