In this section, we continue our chapter with three verses that all revolve around the power of the tongue: the first verse deals with secret speech, which is lashon hara (evil speech), and the power of an angry countenance to stop it; the second teaches that it is better for a person to dwell alone and isolated than to be associated with company where lashon hara is spoken, or with a contentious woman; and the third describes the delight of good tidings arriving from afar. We will follow the order of the verses and present the explanations of Rabbeinu Yonah, Ibn Ezra, the Vilna Gaon (the Gra), Ralbag, Rashi, and the Malbim.
רוּחַ צָפוֹן תְּחוֹלֵל גָּשֶׁם וּפָנִים נִזְעָמִים לְשׁוֹן סָתֶר׃ (כג) - The north wind drives away rain, and an angry countenance [drives away] a backbiting tongue. (23)
Rabbeinu Yonah and Ibn Ezra explain that techolel here is an expression of prevention, like "Far be it from You (chalilah lecha) to do such a thing" (may it be prevented from You to do so), like "He shall not break (lo yachel) his word" (he shall not withhold what he said, but rather fulfill it), and like "Then it was begun (huchal) to call upon the Name of Hashem" (meaning they refrained from calling upon His Name and idolatry began). The parable: there are clouds in the sky, the north wind comes and disperses them, and thus it prevents the rain.
And so it is in the lesson: an angry countenance prevents secret speech. Lashon hara is called "secret speech" (leshon seter) because a person who speaks lashon hara speaks in secret. Someone comes to tell you lashon hara, and you show him a stern, disapproving face - he immediately realizes that this is not to your liking, and stops. But when he finds an attentive ear, when you show interest, ask for details, and seek the gossip - he elaborates, expands on the topic, and continues to tell.
And these are the words of Rabbeinu Yonah: "For when the speaker sees the listener's face and it is angry, all the torrential rain of his words will cease" - the downpour of his words will stop entirely, for he will understand that he has no audience here. "But if he sees that the listener is pleased with him, he will drink iniquity like water, not withholding falsehood from his mouth, and tomorrow will be like today, for he will repeat his folly to constantly speak lying words," and his tongue will follow the downpour of his lies, and his falsehoods will continue pouring down like rain.
Ibn Ezra follows the same line, though in his second explanation he interprets techolel differently: from the language of trembling and dread (chil), as in "She saw and trembled (vatachal)," "Trembling (chil) like a woman in labor," "The queen was exceedingly terrified (vatit-chalchal)," "Hashem causes the wilderness of Kadesh to shake (yachil)," "Trembling seized them (achaza chil)." The north wind brings trembling and terror upon the rain until the rain ceases from the earth - the rain, as it were, is frightened and flees, and the clouds scatter. In the same way, an angry face brings dread, fear, and trembling upon the one who comes to speak lashon hara. Both explanations lead to the same intent: whether techolel signifies prevention or causing fear and trembling, the result is that the speaker desists and refrains from speaking lashon hara.
It is told of the Chafetz Chaim that in his later years his hearing deteriorated. People suggested that he undergo examinations and treatments, or perhaps wear a hearing aid, but he refused under any circumstances. When asked why, he replied: Now, when someone wants to talk to me, he has to come and shout into my ear - and lashon hara is not shouted; lashon hara is whispered. Therefore, I am at ease: no one will come and shout lashon hara into my ear. He added and testified about himself several times that he had never spoken lashon hara, but hearing lashon hara happens in a split second - someone says something and you have already heard it, so what will protect me from that? Now that I do not hear well, I have peace of mind.
The Vilna Gaon asks: You see rain falling and there is no wind in the world - where did the clouds come from? Know that rain cannot come without wind; if there is rain, there certainly was a wind that brought the clouds. And if you did not feel it, it is a sign that it is a "hidden wind" (ruach tzafon) - a concealed wind, from the root tzafun (hidden), as in "hidden in Your lap." Perhaps here below I do not feel it, but at cloud altitude it exists, and in fact - the higher one ascends, the stronger the wind is. According to this, techolel in the Gra's view does not mean prevention, but rather bringing forth and creating, as in "brought forth (techolel) the earth and the world," meaning to give birth to the earth and the world. This is a third explanation of the word techolel. The wind is hidden, you do not feel it, yet it is what brought forth the rain.
And so too is the nimshal (the moral lesson): A person sees his beloved friend showing him an angry face and does not understand why. Why is he making a sour face at me? What did I do to him? I pass by him and say hello, and he answers halfheartedly or does not answer at all. The verse tells you: "a backbiting tongue [lashon seter - literally, a hidden tongue]." Someone spoke slander about you in secret. Just as you ask where the clouds came from when you did not see any wind - and the answer is that the wind was hidden, and therefore you did not feel it - so it is with the angry face: I did not see that I did anything to him, but the matter is hidden; someone spoke lashon hara about you in secret, and that is what caused the rift and the sullen face. In simple terms: it did not happen on its own. Someone generated and caused it. Just as a hidden wind produces rain, so too the spirit of a backbiting tongue produces hatred.
