Q:
How does one determine what is loshon nekiyah?
A:
How does one determine what is loshon nekiyah?
Well, when you started out in your house, your mother said, “Don’t say that.” That’s number one. שמע בני מוסר אביך ואל תטש תורת אמך. It’s a very important lesson by the way. The mother is the first lesson, at home. Also the father sometimes.
Then you begin to learn. In Slabodka, they never said the word, the word shlecht. They never said the word shlecht, the word bad. Never. I was there six years, never said the word shlecht, only “not good.” Never said shlecht.
They never called a goy, a shaigetz. That’s a sheketz. Shaigetz is a sheketz. But a goy is tzelem Elokim. He’s not the best picture of tzelem Elokim, but he’s actually a tzelem Elokim. So they called him, they would say, an arel, but never said, never said a shaigetz. Shaigetz is not found in Slabodka language.
So you’ll learn in a good environment, if you’re in a good environment, you’ll pick up what’s called loshon nekiyah. You have to be in the right environment.
(November 26, 1998)
