A Halachic Investigation of Foul Language...
or WTF is ניבול פה?
[[Let's begin]]Some framing thoughts.
"I do have a cause, though. It is obscenity...I'm for it." - Tom Lehrer
Have you ever heard a Rabbi use foul language?
(click: "foul language?")[This question leaves us with two follow-up questions:
0. So what kind of foul language can we say?
0. Is there a Jewish ethic of speech that is distinct from the contemporary culture we live in?
But in order to answer those questions, we need to take on another question. [[What do Jewish sources think foul language *is*?]]]There are two concepts in the sources:
[[Lashon Hara/לשון הרע]]
[[Nivul Peh/ניבול פה]]
And one final topic worth addressing - [[so what did the Rabbis themselves say?]]==>
<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms%2034:13-14">תהילים ל״ד:י״ג-י״ד</a>
יג) מִֽי־הָ֭אִישׁ הֶחָפֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים אֹהֵ֥ב יָ֝מִ֗ים לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב׃ יד) נְצֹ֣ר לְשׁוֹנְךָ֣ מֵרָ֑ע וּ֝שְׂפָתֶ֗יךָ מִדַּבֵּ֥ר מִרְמָֽה׃
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(link:"(English)")[Psalms 34:13-14
13) Who is the man who is eager for life, who desires years of good fortune? 14) Guard your tongue from evil, your lips from deceitful speech.]
[[Onto the Talmud]]==>
<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat%2033a:8-9">שבת ל״ג א:ח׳-ט׳</a>
בַּעֲוֹן נַבְלוּת פֶּה צָרוֹת רַבּוֹת, וּגְזֵירוֹת קָשׁוֹת מִתְחַדְּשׁוֹת, [[וּבַחוּרֵי שׂוֹנְאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל]] מֵתִים, יְתוֹמִים וְאַלְמָנוֹת צוֹעֲקִין וְאֵינָן נַעֲנִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״עַל כֵּן עַל בַּחוּרָיו לֹא יִשְׂמַח ה׳ וְאֶת יְתוֹמָיו (וְאַלְמְנוֹתָיו) `[`וְאֶת אַלְמְנוֹתָיו`]` לֹא יְרַחֵם כִּי כֻלּוֹ חָנֵף וּמֵרַע וְכׇל פֶּה דּוֹבֵר נְבָלָה בְּכׇל זֹאת לֹא שָׁב אַפּוֹ וְעוֹד יָדוֹ נְטוּיָה״. מַאי ״וְעוֹד יָדוֹ נְטוּיָה״ — אָמַר רַבִּי חָנָן בַּר רָבָא: הַכֹּל יוֹדְעִין כַּלָּה לָמָּה נִכְנְסָה לַחוּפָּה. אֶלָּא כׇּל הַמְנַבֵּל פִּיו אֲפִילּוּ חוֹתְמִין עָלָיו גְּזַר דִּין שֶׁל שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה לְטוֹבָה — הוֹפְכִין עָלָיו לְרָעָה.
(link:"(...)")[אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר שֵׁילָא אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: כׇּל הַמְנַבֵּל אֶת פִּיו — מַעֲמִיקִין לוֹ גֵּיהִנָּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״שׁוּחָה עֲמוּקָּה פִּי זָרוֹת״. רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק אָמַר: אַף שׁוֹמֵעַ וְשׁוֹתֵק, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״זְעוּם ה׳ יִפּוֹל שָׁם״.]
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(link:"(English)")[Due to the sin of vulgar speech, troubles abound, and harsh decrees are renewed, and [[the youth among the enemies of Israel|וּבַחוּרֵי שׂוֹנְאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל]] die, and orphans and widows cry out for help and are not answered, as it is stated: “Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall He have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is ungodly and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks wantonness. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still” (Isaiah 9:16). The Gemara explains: What is the meaning of the phrase: But His hand is stretched out still? Rabbi Ḥanan bar Rava said: Everybody knows why the bride enters the wedding canopy. There is no secret revealed. Nevertheless, anyone who speaks vulgarly about it, even if they, on High, sealed for him a decree of seventy years of good fortune, they will reverse it to bad fortune because of this sin.
(link:"(...)")[And Rabba bar Sheila said that Rav Ḥisda said: Anyone who speaks vulgarly, they deepen Gehenna for him, as it is stated: “The mouth that speaks perversity is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein” (Proverbs 22:14), i.e., Gehenna is deepened for one who speaks vulgarly. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: Even one who hears vulgar speech and is silent is punished, as it is stated: “He that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein,” even if he himself does not speak at all.]]
Which leaves us with the question...[[so what did the Rabbis themselves say?]]A short list of rabbinic exclamations or words they deemed fit to utter:
==>
״הָאֱלֹהִים!״ - ברכות כ״ד ב
God!
״ווי לדין״ - עבודה זרה י״א
Woe unto them
״חריא דעיזי״ - תענית ט׳
Goat dung
״חָרֵי חַמִּימֵי בְּדִיקּוּלָא בַּזְיָיא לְפוּמַּיְיכוּ״ - פסחים ק״י א
Hot feces in date baskets in your mouth
״בְּרִית!״ - פסחים ל״ח
The covenant!
״מָרֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם!״ - שבת כ״ב א
Master of Abraham!
==>
<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Sotah%2042a:4-6">סוטה מ״ב א:ד׳-ו׳</a>
א"ר ירמיה בר אבא: ארבע כיתות אין מקבלות פני שכינה: כת ליצים וכת חניפים וכת שקרים וכת מספרי לשון הרע.
(link:"...")[כת ליצים דכתיב (הושע ז, ה) משך ידו את לוצצים כת חניפים דכתיב (איוב יג, טז) כי לא לפניו חנף יבא כת שקרים דכתי' (תהלים קא, ז) דובר שקרים לא יכון לנגד עיני כת מספרי לשון הרע דכתיב (תהלים ה, ה) כי לא אל חפץ רשע אתה לא יגורך רע צדיק אתה ה' לא יגור במגורך רע]
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(link:"English")[Sotah 42a:4-6
Rabbi Yirmeya bar Abba says: Four classes of people will not greet the Divine Presence: The class of cynics, and the class of flatterers, and the class of liars, and the class of slanderers. (link:"(...)")[The proof for this statement is as follows: The class of cynics, as it is written: “He draws His hand from cynics” (Hosea 7:5), i.e., God does not want to be in their presence; the class of flatterers, as it is written: “That a flatterer cannot come before Him” (Job 13:16); the class of liars, as it is written: “He who speaks falsehood shall not dwell before My eyes” (Psalms 101:7). The class of slanderers will not greet the Divine Presence, as it is written: “For You are not a god who has pleasure in wickedness, evil shall not sojourn with You” (Psalms 5:5), which means: You, the Lord, are righteous and evil shall not dwell with You in Your dwelling place. “Evil” here is referring to slanderers, as is evident from the continuation of the chapter, which states: “For there is no sincerity in their mouth; their inward part is a yawning gulf, their throat is an open tomb, they make smooth their tongue” (Psalms 5:10).]]
[[Additional context on Lashon Hara]]Dena Weiss, <a href="https://www.hadar.org/torah-resource/praise-privacy#source-7169">"In Praise of Privacy"</a>
"Privacy is about respecting the right of another person to control what is or is not seen, heard, or known about them. Lashon hara is designed to do just the opposite.
`[`...`]`
There is something inherently problematic in speaking about another person, even if you are saying something positive and trying to promote the person you are speaking about. Trying to enhance someone else’s reputation also creates expectations for their behavior, it also has the impact of controlling who that person is by determining how they might be perceived."
[[Moving on to Nivul Peh|Nivul Peh/ניבול פה]]
[[More Lashon Hara sources for context]]==>
<a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh%20Torah,%20Human%20Dispositions%207:2">משנה תורה, הלכות דעות ז׳:ב׳</a>
אֵי זֶהוּ רָכִיל. זֶה שֶׁטּוֹעֵן דְּבָרִים וְהוֹלֵךְ מִזֶּה לָזֶה וְאוֹמֵר כָּךְ אָמַר פְּלוֹנִי כָּךְ וְכָךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי עַל פְּלוֹנִי. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא אֱמֶת הֲרֵי זֶה מַחֲרִיב אֶת הָעוֹלָם. יֵשׁ עָוֹן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה עַד מְאֹד וְהוּא בִּכְלַל לָאו זֶה וְהוּא לָשׁוֹן הָרַע. וְהוּא הַמְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּת חֲבֵרוֹ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאוֹמֵר אֱמֶת. אֲבָל הָאוֹמֵר שֶׁקֶר נִקְרָא מוֹצִיא שֵׁם רַע עַל חֲבֵרוֹ. אֲבָל בַּעַל לָשׁוֹן הָרַע זֶה שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְאוֹמֵר כָּךְ וְכָךְ עָשָׂה פְּלוֹנִי וְכָךְ וְכָךְ הָיוּ אֲבוֹתָיו וְכָךְ וְכָךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי עָלָיו וְאָמַר דְּבָרִים שֶׁל גְּנַאי. עַל זֶה אָמַר הַכָּתוּב (תהילים יב ד) "יַכְרֵת ה' כָּל שִׂפְתֵי חֲלָקוֹת לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדלוֹת":
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(link:"English")[Who is a sycophant? One who loads himself up with matters, and goes from this one to that one, saying to each, such did that man say, thus and such have I heard concerning that man, even though it be true, behold him, he destroys the universe. There is yet an extremely grosser iniquity, which, too, is included in this prohibitive commandment, and that is, the evil tongue, one who spreads scandal about his fellow even though he be telling truth. If he be lying, he is called a maligner who invents an evil name against his fellow. The owner of an evil tongue, behold him, he sits in company and relates, saying: thus and such did that certain party, thus and such were his parents, and thus and such I did hear about him and of course, he relates scandalous matters. Of him, the Verse says: "May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaketh proud things" (Ps. 12.4).]
[[Onto Nivul Peh|Nivul Peh/ניבול פה]] לשון סגי נהור:
The practice of saying bad things in euphemistic language. We don't talk about the young men of Israel dying, but about their "haters", lest it somehow come to pass.