Proverbs · Chapter 1

The proverbs of All his words are illustrations and allegories. He compared the Torah to a good woman, and he compared idolatry to a harlot.

"The proverbs of Solomon, etc." — This is the portion of admonition; in it he made known the value of primordial wisdom, for through it existence was created out of nothing. And he warned [us] to cling to it and to turn away from the accursed woman; and he reproved [us] to put to death folly and the desire of the one formed from the earth, and to give life to the pure soul. "Son of David" — to tell of his merit, that he was a wise and understanding son. "King" — for on account of their wisdom, both of them [David and Solomon] reigned over Israel; or, [it means] that he was a king as well as wise and understanding, and "king" (מלך) here is used merely as a descriptive title, like [calling someone] "a servant, long of limb" (עבד ארך אבר).

"The proverbs of" — Behold, a mashal (proverb/parable) is something stated by way of comparison: at times, to give a picture of a visible matter in order to speak about it, and at times, to call attention to the meaning of the matter that is intended by it, insofar as that matter is remote, or is the [true] intended one, or something resembling this. This is because the remote matter is illustrated by something bearing some resemblance to it, so that the matter is clarified through the thing that is intended, and through whatever else resembles it. "The proverbs of" — These are the proverbs that Solomon, son of David, king of Israel, spoke. Now the benefit in them is to know wisdom [through] the demonstrations that pertain to it — such as [demonstration by] evidence, or by demonstration from cause, and from existence [i.e., demonstration of the fact].

"The proverbs of Solomon" — That is to say, these are the proverbs that Solomon spoke, for he compared the Torah to a good woman, and so too, in most matters, he took hold of the way of the parable.

"The proverbs of" — In everything there is matter, form, agent, and purpose (final end). Accordingly, [Malbim] states that the matter (subject) of this book is "proverbs" — that is, a collection of parables, so that in order to make understood things that are hidden, deep, and unknown, [Solomon] devises for them a parable drawn from things that are known, so that by way of the garment of the known parable, the thing clothed within it — namely the unknown referent — is perceived. The agent is "Solomon the son of David," and three titles are applied to him, for truths become known [in one of three ways]: 1) through wisdom or prophecy, and so it says "Solomon," for he was wise and the spirit of God rested upon him; 2) they become known through tradition, and so it says "son of David," for he had a tradition from his fathers; 3) through examination and experience, which is accomplished by the gathering of many sages, and so it says "king of Israel" — for since he was king over this wise and understanding people, all the sages gathered to him, and it was in his power to examine every matter, as it is said, "All this I tested by wisdom."

To know wisdom and discipline He stated these proverbs to make known to the people [wisdom and discipline], that they toil in the Torah, which is wisdom, discipline and understanding.

"To know" (לדעת) — the tav is extra, and so too in "to receive" (לקחת), and so too the lamed. And the meaning of it in Proverbs is: a person should know wisdom — and it is the root of everything, namely, that one fear Hashem, as it is said, "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem" (Psalms 111:10) — and discipline, in order to keep His commandments. And some say: [wisdom refers to] the conduct of the ordinary person; and "understanding" (בינה) [means] to distinguish between one thing and another, so that he not set darkness for light and light for darkness.

"To know wisdom" — This is the knowledge that comes about, with respect to things, from matters that are essential and intrinsically related to them. "Instruction [musar]" — this term is used both of the discipline that pertains to character traits and of the discipline that pertains to opinions. The discipline that pertains to character traits consists of abandoning base character traits and conducting oneself by praiseworthy ones. The discipline that pertains to opinions consists of proceeding in one's apprehensions according to their proper order and by the paths that lead to them — not examining what there is no way of coming to apprehend, and not holding back from examining what a person is capable of apprehending. "Understanding [binah]" is the knowledge that comes about, with respect to things, from matters that are not essential to them — as when we say that the sun heats and the moon cools, even though these qualities do not belong to them in themselves; and this, too, is called tevunah [discernment]. "To know" — that is, to know the discipline pertaining to character traits, which concerns civic/practical matters; and this consists of abandoning base character traits and pursuing praiseworthy ones. Now [Solomon] placed "wisdom" before "instruction," even though instruction ought properly to precede in time, because wisdom is, as it were, the final cause of instruction. And "to comprehend words of understanding [imrei binah]" — these are the well-known premises from which one arrives at the knowledge of the science of the divine, and of whatever else proceeds after its manner — premises that do not attain to essentiality; and in these, too, there is benefit.

"To know" — The benefit of these words is to make known to people wisdom and discipline; and he took hold of the parable in order to make the words of understanding comprehensible to others, for it is a great gateway to acquiring understanding.

"To know wisdom" — The purpose of the book is "to know wisdom," etc. The definition of wisdom is to know, in every character trait, way, and custom, [how to act], for in each of them there are two paths, opposite to one another — such as cruelty versus mercy, pride versus humility, insolence versus shame, eating versus fasting, holiness versus impurity — where conducting oneself along one path is wisdom and its opposite is folly. For example: to conduct oneself with humility is wisdom, and to conduct oneself with pride is folly. Yet sometimes pride is wisdom and humility is folly, such as [when dealing] with the wicked and the insolent. So too with every matter to which the terms "good" and "bad," "fitting" and "unseemly" apply — wisdom teaches by which path one should proceed, and how, and when, and to what degree one should employ each trait. And the general rule is that the ways of wisdom cannot be understood by a person on his own, nor can they become known by way of logical proof; rather, they are received from Hashem alone, who engraved the laws of wisdom and taught them to mankind by means of the two Torahs — the Written Torah and the Oral Torah — through which He set down for man all the prescribed actions in accordance with the ways of wisdom. It would follow from this that it is impossible "to know wisdom," for [strict] knowledge applies only to a matter that a person knows with clear certainty — which occurs regarding something known through the senses or through first principles (self-evident truths) — and this is impossible with wisdom, which cannot be attained by sense-perception or by rational proof, but only by tradition. However, Solomon, by means of his proverbs, taught people "to know wisdom," for he explained the unknown matters by means of known matters, so that through the parables a person attains the principles of wisdom with clear certainty. And he accomplished this by teaching in his proverbs "to know wisdom and discipline" — meaning to say: since the laws of wisdom stand opposed to the nature of man's heart (for it is the nature of the heart to raise up within itself notions that are the opposite of the notions of wisdom, as it is said (Genesis 8:21), "for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth"), the heart raises up notions inclining toward pride, envy, vengeance, cruelty, and the like. These evil notions arise of themselves within the heart, and by means of them the desiring faculty and the stirring faculty do battle against wisdom, and a person, by his very nature, is inclined to follow after them — since the laws of wisdom have no rational demonstrations, so that it is impossible to stand against them by the power of the intellect, nor will he battle against them by virtue of the nature of his soul, for on the contrary, the laws of wisdom stand in contradiction to the nature of the soul. Therefore one needs "discipline" [musar], which chastens and binds the powers of the soul so that they do not stray from the laws of wisdom — neither so that one chooses the path of folly, nor so that the powers of the soul that incline toward the good go forth and extend beyond the boundary that wisdom has set for them. And what is this "discipline"? It will be explained further on (Proverbs 15:33): "The fear of Hashem is the discipline of wisdom" — that is, the faculty of fear/awe planted within the soul branches off into one branch, namely the fear of Hashem, which binds the powers of the soul with cords so that they do not break through the boundary. For since a person believes in Hashem and knows that the laws of wisdom are given by Hashem, he will fear Hashem on account of His honor and greatness, His judgment and punishment, and he will be afraid to turn away from the laws of wisdom which the supreme King, exalted and lofty, commanded and warned concerning. And we have already said that [strict] knowledge occurs only with respect to a matter that one knows with clear certainty, by attainment through the senses, or through a first principle, or through logical proof. However, it is also conceivable that a person attains clear certainty even regarding a matter that did not become known to him through sense-perception or proof, but rather he received this matter from a trustworthy person in whom he believes with full strength, and this matter became fixed in his mind without any doubt, as though he had seen the thing with his own eyes or grasped it with his own intellect. If so, by means of "discipline" — which is the fear of Hashem, who made known and taught the laws of wisdom, and [since] his heart believes in Him and in His words, and he keeps them with all his strength out of his fear of Him — through this, wisdom becomes fixed in people's hearts as a certain matter, so that through discipline they come "to know wisdom and discipline" with clear certainty. "To comprehend" — Now, understanding [binah] is distinct from wisdom [chochmah]: it is that by which a person understands one thing on the basis of another thing, and it applies also to things to which the terms "true" and "false" apply. Likewise, it applies to comprehending the difficult figures of speech and the obscure riddles spoken of by the masters of reason. And whereas wisdom is gathered into the soul from without, understanding goes forth from a person's soul outward, to pass among things and investigate them, and to penetrate to know their depths, and to draw forth hidden things by means of the inferences of reason. This too is taught in this book: "to comprehend the words of understanding" — that one should comprehend the obscure sayings of understanding, and understand one thing on the basis of another thing.

