Proverbs · Chapter 2

My son, if you accept my words You will be my son if you accept my words.

"My son, if you receive my words, etc." — then you will understand "righteousness," [as] mentioned at the beginning of the book; and when you attain to this point, it says: "for wisdom will come" — it will come to you, like a man to his house. "Discretion shall watch over you" (תבונה תנצרכה) — to save you from the strange woman.

"My son, if you will receive" — Wisdom said further, by way of parable: My son, if you take my sayings that I taught you in what preceded, and keep my commandments with you, to make your ear attend to wisdom, etc.

"My son" — Solomon speaks in the place of Hashem: you shall be reckoned to me as a son, if you take my words into your heart. "Lay up" — to guard them from forgetfulness.

'My son, if you will receive my words' — There is a difference between an 'imrah' (saying) and a 'mitzvah' (commandment): a commandment compels the one commanded to keep its charge, like the command of a father over his son, or a master over his servant; and within wisdom there are commandments, like the commandments of the Torah, which one is obligated to perform. Hence it says, 'and lay up my commandments with you' — for this 'laying up' means that he should keep them always in his heart and not forget them, as it is written, 'so that you may remember and do all My commandments.' And within it there are also 'sayings' (amarim), like the ethical teachings of the Torah and matters of belief and knowledge, which one must take and accept.

to make...attentive to wisdom to toil in [learning] Torah.

"So that you make attend" — your ear to wisdom, to learn it from those who know it, together with that which will guide you to desire and to inquire into it — namely, to attain it, and to see wisdom in essential matters, as we have mentioned; and after you know wisdom, you shall incline your heart to know understanding.

"So that you attend" — that is, my words are [given] so that you make your ear attend to the wise, and incline your heart to discernment.

'So that you make your ear attend to wisdom' — I have already explained that wisdom (chochmah) instructs concerning all deeds and practices to which the terms 'good' and 'evil' apply, while understanding (binah) concerns matters of belief and opinion to which the terms 'true' and 'false' apply; and we have explained that the statutes of wisdom cannot be produced by a person out of his own mind, but must be received from the sages, who received them from the mouths of the prophets or from the study of the Torah — hence it says, 'make your ear attend to wisdom.' Understanding (binah), however, a person understands by the power of his own understanding, on his own; hence it says, 'and your heart incline to discernment,' for this requires not the hearing of the ear, but only the comprehension of the heart.

"Indeed, if for understanding" — and do not think that attaining them is withheld from you because they do not come to be known through essential matters; rather, know in truth that if you desire greatly to attain understanding — in the manner that you would call out and raise your voice for understanding, just as a person calls out to one whom he wants and desires.

"Indeed, if" — when you call out to understanding, to draw near to it.

'Indeed, if you call for understanding' — Understanding (binah) is that by which one comprehends little by little and adds knowledge, deriving one thing from another; and one must call to understanding and summon it to oneself, setting one's heart upon every matter of the wisdom of understanding, laboring over it to grasp its reasoning. Discernment (tevunah), however, is the conception of the general, comprehensive discernment that encompasses all things, to which one cannot 'call,' for it is beyond a person's reach to understand every hidden matter and attain every desired thing; rather, one merely 'lifts up one's voice' to discernment, like one calling from a distance, to attain whatever lies within one's ability to attain from that general discernment.

"If you seek her" — and you seek her, along with this, just as people seek silver, and search for her just as treasure-hunters search, who dig here and there until they find it. In this manner you will find understanding — meaning, that you gather all the well-known premises that apply to the subject you are investigating, and afterward determine which are correct and which are not correct; and in this manner you shall seek her like silver and like hidden treasures. For thus they dig in a place to see whether there is a source of silver there, and if it is not clear to them that this digging will lead them to find the silver, they continue doing this until they find the place in which there is a source of silver. So too is it fitting to do in order to find understanding, since one does not arrive at it through self-evident premises; and therefore one should not rely, from the beginning of the matter, on the premises found regarding it as giving the truth, until the investigation is completed with respect to all of them, as we have mentioned. Behold, when you do this in this manner, then you will understand the fear of Hashem, and find the knowledge of God; for this will establish you in divine matters, and by virtue of what you attain of the immensity of the level of Hashem's existence, you will fear Him because of the abundance of His loftiness and greatness, which is not attained by anything else. And indeed, you will be aided by Hashem in this attainment, when you arouse yourself to it on your own, in the manner we have mentioned.

"As silver" — like one who seeks silver.

