Have you ever wondered why G-d created mountains? I can imagine a number of possible answers. Mountains are exciting to climb, they can be used as points of observation to appreciate scenery, you can feel close and connected to your Creator, as well as many different ideas.
Hakham Yoseph Hayyim 'a"h, shares an entirely different interpretation with us. G-d created mountains to protect us from the powerful winds that uproot houses and trees. He wanted to protect the inhabitants of the world from these destructive winds.
How? The mountains serve as protective walls that diminish the potentially destructive power of the strong winds. When the winds subsequently hit a human settlement, they have lost their original ability to cause destruction.
One may ask, why does G-d create stroms in the first place? The answer, as brought in the Gemara, is that storms come as a result of sinful speech (such as Lashon Hara). People might think that speech is not tangible, and that it is nothingness like the wind. It does not last, there is no evidence of its existence, and it can not be found. Therefore, it cannot cause any spiritual damage. However, we know that this is not the case.
Where is the indisputable proof for this? The wind. Storms and winds, just like speech, may not have a physical dimension, may not be seen, but who can deny their strength and power? Can we ignore the power of the breath of our mouth? Can we belittle its destructive strength and our obligation to guard our tongues and watch our speech?
The prophet Yeshayahu in the Haftara for Parashath Ki These, in one of his seven prophesies of consolation, says that in the future, "Heharim Yamushu, Wehaggeba'oth Temuttena" (the mountains shall depart and the hills will be no more). There will be no more forbidden speech in the world and our speech will be pure and holy. Then there will be no more storms and winds, and needless to say, the mountains will have no purpose.
Let us not wait, but let us start now to purify and upgrade our speech. A spoken word cannot be erased, and once uttered, may cause much damage. If we think a bit before we speak freely and control our tongue - we will be able to do it.
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