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Part I.Hashem is HereHE\u2019STAMEI, HE\u2019STAMEI, HE\u2019STAMEI\u05db\u05dc \u05d9\u05de\u05d9 \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e0\u05d2\u05e2 \u05d1\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d8\u05de\u05d0, \u05d8\u05de\u05d0 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0, \u05d1\u05d3\u05d3 \u05d9\u05e9\u05d1 \u05de\u05d7\u05d5\u05e5 \u05dc\u05de\u05d7\u05e0\u05d4 \u05de\u05d5\u05e9\u05d1\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cAll the days that thetzara\u2019asis upon the person he shall betamei,tameihe should be. He should dwell alone; outside the camp should be his place of residence.\u201d (13:46) When reading thispossuk, we are immediately struck by the repetition of thetameistatus of themetzora, \u201cHe shall betamei,tameihe should be\u201d and that requires an explanation.So we\u2019ll say as follows: The root \u201ctum\u201d denotes something that is \u201cclosed off\u201d. That\u2019s what the wordtumahmeans, and that is the principle underlying all the laws oftumah. Wherever we findtumahwe must understand that itis a decree of Hashem to teach us what should be avoided and shunned.So we read thepossukas follows: \u201cAll the days that thetzara\u2019asis upon the person he shall be ritually unclean\u201d \u2013 the first word \u201ctamei\u201d speaks of the status oftumah. He is anav hatumah. It\u2019s information we have to know. It\u2019s a technicality the Torah is teaching us; the basic law that this man istameiand makestameianything that comes in contact with him. But the second expression oftumah, \u201cTameihe should be,\u201d is giving us thereasonfor thetumahbeing imposed on him; as if to say: \u201cHe shall betamei, because Hashem desires that he should beclosed offfrom society.\u201d \u201cHe istamei\u201d, because \u201ctamei, shunned and avoided, he should be.\u201dTHE LONELY SEDER NIGHTNow that\u2019s something we have to study. Because we\u2019re talking here about afrumJew. He\u2019s a father, a husband, a loyal servant of Hashem who puts ontefillinanddavensthree times a day with aminyan. His home is a kosher home and his children are allfrumboys and girls. He\u2019s one of us! And yet, one morning he wakes up withtzara\u2019as;and now he must take leave of his family and friends and make his way beyond the walls of the city to live alone. This friend of ours, a fellow Jew, is nowtamei; he\u2019s closed off from the rest of Mankind.Badad yeishev\u2013 \u201cHe shall stay in isolation,\u201d meaning that even othertamei\u2019imare to avoid his company (Rashi ibid.).So our fellow Jew is now sitting alone outside of the walls of his city; and there he will remain until thetzara\u2019asheals. He\u2019ll miss the Shabbosseudoswith his family. He might even be spending the Seder night all alone! And it\u2019s no accident of fate here. The Rambam says thattzara\u2019asis not a natural form of leprosy; it\u2019sa miraculous phenomenon. \u201cTzara\u2019asis one of the miracles that Hashem provides to His nation\u201d (Moreh Nevuchim 3:47) and that\u2019s why agoycan\u2019t becometameiwithtzara\u2019as(Negaim 3:1).Hashem miraculously sends upon a Jewtzara\u2019as,and now he has to be shunned. And it\u2019s not because of contagion, or merely because he can bemitameiothers \u2013 it\u2019s because Hashem wants him to be \u201cclosed off\u201d from people. Hashem wants that he should leave themachaneh;that he should separate from society and dwell alone outside of the city.LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVINGAnd that\u2019s because actually this man is a dangerous man; he may appear to be veryfrum, but thegemara(Eirechin 15b) says: \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e9\u05d5\u05df \u05d4\u05e8\u05e2 \u05e0\u05d2\u05e2\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5. \u201cOne who speaks wrong words, he uses his mouth in the wrong way, is stricken by leprosy.\u201d And so we understand that this man misused the gift of company of people; when he was healthy he sat around with his friends and wagged his tongue \u2013 not only that he ridiculed and belittled other people, but even just to talkd\u2019varim b\u2019teilimis misusing the tongue.And so in the great days ofnevuah, thenegaoftzara\u2019asspoke to this man the word of Hashem: \u201cHe shall betamei, and he should be closed off from people and avoided.\u201d He will dwell alone where he won\u2019t have anyone with whom to speak; and now he will begin the study of how a person is to use his tongue, and he will understand thatthe proper way to use a tongue is primarily by not using it.BRING MANUFACTURING JOBS BACK!The Rambam gives us an insight into this: \u05dc\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d9\u05e8\u05d1\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05d1\u05e9\u05ea\u05d9\u05e7\u05d4\u2013 \u201cA person should always beproducinga great deal of silence\u201d (Rambam Hilchos Dei\u2019os 2:4). You hear that? You have to produce silence as much as you can. Imagine you\u2019re producing goods for a certain purpose. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re making toothbrushes, or you\u2019re a tailor and you\u2019re sewing suits. Whatever it is, you\u2019re producing. So you have to keepcheshbon, \u201cHow many goods did I produce today?\u201d \u201cDid I do better today than yesterday?