One’s speech: There is a Possuk in Mishlei (18:21) מָוֶּת וחַּיִים בְיַּד־לָשוֹן וְאֹׁהֲבֶּיהָ יֹׁאכַּל פִרְ יָהּ "Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that indulge it shall eat the fruit thereof". The Medrash, elaborates the meaning of the above verse with the help of a metaphor: The king of Persia took ill and was advised by his doctors that he needed to drink the milk of a lioness to be cured. Someone volunteered to bring the king fresh lion's milk; he only asked for ten goats. He took the goats and travelled to where the lions hang out. On the first day, when he was sure that a lioness saw him clearly, he threw her a goat from far away. The next day he came closer... by the tenth day he had won her trust and managed to obtain a full jug of lion's milk. On his way back, he had a vision; the parts of his body had a major argument. The legs said, "None of the other limbs can compare to us. If we would not have transported the body, it would have been impossible to obtain this milk." The hands argued that they were without parallel. If they hadn't performed the various actions necessary, it would have been impossible to obtain the milk. The heart argued that if it had not come up with the idea of the goats the entire project would have been impossible. The tongue argued that if it had not spoken up, all would have been for naught. All the other limbs were enraged at the tongue, "How do you even dare to make any claim? You are in a dark place hidden away, you can't do anything and can't think of anything!" The tongue told them, "You will see, this very day you will all agree that I am your master." After the man heard all this, he went to the king and told him, "Your majesty, here is the bitch's milk." The king was enraged and demanded that he should be hung. On the way to the execution, all the limbs began to cry. The tongue told them, "Didn't I tell you that you are all helpless? If I save you, will you all acknowledge my superiority?" They all agreed. The man then asked the executioner to let him speak with the king once again, and his request was granted. He told the king to try the milk as it would surely cure him, and anyway many people also refer to a lioness as a bitch. The king tried the milk and was cured, and the man was spared. Indeed "Death and life are in the hands of the tongue"!) Therefore Dovid HaMelech said (Tehilim 39:2) אָמַּרְ תִי אֶּשְמְ רָה דְרָכַּי מִֵּֽחֲטוֹא בִלְשוֹנִי אֶּשְמְרָה לְפִי מַּחְסוֹם בְעֹׁד רָשָע לְנֶּגְדִי "I said, I will guard my ways from sinning with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked man is still before me”. (Shochar Tov, 39:2—3, and Yalkut Tehillim, item 721).
Rambam writes: Hilchos Dei’os (2:5) A person shall forever increase in silence, and not speak except for a matter of wisdom or of things which he needs for the sustenance of life in his body. it was said, of Rav, the disciple of our Holy Master, that he never in his life uttered idle talk. Such is the talk of a majority of the people, whereas, even of the necessities of the body man should not multiply words.
Rabbis say: Pirkei Avos (Ethics of our Fathers) 1:17.
Silence: As in the cliché ‘some things are better left unsaid’.
