ודבר דבר
The Different Ways We Can Elevate Our Speech on Shabbat
The prophet Yeshayahu (58:13) speaks of several things from which we are to refrain on Shabbat, including ודבר דבר, which the Gemara in Masechet Shabbat (113b) explains to mean שלא יהא דבורך של שבת כדבורך של חול – our speech on Shabbat must differ from our speech during the week. On Shabbat, we should not speak the way we speak on weekdays.
This requirement is an especially demanding one. Wearing special clothing on Shabbat and refraining from our ordinary weekday activities on Shabbat are, comparatively speaking, easy, but speech is a different matter entirely. Our speech is our essence. The Torah tells that at the time when Adam was created, G-d “blew” a soul within him (ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים), and Targum Onkelos explains this to mean that He gave Adam רוח ממללא – the faculty of speech. Our speech is integrally connected to our soul, to the very essence of our beings. And thus changing our speech on Shabbat means changing our core essence on this day.
Of course, as we know, anything G-d commands us to do must, by definition, be within our capabilities. Hashem gave the Torah to us flawed human beings, and not to angels, and thus any obligation must be within our reach.
How, then, is it possible to observe this law of ודבר דבר, and ensure that our speech on Shabbat differs fundamentally from our speech during the week?
The commentators offer several approaches to explain the concept of ודבר דבר, presenting us with different possibilities for applying this concept and elevating our speech on Shabbat.
The Meiri explains that the Gemara refers to the content of our speech, instructing that we must refrain on Shabbat from vain, frivolous talk, and from speaking about business and financial matters. We should focus instead on Torah study, prayer, and speaking about the wonders of Hashem. This is certainly something all of us can do – we can try to give more attention on Shabbat to Torah matters and engage in meaningful conversation. In this way, our speech on Shabbat will be on a much higher level than it is during the week.
The Radak, in his commentary to Sefer Yeshayahu, explains that our Sages here refer to the tone and quantity of our speech: שידבר בשבת בנחת וימעט בדברים – “that one should speak on Shabbat calmly, and speak less.” According to the Radak, we should try on Shabbat to speak in a calmer, more relaxed manner, and to speak less than we normally do.
During the week, limiting our words is not necessarily a virtue. It is told that the Hafetz Haim was a great conversationalist, who would speak a great deal with people. When he was asked about this practice, he explained, “I wrote the book about lashon ha’ra [forbidden speech about other people], and therefore people might assume that I believe one should avoid talking altogether in order not to violate this prohibition. I specifically make a point of talking a great deal about permissible matters to show that I am not at all opposed to talking – as long as one speaks properly.” However, according to the Radak, on Shabbat it is appropriate to speak less than one does during the week.
Interestingly, the Imreh Yehuda (Parashat Shelah) writes that it is customary to eat fish on Shabbat because fish do not make any sounds, and they thus symbolize the concept of limiting our words on Shabbat. The Imreh Yehuda also cites the Rebbe of Ropshitz who noted that the word “Shabbat” begins with “Sha-“ – the sound people make when they want quiet, alluding to the minimizing of our speech on Shabbat. This point is also made by the Roke’ah, one of the Rishonim, who observed that the letter פ' does not appear anywhere in the section of ויכולו – the verses in Parashat Bereshit when Shabbat is mentioned for the first time in the Torah – or in the section in Parashat Pinhas that speaks of the special sacrifices offered on Shabbat. The reason, the Roke’ah explains, is because the name of the letter פ' is פה – “mouth.” Its absence from the verses discussing Shabbat indicates to us that we should endeavor to keep our speech on Shabbat to a minimum.
Of course, we are encouraged to discuss matters of Torah and the like on Shabbat. It has been explained that for this reason King David began his מזמור שיר ליום השבת, the special chapter of Tehillim he wrote to be recited on Shabbat, by proclaiming, טוב להודות לה' ולזמר לשמך עליון – it is wonderful to express gratitude and praise to Hashem. Shabbat is not a time for silence, but rather to use our faculty of speech for lofty, spiritual matters, and to refrain as much as possible from other topics.
Finally, the Panim Yafot explained the rule of שלא יהא דבורך של שבת כדבורך של חול to mean that the prayers which we recite on Shabbat should be recited at a higher level of concentration than our prayers during the workweek. This refers not only to special Shabbat prayers, but also to the sections of the prayers that are recited both on Shabbat and weekdays – such as the first three and last three berachot of the Amidah prayer. Even when we recite the exact same words as we do during the week, we should recite them differently, on a higher level, with greater concentration, focus and emotion.
In summary, we have seen four different approaches to explaining the requirement to make our speech on Shabbat special:
1) To speak about Torah and spiritual matters, and avoid mundane topics as much as possible.
2) To speak in a calmer, more relaxed tone.
3) To speak less on Shabbat than we do during the week.
4) To raise the quality of our prayers on Shabbat.
There are thus several different ways to apply this concept. I would encourage everyone to choose the approaches or approaches which he or she feels would work the best. This way, we will all ensure that our speech on Shabbat will have a unique quality, and we will raise our Shabbat experience to greater heights.