{"id":47982,"date":"2019-10-04T05:22:11","date_gmt":"2019-10-04T05:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/?p=47982"},"modified":"2020-09-08T15:50:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-08T15:50:00","slug":"persistent-prattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/persistent-prattle\/","title":{"rendered":"Persistent Prattle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Naaleh_logo\"<\/a>\u00a0Shiur provided courtesy of\u00a0Naaleh.com<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein<\/p>\n

One of the sins we ask atonement for during the\u00a0Viduy<\/i>\/Confession prayer of Yom Kippur is the sin of\u00a0siach sifsoteinu<\/i>\/idle chatter of our lips. ArtScroll explains that our lips sin not only when we pray or study Torah without concentration, but very often when we are uncomfortable with silence and fill the void with aimless chatter.<\/p>\n

Before exploring this sin in greater depth and resolving to improve, it may be worthwhile to understand the two different kinds of\u00a0kabbalot<\/i>\/resolutions one may accept upon himself. Rav Salanter explains that often one resolves to act in a new way following a tragedy, perhaps to memorialize a death so one can remain inspired by the awareness of the tragedy. Or, one can be moved to accept a stringency as an act of teshuvah, to help with the resolution not to sin this way in the future. In this scenario, Rav Salanter explains, there are multiple layers and components to every sin. In this context, he suggests we pick one aspect of the sin to concentrate on rather than the whole sin. With small steps we are more likely to succeed in eventually eradicating our propensity for this sin.<\/p>\n

Rav Meislish explains the sin of\u00a0siach sifsoteinu<\/i>\u00a0in terms related to prayer. During\u00a0tefillah<\/i>, our hearts and minds should be focused on our connecting with Hakodosh Boruch Hu through the words our lips are pronouncing. If our minds and hearts are elsewhere while our lips are mouthing the words, we have transgressed and degraded the holy words of the prayer. This is equally true when we are making a\u00a0brachah<\/i>\u00a0or answering\u00a0Amen<\/i>\u00a0to someone else\u2019s blessing.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Heorat Derech<\/i>, Rabbi Weissblum observes that there are different words for speech in the Hebrew language, each with a different connotation. Thoughtful, articulated speech is called\u00a0dibur<\/i>. [Think of the Ten\u00a0Devarim<\/i>\/Commandments. CKS] Thoughtless speech, prattle, on the other hand, is referred to as\u00a0siach<\/i>, analogous to\u00a0siach hasadeh<\/i>, the wild, untended shrubbery, like tumbleweed in the desert. This can refer to both thoughtless conversation or thoughtless prayer.<\/p>\n

Certainly we are meant to speak for all practical purposes, for business or food preparation or childcare, for example, but our words in most other circumstances should be measured. After all, the medrash claims that we each are given an allotted number of words to speak in our lifetime. But beyond this, from the Steipler Rebbe to the Vilna Gaon we are told of the great reward for reining in one\u2019s speech. By refraining from speaking or even for pausing momentarily to reconsider before speaking, one merits the primal, hidden light of creation. Is it not advantageous to work on at least one aspect of our speech as part of our teshuvah process?<\/p>\n

One of the best known verses in\u00a0Ashrei<\/i>\u00a0is, \u201cPoteach et yadcha umasbia lechol chai ratzon<\/i>\/You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.\u201d In\u00a0Tiv Hatorah<\/i>, Rabbi Gamliel Rabinowitz gives an alternate interpretation of this verse. Hashem opens His hand and instills in each person the ability to desire. Will we use that desire to seek a closer relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu? The choice is ours, especially now during\u00a0aseret yemai teshuvah<\/i>.<\/p>\n

In its simple meaning, however, the verse refers to Hashem\u2019s providing sustenance for every living thing, an interpretation echoed in\u00a0Birkat Hamazon<\/i>. Nevertheless, the terminology begs further explanation.\u00a0Rabbi Schwab on Prayer<\/i>\u00a0explains that indeed the verse refers to Hashem\u2019s providing the livelihood of each individual. But whether or not one is successful in what one does is determined by how others view him. Hashem provides each individual with the ability to be desired or not desired by others, to be liked or not liked. An applicant may ace any job interview, whether as a plumber or as a professor, and not get the job if the interviewer doesn\u2019t like him. A merchant or salesman will be unsuccessful unless his customers view him favorably. This ability to find favor with others, this\u00a0ratzon<\/i>, is what Hashem Himself provides or withholds from each individual. In this way, a person\u2019s livelihood comes directly from Hashem whereas redemption and salvation can come through an angel.<\/p>\n

