Proverbs · Chapter 6

My son, if you have stood surety Our Sages explained this as referring to surety in monetary matters, according to its apparent meaning.

"My son, if you have become surety, if you have struck your hand for a stranger" — To the stranger, the lender, you struck your hand to pay the debt; that is the snare in which you have been trapped — they are the words of your own mouth.

"My son" — if it happened that you became surety for your neighbor on behalf of a stranger, [and] you struck your hand with him to pay the debt on his behalf.

"if you have become surety" — a monetary guarantee on behalf of another. "for a stranger" — for the sake of the stranger you have struck your hand, which is a matter confirming and validating the surety.

"My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor" — to do some matter for him, "and afterward you have struck your hands for a stranger" in a matter that is the opposite of the surety you gave for your neighbor — for example, that you gave surety to your neighbor to sell him a house or a field, and afterward you struck your hand with a stranger to sell him that same field or house. And there is a guarantor (arev), and there is a guarantor who accepts direct liability (arev kablan); and he adds that to the stranger you gave a "striking of the hand" (tekiat kaf), which is more binding than mere suretyship.

"You are snared" — behold, by the words of your mouth you are snared and caught, for you derive no benefit at all from this matter that comes upon you, to be enslaved by this debt; rather, it is the words of your mouth alone by which you are snared and caught. And so it is with the human intellect and the appetitive soul: for the intellect derives no pleasure at all from those bodily pleasures, yet it stands as guarantor on her behalf, to pay the debt to Hashem. Now, since the matter stands thus, "do this then, my son, and deliver yourself" — for you have come into the hand of your neighbor and have become enslaved to him by this debt; you have no remedy for this except to go and humble yourself before him, and to grant him pride and exaltation by your striving in wisdom and understanding — for then you will realize that he is at the utmost degree of exaltation and pride, while you are at the utmost degree of lowliness in relation to his exaltation; and in this way you will be freed from this debt-bond, that is to say, by separating yourself from pursuing desire, and by being greatly humbled before Hashem, and by grasping His exaltation and loftiness. Do not be sluggish in this, but conduct yourself with alacrity.

"you are snared" — know now that you have fallen into a trap and been caught in it through the words of your mouth.

"You are snared by the words of your mouth" — first you are ensnared by what you guaranteed for your neighbor, and you are obligated to fulfill the matter, both because his suretyship came first and because he is your neighbor; and afterward "you are caught by the words of your mouth," by what you gave in the striking of the hand, and you are caught in a trap.

go, humble yourself Heb. התרפס [a combination of two words, התר פס], open the palm of your hand for him to pay him his money. and give your fellow superiority Heb. ורהב. And if he has no money with you, only that you were trapped with the sayings of your mouth by speaking harshly to him, bring many friends to him to beg him to forgive you. Another explanation: (v. 1) My son, if you stood surety for your Friend After you stood surety for the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is your “friend,” as it is written (Song 5:16): “This is my beloved and this is my friend”; you undertook at Sinai and in the plains of Moab with a curse and with an oath to observe His commandments. have given your hand to a stranger You have repented and turned from His ways and clung to the disbelievers to go in their ways. (v. 2) you have been trapped by the sayings of your mouth You have given your hand to cling to strangers. (v. 3) Do this, then, my son, and be saved Since you have come into the palm of your Friend at Sinai and you have accepted His Godliness over you, go, humble yourself Heb. התרפס. Humble yourself before Him like a threshold, which is trodden (נרפסת) and stepped on. and increase your friends Bring many friends who will pray for you before Him. In this manner it is expounded on in Midrash Psalms.

"Seeing you have come" — here 'ki' means 'even though,' as in 'for it had chariots of iron' (Judges 1:19) and 'for it is a stiffnecked people' (Exodus 33:3). "Into the hand" — meaning, into his possession, as in 'from that which was at hand' (Genesis 32:14). "[Then] humble yourself [hitrapes]" is from the same [root] as 'with her foot she trampled' [rafsah]; and the sense is: go to him, humble yourself, and become to him like something trampled underfoot. "And urge [ve-rahav]" — is an intransitive verb, and it means persistently clinging close to your neighbor.

"Do this... humble yourself" — submit yourself. "and urge your neighbor" — grant him exaltation and pride over yourself.

"Do this now, my son" — meaning, now do this, my son, and deliver yourself from the hand of the lender, for you have come into his hand and become obligated to him. "go, humble yourself" — become like something trampled underfoot for him; meaning, humble yourself before him. "and urge your neighbor" — strengthen your neighbor and grant him mastery over yourself.

"Now" (eifo) — like "now" (attah); likewise, "What ails you now (eifo)?" (Isaiah 22:1). "Humble yourself" (hitrapes) — a term for trampling and treading, as in "and what was left she trampled (rafsah) with her feet" (Daniel 7:7). "And urge" (verahav) — a term for exerting force, as in "the youth shall behave insolently (yirhevu) toward the elder" (Isaiah 3:5).

"Do this now, my son" — this is the counsel you should follow in order to be saved, since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, and his suretyship takes precedence: "go, humble yourself" — lower yourself before the stranger, so that he release you from the striking of the hand; "and urge your neighbor" — or, magnify your neighbor, to fulfill his will, until he releases you from the obligation you incurred.

"Give not" — After you have humbled yourself and exerted yourself, do not sleep until you have paid the debt. Then you will be saved, like a gazelle that escapes from the hand of a man.

"Give not sleep to your eyes" — do not be sluggish in this, but conduct yourself with alacrity; "and give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids" — rather, always inquire after the attainment of speculative matters, and by this you will cleave to Hashem, and evil will depart from you.

"Give not sleep" — meaning, do not be lazy in the matter.

"Give not sleep to your eyes" — fixed sleep; "nor slumber" [to your eyelids] — even casual dozing.

Save yourself like a deer from the hand Hasten and extricate yourself from there like a deer that extricates itself from a man’s hand.

"Deliver yourself as a gazelle from the hand" — from the hand of the place in which he is snared, namely the trap or the net, or whatever resembles them. "Deliver yourself as a gazelle from the hand" — deliver yourself with great speed and swiftness, just as the gazelle delivers itself from the hand of the one who comes to capture it, through the abundance and speed of its running; and just as the bird delivers itself from the hand of the snare that has been set to catch it, through the swiftness of its flight, so that it escapes from there before the snare falls upon it.

"Deliver yourself as a gazelle" — see to deliver yourself swiftly, like a gazelle that hastens to flee from the hand of its captor when it finds an escape. "from the hand of the fowler" — from the hand of the trap, the snare.