righteousness, justice, and equity “Righteousness” denotes charity from his money; “justice” means to judge honestly, and “equity” denotes compromise—the smooth and straight road, equal to this one and to that one.

"To receive" — hearing and learning from the mouth of the one who instructs constitute the "receiving." "The discipline of wisdom" (השכל) — a verbal noun, and it is written defectively, lacking a vav. "Righteousness" (צדק) — includes the service of God and every good deed. "Justice" (משפט) — that one judge between a man and his fellow. "And equity" (ומישרים) — that the one who sits in judgment speak uprightly. And some say: "ha-sekhel" (השכל) means to know how to do righteousness.

"The discipline of wisdom [musar ha-sekhel]" — this is the discipline that pertains to theoretical inquiry (iyyun). "Justice, and right, and equity" — these three apply to one and the same thing, or to things nearly the same; and they all, in general, apply to rectitude and to what is fitting in matters, whether in opinions or in character traits.

"To receive" — to learn discipline from them. "Justice" — this is the service of God. "And right" — that which is between a man and his fellow. "And equity" — regarding character traits and human conduct.

"To receive" — an expression of knowledge and learning, as in "for I give you good doctrine" (below, 4:2).

"To receive the discipline of the intellect" — There is "discipline" (musar), and there is "discipline of the intellect" (musar ha-sekhel). The intellect (sekhel) is distinct from understanding (binah): it is a distinct faculty in man that operates in matters over which the hand of understanding has no control — such as grasping matters of wisdom that cannot be clarified through the proofs of understanding, and likewise grasping the truth of the sublime Essence and the secret of the Account of Creation (Ma'aseh Bereshit) and the Account of the Chariot (Ma'aseh Merkavah), in order to attain the greatness of the Creator of the universe. All this belongs to the workings of the intellect. Now, the discipline that comes about through fear of Hashem — that one should fear His punishment — is called simply "discipline." And the discipline that comes about through fear of His exaltedness — whereby one grasps the greatness of Hashem, may He be blessed, and fears His exaltedness so as not to do anything against the laws of wisdom, which one grasps with good sense — this is called "discipline of the intellect," because it is attained through the power of the intellect; and sometimes the holy spirit (ruach ha-kodesh) accompanies it, and then it is called "good sense." All this one will take from the proverbs of the book and its epigrams. Likewise, through these proverbs one will take "justice, and right" — namely, how one should conduct oneself in matters between a man and his fellow, and in civic governance. "Right" (mishpat) is what one does according to the strict letter of the law; "justice" (tzedek) is beyond the strict letter of the law, whereby one weighs the place, the time, and the matter, and according to these sometimes deviates from the line of strict law in order to act according to justice. Likewise, one should act with "equity" (meisharim) — and this term applies both to uprightness of one's opinions in speculative matters and to uprightness of one's deeds in practical matters, both in matters that fall under the category of wisdom and in what falls under the category of understanding — that is, whether one's intellect and deeds proceed according to the laws of rectitude. All this one will learn from these proverbs.

To give prudence to the simple Koheleth stated these proverbs so that the simple should gain prudence. knowledge...to the youth And also to the youth, who is devoid of all [knowledge], who has not yet learned anything. and discretion Thoughts of counsel.

"To give" (לתת) — on the pattern of "הָרָה לָלֶת" (a pregnant woman on the verge of giving birth), [as if] from "יְלָלָה" ("a wailing") [i.e., an infinitive formed by dropping the first letter of the root]. But the correct view is that "latet" is like "to go" (ללכת), on the pattern of "to sit" (לשבת) [infinitives that drop their weak first radical]. And its meaning is: they will understand [how], by means of them [the proverbs], to give shrewdness to the simple, so that folly may be removed from them; since they will not be able to attain wisdom and understanding, they will [at least] understand their way in this world and how to live, as it is said, "the wisdom of the shrewd is to discern his way" (Proverbs 14:8). "To the young man" — and to give the young man, through proverbs, knowledge. And the alef of "פתאים" (the simple) stands in place of the yod of [the singular] "פתי," and so too in [the word] "רפאים." And [as follows]: if the attentive one is wise, he will increase learning; and if he is discerning, he will acquire strategies (תחבולות) — and all this...

"To give to the simple" — depth of thought and a measure of dialectical reasoning (pilpul), by which one is guarded from simplicity; and "to the young in years" — the things that are the starting points of theoretical inquiry, namely, thought and the first intelligibles, or whatever is close to them. Now he mentioned "knowledge" first, because it is more distinguished than [mere] thoughts. And do not suppose that there is no benefit in these [proverbs] except for those just mentioned, who possess no perfection at all — rather, benefit is found in them also for the wise and the discerning. For a wise man may hear these proverbs and thereby increase his acquisition of wisdom, and a discerning man may hear them and acquire the devices (tachbulot) for producing the well-known premises that lead to the apprehension of each and every matter among these philosophical inquiries. Thus these proverbs set people on a straight course. "To understand a proverb, and a figure" — [the proverbs and figures] spoken by the sages and the prophets. For through these a person learns the methods of representation (darkhei ha-chikkuyim) by which they are accustomed to make comparisons and to represent things, and through these he is guided to understand the words of the sages, even when they are exceedingly deep, and to understand their riddles — by virtue of having understood the methods of representation by which they are accustomed to make their comparisons. "Prudence [ormah]" — this is dialectical reasoning (pilpul) applied to civic/practical matters. "Knowledge [da'at]" — these are the first intelligibles, or whatever is close to them, for revealing the truth of the matter. And "discretion [mezimah]" is the thought that constitutes the starting point for knowledge and directs one toward it — as when a person wishes to ascertain the truth of a matter: he takes up the various lines of thought that pertain to it, selects the correct one from among them, and sets aside the incorrect one, as is mentioned in the Book of Refutation [i.e., the Sophistical Refutations] and in the Book of What Is After Nature [i.e., the Metaphysics].

"To give" — the words spoken here will serve to give the simple-minded shrewdness, to remove foolishness from their heart. "To the young man" — to one who is tender in years, who does his deeds without knowledge and without forethought — for such a one, these words will serve to acquire knowledge and forethought; that is to say, from now on he will consider the matter before he does it.

"Prudence" — an expression of shrewdness/cleverness, as in "for he deals very craftily" (1 Samuel 23:22). "And discretion" — an expression of thought and planning, as in "she considers a field and buys it" (below, 31:16).

