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This Jewish Inspiration Podcast is dedicated to learning, understanding and enhancing our relationship with Hashem by working on improving our G-d given soul traits and aspiring to reflect His holy name each and every day. The goal is for each listener to hear something inspirational with each episode that will enhance their life.
You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.
And now, my friends, we resume with day number 116 on page 667 in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchha Tzaddikim, Ways of the Righteous. So there's two types of things. A person can be sitting in front of a wise person and remain silent, and he's going to be rewarded for it. Why? Because he wants to listen. He wants to hear.
But there are others that can be silent and actually it'd be a sin. Excuse me. Why? It could be a sin because he could be thinking to himself, what would I ask this person? He has nothing of wisdom to share with me. He has nothing intelligent to say. Why would I ask him? Halo, einu yodeh k'neg diklum. I know much more than he knows. I'm much wiser. I'm much more knowledgeable. I'm much more intelligent than him.
Yizor ma'od b'ma she'omu rabbi s'einu zachonu levrocho, shiva d'varim be'golam. Our sages tell us that there are seven signs of a fool and a person needs to be very careful about it. V'shiva b'chokham, and there are seven signs of a wise man. Chokham einu midabar b'fnei mishu hu gado mimenu b'chokhmu b'minyan. A wise man does not speak in the presence of someone who's greater in wisdom or in number, in years. Someone who's older than you, remain silent. They have more life experience than you.
Ve'einu nichnas l'toch d'vir chaviro, and they don't either interrupt their friend while they're talking. Ve'einu nivhol la'hashiv, and they do not rush to answer, they take their time. Sho'el ki'ininu me'shiv ka'alacha, he asks to the point and answers correctly. Ve'omer alrishon rishon, ve'al achron achron, and he speaks about the first point first and on the last point last. Ve'al ma'a shelo shama, omer lo shamati, and for what he did not hear, he says, I haven't heard.
And we've mentioned the Talmud, the Talmud says, al shelo shama, omer lo shamati, you want to know what a wise person is, al shelo yoda, omer lo yodati, and what he doesn't know, he says, I don't know. You're honest. Ve'imod ala emes vi'chilufeyim be'golam, he says, and some of the seventh virtue of someone who's wise is someone who admits to the truth. They admit. And the reverse of all of these is about the fool.
The reverse of all of these, a fool will talk before someone who's wiser than them and older than them, which is, by the way, just a side point here is that the Torah teaches us that a child is not allowed to speak before their parent. It means if a father is being asked a question by someone, the child should not be answering before the father. And he shouldn't be contradicting the father either. Even if the father is wrong, the child should not be contradicting their father. Okay.
Now the author continues, omer hachocham, the wise one said, this is generally talking about King Solomon, mi sheh midaber be'chochma u'be'haskel ke'melach be'tavshil. Someone who speaks with wisdom and understanding is like adding salt to a dish. It just adds flavor. It adds a richness. Ve'yei shehein le'divrei ha'nevonim. And there is favor to the words of those who understand, ke'nofech be'mishpasot zahav. It's like a ruby in a setting of gold. Ve'chochmas ha'miskein b'zuyo u'dvorov einam nishmoim.
A poor man's wisdom, meaning someone whose wisdom is weak, that's what it's referring to, is despised, means someone who's not intelligent. Not because they're not gifted, okay, someone who's mentally challenged, we're not referring to that. Someone who just hasn't developed their mind properly. Such a person, their wisdom is despised and their words are not heard. U'dvorov einam nishmoim. Ve'nafke mina im yirei ha'odam she'ein d'vorov nishmoim, ye'leche etzol ha'odam she'dvorov nishmoim, ve'yosim d'vorov b'fiv, ke'dei lehashmiyom aval hu yishtok.
So that if one sees that his words are not being heeded, go to someone whose words are heeded and place the words in their mouth so that they will be heeded, meaning if you know that your influence on someone is compromised, for whatever reason, they don't respect what you say, they don't care about you, you don't mean anything to them, whatever it may be. In such a case, maybe tell someone who does have influence so that they can influence that change. Coming from them, they'll accept it.