"And as for hidden treasures" — treasures that are concealed.

'If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures' — Seeking silver is done through commerce, whereby one profits through trade or through the work of one's hands; searching for hidden treasures is done by digging in the depths of the earth or in the depths of the sea. The metaphor of 'seeking silver' refers to one who exchanges and gives up all the desires of this world for the sake of wisdom; and the metaphor of 'searching for hidden treasures' refers to the toil one exerts in probing the deep matters of wisdom, to bring forth the pearls hidden in its depths, and the secrets of Torah and sound wisdom (tushiyah).

then you will understand the fear of the Lord This refers back to the topic above, in which he said, “For if you call for understanding.”

"And the knowledge of God" — these are the secrets of the Torah.

'Then you shall understand the fear of Hashem' — It has already been explained that 'the beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem'; for since the statutes of wisdom have no [rational] proof, and they run counter to the inclination of the heart, it is impossible for the statutes of wisdom to become fixed in the heart except through the fear of Hashem — as our sages, of blessed memory, said: 'If there is no fear, there is no wisdom' — for it is through the fear of Hashem that the statutes of wisdom which Hashem commanded and gave to mankind become established in one's heart. Yet they also said, 'If there is no wisdom, there is no fear' — for a person cannot understand the greatness of Hashem and His exaltedness to the point of fearing Him except through wisdom, which teaches him to walk in the ways of Hashem, and through which he comes to understand the greatness of the Creator of the universe, until he understands the fear of Hashem. And we have already explained that through fear one comes to the knowledge of wisdom: for although wisdom is not known through the senses or through [logical] proof, through fear the faith — the sure conviction — in the statutes of wisdom given by the Everlasting God, of whose greatness he stands in fear, becomes established in his heart, and he grows so accustomed to them that they come to be, for him, like things known through sense-perception and rational understanding. If, however, he continues further in seeking wisdom, to seek it as silver and hidden treasures, then he reaches the level of finding 'the knowledge of God' — these being the sublime knowledges concerning matters of divinity, such as the Account of Creation and the Account of the Chariot, which are transmitted only to one who is wise and understands on his own.

For the Lord gives wisdom Here you have learned that it [wisdom] is great, for it was given from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore, you must acquire it.

"For Hashem" — for He gives wisdom to a person through the overflow (shefa) that flows to him from Him, as was explained in the Book of the Soul, and we completed the explanation of it in the first treatise of the Wars of Hashem (Milchamot Hashem); and from the mouth of Hashem He causes overflow and understanding to flow to a person, in the manner mentioned.

"Gives wisdom" — He gives you wisdom from His mouth; that is, He reveals to you the secrets of wisdom as if He were speaking to you from His own mouth.

'For Hashem gives wisdom' — It has already been explained that a person cannot attain the statutes of wisdom by himself, but must receive them through the Torah of Hashem, and through the teachings of the sages who received them from the mouths of the prophets. However, through much seeking — seeking wisdom as [one seeks] silver and hidden treasures — one may merit to attain the statutes of wisdom through the Holy Spirit, as with our father Abraham, peace be upon him, whose two kidneys flowed with wisdom, and who kept the Torah before it was given; and then wisdom was given to him by Hashem as a gift, to the point that he attained it as though by himself. Likewise, 'out of His mouth [comes] knowledge and discernment' — for although knowledge (da'at) and discernment (tevunah) a person can find by himself — attaining knowledge through the examination of his senses or through primary self-evident notions, and discernment by employing the power of his understanding upon the matters of knowledge he has attained, deriving one thing from another — nevertheless, the knowledge and discernment a person attains this way are very deficient, for he attains them through great toil, reasoning from the latter back to the former, and through many trials and preliminary propositions, and he also errs many times in his reasoning. But through the help of Hashem, he attains, 'out of His mouth,' knowledge and discernment through sudden and true knowledge, without any error or doubt whatsoever.

He lays up sound wisdom for the upright The Holy One, blessed be He, hid it [wisdom] with Him for twenty-six generations until He gave it to the generation of the desert. a shield for those who walk in integrity (He lays up a shield for those who walk with integrity); i.e., it will be a shield for you.

"Sound wisdom" (תושיה) — the tav is extra, from [the word] "existence" (יש); and wisdom is called thus because it has substantial existence and endures forever, and Hashem will store it away for the upright, so that they may thereby guard the paths of justice — these being the commandments. "And He will guard the way of His pious ones" — [that is,] Hashem [will guard them], when they keep to the paths.