"To give" — Now he explains to which classes of people this book was composed, saying that it will benefit all classes. It will give "prudence to the simple." Prudence (armah) is the opposite of simplicity (petayut): the simple person (peti) believes everything, while the prudent person (arum) discerns things precisely, for with prudence one's heart is not enticed by everything, and one examines everything with one's intellect. That is why "arum" (prudent) always appears as the counterpart of "peti" (simple). Therefore he states that these proverbs will benefit by instilling prudence in the heart of the simple person, so that he examines his ways and his conduct and does not become like a foolish dove. He further adds that the young man — who is not simple, and does possess prudence, but because he is young in years lacks "knowledge" and "discretion" — will also benefit. For knowledge is acquired through extensive examination by the senses or through the use of intellectual concepts, and one who is young in years has not yet examined matters and has not acquired clear knowledge; and likewise "discretion" (mezimah), which is defined as deep thoughts, is not yet found in the heart of a youth. These proverbs will give him both "knowledge" — to examine everything and know it — and "discretion."

Let the wise man hear these proverbs. and increase to his wisdom. learning Heb. לקח, learning. the wise man This is the one who has heard wisdom. The understanding man who has knowledge superior to the knowledge of the wise man, for he knows how to derive one idea from another, and he adds to what he [has] heard.

"Learning [lekach]" — acquisition. "Wise counsels [tachbulot]" — things derived through subtlety of thought. "To receive" — the discipline pertaining to theoretical inquiry, meaning that one should proceed toward attaining it by the proper paths and not examine what there is no way of coming to by inquiry; and in these, too, there is benefit — to conduct oneself along straight paths in one's character traits and in one's opinions, that is, in justice, in right, and in equity; and in these, too, there is benefit.

"That the wise man may hear" — that is, the words will benefit even the wise man, for when he hears them he will add still more learning from his own knowledge; and the man of understanding will acquire [wisdom] through stratagems (tachbulot) — these being deep matters, requiring much study, in the subtlety of thought.

"Wise counsels" — refers to depth of reasoning, as in "and with wise counsel wage war" (below, 20:18). "May attain" — we find the term "acquisition" used even where there is no seller, as in "Maker of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19), and there are many cases like it.

"That the wise man may hear" — They will also benefit the wise (chakhamim) and the men of understanding (nevonim). The "wise man" is defined as one who has received the laws of wisdom from his teachers or through engagement in Torah study, and he will "increase in learning"; for wisdom is very broad and has no limit, and through these proverbs he will increase his learning, and his ear will take in many details that were not clarified in the Torah or in the received tradition of the Sages. And the "man of understanding" — one who understands one thing from another and derives an intellectual concept from another intellectual concept through logical inferences — will "attain wise counsels"; for the term "tachbulah" is defined as deriving conclusions of intellectual concepts through many inferences chained one to another. Through this book he will acquire many premises and will learn to construct and derive many inferences by the power of his own understanding — one from another, and that one from yet another — in order to broaden the scope of his understanding.

to understand an allegory and a figure That they should direct their attention to understand the verses through two methods: the allegory and the figure. They should understand what he compares to the figure, but they should not neglect the figure itself, for that, too, requires understanding. When he states, “To save you from a strange woman and a foreign one” (2:16), idolatry is meant; this is the allegory, and also the figure—for he expressed his allegory in terms of a woman—should be understood by it, [meaning that] you shall beware of a strange woman (other editions: a harlot). the words of the wise and their riddles Those who interpret the Torah metaphorically, full verses and elliptical ones, allusions, comparisons and riddles.

"To understand" — a proverb (משל), a figure of speech (מליצה), and riddles (חידות). A mashal is [a saying] from which another matter emerges; a chidah is a hidden matter, not understood until it is explained, as it is said, "Behold, all these shall take up a proverb concerning him" (Habakkuk 2:6). And "lekach" (לקח, "learning") is so called on account of what a person takes (יקח) from knowledge. Likewise: "What does your heart take you to" (Job 15:12). And "tachbulot" (תחבולות, "strategies") has the sense of counsel and thought, and the proof is: "the thoughts of the righteous are justice," etc. (Proverbs 12:5). And likewise "your pilots" (חובליך, Ezekiel 27:8) — and the meaning of "he shall acquire strategies" is on account of [enabling him] to understand a proverb, a figure of speech, and the words of other wise men.

"and their dark sayings" — Behold, the chidah (riddle) is an obscure statement, uttered about a matter by way of comparison, which can bear differing intentions.

"To understand a proverb and a figure" — that is, these words are said with respect to two ways [of understanding]: to understand the proverb — that is, the thing to which the figurative saying is compared — and also the figurative saying itself. For when [Scripture] says, in the figurative saying, to beware of a harlot, and it is meant to represent heresy, one is meant to understand from it also to be wary of an actual harlot. And for further explanation it says "the words of the wise, and their dark sayings" — that is, the things stated explicitly (lit. "with a full mouth") and those hinted at by way of riddle.

"And a figure" — refers to eloquent words that are well received by the heart. "And their dark sayings" — refers to obscure matters that are difficult to understand.

"To understand a proverb, and a figure" — Now he explains the form of the book: that it contains "proverb" (mashal) and "figure" (melitzah). The "melitzah" is the thing conveyed by the parable (the nimshal). Likewise, they will learn from it to understand the parables of the Written Torah and their figurative meaning — that is, the inner intellectual content that lies beneath the outer garment, which is the parable itself. For example, in the accounts of the Tree of Knowledge and the serpent and the like, one will understand both the parable and the thing it represents. Likewise, in the Oral Torah, one will understand "the words of the wise, and their dark sayings" — that is, the statements the Sages made to interpret the commandments of the Torah, and the ethical teachings they stated, and the like; and likewise the aggadot and hidden matters that were stated in a riddling manner, which none but the wise of heart can understand, and they will find their solution through the parables of this book.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge Until here, he explained for what purpose Solomon composed this book, and now the book commences. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge This is the separation of the fundamentals of knowledge, and what shall be for you first, preceding knowledge: Before your wisdom, first fear your Creator, and that will give your heart the desire to engage in wisdom and in knowledge, for the fools, who do not fear the Lord, despise wisdom and discipline.

"The fear of [Hashem]" — he makes known that it is the beginning of knowledge and discipline, that one should be God-fearing; and even though fools despise the wisdom of fear and discipline, it is not fitting to despise them — therefore [that clause] comes right after it.

"The fear of Hashem" — this is the discipline pertaining to character traits, and it is the starting point and the direct route toward the acquisition of knowledge; for it is not possible for a person to pursue the acquisition of the intelligibles while he remains caught in the net of base character traits. Now the fools — those who reject discipline and despise it — despise wisdom and instruction, and do not even sense it; for by rejecting discipline they distance wisdom from themselves. And it is clear that the fool takes no discipline — discipline he has not taken.

"The fear of Hashem" — Now he begins to speak his own words, and says "the fear of Hashem," etc. That is, at the very beginning of the study of knowledge one must acquire the fear of Hashem; for behold, fools and the wicked despise wisdom and discipline, and if one does not acquire the fear of Hashem at the outset, what benefit is there in studying it? Will he not despise it and reject it?

"The foolish" — meaning the wicked, for a person does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of folly has entered him.

