The meat of this week’s Torah portion is Jacob’s blessings for each of his 12 sons. Genesis seems to be deeply concerned with blessings, for good and for ill. Families are torn apart by blessings and curses. Lives are changed or fulfilled according to the blessings given, stolen or received. What does it all mean for us? Most of us today do not believe that spoken words will shape our destiny. Perhaps the meaning is this. Words matter. What we say, how we say it, and even when we say something can have a profound impact on the lives of those to whom we speak and on ourselves. Judaism has always recognized the power of words and taken them very seriously, whether blessings, vows or gossip. After all, God created the universe with words. Let us all understand the power of words and use them wisely and for good.

~Rabbi Dean

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