Coming from me, no, nothing, they're not going to listen to me, but they'll listen to you. But then remain silent. Then remain silent so that it doesn't continue to harm the other person who is not listening to you till now. Here is a general principle that summarizes all of this. Kemo she'odam oset deles le'pitkho, ve'yeshlo es liftoch ve'es lizgol, kakh yizgodal teypiv, ke'yesh tey glasos sfasayim ve'shinaim, it says just like there is a door that sometimes
is open and sometimes closed, so too there should be a door to your mouth, which is sometimes open and sometimes closed. But not only that, there's two doors to your mouth. There is the lips and there are the teeth. Ve'hizoyer me'od liftoch pikho, be very cautious, be very weary about opening your mouth. U'shmor l'shonkho kemo she'tishmor kesev v'zov u'margolios, and just as you protect your gold and your silver and your pearls in your safe, be'chadrocho u'b'soch hateva, you keep
them in your safe and you're very, very careful to not lose them, so too you should be cautious with your words. Ve'tasem izgeres le'mizgarta, and you put them in a safe, which is inside a safe, which is in another enclosure, kakh tas el'aficho, so too a person should do with his words. Be extremely cautious about your words because it needs protection. Eich hoyu ha'rishon im nizar mesicha v'tela, how our early sages would be so guarded about not having idle chatter.
Shehoyu mishtabchim, shehlo hoyu mesichim mesicha v'tela kol y'meyim, how they took praise about, they prided themselves in not having idle chatter, not having wasteful conversation, u'b'zeh ho'inyon ta'kono gdolo lihispalo be'kavono, and this is also a great tool towards a person praying with concentration. Ki rov bitol ha'kavono be'tfilo, ba midvaron b'tel makvom b'libo, because of all of the idle chatter that a person talks. So it has an influence on them not having proper intention and focus and concentration
when they pray because they're so busy talking and talking and talking with all this idle chatter. Now you're talking to God and it seems also like idle chatter that if a person were to stop and not talk as much and not have as much what we call idle chatter, just wasteful conversation, then perhaps it would help and it would be a tremendous benefit to a person that when they do talk, particularly talking to the Almighty in prayer, it would be much more beneficial.
Gam ha'shtiqo hi g'der g'dol yirashmayim, as well, silence is a great measure to protect a person to have fear of heaven. Ki'i efshar li'yos yirashmayim b'leiv ha'mar bitvarim. It's very, very difficult, virtually impossible for one to have a lot of idle chatter, a lot of talking, a talkative person, and also be fearful of God. Atah, now that we've discussed this, Ye'sh lefarish l'chah arba sh'orim al-arba ki'tos she'inim mikablim p'nei Shechina. The Talmud says in Sotah 42a, we brought this previously, that there are four categories
of people that do not merit to receive the Divine Presence. Kas leitzim, the class of mockers. D'chsev mashach yado eslotzitzim, the verse, to back this up, the verse states, the class of the mockers, he withdraws his hand from mockery, from mockers. Kas shakranim, the class of liars. The verse states, the speaker of lies will not be established before my eyes. And this is referring, the Torah says, dover shkoram lo yikon l'neged einai. God says they can't be in my presence.
Kas ha'chanofim, those who are flatterers, d'chsev kilo l'fanav chanef yavo. The verse states in Job, for not before him will the flatterer come, that's referring to the Almighty, and as well, that the flatterer doesn't come in front of the Almighty, and as well, those who speak l'shonorah, kas mesaper l'shonorah, d'chsev kilo el chofetz resha ata lo yogur chora. For you are not a God who desires wickedness. Evil will not live with you. And this is referring to l'shonorah, slander, speaking negatively about another person.
Tzadik ata hashem lo yogur bimgur chora. All of this is brought in the Talmud. The Talmud brings all of these verses. You are righteous, oh Hashem, evil will not dwell in your abode. And now we will be explaining these four categories for their categorization, and understanding them will be of great benefit to a person. And this, my dear friends, I believe concludes day number 116, and now we are going to continue.
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