"The fear of Hashem is the beginning of knowledge" — Behold, every branch of wisdom has a starting point, through which the wisdom becomes known, and these are its foundations. Just as the wisdom of geometry builds its foundations upon sense-perception and primary intellectual concepts, the wisdom of nature is founded upon observation and experiment, But the wisdom of the Torah and the wisdom of character (chokhmat ha-middot), which is referred to in this book simply as "wisdom," its starting points cannot be known through intellectual proof, as stated above; rather, it is received from Hashem, who established it and also examined it thoroughly. If so, it is impossible to arrive at a comprehensive knowledge of it — to know it with clear knowledge — except through discipline and fear of Hashem, as stated in verse 1: that through the power of fear planted in the soul to fear Hashem, one fears transgressing His will, and prepares his heart to keep the laws of wisdom given by Hashem, and they become fixed in his heart as faithful and true matters. And through this he arrives at a comprehensive knowledge of them, since through his faith in Hashem, who legislated the laws of wisdom, they become to him like something attained through the senses or through primary intellectual concepts. And this applies only to one who believes in Hashem and in His commandments and does not doubt. However, the foolish (the definition of "fool" being one who doubts and does not believe) — since they cast doubts, both upon wisdom and upon the fear of Hashem, which is the discipline that is the beginning and foundation of the knowledge of wisdom — they disdain both wisdom and discipline. And this is the meaning of "the foolish despise wisdom and discipline, because the fear of Hashem is the beginning of knowledge": that is to say, because wisdom has no other starting point by which to know it and attain from it clear knowledge, except through fear of Hashem — which is built upon faith in Hashem and in the laws of wisdom that came from Him. It is this that they doubt, and so they disdain the discipline and fear of Hashem, together with the wisdom that rests upon it.

Hearken, my son, to the discipline of your father What the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Moses in writing and orally. your mother Heb. אמך [like אמתך], your nation, the nation of Israel, as in (Ezek. 19:2): “What a lioness was your mother [meaning your nation]!” These are the words of the Scribes, which they innovated and added and made safeguards for the Torah.

"Hear, my son, the discipline..., the teaching of your mother" — for a wise woman teaches the right way to her son, like Bathsheba, who disciplined Lemuel. And the word "al" (אל) has the sense of conciliation [a softened, benedictory sense rather than strict prohibition], from the notion of a response; and among these [usages] are: "a king whom none can withstand" (אלקום עמו, Proverbs 30:31) and "is not of death" (אל מות, Proverbs 12:28).

"Hear, my son" — Behold, the first discipline a person acquires is the discipline of his father and mother, for they discipline him and guide him in his childhood, and afterward he is guided toward taking discipline from the words of the Torah. For this reason the Torah imposed the extraordinary punishment on the rebellious and wayward son, because he would not heed the voice of his father and the voice of his mother. For this reason this Sage warned and said: "Hear, my son, the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the guidance with which your mother guides you" — for these disciplines that you acquire first from them are, as it were, ornaments for you, to remove from you the defilement of base character traits. Alternatively: by "the instruction of a father" and "the teaching of a mother" he meant the Torah itself. For Hashem is called "father," as in the verse, "Is not He your father who has acquired you" — while "the mother" is the Active Intellect, through whose mediation prophecy is attained; and he compared it to a female in relation to Hashem, because it is the one that receives the power from Him, while Hashem is the one who brings its perfection into being — in the manner of the saying, "with the crown with which his mother crowned him." For this reason the Sages, of blessed memory, called it Metatron, which means "mother" in the Roman [Latin] tongue.

"Hear" — accept discipline from your father, for he certainly desires your betterment. "The teaching of your mother" — that which your mother teaches you.

"Forsake" — an expression of abandonment, as in "for Hashem will not forsake His people" (1 Samuel 12:22). "The teaching" — an expression of instruction and teaching.

"Hear" — On this he responds to them, and shows that there are foundations to the laws of wisdom, and rational starting points that are necessarily accepted by the intellect of every person. He says: you, my son, hear the discipline of your father, which he will explain afterward — that the first piece of discipline that a person instills in his son is something in which absolutely no doubt can be cast; it is as clear as something perceived by the senses. From this he establishes that moral discipline as a whole is something founded and rationally grasped in the human intellect, and is a clear item of knowledge with no doubt in it at all. And by this: "do not forsake the teaching that your mother taught you" — or, that is to say, the teaching of the community as a whole, which is the inclusive "mother" — do not forsake it, for it has a foundation in discipline and in knowledge.

a wreath of grace They are a wreath of grace for your head; i.e., the instruction and the discipline will be a wreath of grace for your head, and they shall be like the rings of a golden ornament. for your neck Heb. לגרגרתיך. Since the trachea is composed of many rings, he refers to the neck in the plural form.

"For they shall be a chaplet" — [the word "chaplet," לוית] is missing a kaf [of comparison], and it is from the sense of "my husband will be joined to me" (ילוה אישי, Genesis 29:34); and its meaning is: like the attaching of a gracious thing, so are discipline and teaching, fitting for your head. "For your neck" (לגרגרותיך) — the area around the throat is called "gargerot" (גרגרות). Likewise, "upon the necks of Benjamin" (צוארי בנימין, Genesis 45:14). And likewise, [the area] around the head, "at his head" (מראשותיו, 1 Samuel 26:7).

"For they shall be a chaplet of grace" — After this he continues in praise of these moral disciplines: they are to your head like an attachment — the beautiful adornment which, when joined to a person's head, gives him favor in the eyes of those who see him; and they are to the neck like "anakim" (beads), the ornaments customarily placed on the neck, as in "one bead of your necklace" (Song of Songs 4:9). And his mentioning the head and the throat is to indicate that this discipline directs a person toward the beauty that is in the head, in which reside many of the apprehending faculties that direct one toward intellectual understanding, and toward the beauty that is in the throat, which is the instrument of speech, so that from it words of wisdom may be brought forth through study and learning. And since the inclination of a person's heart is evil from his youth, and he is for this reason prone to the evil ways to which sinful men entice him, this sage gave a warning and said: "My son, if sinners entice you" to join with them and follow their ways, "do not consent" and do not listen to them.

"For they shall be a chaplet of grace" — this discipline and this learning are, for your head, a garland of grace, and ornamental chains around your neck.

"A chaplet" — an expression of joining and attachment, as in "this time will my husband be joined to me" (Genesis 29:34). "And chains" — ornaments for the neck, as in "besides the chains" (Judges 8:26). "To your neck" — related to the words "throat" and "neck." "They entice you" — related to the term enticement and incitement.

"For they are a wreath of grace for your head" — meaning, they are like an ornament of grace attached to your head; "and like chains" that are an ornament for your throat, upon your neck. The "head" signifies thought and intellect, whose dwelling place is in the head, and the "throat" (gargeret) is the throat [garon] — the place from which speech issues — signifying the ornament of speech. That is to say, these teachings of discipline will confer grace upon your thoughts and upon your speech. The term "wreath" (livyah) denotes something attached to a thing from the outside, for wisdom does not come from within the soul the way understanding (binah) does, but is rather received from without.

sinners Heb. חטאים, sinners. do not consent Heb. אל תבא, do not consent to them.

"If they entice you" — to go after their view. "Consent you not" (lit. "do not come") — do not be willing.

"Consent" — an expression of willingness, as in "my brother-in-law refuses" (Deuteronomy 25:7).

"My son, if sinners entice you" — this instruction is spoken by the father to his son. For when he wishes to teach him proper conduct through wisdom, he begins with something simple, whose reasoning is obvious and clear and comprehensible even to a young child with certain knowledge — such as, that one should not go about in the company of murderers to kill people and to rob, for this is known to all, whether from the standpoint of the gravity of murder itself, which is against human nature, or from the standpoint of the danger it involves, since it endangers his own life. Therefore the father begins, in teaching discipline to his young son, by explaining to him the matter of the way of folly and the evil of its nature — the teacher begins with something simple and clear, and from there raises him, in his instruction, so that he will not heed the enticement of sinners in any matter whatsoever. And therefore he prefaced: "if sinners entice you" — "do not consent," which is a general warning not to heed them, for their enticements run against the laws of wisdom; and he will illustrate this for him with the example of the enticement to murder.

let us lie in wait for blood to shed blood. let us hide Heb. נצפנה, an expression of ambush. let us hide for the innocent, without cause Scripture states that their hiding for the innocent is without cause.

"If for blood" — [meaning] to shed blood. "Without cause" (חנם) — from the language of "God has graciously given" (חנן אלהים, Genesis 33:5), in the sense of "a gift"; and the mem is extra, like [the mem in] "empty-handed" (ריקם).

