But I'm an aidele mentch, I'm not the aggressive type. When you've had a bad day, when you haven't been treated with the respect and consideration you deserve, when your spouse or employee or child disputes your opinion. Listen to your voice and the words you choose when you're tired, inconvenienced, disappointed, frustrated. Listen to yourself when the car keys aren't where you left them and the newspaper is missing the pages you most wanted to read. Words are so powerful that their misuse caused the destruction of the Second Temple and drove the Divine Presence from our midst.
Words are so powerful that sacred speech can actually reverse the fatal process.
Words can help us heal rifts and regenerate our bond with one another. They can help us imbue relationships with kindness and love. When we go beyond ip service and truly revolutionize our habits of speech, these efforts can open the floodgates of Divine compassion and reunite us with H-shem. Mired in habit as we are, it may be hard to visualize ourselves and others, as capable of true, lasting change. Change demands catalysts, inspiration, shock treatment.