Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom

First Paragraph: When There Is No Lack, Why Speak?

In Nefesh HaChayim, there is a gloss on the verse in Mishlei (14:23) —
“וְדִבּוּר שְׂפָתַיִם אַךְ לְמַחְסוֹר”
“And speech of the lips [brings] only to lack.”

The annotation explains a piercing truth: when something appears to have a deficiency, words are used to explain, fix, or justify it. But when there is no deficiency, when clarity already exists — why speak at all?

Words try to compensate for what’s missing. But when something is whole, true, and complete, adding more words only weakens it. If there is no hole, don’t dig one with speech.

This is the principle Chazal highlight throughout:

“I found nothing better for the body than silence.” (Pirkei Avot 1:17)

“Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise.” (Mishlei 17:28)

“A word is worth one coin; silence is worth two.” (Chagigah 5b)

The wise understand that speech is not neutral. It is a tool that must be used only when necessary. The rest of the time, silence is the presence of control, not the absence of insight.

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Second Paragraph: When Silence Is a Sin, Not a Virtue

Yet — and this is crucial — silence is not always golden. There are moments when silence is not wisdom, but moral failure.

Take Iyov (Job). The Midrash (Sotah 11a) says that Iyov was among Pharaoh’s advisers during the decree to enslave the Jewish people. Three responses:

Bilaam spoke — wickedly. He was punished.

Yitro protested — he fled. He was rewarded.

Iyov was silent — and for that silence, he was afflicted with terrible suffering.

He did not speak up in the face of injustice. His silence was counted as complicity.

There is a time to be silent, but also a time to speak (Kohelet 3:7). When people are being harmed, when truth is distorted, when injustice reigns — silence is not humility, it is failure.

The Holocaust is perhaps the most tragic and modern proof. The silence of millions — governments, clergy, civilians — enabled the machinery of destruction to operate freely. Silence in such times is not neutral. It is a crime of omission.

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Third Paragraph: Secular Wisdom — Silence as Strength

The value of silence is not only found in Torah sources — life itself has taught this lesson to great thinkers, writers, and observers of the human condition.

Throughout history, philosophers, poets, and leaders have recognized that silence is often more powerful than speech:

“Speech is silver, but silence is golden.”
A proverb of Middle Eastern origin, widely quoted in English since the 19th century. It teaches that talk has value, but silence has greater worth.

Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, wrote:

> “Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”
He understood that true knowledge often does not need expression. It is rooted in being, not in talk.

Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and theologian, observed:

> “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
He pointed to silence as a test of inner strength and clarity.

Mark Twain remarked:

> “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.”
This reflects the art of restraint — the power of not speaking when silence says more.

Abraham Lincoln, paraphrasing Mishlei 17:28, said:

> “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”
Even in governance and leadership, he saw silence as a sign of thoughtfulness and dignity.

These are not sages of Torah — yet they independently arrived at the same conclusion: speech should be rare, precise, and earned. The wise man speaks only when necessary. The fool speaks because he cannot bear silence.

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Closing Reflection

There is a deep wisdom in the silence of sages. It reflects control, humility, and inner clarity.

But there is a higher wisdom in knowing when silence is wrong.

When the world is lacking — words are required.

When people suffer — speech becomes mitzvah.

When evil flourishes — silence is surrender.

As the Nefesh HaChayim notes:

> “But if there is no deficiency — why then [is there] an abundance of words?”

But when there is deficiency — when the world is cracked — silence must be broken by righteous speech.

Let us be wise in knowing when to hold our tongue, and when to raise our voice — both are holy when done at the right time.