The Torah commands in Parashat Kedoshim (Vayikra 19:14), “Lo Tekalel Heresh” – “Do not curse a deaf person.” The Gemara explains this verse as prohibiting cursing even somebody who is not present and thus does not hear the curse. The Torah forbids cursing anybody, and mentions “Heresh” (“deaf person”) in this verse to emphasize that one may not curse even somebody who is “deaf” in the sense that he does not hear the curse. The Sefer Ha’hinuch offers several different explanations for why the Torah prohibited cursing one’s fellow. First, he writes, people become frightened when they are cursed. Even if they are cursed by a simple, ordinary person, they take the curse to heart, and feel concerned and distressed. Just as we may not inflict physical harm upon our fellow, we are likewise not to inflict emotional harm, and the Torah therefore forbade cursing another person. Secondly, the Sefer Ha’hinuch explains, the Gemara teaches that “Berit Keruta La’sefatayim” – G-d made a “promise” to the lips, that a person’s words are impactful. Hence, a curse will have some harmful effect. The Sefer Ha’hinuch elaborates on this concept, explaining that the power of speech emanates not from a person’s physical properties, but rather from his soul, which originates from the heavens. The Torah relates in Parashat Bereshit that after G-d created the physical human being, “Va’yipah Be’apav Nishmat Hayim” – “He blew a living soul in his nostrils.” Onkelos translates the expression “Nishmat Hayim” as “Ru’ah Memalela” – “a spirit that speaks.” This shows that the power of speech is a manifestation of the human soul. As such, the Sefer Ha’hinuch writes, the words one speaks have immense power, and can have an impact upon other people. For this reason, the Sefer Ha’hinuch writes, the greater a person’s spiritual level is, the greater the impact of his words (which is why, for example, we ask the Sadikim for blessings). And so the Torah forbade cursing, because such words will inflict some degree of harm upon the other person. The Sefer Ha’hinuch then adds yet another reason, explaining that the Torah forbade cursing in order to help prevent fighting among people. Naturally, when somebody curses his fellow, the fellow will respond angrily, and conflict will ensue. The Torah strives to maintain peace among people, and it therefore forbids cursing, which instigates strife and quarreling. The Sefer Ha’hinuch notes that one might question this explanation in light of the fact that the Torah forbids cursing one’s fellow even in private, behind his fellow’s back, which will not cause any fighting. Responding to this challenge, the Sefer Ha’hinuch cites King Shlomo’s teaching in Kohelet (10:20) that one should avoiding cursing people even in private, “Ki Of Ha’shamayim Yolich Et Ha’kol” – “because the bird in the sky will bring the sound…” In contemporary jargon, this is expressed as, “Walls have ears.” Even when somebody speaks in private, somehow, the words get around. Therefore, the Torah forbids cursing somebody even in private, as the curse may very well become known to that person, resulting in friction and strife. The Rambam suggests a different reason for why the Torah forbade cursing, explaining that cursing has the effect of accustoming a person to anger and vengeance. The curse perhaps has absolutely no effect whatsoever on the person against whom it was spoken, but it engenders a hostile nature within the speaker, compromising his Middot (character taits), and for this reason, the Torah commanded that we may not curse our fellow. This prohibition is exceptional in that violators are liable to Malkut despite not committing any action. Normally, only violations committed through a concrete action are punishable by Malkut; when it comes to cursing one’s fellow, however, due to the severity of this sin, violators are liable to Malkut despite the fact that they merely spoke, without performing an action. However, one is liable to Malkut for this violat