"He lays up [sound wisdom] for the upright" — He hides away the tushiyah [sound wisdom], which is the rational order inherent in existing things, and preserves it in order to give it to the upright; for they alone are likely to attain the theoretical apprehensions, because they are upright in character and love uprightness and truth in their opinions. And He is a shield to those who walk in wholeness and perfection amid these profound, divine inquiries, guarding them from error — for even a small error in these great matters removes a person far from his perfection. And this Hashem, may He be exalted, does by means of individual providence. "He lays up sound wisdom for the upright" — What is meant by tushiyah is the rational order present in things. This order is more true when considered apart from the being [yesh] and the existent [nimtza] of things composed of matter and form, for the existence of things derives from this [order], as has been explained in its proper place. And Scripture calls this matter "substance" [yesh] elsewhere, where it says: "to cause those who love Me to inherit substance" (Proverbs 8:21).

"He lays up" — Hashem hid the secrets of the Torah and keeps them, to give them to the upright in their hearts, and He is a shield to those who walk in integrity of way, to save them from stumbling.

"Sound wisdom" — the Torah is called "tushiyah," from the word "yesh" [being/existence], because it exists forever and does not return to nothingness like other things in the world; and our Sages of blessed memory said it is so called because it wears down the body of the one who studies it.

(Verses 7-8) "He lays up sound wisdom for the upright" — Apart from the comprehensive works that Hashem created during the six days of creation, He prepared deeds to be performed in every generation, according to the laws of wisdom, for the sake of the providential governance that renews itself in each generation according to the deeds of that generation. These deeds are called by the name toshiyah ("sound wisdom"), for they are bounded according to His wisdom for the purposes of providence, reward, and punishment. And these deeds are brought into actuality through the upright who are found in that generation [for the definition of the "upright" (yesharim) is those who walk, in their understanding and their deeds, on a straight path, and they are greater than the "righteous" (tzaddikim)], as is said in the Midrash: Joseph was destined to be a provider [of sustenance], Moses was destined for the redemption. And so it says that Hashem lays up sound wisdom for the upright who are destined to arise in the world — He prepared for them in advance the deeds they would perform in their days, according to the laws of His wisdom. And the clauses are parallel: "He lays up sound wisdom for the upright" corresponds to "to guard the paths of justice" — for the upright guard the paths of Hashem's governance in His world, which operates according to justice, like the deeds that were done in Egypt to strike the Egyptians and to bring Israel out, which were according to Hashem's judgments, His reward and His punishment; and He assigned these deeds to the upright who stood in that generation, namely Moses and Aaron, who were the agents of His providence to guard the paths of His justice. And "He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, and He guards the way of His pious ones" — "one who walks in integrity" (holech tom) is one whose righteous deeds are always fixed on a single path, without deviation and without change. And although, of their own accord, they would never be shaken from their righteousness — for this is the definition of the tam (one of wholehearted integrity) — nevertheless it is conceivable that they would encounter a stumbling block on account of the road itself: either because they did not know the way, or because there were stumbling stones found on it. For the tam is not [necessarily] the yashar (one who discerns the straight path), and it is possible that they could stumble because of those who incite them, or the evils of the time, or through error and mistake. And Hashem shields them from every external cause and guards their way from stumbling.

to keep the paths of justice For through it, they will keep the paths of justice, and He will guard the way of His pious so that they do not stumble.

"That He may guard the paths of justice" — He guides him to keep to the paths that will lead him to true judgment, and in this He is a shield to him. And as for "the way of His godly ones" — in their theoretical inquiries He guards them so that they do not stumble in their walking, as one can indeed stumble in it: whether by mistaking that which is incidental for that which is essential, and the like, on account of thought and imagination, or on account of other misleading things besides these.

"To guard" — to make him wise, to keep the paths of justice, for He shall guard the way of His pious ones, so that they not turn away from the true way.

"Then you shall understand" — this expression carries two [clauses] with it, and thus it is: "you shall understand equity," and "you shall understand every good path."

"Then you shall understand" — When you do so and attain the divine matters in the manner described above, this will guide you to understand political philosophy, which directs one toward righteousness, justice, and equity, and every good path in character traits and dispositions. For when you observe the manner of the kindness, grace, and uprightness found in that which emanates from Hashem, may He be exalted, in the upper world, the intermediate world, and the lower world, this will guide you to acquire from it a character trait and habit of walking in the ways of Hashem, may He be exalted. For through this apprehension you will also be aided by Hashem, may He be exalted, in finding the paths and orders that guide one to attain perfection in this philosophy.

