Rashi explains that when Kalev cried out, “Is it this alone that the son of Amram has done to us?” he caught the people off guard. When they heard this declaration, equating his rebuke of Moshe Rabbeinu as the “son of Amram,” in a seemingly degrading manner, they thought for certain that Kalev was coming out in support of a rebellion. They all became silent to listen to what he had to say. It was not what they expected to hear. Instead, he sang Moshe’s praises, relating his positive accomplishments for the people. One wonders what Kalev accomplished by this momentary silence. They began to scream and weep immediately after they realized that they had fallen victim to Kalev’s ploy.
Horav Chaim Zaitchick, zl, posits that much was achieved by Kalev’s intentional pause. The people stopped momentarily in their anger, and, even though they returned to it, their anger and tension had been even slightly ameliorated. He compares it to a pot of hot water, keli rishon, that has been heated on the fire. A keli sheni is the pot from which the keli rishon has been poured. The first cooking on the flame is much hotter. Once it has been poured into a second pot, it no longer retains its original heat. Likewise, when a person falls off a high building, his chances for survival are slim to none. The only way to save him is if someone can possibly break his fall prior to his hitting the ground. Then, he will not hit the ground with as much force.
A brief pause can alter the course of sin. A young man once became deeply involved in a heated argument with another individual. Accusations were flying from both men. Insults followed accusations, and, in his anger, the young man was about to issue a curse. People, especially when angry, forget the power of speech. A curse can become much more than a few words issued in anger. Just as the fellow opened his mouth, an elderly Jew who had been observing the argument took hold of his arm, and gently held him, “One moment, just hold off for one moment. If, after that, you still feel the way you do now, you may continue.”
The young man revered the elderly Jew, who did nothing but learn all day. That brief hesitation was sufficient for the young man’s anger to dissipate. When the other man saw the first fellow’s restraint, he too began to calm down. They did not become best of friends, but the otherwise irreparable feud ended peacefully.
The yetzer hora thrives on momentum. When a person becomes angry, envious, or consumed by desire, he is often operating on spiritual autopilot. He is not thinking; the yetzer hora is thinking for him. It does not want him to hesitate; let his emotions take charge, the yetzer hara will own him. If he pauses, however — even for a short moment — the intensity of his anger, envy, passion will decrease and weaken. A single moment of reflection can make the difference between sin and virtue. One moment of restraint, one breath of hesitation, can change everything. The power of pausing can never be underestimated.
There is, however, a flip side to pausing. Interruption in midst of performing a mitzvah can be devastating. When one performs a mitzvah, he must remain focused; his mind may not wander; he may not take a coffee break. A break is distracting and weakens the mitzvah’s impact. When one climbs a mountain and stops in the middle, it can lead to sliding backwards. Furthermore, interruption creates a break in one’s enthusiasm and momentum.
Rabbi Akiva’s journey from uneducated shepherd to one of our people’s greatest Torah giants serves as a timeless testament to the power of uninterrupted study. After twelve years of study, he came home, after having amassed 12,000 students. Upon returning, he overheard his wife Rachel expressing her willingness to allow him to continue for another twelve years. He immediately made an about-face and returned to the yeshivah without entering his home and greeting his wife. Twelve years later, he returned with 24,000 students. He taught us crucial lesson: Twice twelve does not always equal twenty-four. An interruption would have prevented him from achieving the pinnacle that he reached following twenty-four years of uninterrupted learning.