\u201d \u201cWhat could I do different tomorrow in the factory to produce more toothbrushes?\u201d And it\u2019s the same with silence. A man should always beproducingsilence in this world. You have to think about that! \u201cHow much silence did I produce today?\u201dAnd it\u2019s considered a service of Hashem: \u05dc\u05da \u05d3\u05d5\u05de\u05d9\u05d4 \u05ea\u05d4\u05d9\u05dc\u05d4 \u2013 \u201cTo you Hashem, silence is praise\u201d (Tehillim 65:2). That\u2019s an interesting idea, because we always understood that theHallelukahsand thebrachosare praise.Ashrei,HoduandModim, that\u2019s how we praise Hashem. And now we\u2019re being told thatkeeping quietis the real way to praise Hashem; to produce silence is actually a career of praising Hashem. And that needs a good explanation.A LESSON FROM THE WISE MANAnd so, who better to turn to than thechochom m\u2019kol adam.Shlomo Hamelech tells us in Koheles (5:1): \u05d0\u05dc \u05ea\u05d1\u05d4\u05dc \u05e2\u05dc \u05e4\u05d9\u05da \u2013 \u201cDon\u2019t be in a hurry to express yourself, \u05d5\u05dc\u05d1\u05da \u05d0\u05dc \u05d9\u05de\u05d4\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d4\u05d5\u05e6\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u2013 Your heart, your mind, shouldn\u2019t be in a hurry to say something in the Presence of Hashem\u201d. When you\u2019re sitting at the table with your family, your friends, Hashem is present. So keep quiet! \u05db\u05d9 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d0\u05ea\u05d4 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u2013 \u201cHashem is in the heavens and you\u2019re down below on the earth, \u05e2\u05dc \u05db\u05df \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05da \u05de\u05e2\u05d8\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 Therefore your words should be few\u201d. Oh, now something else comes into the picture;Elokimis now in the picture!Elokimis inshomayim, above you, looking at you. And you\u2019re down on this earth. \u05e2\u05dc \u05db\u05df \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05da \u05de\u05e2\u05d8\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cThat\u2019s why your words must be few.\u201dIf a man opens up his mouth and words flow out without restraint, so it means he doesn\u2019t feel like he\u2019s inanybody\u2019spresence! Let\u2019s say you were standing in the presence of the mayor, or in front of the president of the United States \u2013 he\u2019s not such an important person today \u2013 but still you wouldn\u2019t talk too much in his presence. You definitely wouldn\u2019t be shooting off your mouth.DO YOU HAVE EMUNAH IN THE PRESIDENT?Now \u05dc\u05d4\u05d1\u05d3\u05d9\u05dc \u05d0\u05dc\u05e3 \u05d4\u05d1\u05d3\u05dc\u05d5\u05ea, if you are talking with thegadol hador,with let\u2019s say Rav Shach, Rav Moshe Feinstein, whoever is thegadol hador, would you talk much? If you have any sense you wouldn\u2019t say a word! Let\u2019s say you meet the Sigheter Rav, you\u2019re standing in front of the Satmerer Rav, and somebody comes over to you, \u201cHey, Chaim! What time is it?\u201d Would you say, \u201cIt\u2019s three o\u2019clock\u201d?! No you keep quiet, you keep your mouth shut; you\u2019re standing in front of yourrebbeh! Lethimtalk; you keep quiet. \u05d7\u05db\u05dd \u05d0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05de\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc \u05de\u05de\u05e0\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cSomeone withchochmadoesn\u2019t open his mouth when he\u2019s standing in front of somebody bigger than him\u201d (Avos 5:7).So the fact that you keep your mouth closed indicates that you realize that you\u2019re standing in the Presence of Hashem. It\u2019s a demonstration that you possess a sensory perception of the closeness of Hashem; it\u2019s not merely words, theories. Just like you wouldn\u2019t talk in the presence of somebody important, you don\u2019t open your mouth in the presence ofElokim bashomayim.You keep quiet, at least as quiet as you would be in front of the President. At least that! If the President of the United States was standing here, you\u2019d be careful with every word that comes out of your mouth! That means you believe in the President more than you believe in Hashem!THE PECULIAR MAN OF OURPARSHASo now we can understand why thisfrumman is shunned by Hashem, sent out to live in solitude. If he\u2019s hasty with words, if he doesn\u2019t think before he speaks, so he needs to be sent out where he will have time to think about this great principle ofElokimbashomayim. Themetzorahad to cover his mouth, did you know that? It\u2019s an openpossuk:\u05d5\u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05e4\u05dd \u05d9\u05e2\u05d8\u05d4, it means that he had to wear his cloak in certain way so that it covered his mouth. What for? Because he was proclaiming to the world this lesson! Part of hiskapparahwas to walk around dressed in this peculiar way; and he had to make a lot of noise too: \u05d8\u05de\u05d0 \u05d8\u05de\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e7\u05e8\u05d0, wherever he went he had to proclaim to everyone that he\u2019stamei.So here\u2019s a man with his cloak covering half his face, all the way over his mouth, and in his muffled voice he\u2019s crying out: \u201cI\u2019mtamei, I\u2019mtamei!