182. Silence

29:5 Silence is a good trait for a person to cultivate. One should only speak about Torah or necessary matters. Even when it comes to his basic neccessities, he should not talk more than necessary. Pirkei Avos (1:17) tells us, “'Talking too much leads one to sin” and “nothing is better for a person than silence.” Proverbs 18:21 says that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,” which Talmud Arachin (15b) explains to mean that whether a person seeks life or death, the ability rests in the power of speech.

29:6 One should not be too frivolous and light-headed nor too sad and gloomy. Rather, a person should be happy. Pirkei Avos (3:17) tells us that jesting and levity accustoms a person to lewdness. One should also not be greedy and preoccupied with money, nor sad and unproductive. Rather, one should have a pleasant disposition and keep his business dealings to the minimum so that he is able to study Torah. Whatever a person has should make him happy as per Avos 4:28: Envy, lust and a desire for honor drive a person from the world.