The Power of Speech (Tazria-Metzora)
The Office of Rabbi Sacks
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The Origins of Language in Judaism
Judaism is supremely a religion of holy words, with words God created the universe. In Judaism, language itself is holy, which is why Losh and Hora isn't a mere minor offense - it involves taking something that is holy and using it for purposes that are unholy. The rise of nationalism in the 19th century led to the gradual downplaying of regional dialects across territory over which a political authority had sovereignty. To this day differences of language where they exist within a single nation are the source of ongoing political and social friction.
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