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?¡¯¡¯
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