"Deliver yourself as a gazelle from the hand" — the hunted gazelle delivers itself by the strength of its body and its horns; "And as a bird from the hand of the fowler" — for they set out birdlime, and the bird is trapped by its feathers sticking to it; it is delivered by tearing loose its feathers that are stuck to the trap. So too shall you be delivered: either by the strength of your own body, or by giving over your money and your garment into the hand of the one for whom you gave surety. And all this is a parable, and its allegorical sense concerns the surety that every person gives to Hashem to keep His Torah and His commandments — as they said, "Everything is given as a pledge (arevut)" — or concerns the surety to keep one's soul in purity; and afterward "he strikes his hand for a stranger," that stranger being the evil inclination, or the desirous physical matter that draws him after it to do the opposite of what he pledged. And through this "you are snared by the words of your own mouth" — it is explained throughout this book that "the mouth" alludes to wisdom, and a person is first snared by the words of his own mouth to act according to the laws of wisdom, and afterward is trapped into doing the opposite of its laws. And the counsel given is: after you have come into the hand of your neighbor — having pledged and sworn to Hashem to keep His commandments, and having obligated your own soul to guard it from the snares of the evil inclination — you must subdue your physical matter, concerning which it says, "go, humble yourself," and you must boldly entreat and exalt your "neighbor," who is the Holy One, blessed be He, or the soul; and you must not give sleep to your eyes, but serve Hashem continually and be delivered from the evil inclination. "As a gazelle from the hand" — meaning he should run like a gazelle to do the will of his Maker, and against the evil inclination's grip upon him he should slip free by the strength he draws from the Torah and its Testimony (te'udah); and if it has drawn him into its net through its enticements, he must be delivered "as a bird from the snare of the fowler" — by shedding his feathers, which are his outer garments, that is, by distributing his illusory possessions to the poor, and shaving his hair for the sake of Heaven, as did the nazirite who came before Shimon HaTzaddik, and afflicting his body with sufferings.

Go to the ant, you sluggard...and become wise Heb. וחכם, and wisen yourself.

"To the ant" — for it is among the smallest creatures of the earth, yet you shall learn from their wisdom.

"Go to the ant, you sluggard" — you, the man who is lazy about striving to acquire the intelligibles, even though it is within your power to do so — "go to the ant," which is a small creature among the animals lacking intellect; "consider her ways, and be wise" — and learn wisdom from this.

"sluggard" — you, the sluggard, go to the ant, observe her ways, and learn wisdom from her.

"Ant" (nemalah) — the name of a small creature.

"Go to the ant, you sluggard" — all the powers of the work of Creation are planted within the soul of man, and every power and trait that man finds in each and every species among the living creatures, we know is found likewise in his own soul. And there are many traits found in animals that they do not need for their own survival, and Hashem instilled this trait in them so that man would learn from it to act likewise — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "Had the Torah not been given, we would have learned modesty from the cat," etc. And the ant — Hashem planted in it the trait of alacrity (zerizut), to gather and to store, so that from it man would learn to be diligent and to increase in the gathering of wisdom. And concerning this it says: you, the sluggard, who might think that the trait of alacrity is not found in your soul, or that alacrity is not a good or beneficial trait — go to the ant, and you will find that this trait is planted in it though it has no need of it for its own survival, but only so that you should "consider her ways, and be wise" — meaning, you should learn from her how to conduct the gathering of the laws of wisdom with alacrity and great effort.

for she has no chief who would reprove her and alert her and take out of her hand if she steals anything from her companion, nevertheless...

"Which has no chief" — to compel it to act so; rather, it is by its own wisdom that it prepares its food.

"Which has no chief" — meaning that nothing directs it toward what it must do, for it has no chief, officer, or ruler to oversee its conduct and discipline. Yet you will observe that it prepares its bread in the summer, bringing in from the fruit, into its holes, what it will need for the whole year, and there it stores up its food for the summer. And you will marvel greatly at its ways in this matter: for you will find that if its hole is in a wall, it ascends by winding paths, in such a way that the climb will not be so difficult given the weight of the burden it carries in its mouth. You will also find among its ways that it eats the tip of the seed — that within it whose rank corresponds to that of the male seed (the germ), as is mentioned in the Book of Plants (Sefer ha-Tzemachim) — so that it will not sprout from the kernels buried in the ground, and by this it is preserved from rotting. You will also find among its ways that if water enters the holes of the ants, they immediately carry the seed out from there to dry it, and afterward they return to store it away, to preserve it from rotting.

"which having no chief" — to compel her regarding her actions, to prepare her food, so that she not steal from her fellow [ant].

"Chief" (katzin) — a minister and ruler.

"Which has no chief, overseer, or ruler" — for among human beings, they sometimes all conduct themselves in one and the same manner, even though it is not a good manner, because that is how the chief (katzin) among them conducts himself — he being the man who stands at their head because of his importance, and all of them pattern themselves after his deeds — or because of an overseer and a ruler, in that the ruler forces them into one manner of conduct through his officers and his taskmasters. But the ant does not act as it does for any of these reasons — and yet, despite all this...

yet she prepares her bread in the summer, she gathers her food in the harvest She gathers her food, each one of them, and does not rob her companion.

"provides" — nevertheless, of her own accord, through her wisdom, she prepares her bread in summer, at the time when it is found in the field; and from her, learn to prepare everything while it is still in your power to do so.

"Gathers" (agrah) — a term for gathering, as in "he who gathers (oger) in summer" (below, ch. 10).

"Provides her bread in the summer" — after she has gathered her food in the harvest; for the harvest comes before the summer, and all the days of the harvest she gathers and collects grain kernels for her food, and afterward, once the harvest has ended and the days of summer have begun, when there are no more grain kernels in the field, she works to prepare her bread, storing it in a protected place and cutting off the heads of the kernels so that they will not sprout. From this you should take a moral lesson: to increase the gathering of the laws of wisdom and the words of Torah into your heart throughout the days of your youth, and not to say "enough" — and only after you have gathered it all should you then understand it with your intellect, as they said, "ligmor inish vehadar lisbar" (a person should first learn thoroughly, and only afterward analyze) — and to prepare for yourself provisions for the appointed day, just as the ant prepares for the days of winter. For only one who has toiled on the eve of the Sabbath will eat on the Sabbath; so too, after you have gathered the laws of wisdom, you should prepare them by means of your understanding and intellect so that they become bread for the soul, for wisdom and Torah are the nourishment that satisfies the soul's thirst (tzachtzachut hanefesh, cf. Isaiah 58:11) for the appointed day.

You, sluggard — when will you arise, will you awake from your sleep?

