by Ram ben Ze'ev
It is both perplexing and tragic how many יהודים (Yehudim – Jews) around the world declare belief in האלקים (HaElokim – G-D), strive to observe the תורה (Torah – Divine Instruction), and claim to revere the teachings of חז״ל (Chazal – our Sages of blessed memory), yet continue to speak – and now, to write – in ways that contradict those very foundations.
We agree that the universe was created through speech. As it is written in ספר בראשית (Sefer Bereshit – the Book of Genesis), “ויאמר אלקים יהי אור” ("And G-D said, Let there be light"). The world was not formed through labour or force, but through utterance – pure and holy דבר (davar – word).
And this power of speech was not reserved for the Divine alone. “ויברא אלקים את האדם בצלמו” – "And G-D created man in His image." We were fashioned just short of Divine, as it says, “ותחסרהו מעט מאלקים” ("You made him a little lower than G-D"). In us is planted the capability to shape reality through word – to speak, to bless, to build.
The ספר הזוהר הקדוש (Sefer HaZohar HaKadosh – the Holy Zohar) teaches that the עשר מאמרות (eser maamarot – ten utterances) of creation continue to sustain all existence. Every breath of creation depends upon the constant renewing speech of the Creator. If so, how can we, who are created in His image, not be conscious of the words we release into the world?
The בעל התניא (Baal HaTanya – Author of the Tanya) explains that improper speech—lashon hara (gossip), motzi shem ra (slander), nibul peh (vulgarity), or even meaningless chatter—misuses the Divine energy within. In פרק כא (Perek Kaf Alef – Chapter 21), the Tanya teaches that such speech drags the spark of Divinity down into impurity. Every time we speak without care, we violate the sanctity of the very force that makes us human in the image of G-D.
And in our generation, this danger is exponentially greater.
We live in a world where speech has escaped the confines of voice and breath. With a few taps of the fingers, words travel across continents. Social media platforms—these digital amplifiers—extend the reach of our thoughts, jokes, judgements, and comments to thousands, even millions. A careless word online is not forgotten. It does not vanish into the wind. It remains, reverberates, is reshared, screenshot, embedded, and immortalised.
The digital realm is not an exception to the rules of holiness—it is a place that demands even greater vigilance. When one writes a cruel comment, shares a cynical meme, or spreads a falsehood on social media, they are not merely sinning in private—they are creating a public desecration of the sanctity of speech. The ripple effects are unknowable. What began as a sarcastic post may lead others to anger, to despair, to hatred.
The ספר הזוהר הקדוש teaches that every word spoken creates a מלאך (malach – angel), either of קדושה (kedushah – holiness) or טומאה (tumah – impurity). In the digital age, every post does the same. You are either building the spiritual world or polluting it.
If we truly believe we are fashioned in the image of the Creator—if we truly believe that words create reality—how can we justify using that gift to damage, to ridicule, or to boast? Social media is not a playground. It is a battleground for the soul. It is a mirror to our inner world, and we must choose what we reflect.
Let us therefore reclaim our speech, online and offline. Let us strive to ensure that our words, whether spoken aloud or typed into a phone, carry only אור (or – light), אמת (emet – truth), and רחמים (rachamim – compassion). Let us build the בית המקדש הפנימי (Beit HaMikdash HaPnimi – inner Holy Temple) not only in our hearts, but in our tweets, our posts, and our messages.
For as the בעל התניא writes, the greatest closeness to האלקים (HaElokim) comes through thought, speech, and action aligned with His will. And nowhere today is that truer—or more tested—than in how we speak to the world.
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Bill White (Ram ben Ze'ev) is CEO of WireNews Limited, Mayside Partners Limited, MEADHANAN Agency, Kestrel Assets Limited, SpudsToGo Limited and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue. Bill White also writes on Substack under the byline "Bill White Says..."