Section 76 of 86
חלק שני כ״ד
3 paragraphs · Hebrew + English
יְבֹאַר שֶׁאַף מִי שֶׁהָיָה לָקוּי בִּשְמִירַת פִּיו חֵלֶק גָּדוֹל מִימֵי חַיָּיו, עִם כָּל זֶה יִתְחַזֵּק בְּיָמָיו הַנּוֹתָרִים.
In this chapter it will be explained that even he who was remiss in the guarding of his tongue for a great part of his life can, notwithstanding, strengthen himself in his remaining days.
וְדַע עוֹד, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא שָׁמַר פִּיו וּלְשׁוֹנוֹ עִדָּן וְעִדָּנִים, מִכָּל מָקוֹם יְחַזֵּק עַצְמוֹ עַל כָּל פָּנִים עַל לְהַבָּא בְּיֶתֶר הַיָּמִים שֶׁיְּחַיֶּה אוֹתוֹ הַשֵׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ מְקֻלְקָלִים. וּלְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְאִישׁ שֶׁשָּׂכַר שׁוֹמֵר לִשְׁמֹר כַּרְמוֹ כְּכָל יְמֵי הַקַּיִץ, וּפָשַׁע הַשּׁוֹמֵר וְלֹא שְׁמָרוֹ אֵיזֶה חֳדָשִׁים, וּמֵחֲמַת זֶה נֶהֱרַס הַכֶּרֶם מְאֹד, שֶׁפָּרְצוּ הַגַּנָּבִים אֶת גְּדֵרוֹ וְגָנְבוּ הַרְבֵּה מִן הַכֶּרֶם. הֲיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיַּעֲזֹב בַּעַל הַבַּיִת בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה עַתָּה אֶת כַּרְמוֹ לְגַמְרֵי וְיַנִּיחֶנּוּ לְמִרְמָס לְחַיַּת הַשָׂדֶה? וְאַדְּרַבָּה, הוּא מוֹסִיף עַתָּה שְׁמִירָה עַל שְׁמִירָתוֹ וּמְתַקֵּן אֶת גְּדֵרוֹ, וְנוֹתֵן עֵינָיו וְלִבּוֹ עָלָיו, שֶׁלֹּא יֹאבַד אֲפִלּוּ פְּרִי אֶחָד. כֵּן הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה מַמָּשׁ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּמִשְׁלֵי (כ"ד ל'): "עַל שְׂדֵה אִישׁ עָצֵל עָבַרְתִּי וְעַל כֶּרֶם אָדָם חֲסַר לֵב, וְהִנֵּה עָלָה כֻלּוֹ קִמְּשֹׂנִים, כָּסּוּ פָנָיו חֲרֻלִּים, וְגֶדֶר אֲבָנָיו נֶהֶרָסָה". וַעֲצָתוֹ לְעִנְיַן כַּרְמוֹ, שֶׁיְּתַקֵּן גְּדֵרוֹ וְיַעֲקֹר הַקִמְשׁוֹנִים וַחֲרֻלִּים מִמֶּנּוּ וְיָשִׂים עֵינוֹ עָלָיו, שֶׁלֹּא יִתּוֹסְפוּ עוֹד חֲרֻלִּים עָלָיו.
Know further that even if one did not guard his mouth and his tongue for a great length of time, he can still strengthen himself for the future in the remaining days that the Blessed L-rd will vouchsafe him that they not be spoiled. To what may this be compared? To a man who hired a caretaker to tend to his vineyard for all the days of the summer. He did not take care of it for several months, and it deteriorated greatly, thieves breaching its fence and stealing most of its growths. Is it conceivable that the owner will now abandon it entirely and leave it to the ravages of the animals? To the contrary, he will now add "guarding to his guarding" and fix its fence and set his eyes and heart upon it that he not lose even one fruit. So, in this instance, exactly, as it is written in Mishlei (24:30-31): "I passed by the field of a lazy man, and by the vineyard of a man lacking a heart. And, behold, it was all grown over with thorns; nettles had covered its face, and its stone wall was broken down." And his counsel for his vineyard is that he fix his fence and root out its thorns and nettles and keep his eye upon it that it not deteriorate even further.
וּבְעִנְיָנֵנוּ גַּם כֵּן תִּקּוּנוֹ עַל לְהַבָּא, שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה לְעַצְמוֹ גְּדָרִים, שֶׁיַּרְחִיק עַצְמוֹ מֵחֲבוּרַת אֲנָשִׁים, וְשֶׁלֹּא יְדַבֵּר אוֹדוֹת שׁוּם אִישׁ, וּלְמִי שֶׁקִּלְקֵל בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ שֶׁחֵרְפוֹ וְגִדְּפוֹ, יְפַיְּסֶנּוּ. וְיִשְׁמֹר יֶתֶר יְמֵי חַיָּיו אֶת פִּיו בִּשְׁמִירָה, שֶׁדִּבּוּרוֹ יִהְיֶה רַקּ בְּדִבְרֵי קְּדֻשָּׁה וְדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה [לְבַד מַה שֶּׁצָּרִיךְ לְדַבֵּר הֶכְרֵחִי וּלְפַרְנָסָתוֹ], וְאָז יוּכַל לוֹמַר עַל עַצְמוֹ: אַשְׁרֵי זִקְנָתֵנוּ שֶׁכִּפְּרָה יַלְדּוּתֵנוּ.
And in our instance, the remedy for the future, likewise, is that he make fences for himself, that he distance himself from the company of men and that he not speak about any man, and that if he had hurt anyone by his tongue, by shaming and insulting him, he should conciliate him. And he should guard his tongue the remaining days of his life, that his speech be only in words of holiness and in words of Torah [except for what is needed for some exigency or for his livelihood]. And then he can say about himself; "Happy is our old age, that has atoned for our childhood."