Дварим 6:7 Каббала: Sha'arei Kedusha

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁵⁵⁴Talmud Bavli, Yoma 19b “One who engages in idle chatter violates a positive commandment, as written,⁵⁵⁵Deuteronomy 6:7 ‘You shall speak of them,’ referring to words of Torah, rather than other matters.” It was said about Rabbi Yochanan ben Zachai,⁵⁵⁶Talmud Bavli, Sukkah 28a that in all his days he never engaged in idle conversation. Our sages, of blessed memory, likewise coined this adage,⁵⁵⁷Talmud Bavli, Megillah 18a “If a word is worth one sela, silence is worth two.” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁵⁵⁸Mishnah Avot 1:17 “In all my days I grew up among the sages and I found nothing better for a person than silence.” It is written,⁵⁵⁹Lamentations 3:28 “Let one sit in solitude and be silent,” and it states,⁵⁶⁰Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the hands of the tongue.” Our sages, of blessed memory, also said,⁵⁶¹Mishnah Avot 3:13 “The guardrail of wisdom is silence.” King Solomon said,⁵⁶²Ecclesiastes 5:1 “Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty in uttering a word before God; for God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”