In Parshas Tazria-Metzora, a deep secret is revealed regarding the power of speech, and how Lashon Hara (evil speech) causes the loss of a person's inner voice. The following article from our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, weaves together the words of our Sages into a wondrous revelation: Why does the Metzora (one afflicted with spiritual leprosy) bring two birds? What is the connection between voice, melody, and tikkun (rectification)? And how is it that specifically song and melody restore the vitality, joy, and holiness that were lost? Through fascinating insights from Rebbe Nachman of Breslov and the teachings of the Arizal, we will learn how the rectification is performed—and how each of us can transform our speech and soul into a new song to Hashem.

Restoring the Voice of Holiness

"Now we are in Parshas Tazria-Metzora. Rebbe Nachman says that all melodies that are not for the sake of Heaven come from the two birds of the kelipah (impurity). The Rebbe explains why the Metzora brings two birds. What is the relevance of two birds? Rather, he was stricken in his voice; he spoke Lashon Hara, so now he must find a tikkun (rectification) for his voice. We must now restore his voice to him. Meaning, he lost his voice—he spoke Lashon Hara, so he lost the [holy] voice. How do we return the voice to him? We return the voice to him only by bringing him two birds, which are the two birds of holiness. When he hears them chirping and singing, his voice slowly returns to him. He has no voice; he speaks Lashon Hara, so he has no vitality." "He is bored, so he speaks Lashon Hara; therefore, we need to restore the voice of holiness to him. The Rebbe says he receives his voice from the two birds of the kelipah—the Metzora, the master of Lashon Hara. So now, we go and bring him something from the birds of holiness. We bring him two birds, and when he hears the melody of the birds, the melodies of the angels—the birds are angels, the Rebbe says they are the Cherubim. It is written, 'And Moses came to the Tent of Meeting and heard the voice speaking from between the two Cherubim.' The entire Torah was given from between the two Cherubim."

Hashem Allows Him to Dispute You So You Won't Marry Him

"When we see a person speaking Lashon Hara, it is a sign that his forefathers' feet did not stand at Mount Sinai. 'The end of all flesh' refers to Lashon Hara. If a person is capable of speaking against another Jew, it is a sign he was not at Mount Sinai—some soul that reincarnated this way into the Jewish people. As the Gemara in Kiddushin says, 'Whoever disputes you—rejoice.' Why does he dispute you? Hashem wants to protect you so that you do not marry him." "The Gemara in Kiddushin says, 'Whoever disputes you, it is all directed from Above.' If they tell you that you are wicked, that you are foolish, it is all directed from Above. Because if he shames you, he clearly doesn't want you, and you, of course, will not be happy to marry him. Hashem Himself takes out the Ark; He Himself subdues the Philistines. He sends one David with one slingshot. All the Philistines fled—no weapons needed, no cannons needed, nothing at all. On the contrary, David composed a lamentation 'to teach the children of Judah the bow' [prayer]; he saw that the mighty fell on Gilboa because the Jewish people sinned, sinning with Lashon Hara. But if one does not speak Lashon Hara, no weapon is needed, nothing at all." "'Vayisharna'—the cows began to sing this psalm. Afterward, it was revealed to David through Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) that this was the psalm the cows sang. And when we say this psalm in the morning, the Ark enters the Foundation Stone, just as the Ark arrived through this song. This is the song the cows sang: 'A Psalm, sing to Hashem a new song, for He has performed wonders; His right hand and His holy arm have saved Him.' Behold, it is only Hashem."

Insulted Someone? You Slaughtered Him!

"A person must know that Lashon Hara is worse than a doubt regarding adultery; it is even worse than actual adultery. Lashon Hara is worse than illicit relations, bloodshed, and idolatry. If you killed a person, you killed him only once. But an insult—he remembers it his entire life, and whenever he remembers it, it is like a sword in his heart. You insulted someone? You slaughtered him! So you are called a murderer. You insulted him once, and now he might live another hundred years, and he will remember this insult every time. It is like a knife in the heart. You killed the other person. He said such a word to me—now he cannot learn, he cannot pray. He remembers the word, his breath stops, his whole heart suddenly turns over. He could die from it." "Who knows how many times in one day you killed him with a single insult. That is how it is; you lose your mind. You spoke about someone? You lost your mind. 'One who spreads slander is a fool.' The whole essence of our holy Rebbe [Rebbe Nachman], the essence of Breslov, is that a person knows he is beneath every Jew. First of all, beneath the Tzaddikim. Rebbe Nachman says one must judge every wicked person favorably, but that is only after you first judge the Tzaddikim favorably. If a person knows he is beneath every Jew—Chassidus teaches a person not to speak about anyone, to love every person. I am beneath everyone, so how can I speak about a Jew? How can I stumble in any speech about a Jew?" "Lashon Hara corresponds to all sins. Lashon Hara is more severe than illicit relations, which is the greatest Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) of all inclinations in the world. A person's heart gets excited, so he starts talking, speaking about someone else. Shuvu Banim is about not speaking about anyone. Here at Shuvu Banim, we serve Hashem; everyone serves Hashem. Someone else comes and wants to serve, to help you serve Hashem—come, let's rise for Chatzos (Midnight Lamentation) together, let's go to the field together, let's sing together, let's stand in some corner and pray the melodies."

A Person Who Speaks Lashon Hara Reincarnates as a Bee, Buzzing All Day

"Whoever speaks Lashon Hara reincarnates into a bee. The Arizal says, if a person speaks Lashon Hara, he reincarnates as a bee; it buzzes all day long, it has not a single moment of rest. The Tzaddik can remember all his reincarnations. You spoke Lashon Hara and now you come to pray? Then these are 'lips of deceit'—you are simply deceiving! You simply want to take a burning coal with fire and put it in your mouth beforehand. Just as they placed a burning coal in Isaiah's mouth—this is called lips of deceit." "All the study is for the sake of the dance that follows; this is the concept of the two birds. Now we read Tazria-Metzora, which is the two birds—this is the voice of melody. Everything is for the sake of the melody. For how does the Metzora come to Lashon Hara? Because he never played music! He never sang! So they bring him birds—look, the birds are playing music, the birds are singing, you should sing too!" "The Rebbe says this is to restore the voice of melody to him, for if he had played music, if he had sung, he would not have spoken Lashon Hara. Instead of dancing, they speak Lashon Hara, he gets leprosy, he gets boils, he gets all the illnesses—so they bring him two birds. The Rebbe says to return him to the world of melody, because whatever you sing that is not in holiness comes from the birds of the Sitra Achra (the Other Side). The Rebbe says that King David knew how to elevate all the melodies in the world; he knew how to make every melody into a melody of holiness. 'After the doe of the dawn'—therefore he merited the Kingship. If a person would play music... And the whole reason King Hezekiah lost the Kingship [the potential to be Mashiach] was because he did not want to play music. He said: There is a Beis Din (court) here, there is a Sanhedrin here, where is it written that one must play music?"