"How long" — You, the sluggard, lie down and are slack about acquiring perfection. When will you arise from your sleep to perform the deeds proper to a human being? Give yourself a little sleep and a little slumber, to be drowsy — neither asleep nor awake — as is the practice of the diligent, energetic man: when sleep comes upon him, he slumbers a little, to remove from himself the compulsion of sleep, and folds his hands a little to lie down, giving rest to his faculties, which are wearied from being occupied while he is awake. Now, if you conduct yourself in this manner, this poverty will come to you — "and come like a traveler" — meaning that as often as it comes, it moves along and passes on; and your want will come to you like a man bearing a shield and weapons of war, who, when he arrives at some place, does not delay there, but goes on to his battle. This is because, on account of your diligence in wisdom, Hashem will take heed and give you what you need — or he may mean by this that, on account of diligence, it will be easy in his eyes to bring in and gather through his labor what will suffice him. The first explanation is more correct. Now, he first warned against being a man of desire, for it prevents perfection; and after this he warned against laziness, for it likewise prevents perfection and is a cause of a person dying in utter want; and after this he warned against speaking lies, which a person may think involve no sin, yet they are a cause of great evils, since this leads such a person to hold false opinions out of his love of falsehood. And he said:

"How long will you sleep, O sluggard" — that is to say: you, the sluggard, the harvest has already passed, the summer has ended, and you are still lying there daydreaming, having done nothing. And it is the way of the sluggard to sleep away several hours of the day, and after he wakes from his sleep, he lies the rest of the day upon his bed. Therefore it says, "how long will you sleep," and more than that, "when will you arise" and awaken from your sleep. And the allegorical sense is that in his youth he sleeps and discerns nothing at all, because of folly; and even after he awakens and comes to realize man's purpose, and that it is fitting for him to occupy himself with the Torah of Hashem, he lies down afterward and does nothing, out of laziness. Therefore it says "how long will you be lazy," and more than that, "how long will you remain sunk in folly."

a little folding of the hands The sleeper folds his hands, embrasser in French (abrasar in Provencal,) umfassen [in German], to embrace. In Rashi ms. plier in French [to fold] in German et was falten, to fold a little.

"A little sleep" — phrased in the idiom of the Sages; and the meaning is: you sleep again and again — you sleep a little and slumber a little and fold your hands so as not to exert yourself.

"a little sleep" — lest you think, "I will sleep a little, and afterward slumber a little, and afterward I will lie down with folded hands to sleep" — for such is the way of one who lies down, to fold his hands, one within the other.

"Slumber" (tenumot) — this is a light sleep.

"'Yet a little sleep'" — first he sleeps his fixed, full sleep; and afterward, "a little slumber" — dozing but not fully asleep, awake but not fully awake; and after he rouses himself even from that slumber, then comes "a little folding of the hands," to lie upon the bed and do nothing.

And your poverty shall come like a fast walker If you do this [keep sleeping], your loss and the thing from which you are impoverished shall come to you immediately, like a man walking fast, and your want will come and fill up like an armed man. who comes quickly to protect his master. These verses are mainly an allegory concerning those who are [too] lazy to engage in the Torah.

"So your poverty shall come as a traveler" — like a guest who arrives without being known until he comes; and your want shall come like a man arriving with a shield to overpower another.

"so shall come, as a runner" — because of this, poverty will come to you suddenly, like a traveler walking along the road who arrives suddenly at his lodging-place, unannounced before his arrival. "and your want" — the thing that diminishes your wealth will come swiftly, like a man clad in armor going down to war, whose manner is not to delay along his way.

"Your poverty" (reishekha) — a term for poverty and want, as in "a slack hand causes poverty (rash)" (Proverbs 10:4).

"And your poverty shall come like a wanderer" — at the time when he is dispossessed of his belongings, the poverty (reish) comes "like a wanderer walking in its own way," with none standing against it, because he has done nothing beforehand against the poverty and destitution that come upon him. "And your want as an armed man" — afterward the want comes upon him, so that he lacks bread and all his needs; and then he rises up and fights against the want and wishes to drive it out of his house, but the want stands against him like a man bearing shield and buckler, and he is unable to drive it from his house or to do anything to it.

walks with a crooked mouth He walks with crooked lips.

"A base person, a man of iniquity" — these are his traits.

"A base person" — that is, the wicked person is one who is a man of iniquity, who walks with a perverse mouth — meaning, he speaks lies with his mouth.

"A base person" — whoever casts off from himself the yoke of the Omnipresent is a man of iniquity, and walks with a froward mouth; meaning, he twists his mouth to hint at slander.

"A base person" (beliya'al) — [from] "beli ol" (without a yoke), meaning one who throws off the yoke of Heaven.

"A person" — one who is "a base person" (adam beliya'al) casts off the yoke of Heaven from himself in the commandments between man and God, while in the commandments between man and his fellow he is "a man of iniquity" (ish aven). This person's sin is discernible in seven things: 1) In the instrument of speech — "he walks with a froward mouth," for he speaks perversity against the laws of wisdom, since "mouth" alludes to wisdom. 2) In the instrument of action, it speaks of the eyes —

he winks with his eyes winks of deceit. shuffles with his feet He rubs one on the other. points with his fingers They are all expressions of hinting: one applies to the eye, one applies to the foot, and one applies to the finger, but the main idea is that it is speaking of the wicked.

"Winks... scrapes [with his feet]" — one who speaks [through gestures]. "That points [with his fingers]" — signals to do evil. It is written 'with his eyes' and 'with his feet' in the plural, but the meaning is with one of his eyes and one of his feet. Similarly: 'and he was buried in the cities of Gilead' (Judges 12:7) — meaning, in one of the cities.

"That winks with his eyes" — or with his gestures, when he lies through them, in the manner of those who signal with their eyes; and "scrapes with his feet" — to signal by means of them; "and points with his finger."

"that winks with his eyes, etc." — all of these are gestures used for slander.

"Winks" (koretz) — a term for the twitching [of the eyes] used to hint at mockery; it is from the same expression as "a destroyer (keretz) from the north" (Jeremiah 46:20), for through much twitching it is as though he cuts and breaks his eyes. "Scrapes" (molel) — this is from the language of "millah" (word) and speech, meaning as though he speaks mockery with his feet. "Points" (moreh) — as though he teaches mockery with his fingers.

"That winks with his eyes" — the opposite of what is stated, "and you shall not go about after your eyes" (Numbers 15:39). 3) In the instrument of movement — "that scrapes with his feet" — alluding to signaling with his feet toward evil. 4) With the hands — "that points with his fingers." 5) Against thought —

he incites quarrels between man and his Creator.

"Frowardness is in his heart" — that is, there is constant falsehood in his heart, and through the lies that he persists in and devises in his heart, he plots evil at all times, and sends forth strife between brothers, and disputes and quarrels among people, by relating lies from one to another; and from this great damage arises within political communities. For these evils that he does, Hashem will repay him his due.

"frowardness is in his heart" — the thoughts of his heart aim to distort a matter from what it actually is. "he devises evil" — he thinks evil at all times, and stirs up strife among people; meaning, since he has cast off the yoke of the Omnipresent, he will certainly do all these things.

"Frowardness" (midyanim) — from the language of "madon" (strife) and quarrel. "He sows" (yeshalach) — a term for provoking and inciting, as in "and I will send (ashalach) among them the teeth of beasts" (Deuteronomy 32:24).

"Frowardness is in his heart" — in matters of faith he devises things contrary to faith, and in matters between people he plots evil against his fellow. (7) He sends discord between a man and his fellow.

suddenly, etc. suddenly Heb. פתע פתאם. This is an expression of immediacy; he will not be aware of the downfall that is ready to descend upon him.

"and that without remedy" — there will be no cure for his breaking.

"His calamity" (eido) — a term for suffering and misfortune. "Suddenly" (peta) — this is like "pit'om" (suddenly).

"Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly" — that is, his calamity will come quickly in time, and there will also be swiftness in the execution of his punishment; "suddenly he shall be broken," and he will have no remedy, because he will not repent.