"Then" — That is, when you search after wisdom, and on account of this Hashem will grant you understanding, then you shall understand, etc. "Every good path" — You shall understand what is the best path.

"Path" — a path and a way, as in "they have spread a net by the side of the path" (Psalms 140:6).

"Then you shall understand righteousness" — Beyond what will be bestowed upon him of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of God, he will also understand righteousness (tzedek) and justice (mishpat) — that is, the proper conduct between a person and his fellow. "Mishpat" is what is required by the strict letter of the law, and "tzedek" is what one does beyond the strict letter of the law. Likewise, with respect to character traits and qualities of the soul, he will understand "equity" (meisharim), which is what uprightness requires. And in this there are two matters: (1) the straight, middle path, which is always good; (2) the "circuit" (ma'agal) — the roundabout path — which one must sometimes leave the straight path for, [turning instead onto] a roundabout circuit, such as acting cruelly and haughtily toward the wicked. This is not always good, for the traits of cruelty and haughtiness are themselves bad; only sometimes is it good, if by means of it one comes [in the end] to the straight path. And so it says, "every good path."

"For [wisdom] shall come" — when wisdom enters your heart. "It shall be pleasant" (ינעם) — in the masculine form, like "and knowledge is easy for the man of understanding" (דעת לנבון נקל, Proverbs 14:6).

"For [wisdom] shall enter" — When wisdom enters your heart, through your exerting effort in studying it in the manner described above, so that your ears attend to it, then knowledge will be pleasant and sweet to your soul.

"For [wisdom] shall enter" — When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge becomes pleasant to your soul, so that you desire it with a wondrous longing.

"Shall be pleasant" — an expression of sweetness and pleasantness.

"For wisdom shall enter into your heart" — through divine aid, he will reach the level called "wise of heart." This is one in whose heart the laws of wisdom have become so fixed that the heart's inclination no longer disputes the laws of wisdom, for they have become, within his heart, like a second nature. And the "heart" always alludes to the ruling faculty within a person. And one whose heart is full of wisdom, its laws so imprinted in it that the desires of lust and the evil character traits — the adversaries of wisdom — no longer rule over him: in such a person wisdom has already entered the heart and taken root there like a flourishing native plant, and the heart's war against wisdom has ceased. Likewise, "knowledge shall be pleasant to your soul" — for another person, knowledge comes with great bitterness, much toil, and through many doubts; but you shall attain knowledge — that is, the "knowledge of God" mentioned [above] — with pleasantness, for you shall attain it easily, through the holy spirit (ruach ha-kodesh) and divine illumination.

thought Heb. מזמה. The Torah shall watch over you.

"Shall watch over you" (תנצרכה) — so that it may deliver you from the way of an evil man.

"Discretion" [mezimah] — Wisdom will guard your thought, so that thought does not lead you into error in matters of wisdom, in divine matters, and in political philosophy; and it will preserve discernment for you, so that you do not go astray in it — neither on account of thought, as mentioned, nor on account of other things, as will be mentioned afterward. Or perhaps what is meant by "discernment shall guard you" is this: the discernment that reaches you in the manner described above, after your attainment of wisdom, will guard you from erring in these great matters — such as the matter of divine providence and the like — in which it is possible to err in this discipline, error in which would be a cause of removing a person far from his ultimate perfection.

"Discretion" — Then the thought of wisdom shall watch over you.

"Discretion shall watch over you" — "mezimah" (discretion) refers to the counsels and thoughts that are deep in wisdom; it shall watch over you so that you do not stray from the laws of wisdom, which instruct you regarding a matter that has two paths, good and evil. And "discernment" (tevunah), which distinguishes between truth and falsehood in matters of truth, will also guard you. And [the verse] explains that discretion shall watch over you.

who speaks perversity Those are the people who distort the thing. [Rashi as it appears in Lublin and Waxman ed.] Malbim ed. reads: who distorts the words of the Torah after his erroneous view. Vilna and Warsaw editions read: They are the apostates who distort the words of the Torah to evil.

"Froward things" (תהפוכות) — matters that are not in their proper order; and the sense is: those who forsake the paths of uprightness — these are "tahpukhot."

