The Hebrew word for speech, dibbur (דיבור), is etymologically linked to the word davar (דבר), which means thing. That’s because, once articulated, a word takes on a life of its own and becomes a tangible reality, a thing that exists in dimension, form, and resonance.
The notion that words are the medium through which ideas become things is rooted in centuries of Kabbalistic teaching and based on a metaphysical understanding of the beginning of the Torah in which, as mentioned, G‑d speaks the world into being. Based on this understanding, the Sages developed and continuously refined a heightened sensitivity to the power of speech that runs through every facet of Jewish thought and practice, including liturgy, the binding nature of oaths, and the spiritual repercussions of gossip.
The idea that the body must be tamed or even “beaten” into submission is a pervasive one. In his book, Walking Words, the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano sums up prevailing contemporary views of the body succinctly: “The church says: the body is sin. Science says: the body is a machine. Advertising says: the body is business. The body says: I am a fiesta.”
The Jewish perspective on the body is quite different. Whereas some traditions view corporeal life as an obstacle course—a series of challenges designed to test our spiritual resolve and integrity—Judaism sees the body as the interface and means of expression for the soul in physical reality. In this way, the body gives the soul a voice, and the soul provides the song.