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He who lets his voice be heard during prayer is thought to have little faith in the Holy One, blessed be He.  He who prays in a loud voice is a false prophet, as it is written:  “And they cried aloud.”  He who belches or yawns during prayer is considered arrogant.  Others say, he behaves badly and is ill-mannered. 

Berachos 24b 

A rich man suffered terribly as he could not sleep. Night after night, he lay awake in bed, as worries gnawed at his heart and did not permit him to relax. 

What worried him so? 

The rich man was a merchant who sold diamonds and other precious gems. Naturally he stored a massive amount of gems and cash in his home. 

“Indeed,” thought the rich man to himself, “my money and gems are hidden inside a large and sturdy safe; but what will be if a thief enters my home and terrorizes me into opening the safe? What will I do then?” 

This thought disturbed him greatly and he tossed and turned, unable to sleep night after night. 

One night, the rich man leaped from his bed in a state of joy, thinking that he had resolved his problem. 

He hired an expert safe maker, who constructed a wall within the safe. Behind the wall, the rich man hid most of his wealth, leaving only a small amount of cash and inexpensive gems in the actual safe. 

“If a thief will come now, G-d forbid,” thought the thief, “he will find only a pittance of money and the rest will be safely hidden away” 

From then on, the rich man slept soundly. 

When it comes to one’s Divine service, a person must act similarly. For if an individual serves his Creator visibly and publicly, he is likely to grow proud or incur an “evil eye.” The majority of a person’s Divine service should therefore he performed privately, and only a minute amount should he revealed to the public.

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