One person read somewhere that anyone who abstains from idle talk for forty days will gain divine insight. Considering that this was a very short path to God, he set to work with great diligence. So, for forty days not a single empty word came from his lips. However, no insight occurred at the appointed time. Then this man went to the Baal Shem Tov for an explanation.
After listening to his story, the Baal Shem Tov asked:
-During these forty days did you pray?
- But of course! - exclaimed the visitor. - Of course, I prayed. As many as three times a day, as the Lord commanded us.
“I see,” said the Baal Shem Tov. —Have you read Tehillim (psalms)?
- What kind of question? After all, I am a Jew. Of course, I read the Psalms every day. - In order not to seem unfounded, the visitor muttered the first verses of his favorite psalm.
“Teacher,” he then continued, “maybe this rule itself is wrong?” Why didn’t forty days of prayer, reading psalms and abstaining from idle talk help me gain divine insight?
“It’s not the rule,” answered the Baal Shem Tov, “it’s just right.” You just applied it incorrectly. Judging by the way you read the Psalm, I can say that, while refraining from idle talk in everyday life, you did not pay due attention to your prayers. You turned them into chatter. You managed to purify your conversations with people, but you did not take care of the purity of your conversation with God. Your very prayer prevents you from receiving divine insight.
Commentary by Rami Shapiro You are what you say. Speech reflects the soul of a person. Empty words and thoughtless chatter lead to confusion in thoughts. If you want to change your thoughts, change your words. This applies to everything you say. No matter what form a word takes—written signs, spoken word, or, say, just a song—it has the power to heal or harm. The problem with the hero of our story is that he makes a distinction between prayer and ordinary speech. However, both are words that need to be pronounced completely consciously.
The Baal Shem Tov taught that a person is destined from birth to speak a strictly certain number of words. After all the words are spoken, the person dies. Imagine that this is really the case. Every spoken word brings your death closer. Next time you are about to say something, ask yourself, is it worth dying for?
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru