An Allowance of Steps and Words

In those days paralysis struck many people, and the Chofetz Chaim spoke to his talmidim about its meaning. Why, he asked, had this illness become so widespread? It is a strange affliction. A man has a mouth, lips and a throat, yet cannot utter a word. He has legs and feet, yet cannot take a single step. The Chofetz Chaim explained that everyone is given a kind of allowance. Someone may be given a million steps for his whole life, and once they are spent he keeps his feet but can walk no further. Each step is recorded and counted, so we should guard our steps, stay away from places of wrongdoing and not squander what we were given. In the same way, Hakodosh Boruch Hu grants each person a fixed number of words. When they run out, he keeps his organs of speech but can no longer pronounce a word. So we should guard our speech, since each word is written down and deducted from the total. The eyes, the hands and the rest of the body work the same way. Rav Farber said that the Chofetz Chaim spoke with such conviction that no listener could stay unmoved.