"To deliver you from the way of evil" — This discernment will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil in this philosophical study — namely, the error that occurs on account of imagination — from the way of a man who speaks perverse things and lies concerning Hashem, may He be exalted, and from the way of those who forsake the paths of uprightness in their opinions, to walk in dark ways. This happened to them because of some premise which they had presupposed beforehand, which led them to deny the very thing perceived by the senses — as happened to one who denied the coming-into-being of things because of a single premise in which he had erred, which led him to maintain that there is no agent [cause] here, but rather that whatever comes into being, comes into being by chance. And they walked in dark ways and negated the things that are manifestly true and upright.

"From the way of evil, from the men" — From the enticements of a man who speaks froward things; that is, one who twists the words of the Torah according to his corrupted opinion.

"To deliver you from the way of evil" — that is, so that you do not stray from the ways of wisdom toward the side of evil and desire. And through the deep thoughts of wisdom, one is delivered from the enticements of desire, for the evil inclination is found only in a heart empty of wisdom. And "[discernment shall guard you] from the men who speak froward things" in matters of faith — these are those who deny the roots of faith through false inquiries and misleading syllogisms that are the opposite of truth; and it is for this that discernment is needed, so that you will know what to answer the heretic (apikoros).

"Who leave" — That is, those who leave the true path.

"Who leave" — In contrast to "to deliver you from the way of evil," it says, "who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness." The "derech" (road) is the great road, fixed for the many, from which "orchot" (paths) branch out to villages and small towns. [Malbim] depicts that regarding the Torah, not only is the great road straight, but also the paths that branch out from it are all straight — for from every commandment many paths branch out; for example, from the trait of compassion branch out the giving of charity, lending with kindness, returning a pledge, and the like, and these are "paths of uprightness." But regarding wickedness, not only is darkness spread over its individual paths, but even the great road itself is darkness and not light — for it is the opposite of wisdom, which is the light of hearts.

"In the frowardness of evil" — meaning, of an evil man. "And perverse" (נלוזים) — crooked.

"Who rejoice ... in the frowardness of evil" [be-tahpuchot ra] — [this means] "in the frowardness of an evil man" [i.e., ra here stands for ish ra]; and nelozim ["perverse"] is like ikeshim ["crooked"]. "Who rejoice to do evil" — Those people who rejoice in doing evil and in pursuing their bestial desire will exult in the perversities of an evil man and in his confusions concerning divine philosophy. For example: one who has established that there is no God, or that there is no reward and punishment, thereby prepares the way for sinners to sin, since they will think that no punishment will come upon them for it. Likewise, they will exult in the perversities of the one who misleads through evil and in his lies.

"Who rejoice" — When they do evil they rejoice and do not worry, unlike the way of one who believes in [divine] providence and in reward and punishment, who, even if a transgression comes to his hand through the enticement of the evil inclination, is full of worry from fear of judgment. "In the frowardness" — At the time they find an opportunity to twist the intent [of a matter] after the evil of their thoughts.

"Who rejoice" — In contrast to "the men who speak froward things," who deny the foundations of faith, [the verse says] he rejoices to do evil. For sinners on account of desire are full of regret — after they have satisfied their desire, they grow sorrowful over the evil they have done. But those who speak froward things and deny the principles of faith, who are sinners on account of heresy, rejoice to do evil. And they also exult ("yagilu") when an evil reversal comes — if evil befalls the righteous and success befalls the wicked, which is [an instance] of the world's reversals — the righteous grieve over this, but they [the heretics] exult over these evil reversals, for by this they reinforce their view, denying providence, so as to do whatever their heart desires. And concerning this it says "yagilu" (they exult), for "gil" indicates something new — that they exult over the renewal of these evil reversals of the time.

and perverse in their paths Heb. ונלוזים. Every expression of נלוז is an expression of crookedness, as it is always next to עקש, and עקש is an expression of crookedness, as it is stated (Isa. 42:16): “and crooked paths (ומעקשים) into straight ones.” and perverse in their paths They are crooked in their corrupt ways.

"Who are crooked in their ways" — [the discernment] will also guard you, delivering you from these men whose ways are perverted in their opinions, and from the "strange woman," who is the appetitive soul [nefesh ha-mitavah]; for it is strange and foreign to man — meaning, it does not belong to him with respect to that by which he is called "man" [i.e., his rational nature] — [this soul] which has made her words smooth, to draw a person toward rebellion and sin, on account of the sweetness that the imaginative faculty perceives to exist in that repugnant act.

"Their paths are crooked" — That is, there is no upright fellowship in any of their ways of teaching.

"Crooked" — those who are bent. "And perverse" — those who turn away from the straight path, as in "but he that is perverse in his ways despises Him" (below, 14:2).

