Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to a sermon by Rabbi Zoe Klein and it struck me that she and her sermon were a perfect addition to our BNI region’s blog. A sermon? you might ask. Read the message below and tell me if you have not renewed your respect for the power of words and how you may use them effectively. — Cys Bronner, BNI4Success Executive Director.
Words
By Guest Blogger, Rabbi Zoe Klein
Chanel # 5 is the fragrance from Parisian couturier Coco Chanel, and has been on selling continuously since 1921. “The perfume tries to capture the scent of extreme freshness of the northern lakes under the midnight sun.”
“I want to give women an artificial perfume,” said Chanel. “Yes, I really do mean artificial, like a dress, something that has been made.”
The name, “No. 5” reflects its science,
It was the first perfume
To use so much synthetics.
Advertisers often look for names
That sound scientific.
Look at the back of shampoo bottles
And you’ll find words that hardly make sense,
But sound really important…
I know that oil is bad for hair,
But suddenly “micro-oil” sounds essential.
Shopping for shampoo you are lured by new lexicons:
Fruitify
Nature-fusion
Breakage Restoratives
Elasteesse complex
Protective radiance
Curl quencher
Hydra-repair
Volumizing logistics…
Pin-straight ever-pure
Moisture lock
Color firm gloss
Thermogenic
Basic texturizing
Intensive restructuring emolliant
Volumactive Keratin
Luster tonic
Ultra-riche lather
Anti-fade replenishing life extender
Fast Fortified Amino Scalp Therapy
Shine-revealing caviar
Body-infusion thickening diametress –
Panthonelized sunsilk vitamino frizz-combatant
Color-oxidation-preventor alpha and beta hydroxy
Nutritive Sattin, bonacure ultimate kiwi shimmer-light hydraliscious brightening featherweight maximum vibrancy holistic vegan photobrush finish transforming revivalistic jojoba…
And all of that sounds better in french…
WORDS…can mean so much and so little…
In THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, there is a great scene
Where Humpty Dumpty says: “There’s glory for you!’
`I don’t know what you mean by “glory”,’ Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don’t — till I tell you. I meant “there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!”‘
`But “glory” doesn’t mean “a nice knock-down argument”,’ Alice objected.
`When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
`The question is,’ said Alice, `whether you can make words mean so many different things.’
`The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master — that’s all.’
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything; so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. `They’ve a temper, some of them — particularly verbs: they’re the proudest — adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs — however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That’s what I say!’
`Would you tell me please,’ said Alice, `what that means?’
`Now you talk like a reasonable child,’ said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. `I meant by “impenetrability” that we’ve had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you’d mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don’t mean to stop here all the rest of your life.’
`That’s a great deal to make one word mean,’ Alice said in a thoughtful tone.
`When I make a word do a lot of work like that,’ said Humpty Dumpty, `I always pay it extra.’
Words – in our Torah portion, God created the world through words…through speaking, “let there be…” God said, and there was.
Can mean so much and so little…
And we lift the words that mean so much
To the same level that means so little,
Cantor Kent pointed out today’s paper…
Goldman Sachs article, same page as story of homeless 90 year old,
Both stories elevated to the same place…
When a child is tantruming, we say use your words…
But how?
Having published a novel, I put a lot of words out in the world…
And in turn I’ve receive a lot of words,
Stories of people who have read it,
Reactions, anecdotes…
“People are annoyed at me in my ride-share van for reading passages out loud!”
“I was hoping for swine-flu so I could stay home and finish it!”
“Thank you for helping me through difficult times breast-feeding.”
“I read it to my mother before she died.”
I also receive critique…
“…not enough vampires in the book…”
Joe Queenan in the Wall Street Journal wrote:
I cannot help wondering what a typical Amazon.com review might have looked like had the Internet existed centuries ago:
• ”King Lear”—Average reader rating: Two stars. The author tells us: “As like flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport.” Oh, right, like I didn’t know that? Like I didn’t know that to be or not to be is the question? Like I didn’t know that the fault lies not in us but in the stars? Tell me something I don’t know, Mr. Bard of Whatever.
• ”The 120 Days of Sodom”—Average Reader’s Rating: Five stars. OK, so I like totally pre-ordered this book based on the author’s name, which just happens to be the same as my maiden name—Marquis de. Yeah, a sketchy reason to buy a book, but I was pumped. But when it got here I didn’t understand it at all. It just didn’t go anywhere. It just kept repeating itself. I went through it a few times more, searching for some deeper, awesome meaning, but just ended up totally bummed. Actually, some parts of it were kind of gross.
