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Why does the Midrash connect tznius at the Exodus to a place called Pi-Hahiroth (freedom of speech) versus immorality at Shittim? Rabbi Zweig explores how true freedom of speech belongs only to those with tznius - people whose speech communicates rather than shocks or calls attention to themselves.
This shiur analyzes a challenging Midrash that contrasts two places and behaviors: At the Exodus, the Jewish people maintained tznius (modesty) and their location was called Pi-Hahiroth (mouth of freedom/freedom of speech), while at Shittim in Parshas Balak, they engaged in immorality with Moabite women. Rabbi Zweig struggles initially to understand the connection between modesty and freedom of speech, ultimately developing several approaches to explain this Midrash. The first approach draws on the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s definition of lashon hakodesh (the holy tongue) as a language free from crude references to bodily functions, using only euphemistic expressions. According to this reading, true freedom of speech can only be granted to those with tznius because they will speak in holy ways. The contrast is with Baal Peor, whose entire worship involved bodily functions and excretions - representing speech that has become like spiritual excrement.
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Parshas Balak - Shittim incident
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