"Who are crooked in their ways" — The term orach (path) refers to the straight path that goes directly from city to town by a direct route, while ma'agal (circuit) refers to the roundabout route. In the way of wisdom there is both a path and a circuit, for sometimes one must depart from the straight path to the side — such as employing the trait of boldness against those who mock him for his service of Hashem, or the trait of pride and severity against the wicked and those who spurn Hashem. And although by this he departs from the straight path, nevertheless by this roundabout circuit he will return to the straight path — like one who travels from place to place, and there are robbers along the road, so he circles around by a roundabout route in order thereby to arrive safely by a secure road at the inhabited city. But the sinners, who deny [the truth] — their ways are crooked — do not walk on the straight path at all, but only on the circuit; and one should not say that by means of the circuit they will return to the straight path toward the inhabited city, for they are perverse in their circuits, straying from the desired region to walk in emptiness (tohu) and not on a path.

To save you from a strange woman From the assembly of idolatry [apostasy], which is sectarianism. It cannot be said that he spoke only of the actual adulteress, for what is the praise of the Torah, that he says here, “to save you from a strange woman,” and not from any other sin. Rather, this is the casting off of the yoke of all the commandments.

"To deliver you" — its meaning is: just as discretion watches over you from an evil man, so it delivers you from an evil and alien woman, because they have not learned to do good — as if they were of foreign and strange seed.

"To deliver you" — This refers back to above, meaning: wisdom shall watch over you, to deliver you from the strange woman — she is a married woman, who is 'strange' [forbidden] to you. "From the alien woman" — From that foreign woman, who smooths her words through enticement and seduction.

"To deliver you from the strange woman" — There is a difference between zar (strange) and nochri (foreign): the zar is one who is foreign to that particular thing, while the nochri is merely from another land. Here [Scripture] speaks of the impulse toward illicit relations (yetzer arayot) and the impulse toward idolatry (yetzer avodah zarah), for idolatry too is compared everywhere to harlotry, since [to be] a zonah (harlot) means to stray from following one's God and from His covenant. Wisdom will save you from the strange woman, so that you not stumble into sin, and from the foreign woman who has abandoned the religion of Israel, [now practicing] the worship of a foreign god, whose words are smooth to entice you toward idolatry, denial of faith, and heresy (minut). [The verse] then continues to explain regarding the strange woman.

"The covenant of her God" — for women enter with men into a covenant of Hashem, that a man not deal treacherously with his wife — yet she has dealt treacherously through her estrangement. Another interpretation: [Hashem's] Name was set between them, and if it is removed from them, there remains fire and fire.

"Who forsakes" [ha-ozevet] — This strange woman forsakes the one who is her lord from her youth, namely, the human intellect; for it was placed in man to rule over these faculties that serve it. And "she forgets the covenant of her God," for she has no desire for the covenant of Hashem, may He be exalted, so as to attain eternal life, because she is too lowly in her existence and rank to rise to this level. "Who forsakes the lord [aluf] of her youth" — meaning, the one who is the lord of her youth. And he said this by way of a parable, comparing it to a wife with her husband, for it is far-fetched that a wife should forsake the husband of her youth.

"The lord of her youth" — Her husband of her youth. "And the covenant" — For women, too, entered into the covenant of Hashem, to fulfill the commandments of Hashem and not to act treacherously against her husband.

"Lord" — a ruler/chief, as in "my guide and my familiar friend" (Psalms 55:14); meaning here: the husband.

"Who forsakes the lord of her youth" — [this describes] one who plays the harlot against her husband. And regarding the foreign woman it says that she has forgotten the covenant of her God — [meaning] to whore after the Baalim (idols) and to hold fast to views of heresy (minut).

for her house sinks to death This refers back to “to save you, etc.” for whoever comes to her house will sink and slip as if down an incline that leads to death, and the Torah will guard you from this fall. Hence, it is a great thing for you. the dead Heb. רפאים, those who neglect (נרפים) the way of goodness and are forsaken without support until they fall into Gehinnom.

"For she sinks" — The woman herself sinks toward death, which is her house; and it (the physical house) remains standing and does not disappear, as many have thought. "Shades" (רפאים) — the dead; and it is related to the word "נרפים" ("slack/languid ones"), because their strength has become weak, as in "and a man dies and grows faint" (Job 14:10).

"For she sinks down" [ki shachah] — [meaning] it has been lowered. "For she sinks down" — Her house and dwelling place is toward death and destruction, and her paths lead to the dead.