And the Gemara says that on account of a backbiting tongue, rain is withheld. That is, if you want to know the reason there is no rain - the reason is lashon hara. And according to this, another explanation of the verse emerges: "ru'ach tzafon" (a hidden spirit) - one who conceals his spirit within himself, who does not reveal lashon hara even if he actually heard something, but rather hides within himself everything he heard. People ask him: "Tell me, what happened there?" and he replies: "I am not telling."
A story is told of one of the Gedolei Yisrael, the Rav of Brody, who was once sent to decide a matter concerning a shochet about whom doubts had arisen. He said he would arrive in that city, investigate the entire matter, but would only deliver his verdict once he returned to his own city. Due to a delay in his travel, he was forced to stay in that city for an additional two weeks, and the town was in turmoil: everyone wanted to know what the Rav had decided, whether the shochet would keep his post or be removed from his position. One of the wealthy men came to him and said: "The Rav can trust me one hundred percent. I am a person who never lets a word slip out of his mouth - a vault, not a word escapes me. Let the Rav tell me what the ruling is." The Rav replied: "To tell you the truth, I am just like you. I also do not utter a word. I too have a nature just like yours."
And similarly, there is the story of the man who said to his friend: "I told you in secret and I told you not to tell anyone, and you went and told!" The friend answered him: "Tell me, after they told you, were you able to keep quiet?" He replied: "So why do you demand that of me? Someone told you and you went and told, and when I tell, you ask me why I told? After all, I am just like you."
In any case, there is a person who is a "ru'ach tzafon" (a concealed spirit): there is a wind churning within him, a spirit stirring, but it remains concealed. He closes his mouth and does not say what he has to say. Concerning such a person it is said, "brings forth rain" [techolel gashem] - you give birth to rain. You know how to remain silent, you know how to hold your tongue, and in that merit rain falls. And conversely: "and an angry countenance" - if you see that the countenance of the Holy One, blessed be He, is, so to speak, angry, the heavens are like copper and no rain falls, know that the reason is "a backbiting tongue." Rain is withheld only on account of lashon hara.
The Malbim also explains "tzafon" from the language of concealment (tzafun), but provides a natural, scientific explanation for it. If we observe how rain is formed, it occurs through the evaporation of water. Yet water is heavier than air, so how does it rise? The explanation is that it does not rise on its own, but rather like a balloon filled with helium that ascends - so too the warm, lighter air enters into the water and lifts it up, and this is what is called vapor. The water heats up and rises. And up above, the warm vapors cool down and condense into clouds.
Anyone who has ever retrieved a suitcase from the belly of an airplane and touched its metal frame has felt that it is freezing cold; and whoever has not felt this can look at the screen displaying the outside temperature and see that at a certain stage it reaches minus fifty degrees. The airplane flies much higher than the clouds, but the principle is clear: the higher one ascends, the more freezing the temperatures become. Therefore, anything sent in the cargo hold reaches freezing temperatures. What happens up there? The heat leaves the vapor, and it condenses - like the condensation you see on an air conditioner or on a cold bottle of water - and then it falls in droplets.
The Malbim explains: "ru'ach tzafon" refers to the wind hidden within the vapor. The vapors rising from the ground are filled with wind, light air, and by means of it they are carried upward. And when that hidden wind departs from there, the water droplets condense, become heavy, and fall - and behold, you have rain. Indeed, one who looks at the vapor does not see the wind at all, for the wind is hidden; but when one sees rain, he knows of necessity that a wind that was hidden within the vapor lifted it upward, since water does not rise on its own.
To be sure, there is rain that comes from the "upper waters," but that is a rare phenomenon. Up above there are enormous spheres of ice, which usually melt in the atmosphere, and in general there is water above in the category of upper waters - although the plain meaning of "upper waters" according to the Zohar and Kabbalah is a spiritual concept, and whoever wishes may consult the work of Rabbi Zamir Cohen, who explains this matter at length. But when ordinary rain falls, it does not come from those waters, but rather from the vapors that rose from below upward - and from there the rain falls.
And such is the nimshal according to the Malbim: a backbiting tongue generates an angry countenance. Even though you do not see the stormy spirit in the heart of the person who was slandered - he looks normal, smiles, everything seems fine - know that just as the hidden wind produces rain, so too the angry countenance testifies to a spirit hidden within him. A person who has been hurt does not show it outwardly, but inside he is thoroughly simmering, and a stormy spirit churns within him. And the consequences of that inner spirit can indeed be seen - in the angry countenance. For what takes place deep inside a person is difficult to conceal; even if he tries to show that everything is fine, anyone with a bit of sensitivity senses that something is troubling him, that the attitude is not the same attitude, that something has changed. Lashon hara produces an outcome that is discernible upon a person's face.
