Rectifying the Sin of the Tongue:
The Chida zt”l (Sefer Chomas Anach) writes that word “Eileh” can be an acronym for “avak lashon hara” – hints of lashon hara. The pasuk then says that Moshe “spoke to all of Yisroel”. This indicates that he told everyone that they all must be careful to guard their tongues from speaking anything that hints at lashon hara in any way. Everyone needed to receive this warning because, as the Gemara says (Bava Basra 165A), everyone transgresses this prohibition.
The pasuk also refers to “the words that Moshe spoke”, which is a reference to the Torah. The Chida writes that these two concepts – shemiras halashon and learning Torah, are placed together because they are the fundamental aspects of Yiddishkeit. The pasuk says (Yirmiyahu 9:12) that the first Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed because of bittul Torah, and the Zohar Hakadosh adds that the second Bais Hamikdosh was also destroyed because of bittul Torah, and the long golus is meant to rectify the sin of lashon hara.
The Chida writes that this is hinted to in the words (Bereishis 27:22): “Hakol kol Yaakov.” There are two “kolos” that need to be rectified – the kol of Torah and the kol used to speak lashon hara.
He adds that Odom Harishon’s sin did not affect his voice and, therefore, we are still able to accomplish a lot through speaking words of Torah. Thus, if one speaks lashon hara and thereby causes damage to his voice, he is ruining a part of the body that was not blemished by Odom Harishon.
