here are, unfortunately, people who forever gossip, perhaps as a result of their inactivity and their need for social involvement.
Unless one honestly feels that he can help such a person to mend his ways, he should avoid his company entirely. If contact with such a person unavoidable, it should be minimized to whatever degree possible.T
One must also avoid settings that are prone to discussions of gossip. Ideally, one should find a way to permanently change the nature of conversation at such settings
so that those present will be spared the evils of rechilus.
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SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
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Market Day
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A merchant who conducts all his business at the regional market has plenty of time off during the long intervals when the market
is closed. But can he vacation while the market is open? Certainly not ¡ª that is, if he intends to earn a decent livelihood so that he can provide for his family.
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In the spiritual realm, this world is the ¡°market¡± and every day is ¡°market day.¡¯¡¯ It is in this world that one must acquire the
merits which will earn him the light of the World to Come. If one approaches Torah and mitzvos with laziness and allows his days to pass by with little accomplishment, what will he bring with him when his days on this world are over?
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King Shlomo exhorts us: ¡°Whatever you are able to do with your might, do it. For there is neither doing nor reckoning nor knowledge
nor wisdom in the grave where you are going¡± (Koheles 9:10). A Jew must serve Hashem with the full strength of his spirit, and accomplish whatever is within his power, for the next world is the place of reward where the opportunity for accomplishment is no
more. As the Sages comment to the verse, ¡°You shall observe the commandments... that I command you today, to perform them¡± (Devarim 7:11): today ¡ª in this life ¡ª is the time to perform the commandments, while their primary reward is reserved for tomorrow ¡ª
that is, for the World to Come (Avodah Zara 4b).
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How much there is to accomplish! One is not seeking to provide for himself for a few months¡¯ time or even for a few years, but for
eternity! Of course, guiding one¡¯s children along the path of Torah is part of providing for oneself in the next world, and this too should be approached with great dedication and care. One who does not have the opportunity to raise children of his own in
the way of Torah should strive to help educate other Jewish children. Whatever the nature of one¡¯s mission on this earth, let him go about fulfilling it in the best possible way.
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[Hillel said:] ¡°And if not now, when?¡¯¡¯
Continue reading Day 65, the lesson for Shabbos
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SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM
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Day 165 ¨C Constructive Listening
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Just as it is not lowly to speak (what would otherwise be considered) rechilus for a constructive purpose, so too it is not wrong to listen to rechilus if the listener
honestly believes that it is important for him to be aware of the information. This includes any discussion that could help the listener protect himself from others who plan to harm him, or to protect others from damage about to be inflicted upon them. It
is also permissible to listen to information that could be of help in rectifying damage already done to oneself or others.
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In these cases, the discussion is not labeled as ¡°gossip¡±; rather it is constructive speech.
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SEFER SHMIRAS HALOSHON
? The Lazy Traveler
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King David pleaded, ¡°I am a sojourner in the world; hide not Your commandments from me¡± (Tehillim 119:19). Man is but a sojourner
on this earth; the World to Come is his eternal home. Realizing that his days of Torah study were numbered, David begged Hashem to reveal to him the wisdom inherent in His commandments.
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Iyov declared, ¡°There is a fixed service-term for man upon earth¡± (Iyov 7:1). A person¡¯s life-span on this earth is allotted to him
with exacting precision. Therefore, one cannot tell himself that he will compensate for having wasted one day by making constructive use of the next day. Each day is a gift for itself; if squandered, it is lost forever.
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This can be illustrated with a parable: A man who had been unable to earn a livelihood sailed to a faraway land in the hope of finding
some way to provide for his family. He remained there for some twenty years, accomplishing nothing in all that time. Lazy by nature, he spent his days strolling here and there, surviving on an occasional handout.
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One day, he was surprised to meet a neighbor from his hometown. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯ve spent all these years doing nothing!¡¯¡¯
the neighbor exclaimed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you come here to find a proper livelihood for yourself?¡¯¡¯
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¡°Oh, I¡¯m quite aware of that,¡¯¡¯ the man responded, ¡°but I still have plenty of time for that ¡ª I¡¯ve only been here twenty years!¡¯¡¯
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¡°Have you lost your mind?¡¯¡¯ the neighbor retorted. ¡°Even if you would be a permanent resident of this land, it would be ridiculous
for you to have wasted so many years of your life. The facts being what they are make your story most incredible. For you came to this land temporarily, for the express purpose of providing for your family. How, then, could you have spent so many years accomplishing
nothing?!¡¯¡¯
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Some people spend their younger years accomplishing little spiritually, content to enjoy what they perceive as the ¡°good life¡¯¡¯ in
this world. They know that life here is not forever, that it is the next world where the soul lives on eternally. However, they convince themselves that there will be time in their old age to concern themselves with matters of the spirit. And so, ten, twenty
or more years swiftly pass, as the cycle of work and relaxation repeats itself again and again, with little earned for the long road that all men eventually travel. Those with such an attitude are like the man in our parable who failed to recognize the real
purpose of his journey.
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Let us make the most of our years, days and hours. The potential for accomplishment is without limit.
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