טוֹב שֶׁבֶת עַל פִּנַּת גָּג מֵאֵשֶׁת מִדְיָנִים וּבֵית חָבֶר׃ (כד) - It is better to dwell on a corner of a roof than with a contentious wife in a shared house.
We have already encountered a similar verse earlier (21:9). Rashi explains that it speaks of the departure of the Shechinah. We have already mentioned the kinah recited on Tishah B'Av, "Nahamah Shechinah b'Shinunim," regarding the journeys of the Shechinah as it withdrew. The "contentious wife" is Knesses Yisrael, for we are in the position of a wife to her husband - Knesses Yisrael to the Holy One, blessed be He - and they acted wickedly and provoked the Holy One, blessed be He. Not only that, but "and a shared house" (u'veit chaver) indicates that they joined idols and foreign worship in the Beis HaMikdash of the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: "It is better to dwell on a corner of a roof" - the Shechinah departs the Beis HaMikdash and rests upon the corner of the roof, rather than associate with such people.
The Vilna Gaon explains that this verse connects to the preceding one. We saw that a backbiting tongue causes an angry countenance even in someone who loves you. Therefore, Scripture states: when you have such companions who speak lashon hara, it is better to dwell on the corner of a roof than to seek their company. Why specifically the metaphor of the corner of a roof? Because sitting on the corner of a roof is terrifying: you are perched on the very ledge, liable to fall at any moment. Even so, Scripture tells you: this is preferable. Why? Because from a backbiting tongue, you must be on guard every single moment. Shall I associate with you when at every second I am filled with apprehension - perhaps you spoke about me, gossiped about me, or revealed my private matters? In such a situation, it is better to dwell on the corner of a roof.
The Vilna Gaon adds: although in both situations it is difficult to guard against falling, on the corner of a roof it is far easier to be vigilant than against a backbiting tongue. On the roof's edge, I know where the corner is, I know where the roof ends, and I know what danger to avoid. A backbiting tongue, however, is a blow whose direction cannot be foreseen; I cannot know how to guard against it, who will speak about me, what will be said, how, or when. At least on the corner of a roof, I can take care not to fall, but when you have companions who engage in backbiting, you will never know where the next blow will strike.
And what is the meaning of "than with a contentious wife in a shared house"? "A contentious wife" refers to a quarrelsome woman, from the word madon (strife and contention). Why is a quarrelsome wife so destructive? Because a man's wife knows his innermost secrets. Another person, even if he wishes to speak lashon hara about me, lacks detailed information; he does not possess my "file." But your wife holds your entire file. All your faults, all your shortcomings, she knows them all, and when the moment comes, she will expose them. Therefore, one must be exceedingly wary of a wife who constantly picks fights, for she has so much to reveal. Likewise, "a shared house" (veit chaver) refers to someone who poses as your friend. As the saying goes: "Protect me from my friends." From enemies, I am already on guard, but with friends, I feel secure, making it far harder to protect myself from them. Therefore, it is better to dwell on the corner of a roof, where one is in peril but alert and prepared for any danger, whereas with one's wife or a close companion, one never knows what will be said or disclosed behind one's back.
The Ralbag explains "than in a shared house" (mibeit chaver) to mean that even if one is in a house full of companions, amidst society. It is always more comfortable and pleasant for a person to be in company rather than alone, yet Scripture declares: it is better to dwell solitary on the corner of a roof than to be with a contentious wife who constantly stirs up strife, even in the midst of company. One might argue that society is an advantage, that one has good company; but within that company, there is also this contentious wife. It is better to be without company and without a contentious wife than to have company and receive the contentious wife as an added burden.
The Malbim explains that although Shlomo already stated this earlier, he repeats it here and interprets it based on what is written later in chapter 27: "A continual dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. Whoever restrains her restrains the wind, and oil on his right hand will betray him." He thus compares a contentious wife to a continual dripping. What is a continual dripping? It is like water torture. Water drips unceasingly onto a person's head: drip, drip, drip, until even a sane person is driven out of his mind. One might say: she is not coming to slaughter me or kill me. Indeed, there is no need to physically kill someone; subjecting him to an unceasing drip will drive him out of his senses until he wishes for death himself.
And where does that continual dripping come from? We learned this in the previous verse: "A north wind brings forth rain." The continual dripping comes from rain, which is generated by the wind concealed within vapors, carrying them upward and then escaping as they cool, causing rain to fall. The Malbim explains: if you wish to restrain and halt that concealed wind that generates rain, you cannot; preventing the vapors from rising and guarding against it is impossible. Concerning this, Scripture says: "and oil on his right hand will betray him" - the medicinal oil he applies to his hand after the blows he suffered will betray and publicize his wife's destructiveness. That is, even if he wishes to conceal what happens at home, the bruises will be visible outside; people see him rubbing oil on his injuries. Thus, just as a north wind produces rain, so too a contentious wife whose spirit is concealed gives birth to strife; and even if the matter is hidden, "oil on his right hand will betray him" - in the end, it will become known to all.