There are six things that the Lord hates, and the seventh is an abomination of His soul The seventh, too, is [included] with them.

"There are six things which Hashem hates" — and the seventh of them is "an abomination to Him"; and these are: "haughty eyes" — arising from pride and effrontery.

"indeed, seven" — the seventh is an abomination to His soul; meaning, it is the most hated of all of them.

"There are six" — the first six things that he enumerated are things that Hashem hates; and the seventh, which is "he sends discord," is the seventh one, and it is "an abomination to His soul," for it is worse than all of them, because it destroys the community as a whole.

"Haughty" — one who is arrogant, who raises his eyes in pride. "A lying tongue" ... "hands that shed innocent blood" — a murderer.

"A lying tongue" — that is, one who loves to speak lies; "and hands that shed innocent blood."

"Haughty eyes" — this refers to the arrogant one who lifts his eyes upward, unlike the way of the humble in spirit, who lower their eyes to look downward.

"Haughty eyes" — he lists them a second time, in specific detail, to show a greater evil: corresponding to "he winks with his eyes," he adds "haughty eyes," which is the pride by which one exalts himself against faith; corresponding to "he who walks with a perverse mouth," he adds "a lying tongue," for "the tongue" always denotes understanding (binah), which stands opposed to wisdom (chochmah) through proofs of the understanding and through misleading inferences; corresponding to "he points with his fingers," he says "hands that shed innocent blood."

"A heart that devises" — [schemes] against people thoughts of falsehood and deceit, in order to harm them; and "feet" that hasten to run to do evil; and one who speaks lies and is a false witness — this includes a lying tongue and false testimony; one who sends forth strife among brothers by telling lies, this one to that one. Now he mentioned the limbs in order, beginning from the highest limb and finishing with the lowest. This is the explanation of these matters, which we have confined our explanation to here. As for the benefits (to'aloth) derived from them, there are nineteen: The first is to make known that the Torah and its commandments bring a person to the attainment of wisdom and understanding — whether in divine philosophy or in political philosophy — if a person delves deeply to investigate it and its commandments with proper investigation; and this comes about when these are kept always in his heart, and through this he attains health of body and soul by conducting himself according to its commandments, and he becomes beloved to people and beloved to Hashem, to the point that His eyes are always upon him and He does not abandon him, and he attains through this the pleasant, eternal life and the goods of the body, to the point that he need not fear misfortune. The second is to make known that it is not fitting for a person to place his trust in the things he wishes to attain by his own understanding and by the means he has devised to reach them, but rather he should place his trust in Hashem, may He be blessed, alone, and along with this be assisted by the means that bring about that matter. The third is to make known that it is fitting for a person to give honor to Hashem in his inquiry into wisdom and Torah, for this is among the things that guide him to find the truth in matters as far as is possible for him. And this is so because the wisdom of Hashem is exceedingly wondrous, and when a person wishes to find in these matters a wondrous wisdom, and does not content himself with weak reasons, then he is well guided to find things of value. And from this we also learn a further benefit: one who honors Hashem with his wealth and with the choicest of his fruits and produce — Hashem will give him his reward, in that his possessions will be blessed. The fourth is to make known that it may happen that misfortunes come upon good people for the sake of moral discipline (musar) and providence, and therefore it is fitting for a person to accept them with love, and then he will attain from them the benefit for the sake of which Hashem brought them upon him. The fifth is to make known that just as we derive wisdom (chochmah) from these lowly things by investigating them [to understand] why they are as they are in their existence, and we derive understanding (tevunah) from the heavenly bodies by investigating them as is fitting — so their existence flows from the wisdom of Hashem and His understanding, and therefore we cleave, in this manner, to the wisdom of Hashem and His understanding with a certain cleaving — that wisdom and understanding being His very essence, may He be blessed. We have already explained this and resolved the difficulties that arise concerning it in Book One and Book Five of Sefer Milchamot Hashem (the Wars of Hashem). And by this same method the difficulty was resolved as to how it is possible that knowledge reaches us from sense-perceptions, and yet is not lost when they [the objects of sense] are lost, as we explained in Book One of the Wars of Hashem. The sixth is to make known that a person should not withhold good from one to whom it is due, if it is in his power to do it, for this follows from good character; from this it follows that one should not say to his fellow, "Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give," when he has with him now what he could give him. The seventh is what he warned against: quarreling with a person who has done him no harm, for in this there is a loss to the political/communal order that is not hidden — for the noble character traits by which people restrain themselves from quarrel will not benefit them at all when dealing with one who has this base trait, and this leads to the corruption of [good] character. The eighth is to make known that violence and wickedness ought to be kept far away, for the curse of Hashem is found in the house of the wicked, whereas the dwelling of the righteous He blesses. The ninth is to make known that scoffing ought to be kept far away, and likewise the matter of folly, for shame will be ever before their eyes. The tenth is to make known that wisdom (chochmah) is acquired together with "the beginning of wisdom," for one comes to investigate it by way of premises intrinsic to wisdom itself; whereas understanding (binah) is acquired together with all [other] acquisitions, for its premises are not self-evident/intrinsic, and it is necessary that all the acquisitions from the other modes of apprehension precede the acquisition of it, for through them one is guided to ascertain its truth, as we have mentioned. The eleventh is that it is not fitting for a person to walk in the way of the wicked and to agree with them in it; rather he is obligated to stop that evil deed and nullify it, if he can by any stratagem, and if he cannot, it is fitting that he remove himself from it. The twelfth is to make known that the righteous are aided by Hashem in whatever way they walk, in all their affairs, and they are guided by it always toward the goal they desire; whereas the wicked, in their walking, stumble and see nothing, for their way is like darkness, and they cannot be guided by it toward their desires. The thirteenth is to make known that a person should guard his intellect so that it not become bound by anything that would prevent it from doing what is proper, for thereby he would lose the good fruit that ought to be attained from it — namely, the eternal and pleasant life. And for this reason he should be careful not to accept false roots and premises that would prevent him from attaining the truth in what follows from them, for these bind his intellect from investigating them with proper investigation. And for this same reason it is fitting that he hate a lying tongue and keep far from it, for people accustomed to lying do not love moral discipline very much, and therefore all fruit of the intellect departs from them. And for this same reason, too, it is fitting that he keep far from bodily desires and from laziness, for on account of each of these the intellect becomes bound from performing its function. The fourteenth is to make known to the investigator of a matter that he should direct his contemplation toward uprightness and truth, and be guided toward it as much as is possible for him, for this is among the things that guide him to find the truth in matters. The fifteenth is to make known that one who attains wisdom and understanding ought to keep them in his heart always, together with the things that were the cause of the arising of that knowledge for him — that is to say, he should keep, along with the secondary intelligibles, the primary intelligibles from which they were clarified, and he should keep, along with these, the [mental] dispositions and modes of thought that guided him to attain them. The sixteenth is to make known that a person ought to keep far from bodily desires, for they lead him to death and bring the intellect to a state where it does not perform its function, but rather he expends his strength in devising stratagems to attain these repugnant desires. The seventeenth is to make known that one who has sinned and been drawn after the desiring soul, and has abandoned the function of the intellect — that is, its treading the path toward perfection — to the point that the intellect is, as it were, lost in the sin in which there was pleasure to matter, similar to the case of one who stood surety and became enslaved on behalf of another — it is fitting for him to submit himself to Hashem, may He be blessed, to the utmost extent possible, to seek pardon and atonement for his sins, and to strive with great alacrity to gain understanding and knowledge of Him, in a manner that will grant him a wondrous elevation above the rest of existing things, as is indeed true in this matter; and by this he will be healed of this sickness of surety — just as, if a person stood surety for his fellow and thereby became enslaved to his fellow for payment of the debt on behalf of the stranger, he has no remedy except to submit himself to the fellow to whom he has become enslaved, and to grant his fellow elevation and honor, for by this, perhaps, his fellow will have mercy on him and lighten his burden somewhat, or release him. The eighteenth is to make known that a person ought to keep far from laziness and excessive sleep and lying down, in the manner of the sluggard, for this is among the things that prevent him from attaining any perfection — indeed, he will not even attain his sustenance. Rather, it is fitting for him to conduct himself with alacrity to acquire virtue and sustenance at the time when the opportunity is at hand, and this alacrity will be completed for him by keeping as far from sleep as possible for him. And this is what will come to him by this stratagem: when the compulsion of sleep overpowers him, he should doze a little without lying down, for by this he will recover easily; and he should exert himself with such a stratagem to keep sleep away, so that when he does sleep, his sleep will be minimal; and when his powers grow weary from excessive wakefulness, he should lie down a little and fold his hands — meaning that he should rest from all work and movement — for by this his weary powers will recover, as though he had given sleep to his eyes; and this is very evident from observation. The nineteenth is to keep far from falsehood, and therefore he said that one who loves falsehood is wicked, for this will bring him to great sins — among them, sins in belief, for his love of falsehood will cause him not to seek the truth in matters of belief; and among them, sins in character, for from this it follows that falsehood will always be in his mouth, and he will strive to make people believe what is not so, by his hints and winks, in places where he cannot speak [openly]. And the illustration is: one who says of a person something that is not so — it happens that when he says something that could be understood in a certain way, just as another has said of him, he then hints to people that they should take this as testimony to the truth of what he told them about him. And from this it also follows that he will always be scheming how he might find some falsehood with which to devise harm against some person; and it also follows from this that he stirs up strife among people through his lies. And in general: just as by truth civilized society is established, so by falsehood it is destroyed. And in order to keep falsehood far away, he explained that great and wondrous punishment may result from it; and he explained further that within the category of falsehood are found types that are hated and abominable to Hashem, and these are: "haughty eyes" — for it is a falsehood for a person to be proud, seeing that he is a lowly and utterly base creature; and behold, pride is an exceedingly repugnant trait that removes a person from all perfection. And "a lying tongue" — meaning, one who speaks lies — this too is a repugnant trait that prevents a person from attaining things of value, wisdom, and understanding. "And hands that shed innocent blood" likewise do a thing of falsehood and injustice, killing a person who has done no violence with his hands — and behold, the enormity of the repugnance of this trait is self-evident. "And a heart that devises wicked thoughts" is likewise an exceedingly repugnant trait, for this is among the things that lead to the doing of evil deeds through the lies he has striven to devise, seeing that this [faculty] is not being used for that for which it is a tool — namely, the acquisition of perfection — since he strives after what is repugnant in the utmost degree of repugnance. "And feet that hasten to run to evil" — this too is in the service of speaking falsehood, such as the shedding of innocent blood, or theft and robbery. "And one who sends forth strife among brothers" — this too is through words of falsehood, in that he tells this to one person and that to another. The repugnance of all these traits and dispositions is clear and evident.