\u201d It was a strange sight, and anyone who saw him took his condition to heart and learned that he\u2019d better get busy covering up his mouth before thenegacomes tohim. And so we gained a lot by seeing ametzorawith his covered mouth.GAINING EMUNAH; A GUIDEWhat we\u2019re learning is that no matter howfruma person is, he has to havehargasha,emunahchushis, that he\u2019s standing in front of Hashem and that\u2019s why he doesn\u2019t talk. What does that mean? Suppose you\u2019re an ordinary Jew who never worked on these concepts; you don\u2019t actually feel the Presence of Hashem. But you\u2019d like to do it; you aspire to become ama\u2019amin. Now, certainly you won\u2019t admit that you\u2019re not ama\u2019amin, but at least you\u2019ll admit that you don\u2019t feel the Presence of Hashem all the time. And so by training yourself not to talk just for this purpose; each time you wish to open your mouth you remind yourself: \u05db\u05d9 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d0\u05ea\u05d4 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05e2\u05dc \u05db\u05df \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05da \u05de\u05e2\u05d8\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cHashem is listening and therefore your words should be few.\u201d And little by little you bring into yourneshamaan awareness of this tremendous principle, and you thereby achieveyiras Hashem.When someone approaches you and makes a remark, don\u2019t be in a hurry to answer. You\u2019d like to talk; you have a wisecrack or a rejoinder, you want to say something. \u201cNo. I won\u2019t say it because I\u2019m standing in front of Hashem.\u201d Sometimes you don\u2019t have to answer at all. If someone says something to you, do you have to say something back? Let\u2019s say a cow says moo, do you have to moo back? A dog barks as you pass by, you have to bark back? So if someone speaks to you, unless it\u2019s necessary, don\u2019t say anything. Just listen. Who says you have to answer?And suppose you must answer; sometimes youmustsay something, so you should count your words. You know, some people are like a faucet; they start pouring out all they have. All the emptiness they have in their minds comes pouring out. That means that they\u2019re beingmasiach da\u2019asfrom Hashem. A person must always keep in mind that Hashem is listening. Keeping your mouth closed, and keeping your words few when you do have to speak shows that you haveemunahthat wherever you are Hashem is listening. If you open your mouth and you talk without restraint so it means you think you\u2019re a free bird. It means that you have noemunah,becausebelief in Hashem requires that we should keep quiet. He\u2019s standing right here after all, and He\u2019s listening.Part II.Your New ProfessionEXTRACTING HONEY AND GEMSNow in order to appreciate more this career ofyiras shamayim, we have to see how thegemarain Chullin (89a)darshensapossuk. As a matter of fact, the followinggemarawas once used by the Alter of Slabodkazichronol\u2019vrachaas an illustration of how to appreciate every word of ama\u2019amar chazal.The Alter thought about every word that thechachomimsaid and he sucked as much honey as he could from thema\u2019amar.Thegemaraquotes the followingpossuk: \u05d0\u05de\u05e0\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05dd \u05e6\u05d3\u05e7 \u05ea\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05df \u2013 \u201cThe truth is, silence is appropriate; only speak righteous words\u201d (Tehillim 58:2). That\u2019s theposhut pshat,butchazaldiscovered some hidden gems in thatpossuk.First I\u2019ll say the words of thegemaraand then I\u2019ll tell you how the Alter explained them: \u05d0\u05de\u05e0\u05dd \u2013 \u05de\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05e0\u05ea\u05d5 \u05e9\u05dc \u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05d1\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d4\u05d6\u05d4 \u2013 \u201cWhat is a man\u2019s profession in this world?\u201d From the word \u05d0\u05de\u05e0\u05dd, comesumnus, profession. And thegemaraasks a question: What\u2019s your job here inOlam Hazeh? And thegemarasays that the next word in thepossuk, \u05d0\u05dc\u05dd, that\u2019s the answer: \u05d9\u05e2\u05e9\u05d4 \u05e2\u05e6\u05de\u05d5 \u05db\u05d0\u05dc\u05dd \u2013 \u201cMake yourself as if you were a mute, as if you couldn\u2019t speak.\u201d So we read thepossuklike this: \u05d0\u05de\u05e0\u05dd, what\u2019s yourumnus, your profession? \u05d0\u05dc\u05dd, to be a mute. That\u2019s your business in this world.BARUCH HASHEM FOR ACCOUNTANTS!The first thing we see is that man has aprofessionin this world. A \u201cprofession\u201d means it\u2019s not justa hobby to keep silent, it\u2019s not even just a good thing, an added perfection. No; silence isyourbusinessin this world; that\u2019s what we came into this world for. Now at first glance that\u2019s hard to understand; because how could everyone have the same profession? If everyone was a shoemaker so we\u2019d all have comfortable shoes, but we\u2019d have to tailor our own pants. Without good Jewish accountants we\u2019d be paying a lot of extra money to Uncle Sam.So what we\u2019re learning now is that whatever you\u2019re doing in your life; that\u2019s only your second job, a side business; you have to pay the bills after all. But your mainbusinessin this world is to bek\u2019ileim, to keep your mouth closed.Now, the Alterzichrono l\u2019vrachamade the point that anumnusis not something that you just pick yourself up and do; you have to train yourself for a profession. It\u2019s necessary to undergo a course of training to learn the skill of silence, just like you would for any other serious profession. If you want to be a plumber, let\u2019s say, so you\u2019ll just put on a pair of blue overalls, grab a wrench and that\u2019s all?!BECOMING A PLUMBER IS NOT EASYNobody ever became a plumber by saying \u201cI decided I\u2019m a plumber.