Can We Be Satan’s Assistants? - Testing fate with your words

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Can We Be Satan's Assistants?: Testing fate with your words

Jewish texts caution us against saying self-derogatory things, lest they later become self-fulfilling prophecies. Why would our mere words be held against us in the heavenly court and actually impact the divine judgement? This class presents a window into the power of our words.

Topics:

Speech; Communication

By Avraham Plotkin

Rabbi Avraham E. Plotkin is the director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Markham, Ontario.

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10 Comments

KR SF January 15, 2019

I really appreciate this lecture. We have to be careful not to ask harm on ourselves, or to invite evil into our lives. Reply

Ruth New Jersey February 12, 2016

Words Very interesting. Reply

Rich February 11, 2016

Let's not count our mitzvah let's stay modist Thank you for your wisdom. But all these demons and angels.. it's not the counting of them that matters in the end it's the living without counting. It's too much like money you want more angels like a prize for your actions. Look not for a prize when you do something but a clean continuous way of being. That rubs off on others and they will be more endearing and form friendship stroger than pocessions. Yes stay "stoom" if you have bad words on your mind. But let's stay modist. Reply

CP Toronto February 9, 2016

Powerful words Positively amazing and enlightening talk.
Vital food for thought and (more importantly) action. Yasher koach!
Looking forward to further talks shared on chabad.org. Reply

Jonathan February 7, 2016

I respectfully think you should be more careful with your own words I'm sure Rabbi Plotkin was referring to the Arabs on the Temple Mount who do the inciting. Reply

r g Tzfat February 7, 2016

I respectfully think you should be more careful with your own words what gives you the right to accuse those Jews that go onto the Temple Mount of incitement? and you even dare blame them for the knifings? as if to exonerate those honor seeking teens? Reply

KR SF January 15, 2019

in response to r g:

If you have read about Abraham, he was a very good man who had respect for his neighbors and they respected him in return, an exemplary example of this is demonstrated in the story regarding the negotiation over the acquisition of a cave he wanted to purchase. Abraham could not control the behavior of his immediate descendants Reply

Avraham Plotkin Markham, Ontario January 18, 2016

Source for creating angels Rabbi Eliezer the son of Yaakov would say: He who fulfills one mitzvah, acquires for himself one angel-advocate; he who commits one transgression, acquires against himself one angel-accuser. (Pirkei Avot Chapter 4) Reply

Tehila Israel January 15, 2016

Where? Where in the Tanah is written that when we do any action angels are created, either good or bad? Reply

Zusel ben Shlomo January 14, 2016

Satan's opportunity? Interesting concept, psychologically, but presentation is too long for today's world, Reply