"If they say: Come with us" — and let us lie in wait to kill a man so that we may take his wealth; we will lie hidden and concealed against a person, even though he is innocent, bringing about what will destroy him, even though he has sinned neither against us nor against anyone else. For just as the grave swallows the dead man buried in it, so we will swallow up these people while they are yet alive — we will swallow people even though they are blameless, as though they were going down into the grave. And behold, we have agreed to kill these people in order to take their spoil, for there is already found with them every precious possession, and we shall fill our houses with the plunder we take from them, to divide the spoil.

"For blood" — to shed blood. "Let us lurk (netzapenah)" — hidden, to lie in wait for innocent blood, to shed it for nothing against one who has no violence on his hands; and the matter is repeated in different words, in the manner of figurative speech, and to sustain the enticement.

"Let us lie in wait" — we shall sit in ambush to lie in wait. "Let us lurk" — an expression of concealment.

"If they say, Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood" — if a gang of murderers entice him. Now this can happen in two ways: sometimes the intended victims will stand against them and fight for their lives, and then the murderers will proceed by way of ambush, lying in wait for them with the tactics of war, [scheming] how to overpower and capture them, and then there will be bloodshed between them — and of this it says "let us lie in wait for blood." And sometimes the intended victims are weak men, or faint of heart, and will not fight against them — and of this it says "let us lurk for the innocent without cause," for then the victims are innocent and not liable to death under the law that applies to murderers, since they did not fight against them; and whatever evil is done to them is "without cause," since the attackers have no claim against them to justify harming them on the grounds that they fought back and killed some of them. For this reason it uses the term "lurk" (nitzp'nah) — to indicate that they did not come by way of open ambush and battle, but rather concealed themselves along the way, in order to fall upon them as they passed by and rob them.

let us swallow them up The innocent when they are alive. like the grave which swallows up the entire body. and the whole ones Heb. ותמימים. This is not an expression of righteous men, but an expression of whole ones. Let us swallow them up when they are whole, like a man who descends into a pit when he is whole; i.e., when they are still wealthy, let us slay them and inherit their property.

"Let us swallow them" and "whole" — they shall be swallowed like those who go down to the pit. Another interpretation: "[they shall be] whole, all of them, [like] Sheol" — [the word "Sheol," שאול] means "below"; and it is sometimes used in the masculine, [as in] "Sheol is naked" (ערום שאול, Job 26:6), and sometimes in the feminine, "Sheol beneath is stirred up for you" (שאול מתחת רגזה לך, Isaiah 14:9).

"As the grave" — just as the grave/Sheol consumes the whole body entirely, so shall we swallow them up entirely while they are alive — that is, while they are still in the full strength of their wealth. "And whole" — we shall swallow them while they are whole in the abundance of their wealth, like one who goes down into a pit, who goes down whole, with all his limbs intact; it is the same thing, and the matter is repeated in different words.

"Let us swallow them up" — Now, in the case where it says "let us lurk for the innocent without cause," meaning that they will not then kill them, since the victims did not fight against them, it instead says, "let us swallow them alive as Sheol" — that is, we will swallow up them and their money, and they will remain alive, becoming slaves forever, just as the earth opened its mouth and he went down alive to Sheol together with all that was his, as happened with Korach. And in the case where they lie in wait for blood and kill them, it says "let us swallow them up, whole (temimim), as those who go down to the pit," who go down dead — nevertheless, even though they are not alive, they are "whole," meaning that we will take all their wealth and possessions, as with those who go down to the pit and leave everything that is theirs to their heirs.

"All precious substance" — money, from silver and gold. "Spoil" — garments.

"All [precious] substance" — behold, there is found with him all precious wealth, and we shall fill our houses with the spoil that we take from him.

"All" — 1) that we shall find every precious substance of silver and gold; 2) "we shall fill our houses with spoil" — the objects found, which will serve as spoil, each person will take as spoil for his own house, for his household goods; but the gold and money they will not take to their own houses, but will rather place it in the common treasury of the gang, as he will go on to explain.

Cast your lot among us If you wish, you may share; if you wish, it will be common property. we will all have one purse together.

"Cast in your lot among us" — you will have a share with us in it like our share; for all of us there shall be one purse, in which no one has advantage over another. Now he mentioned the matter of murder in order to distance the son further from following their counsel, and also because it is the end to which their evil ways will bring him: for if they turn to excessive eating and drinking, sometimes they will lack the means for it and so will come to steal, and sometimes the owner will discover them and they will murder him; and likewise if they turn to sexual immorality or to the other evil things to which they may possibly turn.

"Your lot" — and they continue to say to you: if you wish, you yourself may cast the lot, whichever you wish, to determine each one's portion. "[One] purse" — if you wish, there shall be one purse for all of us; that is to say, we shall eat and drink in partnership from the proceeds of the theft.

"Purse" — a pouch and sack.

"Your lot" — Concerning the spoil of objects and vessels, this they will divide among themselves by lot, and each will take his portion to his house: "you shall cast your lot among us," to take your share by lot like one of us. And the wealth and money, which will be placed in the gang's common treasury-purse, will be "one purse for us all," and you will have a share in it.

"My son, walk you not in the way with them" — in one way [together with them], so that you not learn their deeds. "Restrain your foot from their path" — from any of the things that might draw you toward them.

"In the way with them" — that is to say, in the way in which they walk, so that you not learn from their deeds. "From their path" — from the way that they walk in.

"My son, walk not in the way with them" — "way" (derech) is the main road, fixed for the many, while "paths" (netivot) belong to individuals. He adds that not only should you not walk with them on their main road, fixed for all of them, but also, "do not walk in their path" — on a path traveled by even a single one of them. And he adds further that not only should you not go together with them, but even if they are not walking there [with you], "restrain your foot," so that you do not walk on a path that even a single one of them has walked, for they would murder you too.

run to evil They run to their own harm, and they do not know to pay heed to the matter.

"For their feet run to evil" — and even though one might think at first that their way is not toward murder, in fact they hasten to shed blood, for they are on evil paths that lead to murder, as he has said, and this without transgression or sin on the victim's part.

"Their feet run to evil" — that is to say, even though it is not evident to the eye that this way is evil, nevertheless the end of their intent is toward evil, and they hasten to shed blood whenever the opportunity is at hand.

"For their feet run to evil" — the father informs his young son, so that he will know that everything they run to do is for evil, for robbery is an evil thing. (With this the father begins teaching his son something he can grasp easily with his own intellect, and he goes on to explain to him that,) beyond its being an evil thing, they will also murder you, for "they hasten to shed blood" (and also, do not think that you will manage to slip away from their hands in the midst of this, for they will hasten to prevent that).

For the net is scattered without cause For the fowl that see wheat and legumes spread out upon the net—it appears to them that it is without cause; they do not realize for what reason they are spread, and they go down into it and eat.

"For in vain" — [meaning that a bird] does not see the net and does not fear it, until it settles in it; it sees the food that is in it, but not the net. So too, they see what they will take and they say, "we shall find every precious substance" — [but] they do not see the net upon which they walk, as it is said, "for he is cast into a net by his own feet" (Job 18:8).

"For in vain the net is spread" — to trap it, for the bird has not sinned against the one hunting it, and nevertheless.

"For in vain" — that is, just as it appears in the eyes of every winged creature that the net is spread out for nothing, and that there is no intent behind it to trap it, and because of this it comes down into it to eat of the seeds that are in it.

"Is spread" — an expression of scattering and spreading, as in "scatters away all evil with his eyes" (below, 20:8). "Winged creatures" — the birds that have wings.

