For well over a decade, there has been a chabura every morning in the Ner Yisroel Mechina that has grown larger each year. This Chabura is only for a few minutes after shacharis, and the limud is Sefer Chofetz Chaim to learn Hilchos Shemiras HaLashon and Lashon Hara. With those few minutes every single day over the course of the academic year, the Chabura completes the entire sefer.
This year, Yehoshua Weg (12th grade) led the Chabura of over 170 bochurim. There were another 40 Beis Medrash bochurim who participated as well. He also arranged for a beautiful siyum and made it quite the choshuve ma’amad. The Rosh haYeshiva Shlita, HaRav Aharon Feldman, as well as a number of Mechina rebbeim attended, along with special speaker Rav Yehuda Weiner. (Nearly 250 people were estimated to be in attendance.)
The Rosh HaYeshiva Shlita spoke about how Lashon Hara represents prikas ol malchus shamayim and can lead one to transgress the gimmel chamuros. By talking freely, one conditions himself to live without restrictions to his behavior. This will eventually cause one to violate things he never could have imagined.
Rav Weiner, who is one the 12th Grade Roshei Chabura for afternoon seder, spoke about how one should work on his character and build up his personal growth in a conscious way. This inner calm and contentment with one’s accomplishments are the best tool to combat and prevent himself from falling to the level of being a ba’al Lashon Hara.
May we all strengthen ourselves, with Hashem’s help, in the area of Shemiras haLashon and especially during the 3 Weeks leading up to Tisha b’Av.
Thank you to Jeff Cohn of BaltimoreJewishLife.com for taking the photographs
