Silence

While Judaism is often thought of as a sound-filled religion — God uses speech to utter the world into existence, and synagogues and study halls are often places of audible prayer and learning— silence has its place in the Jewish textual tradition. The high priest Aaron reacts to the death of his two sons with silence, and Pirkei Avot praises silence as a "fence to wisdom." Sources throughout the centuries discuss the place and value of silence.