Power Of The Mouth

The Ostrava Gaon explains the connection of the parsha of the מי מריבה with Klal Yisrael asking Edomi to pass through the land. He says the sin of מי מריבה was a misuse of speech and therefore Klal Yisrael did not have the power of הקול קול יעקב against עשו. He continues that this is the connection to the battles against the Emori and Sichon for he quotes the Besht that the 7 nations correspond to the 7 middos and Emori corresponds to teferes, the middah of Yaakov, the power of positive speech. Sichon, the Gemarah says means הולך אחר שיחה נאה, also connected to speech. It was the power of positive speech necessary to counterbalance the powers of Sichon and Og. This may also explain why the shira of the be'ar, positive speech is mentioned in this context.  We see this theme woven into the very fabric of the parah adumah purification process. The Alter Rebbe explains the שני תולעת used in the parah adumah is a hint to the Midrash that says that the strength of the תולע is with its mouth, so too Klal Yisrael. Part of the process of the parah adumah taharah is to understand how to use the mouth.  

This serves as an intro. to the parsha of Balak which is focused on the power of speech used by Bilam. 

The Or HaChayim (Pinchas 26:23-24) reads into the families of Yissachor hints to the kinyanim of Torah. He says the family of תולע hints to the aforementioned idea of the תולע and the פוה family hints to the power of the mouth as well. 

In the family of Binyamin (26:39,) the possuk says לשפופם משפחת השופמי לחופם משפחת החופמי. It is pointed out that this is the only possuk in the Torah where every word has a פ. he letter פ, pronounced פה, literally means mouthץ The Baal HaTurim explains this hints to the fact that Binyamin closed his mouth and did not reveal the sale of Yosef. The Torah alludes to his harnessing the power of speech by not talking. 

Whether it is singing praises like the shira of the be'ar, engaging in the vocal study of Torah like Yissachar, or channeling the silence of Binyamin, our ultimate strength lies in our mouths.