UTJ Viewpoints

שמעון בנו אומר כל ימי גדלתי בין החכמים

1. ולא מצאתי לגוף טוב אלא שתיקה

2. ולא המדרש הוא העיקר אלא המעשה

3. וכל המרבה דברים מביא חטא :

Rabban Gamaliel’s son, saw that to survive and to impose order on chaos, one must be a good listener. He does not command; he observes:

1. I [in my anecdotal experience in my father’s house, amongst the Jewish aristocracy, the “betters” amongst the Jews] who was raised among scholars, silence is best for the body [an economy of language prevents careless words that endanger lives]

2. the talking point/theoretical idea is not essential; the right deed is essential.

3. If you talk too much, you will elicit sin. Talking carelessly leads to gossip, slander, hurtful words and when dealing with adversaries, danger.

R. Shimon, being one of then ten martyrs, lived and died in dangerous times. Loose lips sink ships; unleashed words are pointed swords. Sometimes, we lower the decibel level in order to dissipate temper.

Recall that the Roman concept of a “just war” required a pretext as a condition of conquest. The Romans spoke the language of law but acted out of selfish self-interest.

There is a significance to the phrase order as well. Since silence is a source of good, the spoken word, like the potential deed, carries less value than the kinetic deed that is done. Speaking excessively, that is beyond both silence and necessary speech, leaves one vulnerable to error, the original meaning of het.