"For in vain the net is spread in the eyes of every winged creature" — the bird that sees a net with kinds of food scattered on it imagines that it is being given food for free, and that nothing will be demanded of it in return.

but they lie in wait for their blood But the hunters lie in wait for the blood of the birds.

"And these lie in wait for their own blood" — behold, those who spread the net lie in wait for their own blood and lurk to take their own lives.

"And these" — but in truth, those who spread the net did not spread it for nothing, for they lie in wait for the blood of the birds, and hide themselves in order to take their lives, and it was for the sake of trapping that they spread it.

"And these" — the hunters, lie in wait for their own blood; meaning, either they lie in wait to kill him, or they lurk for their own lives, in order to capture them alive.

So are the ways of everyone who commits robbery Heb. בצע בצע, who commits robbery. It is beautiful and precious to him, and it is free to him. But his end will be that... it will take away the life of its owner His own life, for he has now become the owner of the money that he stole from his neighbor.

"So" — "it takes away the life of its owners" [means]: it is the one who was robbed who will take from the robber.

"So are the ways" — Whoever takes another's money unlawfully will thereby take the life of its owner; that is, he will end up killing him, so that his disgrace not be exposed if the owner should find him, or if the owner should struggle against him to prevent him from taking what he wishes to take. Now, I think that he compared this matter to the spreading of a net, by way of exaggeration and hyperbole. For the spreading of a net has as its primary intent that we trap the bird with it; and secondarily, it also serves to feed the bird some of its food. By this he means that one who comes to steal intends by the theft, first and foremost, to kill its owner — this being the primary intention — and thirdly, it also serves the purpose of gaining wealth. All this he said in order to point out that all these evil deeds tend strongly toward murder, as though murder were their first intention; for these evildoers agree among themselves from the outset that if anyone is found to prevent them from doing what they intend, they will kill him. This, then, is the explanation of the words of this section, within which we have bounded our commentary here. Now, as for the benefits derived from it: The first benefit is to make known who is the author of the book, its usefulness, and the level of instruction achieved in it. The benefit of knowing who the author is lies in directing us toward the true intent of the words, when the views of that man are known to us from other places or another source. The benefit of knowing the usefulness of the book is likewise to establish the intent of the words, for they must be interpreted in a manner from which benefit results in one of the kinds of actions mentioned in this place. And the benefit of knowing the level of instruction achieved in it — namely, that it speaks by way of parable and analogy — is evident, for this wonderfully directs one to grasp the intent in any given place. The second benefit is to make known that perfection of character is a prerequisite for perfection of the intellect, for a person cannot perfect his soul in matters of the intellect while the defilement of base character traits remains in him; and this is the meaning of his saying, "The fear of Hashem is the beginning of knowledge." The third is a command to accept moral discipline from one's parents, since this is the first discipline a person acquires, and it is the way by which a person comes to take on the discipline that leads to perfection; and this is the meaning of his saying, "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching." The fourth is a warning against the company of evildoers, for it easily leads to great sins, since a person is very prone from the very beginning of his existence to sin; and this is the meaning of his saying, "My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent... walk not in the way with them," etc.

"So are the ways" — such is the way of the robber: to devise stratagems so that no one sense him, in order to beware of him; and after this he robs the wealth, and also takes the life of the owner of the wealth, so that he not be discovered.

"The ways" — an expression of conduct and order. "Greedy of gain" — an expression of robbery, as in "for what is the hope of the godless, though he gets gain" (Job 27:8).

"So are the ways of every one who is greedy for gain" — for on this path walks every one who is greedy for gain, who spreads a net to trap the one being enticed; like a foolish dove being trapped in a net, it seems to him that he is being given money and precious wealth for free, but in truth it takes the life of the owner of the gain. When they see that you have gain, they will take your life and rob it from you, as it says, "they hasten to shed blood." With this he also makes clear to him the danger involved in the matter, and on this basis he teaches him, from the known to the unknown, that he should guard himself against the enticement of sinners in every way.

Wisdoms shout in the street Behold, the wisdoms of the Torah cry out in her streets to admonish [the people] to turn to them [the streets]. Now what are her streets? The study halls. in the squares Heb. ברחבות, in the place where it is broadened [in the place where Torah is studied intensively and elaborated upon]. In this manner, Rabbi Tanhuma expounded [upon this verse].

"Wisdom" (חכמות) — he makes known that just as I have disciplined you, so does wisdom warn the thoughtless — and this is by way of a parable. "In the streets" — where the multitude of the people gather. "She cries aloud" (תרונה) — an expression of calling out, like "and the cry passed through [the camp]" (ותעבור הרנה, 1 Kings 22:36). "In the broad places" — in the place of those who pass to and fro.

"Wisdom cries aloud in the streets" — they raise their voice.

"Wisdoms" — behold, every wisdom among the wisdoms proclaims aloud outside, in a place of publicity.

"Cries aloud" — an expression of proclamation and sounding forth the voice, as in "and the cry went throughout the camp" (1 Kings 22:36).

"Wisdom" — after having mentioned how the father would begin teaching the laws of wisdom to his young son, [Solomon] says that wisdom will be revealed little by little, continuing to reveal itself level after level. He reckons here four levels, one after another from the lowest to the highest. First, "outside she cries aloud" — for "outside" is the place behind the houses, where only infants and people of the courtyard are to be found. And afterward, "in the streets she gives forth her voice" — for the "street" (rechov) is the broad place in front of the houses, where the adults who dwell in that lane are to be found; and "she gives forth her voice" is greater than "crying aloud," for one who sings out (meranen) sings for himself alone, while one who gives forth a voice intends for someone else to hear. So at first she begins to be revealed before the youths privately, behind the houses; and afterward she begins to be revealed further, until the preacher stands and gives forth his voice in the street before the adults; and afterward —

She calls at the head of the noisy streets In the place where she is heard and called [and proclaimed Vilna, Warsaw ed.] there she calls out and makes the following statement. “How long will you naive ones, etc?” at the entrances of the gates They are the place where the elders sit.

"At the entrances [of the gates]" — because of those who go out and come in. "In the city she utters her words" (בעיר אמריה) — [short for] "her teachings" (מוסריה), which is elided; or you may read it with a tzere instead of a patach, and the meaning would be: "or in the city she will speak the words of her teachings" (אמרי מוסריה), for when the gates are not open [she speaks within the city itself].

"She calls at the head of the noisy streets" — they speak in a loud voice.

"At the head of the noisy [streets]" — there, at the head [of the street], a place where the noise of people is heard. "At the entrances of the gates" — the place of those who go in and out. "In the city" — in every single city, every wisdom speaks its words; and this is a matter of figurative speech, as if to say: behold, the Torah is revealed to all, and warns concerning its observance.

"At the head of the noisy streets she calls" — she reveals herself in the marketplace, where all the people of the city gather for commerce; and there she "calls," for "calling" is greater than "giving forth a voice": one who calls intends it for the specific people he calls to, whereas giving forth a voice is directed at the public in general. This is to say that then the prophet or the preacher stands before great multitudes. And afterward, "at the entrances of the gates, in the city, she utters her words" — for there the judges and elders sit; and there she "utters her words" and reveals her wisdom to the elders of the gate, until the light of wisdom bursts forth like the light of dawn, ever increasing and shining until the day is fully established. And she says:

you naive ones Heb. פתים. Those who are enticed by enticers and sectarians. naivete Heb. פתי, enticement, the noun for simplicity; like כלי, a vessel, קרי, a happening, שפי, silence.

"How long ... will you love thoughtlessness" — [she speaks] to people, [asking] why they should love foolishness; "peti" (פתי) here is an abstract noun of description.

"How long, you thoughtless" — these are those whose understanding is shallow, and who are easily persuaded toward whatever occurs to their mind without investigating whether it is fitting or not. "Scorners" are people who speak words of mockery and ridicule. And "fools" are those who possess folly that is an acquired trait — meaning that they hold a false view about matters, whether because of their lack of investigation or because they grew up believing it — or, alternatively, those who possess folly that is the lack of acquisition of wisdom.