\u201d You\u2019re going to have to roll up your sleeves and get under a sink. And you\u2019ll have to lie there on your back and watch the master plumber for months and months learning all the tricks of the trade. You\u2019ll have to carry his tools for him and you watch: When do you use this tool? When do you open that valve? When do you close it? It\u2019s achochma, and there\u2019s a lot to learn. And if silence is our career in life, that means we have a lot to study.To become a professional mute, you can\u2019t just buy a padlock for fifty cents at the corner hardware store, lock your mouth firmly, and then walk around the street without worries. It\u2019s not that easy. If that\u2019s all it was, it wouldn\u2019t be a profession; it would just be a fifty cent expense and finished. But no it\u2019s a profession, it\u2019s the \u201cprofession of a person in this world.\u201dNow the Alter points out something else in thisgemarathat\u2019s worth our attention: It says \u201cWhat is the professionsheladamin this world?\u201d The profession of anadam! It\u2019sthisprofession, making yourself into anileim, a mute, that will cause you to earn the title ofadam. Anadamis expected not to open his mouth unless it\u2019s justified. And only the one who has mastered this art can boast that he\u2019s made it, that he\u2019s graduated. Otherwise, you\u2019re not anadam. Maybe you\u2019re a croaking frog, or a blue jay; something you are, absolutely; you\u2019re making noise after all. But you\u2019re not yet anadamunless you\u2019ve mastered this career of silence.GET BUSY BANGING YOUR HEAD!Now, what usually happens when I speak on this subject? I\u2019ll tell you. There\u2019s always one idealist who wants to get busy accomplishing. Why not? Rabbi Miller said so! He said it\u2019s a profession foreveryone. A young man who comes here and he\u2019s inspired by the words of theAlter; he\u2019s ready now to make changes! So he goes home after the lecture, and as soon as he walks into the house he hears his mother talking on the phone. So he bangs on the table, \u201cUh, uh, uh. Nu, nu!\u201d He wants to make sure his mother knows whathernew profession is!So theAltertells us that we have to know how to learn ama\u2019amar chazal.Thegemarasaysya\u2019aseh atzmo\u2013 \u201cMakeyourselfinto a speechless person.\u201d Yourself! Oh, that\u2019s a different story already. What are you banging on the table for? Get busy banging onyour ownhead! Don\u2019t bother others!That means when a man comes home to his wife, and he heard my lecture tonight, and now his wife wants to talk, she wants to tell him about what happened with the children today. And also she\u2019s talking about what her sister said and probably some other things as well. So he should let her talk about whatever she wants. He shouldn\u2019t say, \u201cKeep quiet; in this house we work on producing silence.\u201d He\u2019s a dumbbell! He\u2019s working onhersilence!Ya\u2019aseh atzmo!He has to makehimselfanileim; that\u2019s who he has to worry about.TALK TO PAPA!Now this profession, this career we\u2019re speaking about tonight, wouldn\u2019t be so difficult if all you had to do was to buy a padlock. Mazel tov, you\u2019re anileim! But that\u2019s not what Chazal are demanding of you; it doesn\u2019t say you shouldbeanileim, it saysk\u2019ileim, likea mute. You know that the extra letterkafseems like an unnecessary addition. It could have just as well said, \u201cMake yourself into anileim.\u201d What\u2019sya\u2019aseh atzmo k\u2019ileim, make yourselflikea mute?What it means is that youcan\u2019tpadlock your lips shut! You have to make yourselfk\u2019ileim,likea mute,as ifyou can\u2019t speak. You have to talk, and sometimes you have to talk and talk, but you have to talk like somebody who is anileim. If you have to walk through the street, you have to say good morning or good evening to the people you see. You can\u2019t just walk around with a deadpan face ignoring people. Why should your neighbor suffer because you\u2019re learning a new profession?! You come into the home, so you have to walk in and say, \u201cHow was your day Chanaleh?\u201d At least that you have to say! You can\u2019t come in and be anileim. A boy comes in from the yeshiva, he can\u2019t walk in quietly and go to his room. He has to say \u201cVus machstu mammeh?\u201d \u201cHow are you Papa?\u201dSomethinghe has to say! He\u2019sk\u2019ileim, not anileim mamish.That\u2019s why thegemarasays,Yachol la\u2019kol \u2013\u201cYou might think that once you adopt this practice so you shouldn\u2019t open your mouth foranything.\u201d \u05ea\u05dc\u05de\u05d5\u05d3 \u05dc\u05d5\u05de\u05e8 \u05e6\u05d3\u05e7 \u05ea\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05df \u2013 \u201cSo thepossuksays, \u2018Speak righteousness.