Avos 1:17

בס״ד

אבות א:יז

Shimon, his son, says: I’ve grown up among Sages my entire life, and have found that — Nothing is better for a body than silence; Good deeds are better than fancy explanations; And whoever babbles on invites sin.

שִׁמְעוֹן בְּנוֹ אוֹמֵר, כָּל יָמַי גָּדַלְתִּי בֵין הַחֲכָמִים, וְלֹא מָצָאתִי לַגּוּף טוֹב אֶלָּא שְׁתִיקָה. וְלֹא הַמִּדְרָשׁ הוּא הָעִקָּר, אֶלָּא הַמַּעֲשֶׂה. וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה דְבָרִים, מֵבִיא חֵטְא:

        Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel I was killed during the war that led to the Temple’s destruction.  He is not to be confused with his grandson, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel II (see the next mishnah), who helped reconstruct the Sages’ traditions after the Bar Kokhba wars.

        Like many Sages, Rabban Shimon was very aware of the power of words and the danger of misusing them.  His three comments build on each other.  Silence in the presence of Sages is a precondition for learning.  By listening without interruption we absorb their teachings and learn how to embody them.  We learn how to act properly, and don’t need lots of excuses for our failure to use our knowledge wisely.  And the more we make excuses, the more we trap ourselves in our own failures.  When we have the merit of living our lives among true embodiments of Torah, silent study of their actions and emulation of their attitudes is better than lots of talk without devoted practice.

        This mishnah on the value of silence inspired Rambam to write a wonderful essay on the 5 kinds of language.  The first is language that we are commanded to use — such as Torah-study.  The second is prohibited language — such as false oaths and gossip.  The third is language that we should avoid because it is useless — tall tales and idle chatter.  The fourth is praiseworthy language — language that encourages moral reflection and personal growth.  The fifth is optional language — whatever is necessary to conduct the business of life without entering into gossip, idle talk, and so on.

        Under the category of praiseworthy language, Rambam includes songs that might be sung at simkhas after a few l’khayyims — as long as they are tasteful and lead the emotions towards love and admiration of HaShem.  He points out that in his own day, some Rabbis opposed the singing of songs in secular languages.  In contrast, he rules that if a secular song leads one toward the Torah, it is much better than a Hebrew song that does not.  In fact, Rambam is firmly against using Hebrew for secular songs altogether, since Hebrew is lashon hakodesh.

        I always wonder what he’d say about the beautiful songs of Naomi Shemer or the poem of Rakhel, Eli, Eli.  Translated, it goes like this:

My God, My God,

May these things forever be —

The shore and the sea,

The rush of the waters,

The clap of the thunder,

And the prayers of human beings.

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