Asarah Devarim - The 10 Commandments of Speech

The Chafetz Chaim’s Treatise and Collected Writings on the Top Ten Forms of Forbidden Speech

Who, in our day and age, has not heard about the issurim of lashon hara and rechilus? Thanks to the holy Chafetz Chaim zt”l and his famous sefarim, Chafetz Chaim and Shemiras Halashon, much awareness has been brought to these two forms of forbidden speech.

But did you know that the Chafetz Chaim enumerates eight other categories of the most common types of forbidden speech, besides for lashon hara and rechilus? They are: ona’as devarim, ka’as, ga’avah, halbanas panim, chanufah, sheker, machlokes, and leitzanus. These ten categories were coined by the Chafetz Chaim as the “Asarah Devarim,” and expounded upon in a special section of his sefer Chovas Hashemirah.

According to the Chafetz Chaim, shemiras halashon requires us to guard our tongues from all of the Asarah Devarim. How, though, can one protect himself from these issurim if he does not know enough about them? It is for this reason that the Chafetz Chaim exhorts Klal Yisrael, in his many writings, to learn the Asarah Devarim properly.

In this important sefer, a compilation and translation of the Chafetz Chaim’s own words, readers will learn in depth about all of the Asarah Devarim: their parameters and details, practical ways of avoiding them, and loads of chizuk in these areas.

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It is worthy and proper for every G-d-fearing Jew to study these subjects of the Asarah Devarim, as the Chafetz Chaim himself wrote about them in his sefarim.

Harav Shmuel Kamenetsky shlit”a

I believe this is a highly worthwhile project which will be of immense value for the Torah community.

Harav Aharon Feldman shlit”a

It is obvious that to be mechazek Klal Yisrael in…the serious mitzvos associated with speech is an extremely beneficial and important undertaking.

Harav Reuven Feinstein shlit”a

We must study and review these [Asarah Devarim] until we will merit to observe them…. Certainly the benefit of this is very great.

Harav Yaakov Forchheimer shlit”a

It is surely beneficial and incumbent upon us to try to expand our shemiras halashon to include as many of these [Asarah Devarim] as we possibly can.

Harav Yaakov Bender shlit”a