"a heart that devises" — one who turns his heart to think thoughts of iniquity, to run to evil, acting swiftly, to the point that he will not relent.

"A heart" — corresponding to "plots evil," he says "a heart that devises wicked thoughts"; corresponding to "signals with his feet," he says "feet that are swift in running to evil"; and corresponding to "frowardness is in his heart," he adds —

[one who] speaks Heb. יפיח, lit. he blows. This is an expression of speech since all speech is a product of the breath of the mouth.

"That breathes out" — an expression of speech, and Scripture itself explains that he is a false witness.

"that breathes out, etc." — meaning, a false witness who speaks lies; and it is one and the same [as the lying tongue mentioned earlier]. "among brethren" — among friends he stirs up strife by relating slander; and this is the seventh, the harshest of all of them, for through this he kills three: himself, the one who receives it, and the one about whom it is spoken.

"Breathes out" (yafiach) — a term for speech, so called because it comes with the exhaling (hafachat) of the mouth.

"A false witness that breathes out lies" — that he speaks falsehood and testifies falsely in matters of faith; and corresponding to the seventh item, which is "an abomination to Hashem," he says a second time, "and he who sows discord among brethren."

"Keep, my son" — in your heart, so that you do not forget them.

"Keep, my son, the commandment of your father" — This is Hashem, who commands you to keep His Torah, and [commands you] not to forsake the Torah that Hashem, may He be blessed, gave you by means of the Active Intellect. It is possible that by "commandment" he alludes to the fact that these [commandments] direct a person to the part of the Torah in which there are commandments and warnings, and by "Torah" [in "the teaching of your mother"] he alludes to the narratives of the Torah, for they direct [a person] very much toward perfection, as we explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah. And he called the narratives "the teaching of your mother," because they arrived through prophecy from the Active Intellect, which was operative at that time, as we explained in our commentary on the Song of Songs — since most of the narratives are the account of the teachings of the Patriarchs, which are like a mother in relation to Hashem, may He be blessed. And the analogy is that just as the mother provides the matter and the father provides the form, as was explained in the Book of Living Beings (Sefer Ba'alei Chayim).

"the commandment of your father" — for surely he certainly desires your betterment. "the teaching of your mother" — that which she teaches you.

"Forsake" (titosh) — a term for abandonment.

"My son, keep the commandment of your father" — "the commandment" (mitzvah) is that which the one who commands compels the one commanded to carry out at his behest, like the commandment of a father to his son, or of a master to his servants; while "the teaching" (torah) refers to the studies that one teaches him, such as the tenets of faith, ideas, and moral instruction. Therefore he attributes "the commandment" to the father, who compels [obedience in] the keeping of his commandments, and he instructed [the son] to keep them even though they run contrary to the nature of his heart. "And forsake not the teaching of your mother" — he attributes "the teaching" to the mother, and says that once he keeps the commandment of his father, he will consequently not forsake the teaching of his mother, because the soul of man is naturally drawn after the teaching; only if he spurns the commandment will he then abandon the teaching and deny the fundamentals of faith, in order that he may cast off from himself the yoke of the commandments — but one who keeps the commandment will not forsake the teaching.

tie them Heb. ענדם, an expression of tying, as in (Job 31:36) “I will tie it (אענדנו) as crowns to me.”

