Chazal have said (Bava Bathra 165a): "The majority [transgress the sin of] theft; the minority, illicit relations; and all, the "dust of lashon hara." From this, one can reflect upon the greatness of guarding his tongue. For do we not see it to be the nature of all men to take pride in something which mirrors his eminence? If he is extremely wealthy, he will exert himself greatly to have a magnificent courtyard; if a homeowner, to have a beautiful home; and even if he is a servant, he will see to it to have a beautiful uniform for Shabbath and Yom Tov so that he is not embarrassed before his friends. Now, if this is so in this transient world, whose pleasures and honor are only vanity and emptiness, then how much more so is it so in the eternal world.
Is it not known that because a man cleaves to the service of the Holy One Blessed be He to fulfill His mitzvoth there is created there in his honor a holy sanctuary for him for his pleasure, as stated in Midrash Koheleth, that each tzaddik is given a distinct dwelling for his honor. And if this is so, the man who guards himself in his lifetime from illicit relations, though his reward will also be great for this and he will be given a place readied for eternal pleasure, still, this kind of sanctuary and its pleasure are found for a minority of Israel in Gan Eden, and his eminence is not distinctively recognized, for do not only a minority stumble in illicit relations? And if he guards himself against theft, and a minority also guard themselves from this transgression, if so, they have a sanctuary like his. But if he guards himself in the trait of guarding his tongue, in all its details, the eminence of his sanctuary created by this mitzvah will be recognized by all in Gan Eden. For do not all stumble in the "dust of lashon hara" (if not one who bestirs his soul not to be lax in this), so that there is no other sanctuary like this one.
And, especially, one who scrutinizes carefully the introduction to the Chafetz Chaim, and, the first two gates of all of its chapters will see that in fulfillment of the trait of guarding his tongue there will be deducted from him every year several hundreds and thousands of sins and added to him in exchange many hundreds and thousands of mitzvoth. For even if there only be deducted from him through this ten words of improper speech each day, that he has muzzled his mouth from speaking, it would still amount to over three thousand per year (And in this way I have explained what Chazal have said (Arachin 15b): "All who speak lashon hara increase sins until the heavens," the meaning being that if one is habituated to this sin, then from this itself his sins increase greatly), and those [muzzled] words would be reckoned as mitzvoth for him in the world to come. As Chazal have said (Makkoth 23b): "If a man sits [idle] and does not commit a sin, he is rewarded as one who has done a mitzvah, and, for every moment that he muzzles his mouth, etc." And he will also arrive, as a matter of course, at many holy traits, as I have written in the Second Gate of this work.
יִתְבָּאֲרוּ בּוֹ עוֹד עִנְיָנִים הַשַּׁיָּכִים לְשַׁעֵר א', ב'.
Wherein will be explained more matters relevant to Gates One and Two.
בּוֹ יְבֹאַר, שֶׁעַל יְדֵי שְׁמִירַת הַלָּשׁוֹן יִזְכֶּה לַחֲשִׁיבוּת מְיֻחֶדֶת בָּעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
In this chapter it will be explained how by guarding his tongue one will merit distinctive eminence in the world to come.
אָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל בְּבָבָא בַּתְרָא (קס"ה.): רֻבָּן בְּגֶזֶל וּמִעוּטָן בַּעֲרָיוֹת וְכֻלָּן בַּאֲבַק לָשׁוֹן הָרָע. מִזֶּה יוּכַל הָאָדָם לְהִתְבּוֹנֵן אֶת גֹּדֶל עִנְיַן שְׁמִירַת הַלָּשׁוֹן, דַּהֲלֹא אָנוּ רוֹאִין, שֶׁטֶּבַע כָּל אָדָם לְהִתְגָּאוֹת בְּאֵיזֶה דָּבָר, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מִנְכָּר בָּזֶה חֲשִׁיבוּתוֹ. אִם עָשִׁיר גָּדוֹל הוּא יִתְחַזֵּק לִהְיוֹת לוֹ חָצֵר נָאָה, וְאִם בַּעַל הַבַּיִת בְּבַיִת נָאֶה, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם הוּא נַעַר מְשָׁרֵת בְּאֵיזֶה מָקוֹם, יִרְאֶה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לוֹ עַל כָּל פָּנִים בֶּגֶד נָאֶה שֶׁל שַׁבָּת וְיוֹם טוֹב, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִתְבַּזֶּה אֵצֶל חֲבֵרָיו לְפִי עֶרְכּוֹ. וְאִם זֶה בָּעוֹלָם הַכָּלֶה, שֶׁהַתַּעֲנוּג וְהַכָּבוֹד שֶׁלּוֹ הוּא הֶבֶל וָרִיק, כַּמָּה צָרִיךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת מִכִּפְלֵי זֶה בָּעוֹלָם הַנִּצְחִי.