• ”Oedipus Rex”—Average reader rating: Four stars. Sophocles is a satisfying author who writes in clear, snappy prose. Youngsters in particular could learn a lot by imitating Mr. Rex, until he goes a bit off the rails toward the end. Nothing earth-shattering here, but zippy stuff. Have to admit I’m still puzzled by the weird subplot involving Mr. Rex’s mother.
• ”On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres”—Average Reader Rating: Three stars. Those who have read my countless reviews elsewhere know that I am a mathematician, astronomer, polyglot and philosopher in my own right, and therefore uniquely qualified to discuss everything from Zeno’s Paradox to Gordian’s Knot. Mostly, I think my fellow polymath Copernicus has done a pretty solid job here. The thing most laymen don’t realize—unlike mathematicians/ philosophers/astronomers/polymaths like me (as those familiar with my numerous other reviews can tell you)—is that people like Copernicus are really good with numbers. Just as I am. Really, really good. (Me, that is.) Readers seeking more of my unique insights can reach me at Igor@mymommysbasement.com.
• ”Deuteronomy”—Average Reader’s Rating: Three stars. I don’t get it. I’ve read most of the books in this series, and they totally kick butt, but this one leaves me scratching my head. Is there a story here? Am I missing something? Why so much talk about clean and unclean beasts? The author really got on a roll with Genesis and Exodus, and I was on the edge of my seat when I read The Book of Numbers. But this one runs out of gas early. Now I’m glad I skipped Leviticus!
With reality television
We have shows where it is okay to say,
“All your efforts are for naught, your work is terrible,
And you’ll never amount to anything in this business,”
We’ve fostered a culture of cruelty with words…
Words are weapons, pointed and sharp,
And apparently, entertaining…
In Rabbi Joseph Telushkin’s book Words that Hurt, Words that Heal, he wrote:
Words said about us define our place in the world.
Once that place, our reputation is defined,
Particularly if it is negative, it is very hard to reverse.
President Andrew Jackson, who along with his wife
Was the subject of relentless malicious gossip once noted
“the murderer only takes the life of the parent and leaves his character as a goodly heritage to his children, while the slanderer takes away his goodly reputation and leaves him a living monument to his children’s disgrace.”
Jewish tradition actually views words as tangible things…dvarim…
God created the world through words…
Like God, we also create with words.
Read a novel, so moved by fate of a character we feel love or hate or anger…
Made us cry…even though the individual never existed,
All that happened was that a writer took a blank piece of paper and through words alone crated human beings so real that they evoked our deepest emotions.
It is obvious that words are powerful, but the truth is, we tend to use them lightly. We choose our clothes more carefully than we choose our words, though what we say about and to others can define them indelibly.
Dr. Andrew Wood wrote that the more we speak negatively about someone, the more we alienate ourselves from that person…one who speaks unfairly about many people comes to distance and alienate himself from many individuals, and Dr Wood notes, alienation is a major cause of depression…one of the most widespread and rapidly growing disorders in America…
People who minimize the amount of gossup in which they engage generally find that their connections to others become more intimate and satisfying…you’d think it was the opposite…but when you refrain from gossip about others, you tend to focus more on yourself and the person with whom you are speaking. The relationship is invariably emotionally deeper.
Larger society…need more civilized discourse…
Medieval crusaders didn’t wake up one morning and begin randomly killing Jews, rather they and their ancestors had been conditioned for centuries to think of Jews a certain way, once those verbal characterizations take place, it’s easier to hurt, to kill…
Use words carefully…
They do actually mean something,
More than that,
They create worlds…
and sell perfume and shampoo,
and seal friendships,
or destroy them,
and alienate us
and make us depressed,
and redeem us
and allow us to start over again.
Every prayer ends with a word…
How often when you speak,
Would anyone answer you,
Not with a defense,
Or a counter-offense,
Or more gossip,
But amen…
Your breath is a gift from God,
Harness it,
And make prayers.
Amen.
ZOË KLEIN pursued the rabbinate out of a passion for ancient texts, mythology, liturgy and poetry. Zoë Klein has written for Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, and Tikkun. She has written chapters in a number of collections including The Women’s Torah. You can reach her by emailing: zoe@templeisaiah.com
Our dear friend George Lodge, and BNI Director, passed away Tuesday afternoon, December 8th, apparently from suffering a fatal seizure.