"And scorners" — this refers back to "how long," stated at the beginning of the verse; and likewise "and fools," etc.

"You thoughtless" — like "peta'im," meaning fools who are easily enticed.

"How long, thoughtless ones, will you love thoughtlessness" — the thoughtless one is enticed toward the way of folly for lack of knowledge; regarding this it says, "how long will you love being enticed without knowledge," for wisdom gives shrewdness to the thoughtless. "And how long will scorners delight in scorning" — the scorner mocks wisdom because it has no rational proofs behind it; yet he does not hate wisdom because it is not known with certain knowledge — rather, he and his kind do not accept it through the mode of acceptance that comes by moral discipline and the fear of Hashem, because scorning matters of faith that lack rational proof is dear to them. The fool (kesil), however, does know the laws of wisdom and swerves from it because of his desire, since the laws of wisdom oppose the evil impulses of his heart — and in this he is worse than the scorner, for the scorner does not hate knowledge and mocks only something he cannot know with certain knowledge, whereas the fool, even though he knows the laws of wisdom with certain knowledge, swerves from it — because fools hate knowledge, since the knowledge of wisdom places a bridle to restrain the desire of the heart.

"Turn you" — how long will you turn to hear my rebuke? "I will pour out" (אביעה) — from "a flowing stream" (נחל נובע, Proverbs 18:4).

"Turn you" — "I will pour out my spirit to you": this is of the sense of "flowing forth," and the intent is that I will bring forth to you my will, as though it flows from my mouth or from my heart in the words with which I inform you; or the intent may be that I will cause my own emanation to flow forth to you. "Turn you" — turn back from your ways and accept reproof from me; behold, I will make my spirit flow forth in my words to pour it out upon you, just as water flows forth from its source. For the things perceived by the senses testify to the wisdom with which Hashem fashioned them, and this wisdom flows forth from them continually, the more one extends investigation into them; and in this manner I make my words known to you.

"At my reproof" — to hear my reproof. "I will pour out" — behold, I will speak to you the breath of my mouth; that is, behold, I warn you at all times. "I will make known... etc." — the matter is repeated in different words.

"I will pour out" — I will speak, as in "utters speech" (Psalms 19:3).

"Turn at my reproof" — wisdom tells them to turn back from their evil way: (1) through "the reproof" with which she reproves them and teaches them the ways of wisdom and its truth; (2) "I will pour out my spirit to you" — the spirit of wisdom will be like a spring welling up in their hearts, teaching them its laws and its truths; (3) "I will make my words known to you" — this is the punishment appointed for one who forsakes wisdom, as will be explained.

I stretched out my hand to beckon to you to turn to me, like a man who beckons to his friend with his hand, stretching out his hand to him to turn to him.

"Because" — You abandoned me, whether in order to occupy yourselves with vain matters, or in order to remain in ease and idleness, so as not to labor in wisdom.

"Because" — therefore, since you refused to hear what I called out. "I have stretched out" — in the manner of a person who gestures with an outstretched hand, [asking others] to attend to his words. "And no man attended" — there was no one who attended.

"Because" — corresponding to what was said, "turn at my reproof," it now says, "because I called and you refused" — that wisdom calls and reproves people, and also calls within people's hearts and pours out her spirit upon them, as stated, "I will pour out my spirit to you." For the faculties of the human soul are prepared to receive the laws of wisdom, and the heart senses the spirit of wisdom filling all the chambers of the soul, and these whisper to it to listen to her voice — yet nonetheless you refused to listen to the voice of this call. And corresponding to what was said, "I will make my words known to you," which are the words of the punishment appointed for one who transgresses against wisdom, it says, "I have stretched out my hand" — for the stretching out of the hand indicates striking, as in, "and I stretched out My hand against you and destroyed you" — meaning: I wanted you to turn back to the ways of wisdom out of fear of the punishment, "but no one attended."

and you have made nothing Heb. ותפרעו, and you nullified. all my advice that I advised, in order to aggrandize you in the world.

"But you have set at nought" — you nullified [it] — meaning, that you did not listen. "But you have set at nought" — You nullified all my counsel and did not wish to accept my reproof — meaning, to be aroused to inquiry in wisdom. This is your recompense for this: that in the place where you would have been helped — that is, had you attained me, meaning wisdom — this would have been at the time of calamity. For on account of wisdom a person comes under the providence of Hashem and is saved from evils, as we explained in the fourth treatise of the Wars of Hashem (Milchamot Hashem). [Since you did not attain wisdom,] He will remove the help from there, and these evils are either an intense fear, or something extensive in actuality.

"But you have set at nought" — you nullified my counsel and did not wish to accept my reproof.

"And you have set at nought" — an expression of nullification and cessation, as in "why do you, Moses and Aaron, cause the people to break off..." (Exodus 5:4). "You would none" — you did not want.

"But you have set at nought" — corresponding to what was said, "because I called," which is the counsel that wisdom places in a person's heart, counseling him, as it were, regarding the good way in which he should walk, it says, "but you set at naught all my counsel." And corresponding to what was said, "I stretched out my hand," which is what reproves him through fear of punishment, it says, "and would none of my reproof" — meaning you were unwilling to listen to the reproof, as stated, "and no one attended."

"I also, in your calamity" — it is possible that it is from the sense of "a mist goes up" (ואד יעלה, Genesis 2:6), like the expression "a day of clouds and thick darkness" (יום ענן וערפל; cf. Joel 2:2, Zephaniah 1:15).

"When it comes" — "and as a whirlwind" — that is, when trouble and distress come upon you, for this came to you by your own hand. Wisdom said further to these people, by way of parable: then they will call to me for help, and I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, since they did not attain me, and therefore I will withhold my fruit from them.

"I also" — therefore I too shall not have pity on you, and I shall laugh when your calamity comes.

"In your calamity" — an expression of distress and misfortune, as in "is not calamity the due of the unrighteous" (Job 31:3).

"I also will laugh at your calamity" — "calamity" is the disaster itself, while "dread" comes before the disaster (for the definition of dread is fear of something whose source one does not know). And it adds that [wisdom] will also mock "when your dread comes," which precedes the disaster; and it goes on to explain:

when your fear comes like a storm Like a cloud that comes up suddenly. like a whirlwind Tourbillon in Old French, in German wirbelwind (Cf. Rashi, Jer. 4:13, Ps. 83:16). comes Heb. יאתה, it comes.

"When it comes as a storm" — meaning, with a great roaring.

"When... comes" — at the time when dread comes upon you like darkness, and your calamity like a storm-wind; and for further explanation it says, "when trouble and distress come upon you."

"As a storm" — meaning darkness, as in "a wasteland of night, devastation and desolation" (Job 30:3). "Comes on" — an expression of coming/arriving, as in "out of the north comes golden splendor" (Job 37:22).

"When your dread comes as a storm" — the dread will come like a storm and darkness, for dread grows in the gloom, when one cannot see the true nature of the thing feared. "And your calamity comes swiftly like a whirlwind" — for immediately after the storm and the dread, the calamity follows after it. There is a difference between the verb "bo" (to come) and "ata" (to come): "ata" indicates a definite, certain arrival. Accordingly it uses the word "ye'ateh" ("shall come"), whose coming is already recognizable by its signs. "When trouble and distress come upon you" — "trouble" is the external distress, and "distress" is the inner distress of the soul (German: Verzweiflung, "despair"). For if the distress of the soul accompanies the external trouble, it is exceedingly bad and bitter, since then all hope is lost, and one is seized with terror and despairs completely.

they shall seek me Heb. ישחרנני, they shall look for me.

"Then" — when the trouble comes. "They will call me" — they will call to me.