"Bind them" — upon the organs of speech, to speak of them continually, for by this you will be guided to grasp their intent and the wondrous wisdom that is within them.

"Bind" (ondem) — a term for tying, as in "I would bind it (e'ednenu) as a crown upon me" (Job 31:36). "Your neck" (gargeroteikha) — from the language of "garon" (throat) and neck.

"Bind them continually upon your heart" — that even though the commandments are far from the nature of the heart, you shall bind them with cords so that they be continually bound upon your heart, and thereby incline your heart — which is the faculty that rules over the body — to keep them; and "tie them about your neck" as well, to speak of them continually, so that through constant repetition they will be preserved with you even in the heart. And all this corresponds to "the commandment"; and corresponding to "the teaching of your mother," he says —

When you walk in your lifetime. it shall lead you Heb. תנחה אותך, like תנהיגך. when you lie down in the grave. and when you awaken for the resurrection of the dead, to stand in judgment. it shall speak for you It shall speak on your behalf.

"It shall lead you" — so that your foot does not strike against a stone. "It shall watch over you" — for you are unable to guard yourself during your slumber. "And when you awake" — the meaning is: even if your mouth is not speaking when you awaken. "It shall talk with you" — so that you will not be afraid.

"When you walk" — in matters of theoretical inquiry. "it shall lead you" — the Torah [will lead you] to attain the things you seek, in that it will already guard you, by means of the principles rooted within it, from error in your premises; and this is among what will guide you to the truth in each and every inquiry. "When you lie down" — in the midst of the path you tread to arrive at [what you seek in] your inquiry — for your powers will grow weak and you will need sleep — behold, the Torah will preserve for you what you had already begun, in order that you attain [what you seek in] the inquiry, so that you need not begin the investigation a second time from its beginning. And when you awaken from your sleep, the Torah will speak to you the things you had found before you lay down, to guide you toward completing the investigation. And he said this because, although the Torah guides a person to attain wisdom and understanding, one who keeps the Torah is also watched over by Hashem, and therefore he is aided by Him in his attainments. And it is possible that the intent here by "when you lie down" is [a lying-down] from the inquiry — that is, difficulties will arise which you cannot resolve, and because of this your progress in it will come to a halt. Behold, the Torah will preserve things for you, to guard you from error. For were it not for the Torah, perhaps, on account of the difficulty you would encounter in resolving some of the doubts that arise in that inquiry, you would be prepared to reject the truth, and from this you would come to great ruin in many of your inquiries. But because the Torah has rooted the truth firmly in this matter, it will guard you from conceding to what contradicts it, and thereby you will be saved from error. And when you awaken, and the hidden matters bearing on the doubts that had been sufficient to halt your progress in this inquiry are revealed to you, the Torah will speak those things to you — or, alternatively, [the verb] "it shall talk with you" may be read as a doubly-transitive (yotze li-shlishi) form [i.e., a causative construction carrying the action through to a further object], meaning that the Torah will bring you to speak those very things. The intent is one and the same, however it is explained, and the reason is that from the Torah these things were made clear to you. Now this latter explanation is more correct, for [the verse continues] "the commandment is a lamp" — the commandment is a lamp that shows the way and the things that are visible, while the Torah is a light, which is stronger in this effect. He therefore attributed what emanates from the fullness of the Torah to what emanates from the narratives, and he attributed the light to the lamp, as was explained from our words in the introduction to our commentary on the words of the Torah. And it [the Torah] is also "the way of life" — that is, the way to attain eternal life — and it is also [what is meant by] "reproofs of discipline (musar)," which is the acquisition of moral discipline in character traits and dispositions. For the commandment and the Torah each direct a person toward the way of life and toward reproofs of discipline; but the Torah is stronger in both of these, and it is [called] "the way." "it shall talk with you" — it shall speak with you.

"it shall lead you" — it will guide you on the straight path. "it shall watch over you" — from night marauders. "it shall talk with you" — it will speak with you like a good friend speaking with his companion to delight with him.

"It shall lead you" (tancheh) — it shall guide you. "And you awake" (vehakitzota) — a term for rousing from sleep. "It shall talk with you" (tesichekha) — from the language of "sichah" (conversation) and speech.

"When you walk" — he speaks of the three states he spoke of above (3:23-25): in his walking on the road, in his lying down, and in his rising up in his house. "When you walk" on the road — since then there is the danger of the road, "it shall lead you" in the straight path; "when you lie down" — then there is danger, because he is not then using his senses and his intellect, "it shall watch over you"; and "when you awake" from your sleep, it shall be your conversation.

For a commandment is a candle, and the Torah is light Just as light always illuminates, so does the merit of the Torah stand for a person forever, but the merit of the commandment is only for a limited time, like the light of a candle. Another explanation: For a commandment is a candle, etc. The command of the father is a candle. Whoever fulfills the command of his father is as though he takes a candle in his hand to light a dark place, and if he loses anything there he finds it by its light; similarly, whoever fulfills his mother’s instruction—it is light to him, and so [Scripture] states (verse 20): “and forsake not the instruction of your mother.” It is certain that this verse speaks of the commands of one’s father and mother, for it is written (20:20): “If one curses his father or mother, his candle will be put out in the blackest darkness.” Now if a person’s candle goes out when he does not fulfill the commandments of his parents, conversely when he fulfills the command, his candle lights up (Rabbi Joseph Kara). and disciplining rebukes are the way of life Disciplining rebukes incline a person to life. It is found that they are the way of life.

"For the commandment is a lamp" — for the commandment is like a lamp, giving light before you, similar to 'the commandment of Hashem is pure, enlightening the eyes' (Psalms 19:9). And the Torah is like light for those who study it, while 'the fool walks in darkness' (Ecclesiastes 2:14). And 'the way of life' — for the person who accepts wisdom, it is the way by which he shall live.

"For the commandment is a lamp" — the commandment that a person performs illuminates for him like a lamp; and for one who learns Torah, it is like the light of day; and for one who hears the reproof of instruction, it is a path that brings life.

"For the commandment is a lamp" — the commandment, which is particular, is likened to a particular lamp; "and the teaching is light" — the teaching, which is general, is likened to light, which is general. A lamp burns only as long as there is oil and a wick there; so too the commandment exists only while he is confined within the body. But light shines of itself; so the light of the teaching is bound to the soul because it is a divine soul, and even after separation [from the body], the light of God shines upon their heads, and their crowns rest upon their heads. And just as through the light the lamp is lit, so through engaging in the teaching one will keep the commandment — but not an ignoramus who is pious. The light comes from above and the lamp comes from below; so the light of the teaching is from above, and the lamp of the commandment is below, in matters of the body, and is bound up with the soul, which is like the oil and wick by which the light is kindled and shines. "And reproofs of instruction are the way of life" — for even though one has light and a lamp, he needs to walk in the way of life, for if he does not walk in the way of life, the light and the lamp will not avail him. And who leads him in the way of life? "Reproofs of instruction" — for by accepting the reproof of the intellect from moral instruction (mussar) and the fear of Hashem, he thereby walks in the way of life; and then the lamp of the commandment and the light of the teaching will avail him, to guard him from the pitfalls, and from the thorns, and from the briers, as it is written, "The fear of Hashem is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7).

to guard you from an evil woman The Torah shall guard you from a woman of evil behavior—perforce, Solomon did not speak of an evil woman, but concerning idolatry, [the prohibition of] which is equal in gravity to all [commandments], for if you say that he meant a real harlot, is that all the reward and the praise of the Torah that it guards one only from a harlot? Rather, perforce this is idolatry, [the prohibition of] which is as stringent as all other [commandments]. from the smoothness of the alien tongue From the sealing of the eyes by an alien tongue.

