Where is the source for the belief that every person has an alloted number of words to speak during his lifetime?

A freind had showed me that R' Chaim Kanievsky in Orchas Yosher in Chapter 28 (Shtika) he quotes it in the name of Medresh hagadol and Sefer Chasidim. see there.

I was just wondering, since it's too big of a coincidence not like this. I got the following e-mail from a Torah web site that had Q&A as following:

"Where does it say that:
When a man is born, he receives the specific number of words he is
allowed
to speak. When he reaches this number, he dies.

A famous Rabbi said this quote in the name of the Rambam commentary on
Mishnah Avot, but because of my poor understanding, I failed to find
it.

Sincerely, Nathan
----------------
The Kollel replies:

To the best of my knowledge there is no direct Talmudic or Midrashic
source
for this statement, nor can it be found in the works of the Rishonim.
It
seems to have its source in the works of the great Chassidic masters."

Is this what prompted you to ask that question

So according to your quote the reply of the Kollel was incorrect and this idea does have a basis in the Rishonim. (Sefer Hachassidim)

Basiclly. Also From the medresh Hagadol. I couldn't find the Sefer O.Y. today to post the Mara Makomos, but I'm sure you can get a hold of one for the Mara Makomos

A rebbe of mine once said that there is definitely no source in the Rishonim for this, but, rather, in later seforim that promoted 'shtika' (silence) as a good trait.

I'm still looking into it...hmmm...

I have heard it in the name of the Baal Shem Tove that a person gets a certain number of words and when he has used them up he

Hmm. That doesn't make sense that a person is allotted a limited number of words to speak and then he/she dies. A human being is a "speaking spirit" and an actual part of G-d. G-d is infinite and G-d's "ability" to speak is infinite. Therefore, so too is a human being's "ability" to speak infinite at some level. It sounds to me also as if the idea of a person being given a limited amount of words to speak was conceived to promote silence.

In college I had a computer programming professor who would never press his shift key under a theory which he espoused that each person has a limited number of keytaps in his life - one day he hits that last keytap and he's done.

Subsequently one Shabbos I was reading the commentary to Psalm 34 (page 377 in my Artscroll Ashkenaz - very bottom right) and nearly fell off my chair lauging.

I tracked down my old professor on advice from a rabbi friend who was in the same classes and who knows the professor's brother, and confirmed that it was an original thought. The professor reported that he was inspired to the idea by learning that women were born with a limited number of ova... and also repetitive stress injuries being widespread.

Artscroll's footnote reads on passuk mem reads:
The Baal Shem Tov taught that ever person is allotted a given number of words during his life. When he has used up his quota, he dies. Thus, by guardig his tongue, one asures himself of grater longevity.

Thank you for making this thread current -- I regret that I had missed it before.

Well, we all know that the word allottment theory only applies to men

quote:

Originally posted by lori:
Well, we all know that the word allottment theory only applies to men

Not exactly. I remember learning that Hashem has given the world 10 measures of a variety of things. And in regards to "talk" He gave 9 measures to the women, and one measure to the men.

lol

quote:

Originally posted by rob:

Subsequently one Shabbos I was reading the commentary to Psalm 34 (page 377 in my Artscroll Ashkenaz - very bottom right) and nearly fell off my chair lauging.

Artscroll's footnote reads on passuk mem reads:
The Baal Shem Tov taught that ever person is allotted a given number of words during his life. When he has used up his quota, he dies. Thus, by guardig his tongue, one asures himself of grater longevity.

Fine that Artscroll makes this statement, but is there any source, or just a folk memory?

quote:

Fine that Artscroll makes this statement, but is there any source, or just a folk memory?

The quote says it was said by the Baal Shem Tov. Not everything is written down; Torah SheBaal Peh [the Oral Torah] still exists.

quote:

Originally posted by Yisroel Phillips:

quote:

Fine that Artscroll makes this statement, but is there any source, or just a folk memory?

The quote says it was said by the Baal Shem Tov. Not everything is written down; Torah SheBaal Peh [the Oral Torah] still exists.

It's been quite some time since what is called the Oral Law has been written down.

I ask again for any substantiation whatsoever that this was said by the Ba`al Shem Tov. Such as written attributions from before Arthur Scroll was born, for example. I don't want to learn that Arthur heard it from his father, for example.

20 Iyar 5766.

Lej Leshalom all.

I do not pretend to answer your question. But I would like to comment over what I thought while reading your post. Thank You.

There are words of ones body, and there are words of ones mind. The commitment of jewish spirituality connects us to the community as a sole unity. The evil energy acts through our body unlike our foundation of faith which sets straight our commitment to Mitzvah and Torah completely mind and body. Ramban Maimonides tought us the principles of faith. The faith of Reencarnation returns us to our beginning where all existed in the beginning and the words of mind are unlimited as the past, present and future are connected through aolam haba. So I would believe that just the word of the body my apart one yehudi from Mitzvha and Torah Oral and written and of course bring death by taking the soul apart from the principles of faith. The integration as one entity of variuos parts bonds our potential to kabbalah Or ein Sof and shenija available to make Our king presence and the coming of Mesiah, Baruj hu.

well I think !!!!!!!

Shalom Aleichem

quote:

Originally posted by ASheinaYid:
It's been quite some time since what is called the Oral Law has been written down.

Not true. The whole Oral Law has never been written down.

What has not been written down?

quote:

Originally posted by Sam-:
What has not been written down?

I don't know. It's not wrirtten down, is it!

Are there any specific teachings that "such and such" has not been written down? Like, something that is known to have been only passed down from teacher to student?

I have learn from my Rav that for the most part the whole Oral Torah was written down however some parts never made it to the printing press. after all we are taught there are 70 facete of Torah surely one doesn't think all of them have been written down from the time of Sinai to our day. however the oral law which was written down we still have to this day in some sense of the word.