During the Second World War, we were told ‘careless talk costs lives’ and that theme seems to have come from Proverbs 13: “Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything.” (Prov 13:2) This chapter has plenty more to say about how we talk: “A...

Proverbs 12 introduces a theme that is set to recur throughout the book, namely the importance of our words. This picture made a big impression on me when I first saw it, for it reminded me that our words can either build people up, making them feel affirmed, secure...

"Torah (law) is God's words that hit the target of the human condition. The noun torah comes from a verb, yarah, that means to throw something, a javelin, say, so that it hits its mark. The word that hits its mark is torah. In living speech, words are javelins hurled...