"For [her house] sinks down" — The house of the harlot is a downward slope, [by which one descends] to death. "Her paths" — Those who go to her house go to the place of the shades — that is, the dead, who have become slack and weakened, their strength spent; meaning, whoever comes to her house will stumble through her and lose his life.

"Sinks down" — an expression of bowing and lowering, as in "and man is bowed down" (Isaiah 5:15).

"For her house sinks down" — Regarding the harlot (zonah) it says, "her house sinks down to death," meaning that she brings [a man] to bodily death before its time. And regarding the foreign woman it says, "her paths [lead] to the shades (repha'im)," meaning that she leads to the destruction of the soul, which will rest among the congregation of the shades. And it says "her paths" (ma'agaloteha, from ma'agal, circuit), to indicate that even the ways of syllogistic reasoning and inquiry, by which she draws [a man] around to her house to establish the system of heresy and denial through circuitous routes deviating from straightness and truth — these too "sink down to the shades," for they too lead to the cutting off and destruction of the soul.

none...return It is hard for them to part with it and to repent.

"All who go to her" — those who come to her, "do not return" — from their evil way, and they will not be able to attain the paths of the life of the soul.

"None who go to her" — for it is not within her nature that any who come to her, following her seduction, should ever return from those sins; for she will constantly grow stronger over him and rule over him and incite him to sin. "Neither do they attain the paths of life" — for pursuing desires prevents a person from exerting effort in the intelligible matters, the attainment of which is the path that leads to life. In this way, desire becomes a cause of erring in matters of discernment; for it draws a person to maintain the opinion that will not shut the door against him from conducting himself according to desire. For example: the man of great desire will choose to maintain that Hashem, may He be exalted, knows nothing of these lowly matters, that He does not attend to them, and that there is no reward and punishment — and the like, things which do not prevent a person from pursuing his desires. And behold, as we have said, wisdom and discernment will deliver you from the woman we have mentioned.

"None who go to her" — All who come to her do not turn back from their evil way, for it is very difficult to separate from her, and from then on they will no longer attain the paths of life; and this is stated also as a parable concerning [bad] ways in general — that it is very difficult to separate from such a way once one has grown accustomed to it.

"All" — In contrast to what was said, "her house sinks down to death," it says, "all who come to her do not return" — meaning that one who enters that house will not return from there again, for he will die. And in contrast to what was said, "and her paths [lead] to the shades," it says, "neither do they attain the paths of life" — meaning one should not think that, as with a circuit, [after straying] he will by this roundabout route return again to the straight path; for from this circuit they will not attain the paths of life. It can also be explained that "all who come to her do not return" means they do not return again in repentance; and even if they do repent, they will not attain the paths of life again, for the view of heresy will cling to them and leaven their minds like leaven in dough, so that they never return again to the paths of religion and faith. And so too our Sages said that one who separates from heresy (minut) is considered dead immediately — for if he remains alive, he will return again to folly.

in order that you go This refers back to the above verse (verse 12): “To save you from an evil way,” in order to lead you in the way of the good.

"That you may walk in the way of good men" — and you shall keep the paths of the righteous, who are careful to refrain from following after the strange woman. And the benefit that will come to you from this is subsistence and the continuance of existence, even in this corporeal world. For, "the upright..." — upright men will continue to dwell in the land; the hand of the wicked will not come upon them to dislodge them, and the wholehearted will remain in it.

"That you may walk" — This refers back to above, meaning: wisdom shall guard you from this, so that you may walk in the way of good men, who refrain from walking in this [evil] way; and "the paths, etc." repeats the same matter in different words.

"That you may walk in the way of good men" — The derech (way) is the great road, and the orchot (paths) are the smaller ones by which people travel from city to town. [Solomon] means that through diligence in wisdom you will walk on the established road particular to good men — namely, to do good with their fellows. And he adds that you should also "keep the paths of the righteous" — the private paths in which the righteous walk, who act beyond the letter of the law (lifnim mishurat ha-din) in private matters, according to the circumstance. And so our Sages explained (Bava Metzia 83a): Rabbah bar bar Chana hired porters to bring him a barrel of wine. They broke it. He seized their cloaks [in payment]. He came before Rav. [Rav] said to him: "Give them back their cloaks." He said to him: "Is that the law?" [Rav] said to him: "'That you may walk in the way of good men.'" The porters said to him: "We are poor and toil all day and have nothing to eat." [Rav] said to him: "Go, give them their wages." He said to him: "Is that the law?" [Rav] said to him: "'And keep the paths of the righteous.'" For this second matter belongs to the private path of righteousness, according to the circumstance, since they were poor.

