Parshas Kedoshim
“Do not curse a deaf man…” (Vayikra 19:14)
It is a negative commandment that one may not curse a member of Klal Yisrael, be it man or woman. This applies even if he does not hear the curse, as it says “Do not curse a deaf man”, which means even one who does not hear the curse. Even though we do not have the powers to know in which way the curse will affect the person cursed and what powers the speech has to effect the curse, we know that all members of the human race worry about curses, both Jews and non-Jews, and they all say that a person’s curse (even if he is a simple man) has an effect on its receiver, and misfortune and pain will cling to him. Once we know this fact from the creations we can say that the root of this commandment is that Hashem has stopped us from harming others with our mouths in the same way that he has stopped us from harming them with our actions. We find a concept similar to the above in the words of Chazal, who said “an oath is made by the lips”. This means to say that a person’s words have a power.
One could possibly say that since a person’s soul which gives him the power to speak is a spiritual thing, it has been given great powers to achieve things even outside of itself. Therefore, we know and see constantly that in direct proportion to the importance of a person’s soul and its level of closeness to the upper forces (like the souls of pious and righteous men), so too their words will be able to achieve all things about which they speak. The above is a well-known publicized fact amongst knowledgeable people and those who understand knowledge.
One may further suggest that part of the point of this commandment is to destroy quarrels between men and ensure that there is peace between them, for even the birds of heaven will spread the word, and the words of the curser will come to the ears of the man who has been cursed and this will cause quarrels between them.
Amongst the laws of this commandment is the law that although one must not utilise any expression of cursing to curse someone, nevertheless one receives lashes only if one has cursed using one of the Names of Hashem, or even one of His nicknames. One receives lashes for cursing in any language, and all the names which non-Jews use for G-d also merit this punishment, as they are included as nicknames. Even one who curses himself receives lashes as it says “Be careful and look very well after your soul”.
This commandment applies in all places and at all times, to men and women.
