In this week's parsha we read about the various forms of leprosy and the purification process from this ailment. Our sages teach us that one of the reasons that a person is inflicted with this "disease" is because they spoke Loshan Hara, derogatory speech, against their fellow. But our Sages teach us something else as well. "Just as a person is punished for saying something, so too is he punished if he could have said something and refrained from doing so". This is an astonishing statement. Who would ever think that we are accountable for not saying something positive when given the opportunity? This is something many of us can contemplate and try focusing on as we spend more time with our family. We have so many opportunities at this time to say something nice, positive and encouraging to our children, parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers. We have a tendency to only focus on other people's faults, but we need to re-train ourselves to not only  focus but to comment as well on people's good qualities.  

Chodesh Tov and Shabbat Shalom,

Heath