Mourning and Silence

(1) Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered alien fire before Adonai, which God had not commanded them. (2) And fire came forth from Adonai and consumed them; thus they died in the presence of God. (3) Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Adonai meant when God said: Through those near to Me I will be sanctified / And be glorified before the people.” And Aaron was silent.

Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare God's praise?” (Psalm 106:2)? It means: For whom is it fitting to utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Only for one who can declare all of God's praise. And since no one is capable of declaring all of God’s praises, we must suffice with the set formula established by the Sages. ... Rabbi Yehuda, from the village of Giboriah, taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For You, silence is praise” (Psalm 65:2)? It means: the best remedy of all is silence, i.e., the optimum form of praising God is silence. When Rav Dimi came from the Land of Israel to Babylonia, he said: In the West, i.e. the Land of Israel, they say an adage: If a word is worth one sela coin, silence is worth two. §