"To keep you" — the reproofs are to keep you from an evil woman, for she is more grievous than all other transgressions, since she drags along further evils. 'Smoothness' describes the woman, meaning that her tongue speaks with smoothness; and 'alien' describes the tongue.

"To keep you from the evil woman" — from being drawn after the enticement of a married woman, to commit adultery with her, because of the wondrous punishment that the Torah has imposed, both in its commandments and also in its narratives — in what it recounted concerning Abimelech and Pharaoh, regarding Sarai the wife of Abram. And he called this woman "the evil woman" to indicate that Hashem does not give such an adulterous woman to the good/righteous. And he called her "the alien woman" because she is not [the man's own] wife, but rather the wife of another man.

"to keep you" — for instruction will avail to keep you from a harlot woman. "from the smoothness" — from the slipperiness of the alien woman's enticements; and this is a repetition of the matter in different words.

"To keep you from the evil woman" — an Israelite harlot; "from the smoothness of the tongue of the alien woman" — a gentile harlot, an idolatress, even though she entices you with the smoothness of her tongue. And according to the allegorical sense, "the evil woman" [refers to] the [false] wisdoms that lead to the denial of the divine, and "the smoothness of the tongue of the alien woman" [refers to] the ways of idolatry — even though they proceed by way of intelligible syllogisms, which is always alluded to by the word "tongue," which denotes understanding (binah).

do not let her captivate you And let her not take away your wisdom from you with her eyelids that she winks at you.

"And let her not captivate you" — away from correction. "With her eyelids" — on account of the beauty of her eyelids, which are [i.e., refer to] her eyes.

"Do not lust" — after the beauty of the adulterous woman in your heart, and do not let her captivate you with her eyelids, the manner of whose gaze draws a person to desire her.

"neither let her captivate you" — do not let your heart be taken, to be drawn after her through the hints of her eyelids.

"Lust not after her beauty in your heart" — that you should guard yourself from being trapped by her, whether through her beauty, or from being enticed by her through her signaling to you with her eyelids. And according to the allegorical sense, [it means] that you should not covet their ways of speculation and inquiry, nor be drawn after their proofs, which may seem to you to have substance, imagining that they see with "the eyelids of the morning" (cf. Job 41:10).

Because a man is brought to a loaf of bread for a harlot He is reduced to poverty and the lack of all good things.

"To a loaf of bread" — he shall lose his wealth, until he must beg a loaf of bread from other people. "But a married woman" — she hunts the soul of the adulterer who is with her. And it says 'precious' because it [the soul] is drawn from the light of Hashem. "She hunts" — for she hunts, similar to the phrase 'that hunt souls' (Ezekiel 13:18).

"For on account of a harlot" — for on account of a harlot a man is brought down to a loaf of bread, meaning that nothing remains of his wealth except a loaf of bread, for he loses his wealth on her account, as it is said, "and he who consorts with harlots squanders his wealth" (Proverbs 29:3). And it is fitting for a person to be exceedingly careful not to fall into her snare, for she indeed has the power to hunt a precious soul, on account of how easily a person is enticed toward intercourse.

"for on account of a harlot" — because of the desire for a harlot woman, a person comes to great poverty, until he must beg for a loaf of bread. "hunts" — through the smoothness of her words she hunts the soul, even though it had been precious and clean of sin.

"A loaf of bread" (kikar lechem) — a whole loaf of bread is so called.

"For on account of a harlot" — an unmarried woman — "a man is brought to a loaf of bread," that you will lose your wealth and your livelihood; "but the adulteress hunts for the precious life" — she hunts for the soul itself, even if it be a precious and lofty soul, such as that of a prophet or a nobleman.

Can a man rake Can a man pick up live coals with the skirt of his garments without burning them? Every expression of חתיה is an expression of raking according to its apparent meaning, that he fills the vessel in the fire.

"Can he take" — meaning, carry or bring. And the sense is: from the fire, the garments will be burned and the feet will be scorched.

"Can he take" — here he alludes to the fact that it is impossible for a man to scoop up fire in his garments without his garments being burned.

"can [a man] take" — for is it possible that a man should scoop fire into his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

"Take" (hayachteh) — a term for scooping fire from its place, as in "to take (lachtot) fire from the hearth" (Isaiah 30:14). "In his bosom" (becheiko) — that is, in the garment opposite his bosom.

"Can a man take [fire]" — he employs two parables: (Parable 1) that he takes fire in his bosom, which is fire, and he places it in his bosom, so that then it will burn up his clothes completely. (Parable 2) —

"Or" — or that he walk upon the coals without his feet being scorched.

"or can one walk" — for can a man walk upon coals and his feet not be scorched?

"Be scorched" (tikavenah) — a term for burning, as in "burn (kevi'ah) for burn" (Exodus 21:25).

"If a man walk upon the coals" — which are not fire but [glowing] coals, and he does not take them into his bosom but merely walks upon them — nevertheless his feet will be scorched.

to his neighbor’s wife According to its apparent meaning, and it can also be expounded upon as referring to the idolatry of the pagans.

"So" — the adulterer shall not go unpunished; the meaning is that he shall be cut off, from the phrase: 'I will not utterly leave unpunished' (cf. Jeremiah 30:11).

"So he who goes in [to his neighbor's wife]... shall not go unpunished" — meaning that an extraordinary punishment shall overtake him. See and consider how exceedingly repugnant the matter of adultery is.

"so [is] he who goes in" — so is he who comes to his neighbor's wife, for whoever touches her will not escape the punishment that is due.

"So he who goes in to his neighbor's wife" — he is like one who takes fire into his bosom; and also anyone who merely touches her, without lying with her — this is like the second parable, of one who walks upon coals — he too shall not go unpunished, and his feet shall be scorched.

They will not despise a thief, etc. And if he is found, he will pay sevenfold, etc. One who commits adultery with a woman The three of them are combined in one statement. If a thief commits a theft, he should not be despised as much as the adulterer. Why? Because he steals in order to sate his hunger, and perhaps he has nothing to eat. And, when he is found, he can rectify his sin with payment; at the most, he will pay sevenfold i.e., many times the double payment and even fifty times for one. Some explain “sevenfold” as referring to one who steals an ox and his trappings and slaughters it, who pays five cattle and double payment of the trappings (totalling seven). he must give all he owns lit. he must give all the property of his house. And, even if he must sell all he owns because of this, he can nevertheless rectify it, and from the beginning he did it because of hunger. But...

