What does “A fool lets out all his spirit, but the wise one holds it back” mean?

Rabbi Landau explains Shlomo HaMelech's verse, kol rucho yotzi chesil, v'chacham b'achor yeshabchenah, as advice about spending your emotions. The fool spends everything he feels; the wise one holds it back. “So the hero is the one who guards his emotional wealth.”

That doesn't mean never feeling. “Yeah, get angry or sad, but choose on what you spend it wisely.” The wise person is the one who says, “I have only a few emotional dollars today. I'm not wasting them.”

In A Soul at Peace, he points out that the verse uses a word of praise: the wise one doesn't silence or crush his spirit, he values it. He knows it is a precious asset and won't waste it on nothing.

Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level

Surface claim

The wise person guards his emotional wealth instead of spending it all.

Underlying need or longing

Does holding back mean suppressing emotions?

No. Rabbi Landau says to get angry or sad if needed, but to choose wisely where to spend it.

Deepest human truth

In A Soul at Peace he writes that the mind serves as the heart's advisor, asking of every emotional expense: is this worth the price?

More questions from this teaching

• Why do I feel emotionally drained by the afternoon, and how do I stop it?