Chazal have said (Bava Bathra 165a): "The majority [transgress the sin of] theft; the minority, illicit relations; and all, the "dust of lashon hara." From this, one can reflect upon the greatness of guarding his tongue. For do we not see it to be the nature of all men to take pride in something which mirrors his eminence? If he is extremely wealthy, he will exert himself greatly to have a magnificent courtyard; if a homeowner, to have a beautiful home; and even if he is a servant, he will see to it to have a beautiful uniform for Shabbath and Yom Tov so that he is not embarrassed before his friends. Now, if this is so in this transient world, whose pleasures and honor are only vanity and emptiness, then how much more so is it so in the eternal world.
הֲלֹא יָדוּעַ הוּא, שֶׁעַל יְדֵי שֶׁהָאָדָם מִתְדַּבֵּקּ בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְקַיֵּם מִצְוֹתָיו, נִבְרָא לִכְבוֹדוֹ שָׁם הֵיכָל קָדוֹשׁ בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ לְהִתְעַדֵּן בּוֹ, כִּדְאִיתָא בְּמִדְרַשׁ קֹהֶלֶת, שֶׁלְּכָל צַדִּיק וְצַדִּיק נוֹתְנִין לוֹ מָדוֹר בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ לְפִי כְּבוֹדוֹ. וְאִם כֵּן הַדָּבָר, הָאָדָם שֶׁהוּא זָהִיר בִּימֵי חַיָּיו מֵעֲרָיוֹת, אַף שֶׁשְּׂכָרוֹ יִהְיֶה עֲבוּר זֶה גַּם כֵּן גָּדוֹל, וְיִתֵּן לוֹ מָקוֹם מוּכָן לְהִתְעַדֵּן בּוֹ נֶצַח, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן מִין הַהֵיכָל הַזֶּה וְתַעֲנוּגָיו מָצוּי הוּא אֵצֶל רֹב יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגַן עֵדֶן, וְלֹא מִנְכָּר בָּזֶה חֲשִׁיבוּתוֹ כָּל כָּךְ, דַּהֲלֹא רַק מִעוּטָן נִכְשָׁלִין בַּעֲרָיוֹת, וְאִם הוּא זָהִיר בְּגֶזֶל, וּמִעוּטָן שׁוֹמְרִין עַצְמָן מֵעָוֹן זֶה. אִם כֵּן יֵשׁ לָהֶם הֵיכָל כְּמוֹתוֹ, אֲבָל אִם יִהְיֶה זָהִיר בְּמִדַּת שְׁמִירַת הַלָּשׁוֹן בְּכָל פְּרָטָיו, חֲשִׁיבוּת הֵיכָלוֹ, שֶׁנִּבְרָא עַל יְדֵי מִצְוָה זוֹ, יִהְיֶה מִנְכָּר לַכֹּל בְּגַן עֵדֶן, דַּהֲלֹא בַּאֲבַק לָשׁוֹן הָרָע כֻּלָּן נִכְשָׁלִים (אִם לֹא מִי שֶׁמִּתְעוֹרֵר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁלֹּא לְהִתְרַפּוֹת מִזֶּה), וְאֵין לָהֶם מִין הֵיכָל קָדוֹשׁ כָּזֶה כְּמוֹתוֹ.