\u00a0It is for this reason that our rabbis have decreed that if you did not have the proper intention when mouthing these words, you must repeat the verse. If you finished the passage, since the entire chapter is written in the order of the\u00a0aleph bet<\/i>, you must repeat everything that follows that verse as well. Why is this so? Rabbi Schwab notes that the orderly progression of the verses in\u00a0aleph bet<\/i>\u00a0represents the human input, logic, honesty and integrity, while the verse itself proclaims full faith that Hashem is the sole Provider of one\u2019s livelihood.<\/p>\n

In a similar vein, responding\u00a0Amen<\/i>\u00a0to a blessing carries the same weight and must be said with full\u00a0kavanah<\/i>\/intention. Rabbi Wolbe explains that\u00a0Amen<\/i>\u00a0incorporates within it the three basic tenets of Judaism. The three Hebrew letters of the\u00a0AM<\/i><\/b>eN<\/b><\/i>\u00a0<\/b>are an acronym for (A\/E)K<\/i><\/b>el\u00a0M<\/b>elech\u00a0N<\/b>e\u2019eman.<\/i>\u00a0Kel<\/i>\u00a0signifies that Hashem created the world;\u00a0Melech<\/i>\u00a0proclaims our coronating Him as our King when we accepted the Torah;\u00a0Ne\u2019eman<\/i>\u00a0validates our belief that He is faithful to redeem us in the future. Therefore, continues Rabbi Wolbe citing Reish Lakish, he who answers\u00a0Amen<\/i>\u00a0with all his strength is assured that the gates of Gan Eden will be opened for him.<\/p>\n

Every word of our prayers has unimaginable depths of meaning. If we take the first\u00a0brachah<\/i>\u00a0of\u00a0Shemoneh Esreai,<\/i>\u00a0as does Rabbi Jaeger, we would find that each phrase and each word brings us closer to a love of Hakodosh Boruch Hu, both through our ancestry and through a personal relationship. Rabbi Kaplan explains this beautifully in his interpretation of the last four words before the conclusion of the\u00a0brachah<\/i>\u00a0that describe this relationship. First, Hashem is our\u00a0Melech<\/i>\/King, One distant and almost unapproachable. Then He is our\u00a0Ozer<\/i>\/Helper, a Friend we can call on in difficult circumstances. Then He is our\u00a0Moshia<\/i>\/Savior, One Who sees our plight and jumps in to save us even when there is no time to call directly to Him. Finally, He is our Shield, surrounding us and protecting us even when the danger is so sudden it may not even be discernible. He is always in front and around us. Relating to these four words will transform the quality of our prayers.<\/p>\n

It is with the understanding that we are standing before the King of kings that we must enter into payer, writes Rabbi Frand. Before we begin, we need to focus our thoughts on this awareness or, as the Ramban rules, we have not fulfilled the obligation of prayer. The introductory phrase to the\u00a0Shemoneh Esrai<\/i>\u00a0is meant to bring us to that awareness as we open our lips to say words of praise to Hakodosh Boruch Hu.<\/p>\n

The gravity of remaining focused during tefillah can perhaps best be exemplified by the\u00a0Shulchan Aruch<\/i>\u2019s warning that one who talks during\u00a0Chazorat HaShatz<\/i>\/Chazan\u2019s Repetition has committed a sin too great to bear, writes Rabbi Frand. Talking in God\u2019s presence is totally disrespectful. Talking makes a mockery of the ongoing prayer.<\/p>\n

This idea dates back to the horrendous era of the pogroms of\u00a0Tach<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0Tat<\/i>, 1648-1649 when the Cossacks rampaged and murdered perhaps hundreds of thousands of Jews, writes Rabbi Solomon in\u00a0With Hearts Full of Faith<\/i>. The Gadol Hador of that time, Rav Lippman Heller, known as the\u00a0Tosefos Yom Tov<\/i>, had a dream that Hashem told him that these tragedies were allowed to go forth because the people talked during\u00a0Chazorat Hashatz<\/i>. If the people made a mockery of prayer in My house during good times, explained Hashem, why should I listen to them when they call out to Me in distress? Talking in shul neutralizes the most powerful tool we have in asking Hashem for mercy, kindness and blessings.<\/p>\n

