SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON

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SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
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Sound Advice
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I offer the following advice to anyone who seeks to guard his tongue from speaking the forbidden: Train yourself to refrain from engaging in any conversation while in a beis midrash (study hall) or beis haknesses (synagogue). The benefits of this practice are many:
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(1) One fulfills the great mitzvah of displaying respect for the awesome sanctity of these places.1
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(2) His Torah study is untainted by disruption (see Day 61) and his prayers are likewise uninterrupted and not lacking even one Amen or Yehei Shemei Rabba, each a priceless, irreplaceable treasure. Conversely, to disregard these responses is a serious sin.
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(3) The average Jewish male spends approximately four hours a day in the beis haknesses for the three daily prayers. (This figure takes into account the fact that most people remain in the synagogue [studying and praying privately] for a while after the prayer has ended.2) He spends another two hours in the beis hamidrash studying Torah — a total of six hours, or one-fourth of each twenty four period. Thus, one who scrupulously avoids idle conversation in halls of Divine service is assured of having spent at least one-fourth of his lifetime on this earth engaged in Torah study and prayer and having avoided all forms of forbidden speech.
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(4) Having trained oneself to avoid conversation for these six hours, one will find it relatively easy to refrain from speaking loshon hora the remainder of the day.
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1. The Torah states, “Observe My Sabbaths and revere My sanctuary — I am Hashem” (Vayikra 26:2). The status of the synagogue and study hall as “miniature sanctuaries” demands proper reverence. “Regarding synagogues, one may not conduct himself with levity in them, one may not eat in them, nor may one drink in them, nor may one adorn himself in them, nor may one stroll around in them, nor may one enter them in the summer to escape the heat or in the rainy season to escape the rain ...” (Megillah 28a). Included under “levity” is mundane conversation, such as matters pertaining to business (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 151:1).
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2. The Chofetz Chaim wrote these words in the late 1800’s.

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Keep reading Day 63, the lesson for Shabbos

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SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
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Talking During the Torah Reading
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Unfortunately, idle conversations often begin with stories that are filled from beginning to end with loshon hora. When held in the synagogue, such conversations usually begin prior to the Torah reading, but when the reading commences, the speaker continues his narrative so that he speaks loshon hora even as the words of our holy Torah are being read. Often, this person is among the distinguished members of the congregation whose seat is at the eastern wall, so that his sin is committed in full view of everyone. In this way, one is guilty of desecrating Hashem’s Name in public, meaning, in the presence of ten Jews, a most severe form of chilul Hashem.
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Note how many prohibitions this man has transgressed:
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(1) The prohibition against speaking loshon hora, aside from numerous other commandments both positive and negative [which one might transgress when speaking loshon hora].
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(2) The sin of “You shall not desecrate My Holy Name” (Vayikra?22:32), which, as mentioned above, was transgressed in public.
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(3) He has ignored the Torah reading; even if he has missed a single verse or even a single word, his sin is enormous. For our Sages consider it a serious sin even to leave the synagogue while the Torah reading is in progress; how much more so regarding one who is present in the beis haknesses (synagogue) and whose craving for idle conversation and loshon hora causes him to ignore the word of the Living God! Often, this occurs on Shabbos, when the sin is far greater than on a weekday, as is stated in many holy works.
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To all of the above is added the sin of engaging in idle conversation in the beis haknesses or beis midrash, which is a great sin as stated in Shulchan Aruch — and certainly when such conversation is in the form of loshon hora

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