About this shiur
A 2002 shiur on the power of speech, given before Tisha B'Av and distributed by the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation.
A 1h 8m shiur shiur by Rabbi Mendel Kessin. Like every video on Lehallel, it was judged and approved under the Lehallel law before it ever appeared — no unreviewed result is ever shown.
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Rabbi Mendel Kessin has 460 approved videos on Lehallel across Hashkafa, Chizuk, Mussar & Chizuk — every one reviewed against the same written standard before it appears.
Recently approved from the same speaker: “The Method of Structured Learning #1 | Mishnayos / Introduction” (1 min) · “The Method of Structured Learning #2 | Mishnayos / Introduction Part 2 / Maseches Shabbos” (1 min) · “Derech Hashem / The way of God #12 | Existence Itself” (1 min).
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What’s said in this shiur
The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Mendel Kessin’s own words— taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.
Let me ask you. We know that the temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred. The Hafiz Haim says on this idea that the Talmud brings down that baseless hatred really is the concept of Russian Hora because when a person has a certain amount of baseless hatred, of course, they speak Russian Hora. The question is, why was the temple destroyed because of Russian Hora? And we know Russian Hora, of course, translates as slander. Why was the temple destroyed because of slander? Could you imagine that God takes his holiest place and destroys it because of the concept of the sin of slander? How do we understand this? Not only that, we know also that the Jewish people have been in exile for thousands of years. And we also know that the exile has been caused because of slander or Russian Hora. This is what the Hafiz Haim tells us. Again, how do we understand this? Why should the Jews be so many thousands of years in exiles because of the sin of Russian Hora? This is the question. Not only that, there's another question. Let me ask you again. We also know that not only are the Jews in exile, but there is a great man who lived about 200 years ago. His name was Rabbi Raphael from Hamburg. He said a remarkable statement and the Hafiz Haim brings him down in his writings. He said that every single problem that the Jews have had from the beginning of creation
Jump to a moment
- 0:10Let me ask you. We know that the temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred. The…
- 5:46they spoke Russian Hora or slander. Do you believe this? In a generation that worships idols,…
- 11:54district attorney. He prosecutes. In Hebrew that is called the Kiterog. He's a prosecuting attorney and…
- 17:59That just like measure for measure can what? Can stop the judicial process I had previously…
- 24:39means that their mazel can never come to fruition. Because they're always being judged because of…
- 30:44suffering." But even then, God says, "I will not do it. I will not give it…
- 36:55this divine force. If somebody were to walk over to this cable and cut it, you…
- 43:05that Jacob fought when he fought with the angel. And therefore, since we know that we…
- 49:19right about the time of the destruction of the second temple? The answer is Christianity. What…
- 55:30expand into who? Into the famous sages, the Ramban and the Ari and so on. It…
About Rabbi Mendel Kessin on Lehallel
718 approved videos from 2012 to 2026, 561 of them searchable by their own words. Open all of Rabbi Mendel Kessin’s shiurim →
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Key takeaways
- Shiur — 1h 8m, by Rabbi Mendel Kessin
- Approved by the Lehallel judge before appearing — never an unreviewed result
- Watch free during prelaunch on Lehallel
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Don’t just read about it — watch it
The True Power of Speech | Rabbi Mendel Kessin1:08:29
The Method of Structured Learning #1 | Mishnayos / Introduction1 min
The Method of Structured Learning #2 | Mishnayos / Introduction Part 2 / Maseches Shabbos1 minEvery video is reviewed against one written standard before it can play.