Guarding Peace and Speech
For over a decade, Rebbetzin Sarah Wertzburger has been active in the global organization "Guardians of Peace," promoting the importance of guarding one's speech, especially among women.
- עדי אהרן
- פורסם י"ז חשון התשע"ד
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If all goes well, this coming Friday, on the 24th of Elul, the yahrzeit of "Chofetz Chaim," Rebbetzin Sarah Wertzburger will stand at the grave of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan zt"l, praying for all the many names she brought with her from the Holy Land.
Rebbetzin Wertzburger, humbly refusing to be called a rebbetzin ("I am a simple woman, very, very simple"), is behind the global organization for guarding one's speech, "Guardians of Peace." "It all started ten years ago," she recounts how she began to engage in the subject of guarding speech, which now occupies her entire world, "The idea was to do a 'cleaning' of the neighborhood, to repent for *lashon hara*. We thought it was simple then."
Mrs. Sarah Jacobs initiated it; Mrs. Proush volunteered for the project's task for a year, and Rebbetzin Wertzburger took on the management of a project that slowly took form and from a local-national project, it turned global.
Maybe, in fact, it all started even before that. When Rabbi Shalom Goldstein z"l, who was Wertzburger's manager, asked her as a final request before his passing to engage in guarding speech. "He gave me a children's book on guarding speech and told me – do with it as you will," she recalls.
And so she began. She had one son then and for 9 years sought to conceive again without success. Less than a year after Rabbi Goldstein's passing and the onset of her important mission, Sarah gave birth to a son. "It's thanks to the Chofetz Chaim," Rabbi Yehuda Segal, whom she consults with, told her and blessed her with a blessing she won't forget – "The merit of the Chofetz Chaim will always stand by you."
"Since then, those words have accompanied me always, and I feel the Chofetz Chaim with me all the time," she says emotionally. "Because I am a very simple woman, like anyone else. I am not a rebbetzin, not anything. It’s just the blessing of Rabbi Segal and the merit of the Chofetz Chaim that brings us divine assistance beyond measure," she says, referring to both the organization and her personal life. "After that, I gave birth to a third son, even though doctors had already told me they didn’t give me any chances of having more children. I will never forget the miracles that Hashem has done for me."
Why was the organization named "Guardians of Peace" and not "Guardians of Speech"?
"Because it’s not enough to just learn the laws of guarding speech. We need to work on our character traits between people. To work on our hearts and thoughts. So that we don’t hold anger towards each other, and can judge favorably. It’s a work of the heart."
The variety of activities they produce is impressive, and sometimes it’s hard to believe it’s an organization that struggles "to make ends meet." More than 50,000 women subscribe to their newsletters (for a mere fee of 40 NIS per year), and more than 40,000 children participate in their blessed children’s activities ("Shlomix" - the children’s comic section, raffles, and prizes are just part of them).
Just last year, they held over 100 conventions for women across the nation. They have phone lessons (each lesson lasting only 3 minutes), and there is also a "Together" project - once a month, the building’s women gather to learn together with added presentations, music, and pizza; even the avrechim are not left out and receive special newsletters on the topic. There is also a house of instruction – rabbis answering questions about guarding speech.
The crowning achievement, perhaps, is their "building representatives." Today, there are 3,800 volunteers nationwide. The representative's role is to hang a notice on the building’s bulletin board every month about guarding speech, distribute leaflets to her neighbors, and suggest learning two laws of guarding speech daily.
Why do we need a building representative? Why not just send the leaflets by mail?
"The very presence of the representative who hangs the notice on the building’s bulletin board makes the building a *shomer lashon* building. Everyone entering knows immediately – here, *lashon hara* is not spoken. The sign, the learning, and the newsletter lead to much less conflict in the building. More peace."
Bringing Redemption Closer
She rises each day at 4:00 AM and walks from her home, which, miraculously, is located on Chofetz Chaim Street, to pray at the Western Wall. After her household chores, which she finishes by 10:00 AM, she dedicates herself to guarding speech until she goes to sleep, as the director of the organization.
Why specifically guarding speech?
"There are many commandments and we need to keep them all, but the special importance of guarding speech stems from the fact that we use our mouths all the time, and every word of *lashon hara* causes great damage. Speaking ill of someone else causes judgment to be passed on them in heaven, and sometimes our words can destroy someone’s life.
"It’s like a father's child not walking the straight path, but the father doesn’t want to punish and turns a blind eye. But if someone tells him: your child stole or did something wrong, he can no longer ignore it and must punish him. The same goes with Hashem - He wants to look away and not punish us, but our speech about someone can cause much damage and punishment. It compels Him to judge us. But if everyone would forego arguments and avoid *lashon hara*, and we would be united - then we would hear the sound of the Shofar. May we merit to see it. Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk writes that in the days to come, there will be much baseless hatred and *lashon hara*, and for this, Hashem will withhold sustenance from people. Under such pressure, Jews will seek to unite all of Israel into a single group, and from this unity, redemption will blossom. This is what "Guardians of Peace" is trying to do. To unite, to make peace. And we have much work to do."
The greater the effort, the greater the reward alongside it. Rebbetzin Wertzburger relates daily stories of miracles and salvations she hears from women who have begun to strengthen themselves by guarding speech. Today it was the building representative who told of her children, who had strayed but have returned to learn in Yeshiva; yesterday it was someone who participated in a "Together" gathering, who shared that her lost daughter was miraculously found and saved from disaster after promising to organize such a gathering each month; and last week, a healthy son was born to one of the women, against all doctors' predictions. His name is Yisrael Meir. And there is the young woman who awaited a match so desperately that in her distress, she promised Hashem that if she met her match by her upcoming birthday, she would donate 1,000 NIS to "Guardians of Peace." She met her husband shortly thereafter and married exactly one day before her birthday. At one of the recent gatherings, she came excitedly to Rebbetzin Wertzburger and handed her an envelope with the same amount.Remarkably, it’s not something beyond reach. Any of us can be partners in this noble mission. Whether it be listening to a three-minute lesson by phone, subscribing to the newsletter, learning the laws, being a building representative, or from a variety of opportunities that all share the commonality of taking one small step, adding a bit more love to the world, coming a bit closer to redemption, which is known to depend exactly on baseless love. In honor of the Chofetz Chaim's *hilula*, now is precisely the time to contact "Guardians of Peace."
"Every day there are more salvations. It shows that Hashem loves guarding speech. He wants to grant us salvations, and the great salvation will be when Elijah the Prophet will come and announce to us," concludes Rebbetzin Wertzburger, summing up her everyday life, "that’s what we are waiting for."
Guardians of Peace: 02-5379160
The article is courtesy of "Maayaney HaYeshuah."