\u2019\u201d When it comes to words of righteousnessyou have to talk.\u201dDivreiTorahyou have to talk. Words of kindliness you have to talk. If someone is sad and dejected youmustgo over and put your arm around his shoulders and say a few kind words to him.Tzedek tidabeirun. Good things youmustsay!DON\u2019T COMPLIMENT THE CHALLAH\u2026To say words of encouragement to your fellow man, to comfort a fellow Jew, that\u2019s what you have a mouth for, that\u2019s part of your profession. You don\u2019t have to babble though. Think of ways and means of making people happy, by saying a timely word. If it\u2019s a child then sometimes a littlegletton the cheek and a word or two can be a lifesaver. Tell him something that buoys his self respect, something that gives him the ambition to continue improving.If you tell your wife that she cooks well \u2013 that\u2019s very important by the way \u2013 that\u2019stzedek. You make sure to compliment your wife when she serves you anything: \u201cChanaleh, this challah tastes excellent.\u201d Now if she bought it at the bakery, make surenotto praise thechallah; find something else to bem\u2019shabeiach. \u201cThis chicken soup ism\u2019ein Olam Habah,Chanaleh. Yi\u2019yasheir koi\u2019ach\u201dNow usually itdoestaste good; you can find many things to compliment. Don\u2019t be bashful! It\u2019s not the time to bek\u2019ileim\u2013 now it\u2019s time fortzedek tidabeirun.And even if it happens, an unusual incident, when supper is not such a success, if you\u2019ll say it\u2019s excellent, there\u2019s no harm either. Only that most people have it all wrong; when they have what to complain about, then the words come gushing forth, pearls of \u201cwisdom.\u201d But when it\u2019s time fortzedek tidabeirun,then suddenly this \u201ctzadik\u201d remembers his profession of beingk\u2019ileim.PRACTICE MAKES PERFECTIt\u2019s an art. Sometimes you have to talk and talk, but you have to talk like anileim. You\u2019re always careful not to say what you\u2019re not supposed to say. But what you have to say, you must say. So when you come home tonight and your wife says, \u201cWhat did he say over there?\u201d Don\u2019t say \u201cUmmmmmm.\u201d Say something. Say it briefly but say something. Don\u2019t just keep your mouth closed.K\u2019ileim,likea mute! Oh, now that\u2019s already anumnus. It\u2019s harder than just lying on your back under a sink studying how to plumb!And therefore we should get busy practicing this profession ofshtikahbecause it means that we\u2019re practicing the career ofyirasshamayim! You\u2019re sitting at the table at the Shabbosseudah, and everyone is prattling away. Talking and talking and talking. So what do you do? You say to yourself, \u201cI\u2019m going to train myself now for my profession in this world. I\u2019m going to sit for two minutes \u2013 two minutes on the clock \u2013 and listenand not open my mouth.\u201dLet\u2019s say you were forced to go somewhere; sometimes you have to go to visit your in-laws in Boro Park. You can\u2019t say no this time. So they\u2019re eatingmelave malkaand everybody is chatting. Or maybe you\u2019re sitting at achasunaand all around you all the tongues are clacking. While their minds are being ground to pieces by the idle chatter, you can grab the opportunity for getting to work on your profession. So you\u2019re paying attention; you\u2019re trying to seem interested, smiling at the right times. But you\u2019re telling yourself, \u201cChaim, keep the mouth closed. As much as you can keep quiet becauseElokimisbashomayimlistening.\u201dPart III.The Best MedicineVALUABLE HEALTH ADVICENow, to make a career out of silence because ofElokim Bashomayim, that would be enough. That\u2019s our primary obligation in this world \u2013 to prepare forOlam Hababy training ourselves to become more and more aware of Hashem. But it\u2019s more than that; it\u2019s also your happiness and success inOlam Hazeh!There\u2019s amishnahinAvos(1:17) that says the following: \u05e9\u05de\u05e2\u05d5\u05df \u05d1\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05e8, \u201cShimon, the son of Rabban Gamliel said, \u05db\u05dc \u05d9\u05de\u05d9 \u05d2\u05d3\u05dc\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05d9\u05dd, all the days of my life I grew up among the wise men, \u05d5\u05dc\u05d0 \u05de\u05e6\u05d0\u05ea\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d2\u05d5\u05e3 \u05d8\u05d5\u05d1 \u05de\u05e9\u05ea\u05d9\u05e7\u05d4, and I found nothing better for the body than silence.\u201d Now, if someone on the street would offer you some health advice, I don\u2019t know how valuable it would be; could be it\u2019s worth something, but you never know for sure. But here you have a man who spent years and years sitting at the feet of the sages. \u201cAll my days, I grew up among the sages.\u201d And he heard many important ideas, many important attitudes, and he studied them all. And after many years of investigating he came to the conclusion that of all the things that are good for a person, the best one isshesikah,silence.Now if Shimon bequeathed to us this gem, it pays for us to study his words. He said, \u201cI\u2019ve found nothing better for thebodythan silence.