If so, what is preferable? "It is better to dwell on a corner of a roof," a place where there is no shelter from the rain pouring from above, than to sit with that continual dripping in "a shared house," in a place where there is no shelter from it. It is better to be exposed to the actual rain than to endure such an unceasing drip.
מַיִם קָרִים עַל נֶפֶשׁ עֲיֵפָה וּשְׁמוּעָה טוֹבָה מֵאֶרֶץ מֶרְחָק׃ (כה) - Cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land. (25)
The Vilna Gaon explains the simple meaning: When cold water reaches a weary soul - and "weary" here means thirsty - a person experiences great pleasure. And when good news arrives from a distant land, one also experiences great pleasure. The joy of good news from a distant land is comparable to the pleasure of cold water upon a weary soul.
Yet the Vilna Gaon always takes things to their depth, and explains: In the Torah there is Pardes - Peshat (literal meaning), Remez (allusion), Drash (homiletical interpretation), and Sod (esoteric mystery). The proper order is Peshat, then Remez, then Drash, and then Sod. These are divided into two categories: "Torah" and "Wisdom." Torah corresponds to Peshat and Drash, while Wisdom corresponds to the inner dimension, Remez and Sod, which is called "water." Someone once noted wittily that among Sephardim - particularly ba'alei teshuvah - it often happens that before one has even had time to learn Peshat, he is already studying Sod and becoming half a kabbalist, because the word Sepharad spells: Sod, Peshat, Remez, Drash - starting right from Sod.
According to this, "good news" refers to someone hearing a halachah that until now was "from a distant land" - far from him, unknown to him, unclear, something he had not yet grasped - and now it has become clear, he hears it, and the matters settle in his mind. "Ah, at last I understand! I managed to delve into the matter and comprehend the halachah and its parameters" - and he derives immense joy from this. Likewise, a "weary soul," meaning one thirsty to know the esoteric Torah and divine wisdom, which are of the realm of Remez and Sod, derives great pleasure when achieving that understanding. Accordingly, the verse is illuminated as follows: Cold water, which represents the esoteric teachings of Torah, when coming upon a weary, thirsty soul longing to learn and comprehend - is like good news from a distant land. Just as in halachah, when a person longs to know and clarify a legal matter, and upon clarifying it experiences great joy, so too with one who longs for the esoteric Torah - the cold water reaches his thirsty soul and quenches it, bringing him great delight. As it is in Peshat, so it is in Sod.
The Malbim explains according to the peshat: Just as cold water brought to a weary soul, to someone thirsty for water in a place where none exists, bringing him water from elsewhere - the person is thirsty, and at last water has arrived - so too is a person whose soul thirsts to know what is happening with his relatives and family members in a distant land: how they are doing, how they are feeling. If good news reaches him from there, it is like cold water brought from afar while he was parched. Rashi explains along similar lines, pointing out that this is explicit in the Torah concerning Yaakov Avinu: "And the spirit of Yaakov their father was revived." Just as cold water quenches the soul that thirsts for it, so too when a person hears news from his distant relatives - his joy is immense.
We hardly recognize this experience anymore. We live in a generation where no matter how far away someone is, we speak via video call. Once there were letters, then faxes, then phone calls, and today video. A person can be in Australia and you feel no profound yearning or longing for him: on the spot you speak with him, see him, and all is well and good. But once - just imagine - a person had not seen his friend for years, and news arrives from him, a letter arrives; how much excitement and joy that brought! Those who remember know that soldiers once sent letters home; today no one would dream of doing so, since with the speed of the postal service - and not for nothing was the emblem jokingly replaced with a turtle - the soldier would finish his reserve duty and return home long before the letter arrived.
The three verses before us come together into a single progression. "The north wind produces rain" - just as the hidden, unseen wind brings about rain, so does the hidden tongue of slander produce furious faces; and on the other hand, the angry countenance you show to a slanderer prevents him from continuing, and concealing the spirit in a closed mouth brings forth rains of blessing, for rains are withheld only on account of secret slander. "It is better to dwell on a corner of a roof" - better for a person to endure solitude and danger that he knows how to guard against, than the company of slanderers, of a contentious woman who knows his secrets, and of an "associate's house" where one lets down his guard, from whom you never know where the blow will come from. And "Cold water to a weary soul" - the delight of good news from a distant land, and the delight of clarity dawning upon one who thirsts for Torah, in Peshat and in Sod alike.