For the upright shall dwell in the land In the world to come. shall remain therein when the wicked descend to Gehinnom.

"Shall dwell in the land" — They shall dwell in their land forever. "Shall remain in it" — At the time when the wicked are driven out of it, then they [the upright] shall remain in it.

"Shall remain" — related to the word "notar" [that which is left over].

"For the upright" — There is a difference between yesharim (upright) and temimim (whole-hearted). The yesharim are those who are upright by nature, whether in matters of understanding or in matters of character — their intellect, nature, and character proceed of themselves along the straight path. The definition of the temimim is one whose deeds are fixed and unchanging at any time, whether in a good time or a bad time, since they do everything for the sake of Hashem without any external motive. The yesharim "shall dwell in the land" — but it is conceivable that their deeds might sometimes change for the worse, and they will not remain in it forever; whereas because [the temimim] are whole-hearted, they will remain in it forever, for they will never be shaken from their righteousness at any time.

"And the wicked" — Indeed, the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the treacherous shall be uprooted from it; and this is so because the providence of Hashem, blessed be He, attaches to the good, to protect them from all harm, and withdraws from the wicked. This is the explanation of these words. As for the benefits derived from them, here they are: The first is to make known that Hashem, blessed be He, placed His wisdom manifest in the creation of the things that exist among us, in such a way that it awakens man to inquire into it and brings him to desire its attainment with a wondrous longing. This natural desire, which Hashem placed in man in this way, is the instrument for reaching his perfection, as we explained in our commentary on the Song of Songs. Therefore it says, by way of parable, that wisdom calls out to men in a loud voice to inquire into her, for she stirs up in them a longing for her spirit and makes known to them her words through what is seen from her, and through the things that exist which are her effects — for from these the divine wisdom flows, which placed them in the state of existence in which they are. The second is to make known that through the attainment of wisdom a person will be protected from misfortunes, for divine providence attaches to him to protect him from them; and therefore, when his dread and calamity come, he has cause to complain of no one but himself, for not having striven to inquire into the divine wisdom, despite her great call to him and her bringing him a wondrous longing to inquire into her, as stated above. The third is to make known that the path to the attainment of understanding (binah) comes after perfection in wisdom (chochmah). This is so because in the attainment of understanding there is a danger that should not be overlooked — namely, that it is not reached through demonstrative premises, in the manner of the certainty attained in the mathematical sciences, nor by empirical demonstration as in the case of natural science, but rather through generally accepted premises; and one can find in these ample support for a matter and for its opposite. From this, error arises — whether from premises adopted at the very outset of one's thinking, or from an error of the imagination, or because a person grew up holding corrupt views on the matter, or learned them from mistaken people and became inclined toward them through habit or custom, or because of desire, which leads him to choose the opinion more suited to quenching its thirst. Now, when a person first applies himself to the study of wisdom properly, so that he becomes accomplished in it, he is thereby helped to guard against the error arising from the matters mentioned — along with the fact that Hashem, by way of providence, protects him from error and guides him to the order and paths that bring him to the deep insights contained in that wisdom. And because of the difficulty involved in attaining this wisdom, he must further seek her like silver, and like hidden treasures which men dig for here and there until they find them. Therefore, in this wisdom one must not fall short in gathering all the generally accepted premises that could possibly help in attaining the matter he wishes to investigate; and by this method he will also attain the truth in political philosophy, as we mentioned in our commentary on these matters previously. Wisdom says, "My son, do not forget my teaching" — this is the Torah of Moses, and it is called "my teaching" because it is ordered from the wisdom of Hashem, blessed be He; therefore one should keep the commandments of the Torah, study them, grasp their intent, and grasp whatever wisdom is contained in these matters.

"Shall be plucked up" — an expression of uprooting from a place, as in "and pluck you up from your tent" (Psalms 52:7).

"But the wicked" — but the resha'im (wicked) "shall be cut off from the land." Resha'im includes those who persist continually in their wickedness, whether between man and God or between man and his fellow — the opposite of the temimim who persist continually in their righteousness — and they will be cut off forever, the opposite of the temimim who will remain in the land forever. And the traitors (bogedim) between man and his fellow, although they will not be cut off forever, will be plucked up from it for a time — this being the opposite of the yesharim.