\u201d He didn\u2019t say it\u2019s the best for yourneshama; it\u2019s certainlyisgood for your soul too, but Shimon is telling us here that for yourphysical health, there is nothing as good as keeping your mouth closed. If you\u2019re worried about your health, if you\u2019re a person who wants to live a long healthy life, then the first thing to think about is the remedy of silence. \u05e1\u05de\u05d0 \u05d3\u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05de\u05e9\u05ea\u05d5\u05e7\u05d0 \u2013 \u201cThe best medicine of all is silence\u201d (Megillah 18a).THE CAUSE OF MOST ILLNESSESYou know that most illnesses, most of the disturbances that take place in our bodies, are caused by emotions that have aroused a raw reaction in our bodies. It\u2019s remarkable what a great effect emotions have on a person\u2019s physical nature. We are full of glands and hormones that stimulate the functions of the body; and if the body is overstimulated by emotions like anger, tension, and nerves, then instead of being beneficial, these hormones are harmful.It\u2019s established already in medical science. All over the body there are results that come from wrong stimulation of the emotions. And how are the emotions stimulated most? Talking! Someone says something and you answer back, then you talk and argue, and that\u2019s when the trouble begins. The metabolism is upset and very many people become ill as a result. A world of illnesses are caused by talking. Very many cases of cancer are due to friction in human relationships.YOUR MIGHTY MOUTHA man told me, \u201cDo you know why I\u2019m blind?\u201d A blind man told me this. Because he was so aggravated \u2013 these are his words \u2013 he was so aggravated because of troubles in the family that he acquired diabetes and became blind. Blindness many times comes from aggravation, from excitation. When people go to an eye specialist one of the first questions they\u2019ll ask you is, \u201cDo you get angry or excited?\u201d Dovid Hamelech said (Tehillim 6:8) \u05e2\u05e9\u05e9\u05d4 \u05de\u05db\u05e2\u05e1 \u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cMy eye became worn out because ofka\u2019as, \u05e2\u05ea\u05e7\u05d4 \u05de\u05db\u05dc \u05e6\u05d5\u05e8\u05e8\u05d9, it grew old because of those who aggravated me.\u201d So if you talk to people and get into arguments, it\u2019s bad for your eyesight. And if it\u2019s bad for your eyes that means that it\u2019s wreaking havoc in your body; it\u2019s bad for everything.Heart failure too! You open your mouth when you could have kept it closed and the heart becomes subjected to too much stress; the valves cannot take it and there\u2019s a breakdown somewhere, a weakness in a valve someplace. Just by talking too much, there\u2019s quarreling, there\u2019s tension, nervous excitement, and your heart is suffering from it. I\u2019m not saying that it happens all of a sudden, but gradually your big mouth is weakening your heart, and then one day,chalilah, it breaks down.WHERE DO PEOPLE DIE?I know of a man who dropped dead in the middle of an argument with his wife. He was a fine man, by the way, a good man. But if he would have studied thismishnainPirkei Avos,he would have known \u201cDon\u2019t answer back!\u201d And that would have saved him; he\u2019d probably still be alive today. Who told you to answer back?! If you can be a diplomat and say something nice, do it. But if not, don\u2019t say anything. He was afrumyoung man \u2013 he probably even knew thismishna\u2013 but he never studied it, and so he acted according to his nature and he answered back. He said his piece, and she answered back, and it went back and forth, back and forth until he dropped dead.It happens again and again. Don\u2019t you read sometimes in the paper \u2013 a certain man, so and so, died of heart failure. Where did his heart attack happen? Did he die in his business because of his competitors? No, people don\u2019t die because of their competitors. Did he die on the street because someone in the street insulted him? People don\u2019t usually die because someone insulted them. He dies at home! People die because of their wives! Of course the newspaper will never say that. The obituary published in the newspapers will never say, \u201cMr. Anderson dropped dead Sunday night after an argument with his wife!\u201d No, no, it won\u2019t say that! It says, \u201cMr. Anderson died peacefully in his sleep at his home this past Sunday.\u201d But if you know how to read the obituary pages, so you already know what that means.COMMUNICATION ISSUES?Why didn\u2019t he die at his business? Why at his home? The answer is at home he has a wife, and most people die as a result of words. I\u2019m not saying he\u2019s right \u2013 who told him to react?! Who told him to bump his head against a stone wall? Arguing with a wife? Do you know what it\u2019s like? It\u2019s like he\u2019s sticking a needle into her, a real needle. And she\u2019s sticking needles into him. Is that fun? All of their lives they are \u201cneedling\u201d each other. Only that his heart, his constitution was a bit weaker than his wife\u2019s. You can\u2019t win an argument! You think you\u2019ll win an argument with your wife?! You\u2019ll never win! The only real way to win an argument is to avoid it. So don\u2019t get excited over nothing. Keep quiet and that\u2019s all. Just keep quiet! And both of you will live longer as a result. And you\u2019ll live happier lives as well.Women call me up; they say, \u201cWe have communication issues. My husband doesn\u2019t \u2018communicate\u2019 with me.