Sometimes, people speak ill of us — to our face, behind our back, online or in writing. It hurts. But Jewish tradition teaches us not only how to respond, but how to understand what is truly happening.
The Torah says:
“Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21)
A word is not just a sound — it is an act. It can build life or destroy it. And the deepest wounds are often not caused by hands, but by words — especially those spoken without compassion.
The Talmud teaches that lashon hara — harmful speech — kills three people: the speaker, the listener, and the one spoken about. Even when words are true, if they are said with the intent to shame or harm, they become a sin.
And yet silence, when it comes from dignity and faith, can elevate the soul.
Kabbalah teaches that every word creates form — spiritual energy.
Words spoken with kindness create light.
Words spoken with hatred create darkness.
And that darkness returns to its source.
The Zohar teaches that the words we speak rise to the heavens and become our future.
We create our destiny — through speech.
Why do people insult others?
Because pain lives inside them.
Because envy blinds.
Because the strength and dignity of another remind them of what they have lost or never built.
So they try to bring others down — thinking it will lift them up. But it doesn’t.
Those who humiliate others fall further themselves.
And those who respond with soul — rise higher.
A student once came to his rebbe and said:
“They mock me, rebbe. They insult me, slander me. What should I do? Should I answer back? Fight? Hurt them in return?”
And the rebbe replied:
“Do you know what dogs do when a lion passes?”
“They bark.”
“And what does the lion do?”
“He keeps walking.”
“So walk. If you were nothing, they wouldn’t bark. They bark because they feel your strength.”
So how should we respond?
Sometimes — with silence.
Sometimes — with gentle truth.
Sometimes — with a smile, knowing that G-d already sees the whole story.
But above all: do not become like the one who insults you.
Do not lose your soul, your gentleness, your face before Heaven.
Words are seeds. Some bloom into flowers. Others grow thorns.
It is up to us what we leave behind in the world.
If someone tried to destroy you with words, and you remained whole — you are not broken.
You have become stronger.
You are like a spark that survived the ashes — and because it endured, it became light.
May all who have been wounded by words find the strength to answer with light.
May all who have wounded others find the courage to seek forgiveness.
And may our words resemble the words of the Holy One — spoken with love, truth, and mercy.
Amen.
Rabbi Moshe (Mikhail) Salita is a Brooklyn-based rabbi, legal scholar, and emerging animal chaplain whose work unites Jewish spirituality, international law, and compassion for all living beings.
He holds a Master’s in International Law (with honors) from the National University “Odesa Law Academy,” where he is currently a PhD student researching the restitution of unlawfully confiscated Jewish communal property in Soviet Ukraine. He also earned a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Pratt Institute (New York) and a Master’s in Education and Special Education from Touro University, with graduate certificates in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Bilingual Education.
Rabbi Salita is an ordained rabbi of the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute (JSLI), a Doctor of Ministry student in Jewish Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Foundation, and an Animal Chaplain-in-Training with the Compassion Consortium in New York. His mission is to weave together justice, mercy, and creation care into one sacred path of Tikkun Olam — healing the moral and spiritual wounds of the world.
He serves as Executive Director of the Salita Foundation, originally founded by his brother, Dmitriy Salita — former WBF World Champion boxer, and inductee of both the New York Boxing Hall of Fame and the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Today, Rabbi Salita leads the Foundation toward a broader vision — uniting humanitarian ethics, environmental awareness, and cultural restitution.
Through the Foundation, he has launched the “Eco-Kosher Initiative,” a global program encouraging support for businesses and individuals who respect the environment, animals, and their communities. For him, “eco-kosher” is not limited to food — it is a moral philosophy of living in balance with creation, where sustainability and holiness walk hand in hand.
He is also devoted to preserving and gaining international recognition for the rare Israeli cat breed Kanaani — a living symbol of harmony between Jewish heritage and the natural world.
A descendant of Sruel ben Aharon Lekhtman, a Ruzhiner Hasid and brick-factory owner in Kitai-Gorod, Kamianets-Podilskyi — once a spiritual heart of the Ruzhin Hasidic movement in Tsarist-era Ukraine — Rabbi Salita continues his ancestor’s legacy of faith, integrity, and bridge-building. Sruel Lekhtman served as a close friend and estate manager for Pan Dembitsky, a Polish landowner remembered with respect in both Jewish and Ukrainian memory. Their friendship, crossing lines of faith and culture, remains a profound symbol of coexistence — especially meaningful for Ukraine today.
Although Rabbi Salita received Reform rabbinic education in the spirit of Jewish Universalism, he maintains a deep spiritual connection with Chabad, whose living Hasidic tradition unites intellect, compassion, and joy.
Following the example of the prophets — from Adam, the first caretaker of creation, to King Solomon, who understood the language of animals, and to Rav Papa, the sage who spoke kindly of cats — Rabbi Salita teaches that true holiness is revealed through compassion for all living beings. His life’s work is to show that caring for animals and serving God are one and the same sacred breath.