"They will seek me earnestly" — an expression of seeking, as in "to seek your face earnestly" (below, 7:15).

"Then they will call me, but I will not answer" — this depicts that at first wisdom will still be near to them, so that they can call her, only she will not answer them; and afterward she will grow distant from them, until "they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me." Now, the first stage applies to the fools (kesilim), who know the laws of wisdom but do not keep them because of their desires; and afterward they reach the condition of the perverse fools (evilim), who have doubts about the laws of wisdom, or the level of the thoughtless (peta'im), who do not know the laws of wisdom at all.

"Because they hated knowledge" — and did not choose the fear of Hashem, which is the preparation and the straight path to the acquisition of knowledge.

"For that (tachat)" — because they hated knowledge.

"For that they hated knowledge" — this is the level of the fools, as it is written, "fools hate knowledge," for on account of their desires they do not want knowledge at all. And we have already explained (above, at verse 2) that although there is no rational proof for the laws of wisdom, nevertheless it is possible to bring them to a level of true knowledge through moral discipline and the fear of Hashem — for through the fear of Hashem, the laws of wisdom become fixed in the heart, and come to be as clear as something perceived by the senses or grasped through first principles. But "the fear of Hashem they did not choose" — for since they follow after their desires, they do not want the fear of Hashem, which would bring them to the level of true knowledge, as it is written, "A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to depart from evil is an abomination to fools" — and through this...

"They would none of my counsel" — to yearn to inquire into wisdom, because of what it reveals of its subject matter, thing by thing, to men of the soul (i.e., rational beings); and they despised all my reproof in this matter.

"They would none of" — they did not wish to hear my counsel. "They despised" — they scorned the reproof.

"They despised" — this is a borrowed term for contempt, as in "for the men despised the offering of Hashem" (1 Samuel 2:17).

'They would none of my counsel' — [meaning] they were unwilling to accept the statutes of wisdom, whether from the standpoint of the counsel it offers them through the intellect, or through fear of punishment — for they despised all my reproofs; as it says, 'You set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof.'

of the fruit of their way The fruit of the troubles that befall them they eat in their lifetime, and the principal is preserved for them in Gehinnom.

"Therefore they shall eat" — this means that it will follow for them that they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be sated from the base ways in which their own counsel led them to conduct themselves.

"Therefore they shall eat" — that is, just as one who plants a tree eats from its fruits, so they shall receive the fruit — the recompense of their way — and they shall be sated with the recompense of their own counsel, for they shall receive the recompense in full.

'And they shall eat' — Therefore they shall receive punishment both for the fruit of their own way — that is, for the deeds by which they walked in their corrupt paths — and for their own counsel, by which they denied the statutes of wisdom and faith; hence it says, 'and be filled with their own devices.' Being 'filled' is a stronger state than 'eating,' for since they did evil by design, their punishment will be all the greater.

for the backsliding of the naive Heb. משובת פתים. Insofar as their heart backslides. and the tranquility of the fools shall cause them to perish Since they see the wicked who prosper, they adhere to their evil and do not repent.

"For the turning away" (כי משובת) — from [the root of] "in returning and rest" (בשובה ונחת, Isaiah 30:15), and the sense is like "the ease of fools"; and its meaning is: the rest of the thoughtless will destroy them — it will kill them, for when they have rest, they commit wickedness; and when they are at ease from the mishaps of the world, that very ease will destroy them. Another interpretation, from the sense of "all who deal treacherously are at ease" (שלו כל בוגדי בגד, Jeremiah 12:1), like "because sentence against an evil deed [is not executed speedily]," etc. (Ecclesiastes 8:11) — "therefore the heart [of the sons of men] is fully [set to do evil]," etc. — and this is the correct [interpretation].

"For the waywardness of the thoughtless" — The thoughtless person walks contrarily in the way of his own heart, without inquiry into what is proper, and this trait of his is called "waywardness" (meshuvah), because he does not remain constant in one matter, but rather at one time he is enticed toward this matter, and at another time toward its opposite, according to whatever comes into his mind. Explanation of the matters: Behold, the wisdoms that exist raise their voice outside, so that people will hear their words in the streets that are in the city. Each one of them gives forth her voice; the one who speaks with a loud voice calls to the people at the head [of the noisy streets]; at the openings of every gate in the city she speaks her words. Now this was said in order to reveal the wisdom of Hashem in the things that exist — a wondrous revelation, when one considers the manner of the wondrous wisdom that there is in the creation of any existing thing. This wondrous wisdom calls out to people with a mighty call when they contemplate it, on account of the natural longing that exists in individual human beings for this, as we explained in the Song of Songs, in the verse, "to the fragrance of your goodly oils" (Song of Songs 1:3). And it says "wisdoms" (chochmot) — "in the street" — in the plural, because outside one sees many things that testify to many wondrous wisdoms, more than what is seen of this in the streets of the city and at the openings of its gates. Therefore it says, "she gives forth her voice" — [and] "her words she speaks" — in the singular. "How long" — this is stated by way of parable, that wisdom calls out and says: How long, you thoughtless ones, will you love thoughtlessness, and turn aside to the vanities of the world, and not inquire into the wisdom of Hashem in these matters, despite the intensity of its revelation? And how long will scorners desire scorning for themselves, and occupy themselves with these words of vanity, which not only bring them no benefit, but bring them great loss in political matters? How long will fools hate knowledge, in that they do not strive to inquire into the study of truth? "The waywardness of the thoughtless shall slay them" — because this will be a cause that their choice will fall upon evil many times, and the ease that fools have chosen for themselves, so as not to labor in wisdom, will destroy them; for their ways will be without wisdom and reflection.

"The waywardness of" — that is, that which they chose — to sit in quiet and ease, without the toil of the yoke of Torah — that very ease shall kill them, for they shall receive their recompense. "And the confidence" — it is the same thing, and the matter is repeated in different words.

"The complacency" — refers to quiet and rest, as in "in quietness and rest you shall be saved" (Isaiah 30:15).

'For the waywardness of the thoughtless shall slay them' — The thoughtless (peta'im) do not know the statutes of wisdom at all, and they possess waywardness, in that their intellect itself is wayward; this is [the meaning of] 'shall slay them.' The fools (kesilim), however, do know the statutes of wisdom, and their intellect is not wayward; rather, they turn aside from the ways of wisdom because of their desires, and because they seek ease and the pleasures of this world. Therefore, 'the confidence of fools shall destroy them' — this ease will destroy them both in this world and in the World to Come; and this is worse than 'slaying,' which pertains only to this world, for the thoughtless sin unintentionally and have a portion in the World to Come, unlike the fools, who act deliberately.

shall dwell confidently in this world. and shall be tranquil in the world to come. from the fear of harm From the punishment of Gehinnom. and shall be tranquil Heb. ושאנן and shall be tranquil and at rest. The word ושאנן is in the future tense; therefore, [the “nun”] is vowelized with a “pattah.”

"But whoever hearkens to me" — and all this is the word of wisdom, as it is said, "Wisdom cries aloud in the streets" (v. 20, above).

"But whoever hearkens to me shall dwell securely" — however, whoever listens to me, to inquire into the wisdom of Hashem in the things that exist, shall dwell securely and untroubled, free from fear of evil, because on account of his wisdom, the providence of Hashem, may He be blessed, will cling to him.

"But whoever hearkens to me" — this is the end of the words of wisdom, who said: but whoever hearkens to me shall dwell secure from the fear of evil; that is, he shall be assured that the dread of evil shall not come upon him.

"And secure" — an expression of quietness/ease, as in "contempt in the thought of him that is at ease" (Job 12:5).

'But whoever hearkens to me shall dwell securely' — for he trusts in his heart in his own wisdom; 'and shall be quiet without fear of evil' — for wisdom will guard him from every fear that comes from without, so that no evil will befall him.