Our thoughts during our prayers, especially when we are in shul, should be focused on Hashem. After all, we are in His house and have an appointment with Him, writes Rabbi Frand. It is a struggle, especially for women, not to talk in shul, acknowledges Rebbetzin Smiles. Women are often so busy with taking care of family, often in addition to holding down jobs, that there is little time for socializing during the week. However, one can create time after shul, perhaps with a kiddush, to socialize. In shul, we must set an example of proper decorum for our children.<\/p>\n

Actually, children often recite\u00a0brachot<\/i>\u00a0with great sensitivity that adults often lose, writes Rabbi Bodner. Do we remember to focus on the words, to understand that Hashem continues to create the fruit or the bread that we are currently enjoying? If Hashem would stop for an instant, all would cease to exist.<\/p>\n

It is undoubtedly too difficult to focus on the entire brachah. Choose one word, perhaps\u00a0atah<\/i>\/You. When we address Hashem, when we say \u201cYou,\u201d we are bringing His presence down, and we are standing before Him, writes the\u00a0Aish Kodesh<\/i>. There are so many words in so many places of our tefillah that can bring us closer to an awareness of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Choose one, and make your speech meaningful.<\/p>\n

Shabbat presents an additional challenge to being careful with our speech. When we are not occupied with the mundane activities of the weekdays, it is easy to fall into patterns of idle prattle. But Rabbi Gamliel Rabinowitz warns us that we are not permitted to speak about or plan activities that are prohibited on Shabbat.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Shabbos of Eternity<\/i>, Rabbi Sutton cites our Rabbis who tell us that although Man was created with the power of speech on Friday, and indeed spoke, his power of holy, sanctified speech was created on Shabbat. On Shabbat, Hashem had stopped His speech with which He had created the world as He endowed Man with the power of speech to be in His image. Shabbat should be a day of introspection when we limit our speech to lofty ideas. Therefore, of the seven\u00a0Ushpizin<\/i>\u00a0who \u201cvisit\u201d our sukkah, the seventh, associated with the seventh day, Shabbat, is David. It was David who elevated speech and wrote the Songs of Praise to Hashem.<\/p>\n

Shabbat is time for family. Therefore, suggests Rabbi Mintzberg in\u00a0Ben Melech<\/i>, we should plan on involving the family in elevated speech. Telling stories of our great Rabbis or recounting medrashim on the\u00a0parsha<\/i>\u00a0can bring joy to the Shabbos table. Perhaps a more personal approach can be to go around the table and ask each family member to recount a moment during the week when he sensed\u00a0hashgacha pratis<\/i>, Hashem\u2019s personal involvement in his life. These are more often than not simple moments, but nevertheless one can find God if one looks for Him. An adult can find a parking spot in front of the store. A child can be grateful that an adult threw him the ball that rolled into the gutter before the oncoming car would smash it. A student might be grateful that the teacher called on him for the one answer he remembered. So many little things to acknowledge Hashem\u2019s presence in our daily lives.<\/p>\n

Rebbetzin Smiles offered an additional suggestion, one that may shed light on the inner life of our family members. Perhaps ask each person whom they would like to meet from among the biblical figures. One child in this scenario answered that she would like to meet Aharon, older brother of Moshe, and ask him how he coped with his younger brother getting all the attention.<\/p>\n

God gifted us with this most powerful tool, speech. Of all God\u2019s creatures, only Man has the ability to speak logically and use speak in a creative process to communicate with others. Let us train ourselves in small incremental steps to use this power wisely in our prayers and in our social interactions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Shiur provided courtesy of\u00a0Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein One of the sins we ask atonement for during the\u00a0Viduy\/Confession prayer of Yom Kippur is the sin of\u00a0siach sifsoteinu\/idle chatter of our lips. ArtScroll explains that our lips sin not only when we pray or study Torah without concentration, but very often when we are uncomfortable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":883,"featured_media":47984,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yom-kippur","post_format-post-format-video"],"yoast_head":"\nPersistent Prattle - Jewish Holidays<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/persistent-prattle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Persistent Prattle - Jewish Holidays\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0Shiur provided courtesy of\u00a0Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein One of the sins we ask atonement for during the\u00a0Viduy\/Confession prayer of Yom Kippur is the sin of\u00a0siach sifsoteinu\/idle chatter of our lips. 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