\u201d The trouble isthere\u2019s too much communication! If they wouldn\u2019t communicate so much they\u2019d be much better off; in most cases people will profit by not talking.IGNORE THE BUMIn Mesichta Sanhedrin (7a) it says: \u05d8\u05d5\u05d1\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d3\u05e9\u05de\u05e2 \u05d5\u05d0\u05d3\u05d9\u05e9 \u2013 \u201cHappy is the man who hears people saying things that insult him, that bother him, and he ignores it, \u05d7\u05dc\u05e4\u05d5\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d9\u05e9\u05ea\u05d9\u05d4 \u05de\u05d0\u05d4 \u2013 A hundred evils will pass him by.\u201d Memorize those words; say them to yourself again and again. Learn to ignore any words you don\u2019t like; somebody said something sharp to you, so \u05e9\u05de\u05e2, you heard it, but \u05d0\u05d3\u05d9\u05e9, it doesn\u2019t bother you. Pay no attention; make believe you never even heard it, and you\u2019ll be spared from many troubles. If your husband is mean to you, pay no attention. If your wife is mean to you, pay no attention. And one hundred evils will pass you by. You\u2019ll live together happily for the rest of your life.Most of the time, a punch in the nose is a result of opening up a mouth instead of ignoring. Suppose you\u2019re walking in the street and a bum says something insulting to you. Forget about it! Don\u2019t feel that you have to stand up and defend your honor. Oh no! Don\u2019t do that. I know a man who did that and he got beaten up. Don\u2019t even look at him; it\u2019s dangerous. As far as you\u2019re concerned you didn\u2019t hear it, you didn\u2019t hear anything. Keep walking and in another minute, you\u2019re out of danger.And thank Hashem that you\u2019re able to keep on walking. If it\u2019s a goy who insults you, so you can give him abrachathat he should drop dead. Don\u2019t let him hear you though! Don\u2019t even mutter; don\u2019t say it with your mouth. The mouth always stays closed!CHINESE WISDOM FOR LIFEI was walking in the street once, and twoshkutzim, two young men came over to me and blocked the sidewalk; they didn\u2019t let me go further. I couldn\u2019t walk; I was stuck. So I got out off the sidewalk and I kept going. I didn\u2019t say anything, I didn\u2019t even take a peek over my shoulder. Suppose I looked back and said, \u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing? What right do you have to do that?\u201d Ohhh, what would have happened to me! Don\u2019t be achacham, a hero. I always quote to you the wise Chinese proverb. The Chinamen say \u201cThe greatest hero is the one who runs away.\u201d If you ignore and run away you\u2019re a hero. And the one who opens up his mouth is not a hero, he\u2019s a loser.I always say this story; it\u2019s a tragic story. A young man from YU was going onchamisha asar b\u2019shvatoutingto Madison Square Garden. He was with a group of younger boys, achaburahof boys with yarmulkes on, and he was leading them. And two twenty year oldshkutzimwere ridiculing the boys\u2019yarmulkas. Now this young man, he didn\u2019t take the advice ofchazal. At least the Chinese he should have listened to!Instead he looked at the gentile boys with anger and said something. Now agoy bleibt a goy,so theshkutzimwent back to their car, they took out a hammer from the trunk, and they attacked him. They hit him over the head with the hammer and they killed him. He died there on the street,nebach. That\u2019s why it says, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing betterfor the bodythan keeping quiet.\u201dHOW TO DEAL WITH HATELet\u2019s say somebody calls you on the telephone and insults you. It happened to me a number of times. People have called the house and cursed me. You know what I did? I didn\u2019t say a word! Not a word! And they hung up. It happened again a few months ago and I knew who it was; I knew. And after that he came into myshulone evening todavenand I didn\u2019t say a word. And it was finished. But once you start up with these people, who knows what\u2019s going to be? A word for a word and it turns into who knows what! There\u2019s no knowing how it\u2019s going to end up! So just grin and bear it.How many people have lost their jobs by talking back to their boss? Sometimes their boss is in a bad mood, so just swallow down what he said and it could be that an hour later he\u2019ll be a good boss. He might even promote you. I had that experience once. In my first position inrabbanus, a man once came into a meeting of the board of directors and he made a grand announcement: He said, \u201cRabbi Miller, I greeted you last week and you didn\u2019t answer me! You didn\u2019t answer me \u2018Good Shabbos.