25 Nov HEARING PROFANITY

I. Close Your Ears
The Gemara in
Kesubos (5a-b) says,
“What does it mean:
‘And you shall have
a shovel among your
weapons (azenekha)’
(Deut. 23:14)? Do
not read it as: ’your weapons’ but as ‘your
ear’ (oznekha). If a person hears something
improper (davar she-eino hagun), ⁦he
should put his finger into his ears.” The
Gemara addresses not speaking improperly
but hearing improper speech. We are
required to avoid hearing profanity and
other inappropriate language by closing
our ears or otherwise avoiding it.
When someone uses profanity, he abuses
the divine gift of speech, demonstrating
a lack of refinement and self-control.
Speaking profanity violates a biblical
prohibition. As we see from this Gemara,
there is reason to forbid not only saying
profane words but even hearing them. The
exact nature of this prohibition leads to
practical implications.
Similarly, the Gemara (Shabbos 33a) says,
“Due to the sin of vulgar speech, troubles
abound, and harsh decrees are renewed,

and the youth among the ‘enemies of Israel’
die, and orphans and widows cry out for
help and are not answered…” That is about
speaking profanity, using curse words in
your speech. The Gemara continues to say
that anyone who speaks profanity (nibul
peh), has Gehenom deepened for him.
Not just someone who speaks, but “even
one who hears and is silent.” The Gemara
assigns a serious punishment to someone
who hears profanity and remains silent.
It would seem from these two texts that
we are forbidden to hear profanity. Even if
we do not say the profanity, we cannot be
around people when they are speaking it.
This can significantly impact with whom
you spend your time. If your friends or
colleagues speak profanity, it seems like
you may not be around them when they
speak like that.
II. Reasons
The question is why we are not allowed
to hear profanity if we are not actually
doing anything. We are passive recipients,
not active doers. One possible reason is
that someone who hears is as if he speaks
(shomei’a ke-oneh). Another possibility
is that we are not allowed to be around
someone while he sins. Our lack of protest

implies approval. Or maybe the reason is
more psychological — even just hearing
profanity desensitizes us to the importance
of proper speech. Therefore, we are
obligated to avoid even hearing profanity.
There are practical implications to the
reason for this apparent prohibition. If
either of the first two reasons is correct, the
issue only arises when hearing someone
live speak profanity. It would not apply to
recorded or artificial voices, nor (possibly)
remote voices (e.g. via Zoom). If the third
reason is correct, then any time we hear
any kind of profanity, we must protest or
leave.
The only halakhic text I can find that
quotes these passages is Rav Yitzchak
Alfasi’s (Rif, 11th cen., Spain) rendition
of the Talmud (Shabbos 13b). From the
context, Rif seems to rule that you may not
listen to profanity. Other than that, I see
the issue raised only in ethical contexts.
Neither Rambam nor Rosh, Semag nor
Semak, Tur nor Shulchan Arukh mention
any problem with hearing profanity. Rav
Avraham Gombiner (17th cen., Poland)
lists a number of ethical laws in his Magen
Avraham commentary (156). However,
while he includes a prohibition of speaking
profanity, he does not say anything about
hearing it.
III. Lack of Refinement
Sefer Ha-Chinukh (13th cen., Spain;
no. 545) counts as a mitzvah the plain
meaning of the verse (Deut. 23:14), that a
soldier must have a shovel to dig a latrine
hole. He adds that the Sages include
a midrash on this verse that we must
close our ears rather than hear improper
language. From his wording, this sounds
like an ethical exhortation and not a legal
obligation.
In his Sha’arei Teshuvah, Rabbenu Yonah
(13th cen., Spain) mentions the prohibition
against hearing profanity twice explicitly.
First, implicitly, Rabbenu Yonah (ibid.,
2:12) says that hearing was given to us
so we can obtain guidance and rebuke.
When we use it for other purposes, when
we listen to improper talk, we taint this
precious gift. Later in the same work
(3:66), in the third section that details
a long list of religious laws, Rabbenu
Yonah includes hearing profanity among
the sins dependent on the sense of
hearing. And finally (3:229), he includes
hearing profanity (as well as speaking it)
within the fifth of six categories of lashon
ha-ra, broadly defined.
In his Sefer Ha-Yirah (s.v. al tazkir,
Rabbenu Yonah paraphrases the Gemara
(Shabbos, ibid.) regarding speaking
profanity. He adds, per the Gemara, that
the punishment also applies to those who

hear profanity, remain silent and enjoy it,
but do not walk away. Note that adds that
you not only remain silent but enjoy it.
That implies a prohibition unconnected
to an equivalent of saying or to presumed
approval. Neither of those require
benefitting from the vulgar language.
Rather, Rabbenu Yonah’s condition of
enjoying the profanity you hear implies
that the problem is the desensitization.
Instead of being disturbed by the profanity
you accept it as proper behavior, even
enjoyable, which reflects a lack of moral
refinement similar to someone who speaks
profanity.
Rav Yehudah Loewe (Maharal, 16th cen.,
Czech; Nesivos Olam, Nesiv Ha-Tzeni’us,
ch. 3) explains that humans are created as
utensils, keilim, and every utensil needs
a receptacle (beis kibul). Ears serve as
a human receptacle; everything we hear
enters our bodies. Unlike eyes which have
lids, ears have no covers. Therefore we
must be extra careful about what we hear
and, when necessary, plug our ears or
leave the area where inappropriate things
are being said (see also Be’er Ha-Golah
3:1). Maharal states that when you hear
profanity, you damage your soul.
Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal,
18th cen., Italy; Mesillas Yesharim, ch.
11 s.v. be-inyan ha-dibur) likewise quotes
the Gemara (Shabbos, ibid.)’s admonition
against hearing profanity. Ramchal
discusses this in the context of using all
the senses to remain pure of anything
related to promiscuity. Ramchal similarly
sees hearing profanity as a descent into the
world of sin and debasement
The consensus seems to consider
intentionally hearing profanity a moral
stain. Willingly listening to it reflects
a lack of refinement that damages the
soul. We should be offended by improper
speech and avoid hearing it, even protest
it. However, the exclusion of this idea from
normative halakhic sources tells us that
despite the severity of the matter, this is
not an absolute prohibition. There is room
to balance this issue with other pressing
needs, such as family peace and earning a
living. And yet, we cannot ignore ethical
literature because if we do, we risk turning
Judaism into a list of laws rather than a
constant encounter with divinity.