Divrei Chachamim B’Nachas: Why Gentle Speech Is Heard

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. The Sipuron on the pasuk in Koheles, Divrei chachamim b'nachas nishma'im. The words of the wise are spoken in nachas, in calm. Mitzakas moshel b'ksilim, the moshel, the tyrant, he—how does he rule? He rules with yelling, and that's foolish. Now, if you read the words of the pasuk, Divrei chachamim, it's a wisdom thing. Wise people, they speak b'nachas. But it doesn't say nishma'im; it doesn't say ne'emarim, but it says nishma'im, which means that the people hear it. If you speak yelling, nobody hears you. If you speak b'nachas, nishma'im, it gets heard. Tzakas hamoshel, the moshel is a tyrant; he forces his way. B'ksilim, it doesn't really work. You could yell and scream, but no one hears you. That's how the Sipuron explains the inyan and the importance of speaking b'nachas. Otherwise, you're talking to nobody. You have two people that are learning b'chavrusa, and each guy is yelling at each other. You know who they're talking to? Nobody. Nobody's talking to each other. They're yelling at each other, and nobody's listening. So this is the reason, chachamim—it's a wisdom, it's a wise thing. So the Ramban—let's make a quick chazara—the Ramban seems to learn it's a good midah, that this midah will save you from kaas, which will make you be humble, which will bring you yiras Shamayim. The Chareidim seems to learn nachas is because מלוא כל הארץ כבודו; you're in the presence of Hashem. And in the presence of Hashem, one needs to speak politely and humbly. The Siforno seems to say that it's a chachma; it's the way to communicate with people. Otherwise, nobody listens to anyone, and everyone's just yelling on top of the other. We find in the Aruchos Chaim l'HaRosh—it's another Rishon, the Rosh—he says a different pshat why it's important. What is the inyan behind speaking b'nachas? I quote, Al tashmi'a bachutz kolecha, says the Rosh. Do not let your voice be heard outside. Sometimes the guy speaks so loud you can hear him. Guy's yelling in his car, you hear him from outside the car. Don't speak that loud. V'al titzave'ach k'beheima. Do not yell like an animal. U'dvarecha yihyu b'nachas. So it's about your respect of the person. You have to behave as a human being, as a ben Torah for sure, but even as a regular person, because only animals scream. We were growing up, we grew up with Yiddish. Almost everything in Yiddish, the undertones are Torahdik. They used to say, Vos shrayst vi a beheima? Vos shrayst vi a chaya? What are you screaming like an animal for? Right? That's this Rosh: only an animal screams. And it's interesting, the Rambam brings it that way. Rambam, Hilchos De'os, perek hei, halacha zayin. De'os perek hei, halacha zayin says Rambam, Talmid chacham lo yeh tzo'ek v'tzave'ach. Now it's interesting, he speaks about a talmid chacham, and as he does most of the middos tovos in Hilchos De'os, he attaches it to the way of a talmid chacham, and we've spoken about this in the past. For sure a talmid chacham. Even more so a talmid chacham. A talmid chacham is supposed to be an example for others, but it doesn't mean just because, well, I'm not a talmid chacham, it doesn't apply to me. Should be a talmid chacham. Should behave like a talmid chacham, all right? So the talmid chacham, lo yeitzayek v'tzaveach b'shaas diburo, ki b'heimos v'chayos. V'lo yagbia kolo yoser l'diburo b'nachas kol habriyos. You see clearly that, like the Rosh, the Rambam learned that the inyan of speaking b'nachas, a mensch. A mensch. A mensch, sheket v'a mensch. Speak like a mensch. I would like to point out that we can actually see another pshat, which I did find in the Chareidim as well, and that is, it's not only for your respect that you should speak b'nachas, but it's for the respect of the other person too. When you talk to somebody, so either the b'nachas is the way you—it's about you—or it's about him. Chareidim. Chareidim says the dibur b'nachas is nichlal b'mitzvas...

Havto l'rei'echa kamocha. So it's about how you respect another person. You've just experienced another Torah class, brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.