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Introduction to םייח ץפח רפס
Sefer Chafetz Chayim ערה ןושל ירוסיא תוכלה
Aseen - A12 א הכלה - א ללכ

He violated the Aseh of not learning Torah and that learning Torah (each ןידה אוה ןכ ,ינש קלח תלחתב ןמקל ה"יא ראבנש
moment) is an Aseh?
לע וליפא אוה ערה ןושל רוסיאד ירה .ערה ןושלב
In answering this question, you are correct! But the gemara is also teaching
an additional concept, that in speaking casual conversation this person is .תמא
actively violating an Aseh. Casual conversation in and of itself is an active
violation of the Aseh of “and you should speak those words (of Torah).” In ןירמאנ ולא קרפ ףוסב הטוסב בשחדמ היאר דועו
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addition, his passive inaction (not learning) violates the Aseh of learning. הניכש ינפ םילבקמ םניאש תותיכ 'ד ]א"ע ב"מ ףד[
This concept, that casual \ meaningless conversation is forbidden, is
brought down by the Magen Avraham (section #156). Please see that ןושל יאו ערה ןושל ירפסמ תכ םינרקש תכ םכותבו
reference where he quotes Rashi that “mundane (casual \ meaningless) םיתשב והל בשח יאמא רקשב קר רוסא וניא ערה
conversation” is a reference to degrading conversation, conversation that
is also frivolous and of course Lashon Hara and gossip are worse. .הבושת ירעשב וז היאר הנוי וניבר בתכש ומכ
Please see the commentary of the students of Rabbeinu Yonah on Gemara
nd
Berachot (2 perek (16a) (located in the Rif’s commentary on page 9b, אוהה )ב"ע ד"סק( ארתב אבבב אתיאדמ היאר דועו
citation beginning with the words “...‘and you should speak them’ is an ןיא יבר רמא ,יברד הימקל אתאד רשוקמ רטש
Aseh”) in the gemara that discusses the mishnah of “the workers” that
defines mundane speech as speech that is empty and without any value. היל רמא תושיבב יבר היב אזח רדה 'וכו הזב ןמז
But when someone is talking about matters that relate to their livelihood, רמא ,היבתכ אטייח אדוהי 'ר היתבתכ אנא ואל
those discussions are not included in the category of mundane speech.
Please also see the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim (section #307, paragraph ,הזה ערה ןושלמ ךלכ הירב ןועמש יברל יבר היל
#16) that even generally speaking about wars \ military battles places this וילע המשאה ליטהל ךל היה אל ם"בשר שריפו
person in the category of people who gather together to mock and scoff
and this type of conversation is forbidden even on weekdays. (Please see תמא לע ףאד ירה .ויתבתכ יניא רמול ךל היה אלא
that reference).
.ערה ןושל ארקנו וריבח תונגב רפסל רוסא
Discussing stories of various battles is definitely called “empty \
meaningless speech.” However, based on all of their opinions it is clearly דבלמ( םינושארה םיקסופה לכב אידהל אתיא ןכו
evident that this speaker in violating the esur of Lashon Hara and Rechilut ערה ןושלד )םליכהמ העיריה הרצק םינורחאה ירפס
most certainly violates this Aseh. Nevertheless this Aseh is not counted
among the mitzvot Aseh that are violated when someone speaks empty \ קרפב ם"במרה ןושל הזד .תמא לע וליפא רוסא
pointless \ meaningless speech. Perhaps this rule is learned by inference סחייו םדאה לע בזכיש ערה ןושל ןיאש תובאד 'א
(asmachtah). But in any event this speaker of mundane conversation at
that moment most certainly violates the Aseh of learning Torah whenever
he is involved in those kinds of conversations.
Understand that these comments apply to all eight qualities. On this same page, (Babba Batra 164a) the gemara cites Rav Amram
who quotes Rav as saying that there is no day that goes by that man does
not commit the following three sins to some extent: ( ) he has thoughts
0 There are two problems with casual \ empty \ nonsensical conversation: The of sinning, ( ) he lacks concentration on his prayers, or alternatively, he
first is that it itself is an esur. The second is that it represents time that should thinks that just because he prayed for something, G-d must answer his
have been spent learning. prayers, and ( ) he makes remarks that have a taint of Lashon Hara.

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