\u2019\u201d He brought it up to the board of directors at a meeting; a complaint against the new rabbi. So the president of the shul came over and asked me about it. Now, it wasn\u2019t true, but I didn\u2019t say anything. I could have opened my mouth, but I remembered thisma\u2019amar chazaland I kept my mouth closed.RABBI MILLER GETS A RAISE!I met this man again and again, he was a shul member, and I was always friendly to him. One day he gets up by the meeting of the board of directors and he makes a motion to give me a raise.Thisman! No one thought of giving me a raise except this one man! Now, had I answered him back it would have never happened. And so I learned the lesson that it \u201cpays\u201d to keep your mouth closed.I\u2019ve seen it all! I\u2019ve watched as people put themselves in danger by opening a mouth. Just because they answered back, I\u2019ve watched good people lose jobs, lose customers. They lost their wives or their husbands, siblings and friends. And sooner or later they lose themselves; they excite wrong reactions in their bodies and they end up sick. Many lose years from their life because of their mouths.THE KEY TO A GOOD LIFEAnd that\u2019s what Dovid Hamelech tells us (Tehillim 34:13-14): \u05de\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d9\u05e9 \u05d4\u05d7\u05e4\u05e5 \u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cWho is the man who wants life?\u201d We think it means eternal life, and that\u2019s true; but it\u2019s not the whole truth. There\u2019s more to it: Who wants to livein this world? \u05d0\u05d5\u05d4\u05d1 \u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cYou\u2019re anoheiv yomim?\u201d You like days, don\u2019t you? You want more and more of them. \u05dc\u05e8\u05d0\u05d5\u05ea \u05d8\u05d5\u05d1 \u2013 \u201cYou want to see happiness and good times during those days?\u201d You want to see yourself getting along well with others? You want a successful marriage? You want to see good health? That\u2019s all included inlir\u2019os tov.\u201cOh,\u201d you say. \u201cThat\u2019s me! I want to live long! I want to see good times!\u201dBut you don\u2019t! You\u2019re not really interested in trying to live long. You\u2019ll say it, you\u2019ll repeat it, you\u2019ll even sing it, but you don\u2019t think about it. You have to take steps to live long, and one of the most important steps is tokeep the mouth closed. \u05e0\u05e6\u05d5\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05da \u05de\u05e8\u05e2 \u2013 \u201cGuard your tongue against evil\u201d. What does \u201cevil\u201d mean? Not only you shouldn\u2019t say derogatory things about people or quarrel with them. The reallashon harais opening your mouth to say stupid things, to chatter and babble and say nothing. The general rule is to keep your tongue on the inside of the mouth and keep the mouth closed; that\u2019s the rule you should follow. If we live according to that, our physical happiness in this world will increase and we will attain a life oflir\u2019os tov,of seeing good times.A MOMENT OF SILENCESo we go back to the great principle that the job of a person in this world is to learn the skill of being quiet, the profession of being like anileim. And before we conclude we\u2019ll listen to the words of a great man, the Vilna Gaon (Igeres Hagra); these words deserve to be remembered by us. \u05e9\u05e2\u05dc \u05db\u05dc \u05e8\u05d2\u05e2 \u05d5\u05e8\u05d2\u05e2 \u2013 \u201cFor every moment, for every minute, \u05e9\u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05d7\u05d5\u05e1\u05dd \u05e4\u05d9\u05d5 \u2013 that a man muzzles his mouth, \u05d6\u05d5\u05db\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d0\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d2\u05e0\u05d5\u05d6 \u2013 He\u2019ll be rewarded by that secret brilliance, \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05db\u05dc \u05de\u05dc\u05d0\u05da \u05d9\u05db\u05d5\u05dc \u05dc\u05e9\u05e2\u05e8 \u2013 that no creature, no angel, is capable of measuring its magnitude.\u201dThe splendor of reward is so great for one minute of silence! We\u2019re not talking about a whole lifetime of silence; he says there that for everymomentthat you keep your mouth closed, you\u2019ll be rewarded with a splendor, a brilliance that is so great that even an angel is not capable of measuring the magnitude, the extent of its greatness. I know that this is a very extreme statement but the Vina Gaon is a very responsible personality. So it\u2019s not only a profession ofyiras shamayim, and not only is it the best advice for good health and long life, but it\u2019s a career that will reward you beyond your highest dreams.LEARNING THE LESSONAnd so we have to get busy. How can you read about themetzoraevery year, and continue to ignore the lessons for your own life? Even if today we aren\u2019t privileged to see the miraculous hand of Hashem bringingtzara\u2019ason a person, but the lessons remain as applicable today as they were then. When Hashem separated a good man, a loyal frum Jew, from his family and friends, he was expected to learn this lesson of \u201cElokimisba\u2019shomayimlistening to you \u2026 therefore your words should be few.\u201d And we, no less than him, are expected to learn that lesson as well.And so we have to delve into thesepesukimand apply them to our own lives. This man had to cover his mouth; what about me? Am I anadamyet? Am I producing enough silence? Am I succeeding at my profession of making myselfk\u2019ileim? And so when we study thisparsha, we can\u2019t just let it pass by. As often as you can during the day, a minute here and a minute there, you remind yourself that it\u2019s your job to be as silent as you can. Not complete silence \u2013tzedektidabeirun! But as far as everything else we will try to be as careful as possible and remember that \u05dc\u05da \u05d3\u05d5\u05de\u05d9\u05d4 \u05ea\u05d4\u05d9\u05dc\u05d4, to You Hashem silence is praise, and thereby we gain the great reward of Hashem, a reward unknown even to the angels. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.