"They do not despise" — people do not despise a thief who is hungry and has nothing to eat; for if he steals, it is to satisfy his appetite that he steals.

"Men do not despise" — people [do not despise] a thief, "if he steal..."

"men do not despise" — people do not greatly despise a thief when he steals to satisfy his soul, for he is hungry and stole to break his hunger, and it is considered almost as an act done under compulsion.

"Men do not despise a thief" — the thief is superior to the adulterer: (1) because necessity compels him, for he steals to satisfy his soul, since he is hungry; (2) because if —

"Sevenfold" — seven exactly. Similarly: 'he shall pay for the lamb fourfold' (2 Samuel 12:6), corresponding to 'and four sheep for the sheep' (Exodus 21:37); and likewise: 'Cain shall be avenged sevenfold' (Genesis 4:15). And the sense is like the phrase 'as the light of seven days' (Isaiah 30:26). And because most repayments for a stolen animal that was sold are fivefold, and for one found alive close to twofold, therefore it says 'sevenfold' — a fixed, complete number. "He must give all the substance of his house" — until he has paid sevenfold. And Hashem has already said: 'and he shall be sold for his theft' (Exodus 22:2). But the adulterer with a married woman lacks understanding, for if a man destroys his own soul, he himself has caused the destruction — and that is the meaning of 'he who does it.'

"But if he be found, he must restore sevenfold" — And if he [the thief] could have found sustenance for himself without the theft, then he is punished for his theft, in that he must repay sevenfold, and moreover give all the wealth of his house. Or, the intent here — and this is more correct — is that if the thief is found [caught] in the house of the victim of the theft, he then makes peace with the victim of the theft, in that he repays him sevenfold, and moreover gives him all the wealth of his house and leaves it with him; and through this atonement [payment], the victim of the theft will without doubt be reconciled to him. And from this it is evident that he does not incur shame from people on this account, since he took [the food] to satisfy his hunger when he was starving; nor does he incur bodily harm from the victim of the theft, since through ransom and bribe the latter will be reconciled to him. The adulterer, however, deserves to be despised, for he takes for himself the entitlement of the husband and steals it from him — not to satisfy his hunger, as is the case with the thief — but rather he destroys himself through adultery, by depleting his foundational bodily substance and his natural moisture through excessive intercourse. And from this it is evident that "he who commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding" (Proverbs 6:32), for it is one who destroys his own soul who does this repugnant deed, and he "shall find wounds and dishonor..." (Proverbs 6:33).

"but if he be found" — and when he is found, he can rectify it through payment; then the owner of the stolen goods desists from [pursuing] him. "all the substance" — meaning, behold, he will not give more than all the wealth of his house, but he has not touched the soul itself.

It follows that there is a limit to his punishment, for "he must restore sevenfold": if he stole an ox and a sheep, he pays four [additional] for the ox, and three [additional] for the sheep, besides returning the ox and the sheep themselves; and thereby "he must give all the substance of his house," and he is discharged from the punishment through payment of money.

One who commits adultery with a woman is devoid of sense since he does not do it because of hunger. one who would destroy his soul—he will do it The lewd act.

"he who commits adultery with a woman" — but one who commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding, and one who wishes to destroy his own soul will indeed do this, since he has no compulsion driving him, unlike one who steals money.

"He who commits adultery with a woman" — but the adulterer "lacks understanding," for he is not like the thief, who committed the theft to satisfy his soul; rather, he does it in a manner that destroys his own soul, for he does not thereby satisfy a [genuine] hunger, since it is only one organ in man that this satisfies its craving.

He will find wounds and disgrace Lesions are sent for idolatry and immorality.

"Wounds" — Hashem shall bring afflictions upon him, similar to the phrase: 'and Hashem plagued Pharaoh' (Genesis 12:17). "And dishonor" — that he shall be despised in the eyes of all who see him. "And his reproach" — from having lain with a married woman. "Shall not be wiped away" — from before people.

"Wounds and dishonor he shall get" — from the husband of the woman, who will catch him; and he will find dishonor from all the people who come to know of this — the opposite of the thief, who steals to satisfy his hunger. And this dishonor is strong and enduring, such that his disgrace will never be erased. And he stated that he will find a wound that overwhelms the adulterer who lies with his [the husband's] wife, for jealousy is fierce, and the husband will show him no mercy, striking him a cruel blow with whatever vengeance is available to him to take against him. And should you say that he might be appeased with money, as in the case of the thief — behold, "he will not show favor for any ransom, nor be willing though you multiply the bribe" (Proverbs 6:35).

"Wounds and dishonor he shall get" — affliction comes from heaven, for it is through [the sin of] illicit relations (gilui arayot) that afflictions come; and dishonor he gets from people. "shall not be wiped away" — it will not be forgotten.

"And dishonor" (vekalon) — contempt. "Be wiped away" (timacheh) — a term for erasure.

"Wounds" — The thief pays back only money, but he [the adulterer] will incur a wound. The thief is not held in contempt, but he will incur disgrace. The thief's shame is wiped away through paying back fourfold and fivefold, but his shame will not be wiped away.

for jealousy For the jealousy of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is the Mighty One over all, will be aroused to mete out retribution upon him, and He will not have pity on the day of vengeance.

"The rage of a man" — for jealousy gives birth to rage, and 'a man [gever]' is the woman's husband; for when his rage rose, he would become jealous of him, for having lain with his wife.

"For jealousy" — the [desire for] vengeance arouses the husband's fury, and he will not forgive him on the day when it is in his power to take revenge; the matter will thus be kept [in mind] and not forgotten.

"Jealousy" (kin'ah) — vengeance. "The rage" (chamat) — from the language of "cheimah" (heat) and anger.

"For jealousy is the rage of a man" — For the husband's rage that burns against him [the adulterer] comes from jealousy, since he is jealous for his own honor and because the honor of his household has been defiled. Therefore he will not show pity on the day of vengeance, for vengeance that comes about on account of jealousy knows no pity.

He will not have regard for any money to expiate for his denial of Him and his cleaving to idolatry. And our Rabbis expounded (Tosefta Baba Kamma 7:3): They will not despise a thief—This is one who steals away from his friend and goes to the study hall and engages in Torah. If he is found, he will pay sevenfold. [The intention is that] eventually, he will be appointed as a judge, and he will render legal decisions, for “sevenfold” refers only to the Torah, as it is said (Ps. 12:7): “refined sevenfold.”

"He will not regard" — he will not show favor for any kind of ransom to turn away his wrath on its account. "Neither will he rest content" — he will not be willing to relent even if you increase the bribe; and this is a repetition of the same matter in different words.

"Ransom" (kofer) — a bribe; its meaning is like a payment of redemption.

"He will not regard any ransom" — If [the adulterer] wishes to give him a monetary ransom, he will not accept it from him, for his wife has become forbidden to him and his children have been disgraced, and this cannot be atoned for with money. "Neither will he consent though you multiply the bribe" — even if a large bribe is given to the judges so that they rule his wife permitted to him, he will not consent to this until the jealousy has subsided, for the vengeance still burns in his heart.