Is it not known that because a man cleaves to the service of the Holy One Blessed be He to fulfill His mitzvoth there is created there in his honor a holy sanctuary for him for his pleasure, as stated in Midrash Koheleth, that each tzaddik is given a distinct dwelling for his honor. And if this is so, the man who guards himself in his lifetime from illicit relations, though his reward will also be great for this and he will be given a place readied for eternal pleasure, still, this kind of sanctuary and its pleasure are found for a minority of Israel in Gan Eden, and his eminence is not distinctively recognized, for do not only a minority stumble in illicit relations? And if he guards himself against theft, and a minority also guard themselves from this transgression, if so, they have a sanctuary like his. But if he guards himself in the trait of guarding his tongue, in all its details, the eminence of his sanctuary created by this mitzvah will be recognized by all in Gan Eden. For do not all stumble in the "dust of lashon hara" (if not one who bestirs his soul not to be lax in this), so that there is no other sanctuary like this one.
וּבִפְרָט מִי שֶׁמְּעַיֵּן הֵיטֵב בִּפְתִיחַת הַסֵּפֶר "חָפֵץ חַיִּים", וּבַסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה בִּשְׁנֵי שְׁעָרָיו הָרִאשׁוֹנִים בְּכָל פְּרָקָיו, יִרְאֶה שֶׁעַל יְדֵי קִיּוּם מִדַּת שְׁמִירַת הַלָּשׁוֹן יִגָּרַע מִמֶּנּוּ בְּכָל שָׁנָה כַּמָּה מֵאוֹת וַאֲלָפִים עֲוֹנוֹת, וְיִתּוֹסֵף לוֹ תְּמוּרָתָם כַּמָּה מֵאוֹת וַאֲלָפִים מִצְוֹת, כִּי אֲפִלּוּ אִם עַל יְדֵי זֶה לֹא יִתְמַעֲטוּ לוֹ בְּכָל יוֹם כִּי אִם עֶשֶׂר תֵּבוֹת שֶׁל דִּבּוּרִים שֶׁלֹּא כַּהֹגֶן, שֶׁחָסַם אֶת פִּיו מִלְּדַבְּרָם, גַּם כֵּן עוֹלֶה יוֹתֵר מִשְׁלֹשֶת אֲלָפִים לְשָׁנָה. (וּבָזֶה פֵּרַשְׁתִּי מַה שֶּאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל (ערכין ט"ו:): כָּל הַמְסַפֵּר לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, מַגְדִּיל עֲוֹנוֹת עַד לַשָּׁמַיִם, וּפֵרוּשׁוֹ: כָּל מִי שֶׁמֻּרְגָּל בְּעָוֹן זֶה, מִתְרַבִּים מִזֶּה גּוּפָא עֲוֹנוֹתָיו מְאֹד), וּלְמִצְוֹת יֵחָשְׁבוּ לוֹ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא אוֹתָן הַתֵּבוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל (מכות כ"ג:): יָשַׁב אָדָם וְלֹא עָבַר עֲבֵרָה, נוֹתְנִין לוֹ שָׂכָר כְּעוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה, וְעַל כָּל רֶגַע וָרֶגַע, שֶׁאָדָם חוֹסֵם פִּיו זוֹכֶה וְכוּ'. וְגַם מִמֵּילָא יָבוֹא עַל יְדֵי זֶה לִידֵי כַּמָּה מִדּוֹת קדוֹשׁוֹת, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּשַּׁעַר הַשֵּׁנִי מִסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה.
And, especially, one who scrutinizes carefully the introduction to the Chafetz Chaim, and, the first two gates of all of its chapters will see that in fulfillment of the trait of guarding his tongue there will be deducted from him every year several hundreds and thousands of sins and added to him in exchange many hundreds and thousands of mitzvoth. For even if there only be deducted from him through this ten words of improper speech each day, that he has muzzled his mouth from speaking, it would still amount to over three thousand per year (And in this way I have explained what Chazal have said (Arachin 15b): "All who speak lashon hara increase sins until the heavens," the meaning being that if one is habituated to this sin, then from this itself his sins increase greatly), and those [muzzled] words would be reckoned as mitzvoth for him in the world to come. As Chazal have said (Makkoth 23b): "If a man sits [idle] and does not commit a sin, he is rewarded as one who has done a mitzvah, and, for every moment that he muzzles his mouth, etc." And he will also arrive, as a matter of course, at many holy traits, as I have written in the Second Gate of this work.