Psalms · Psalm 1

"The praises of a man" — This book was composed with ten expressions of song: 1) with conducting, 2) with melody, 3) with musical accompaniment, 4) with song, 5) with praise, 6) with prayer, 7) with blessing, 8) with thanksgiving, 9) with praises, and 10) with “Praise God.” These correspond to the ten men who composed them: 1) Adam, 2) Malchizedek, 3) Abraham, 4) Moses, 5) David, 6) Solomon, 7) Asaph, and 8-10) the three sons of Korah. Concerning Jeduthun, there is a dispute. Some say that Jeduthun was a man, as is written in Chronicles. Others maintain that Jeduthun mentioned in this Book means nothing else but the ordinances (דתות) and laws of the decrees that were passed over him and over Israel. "The praises of a man" — Heb. אשרי les felicements(?) in Old French. The praises of a man, and these are the praises of a man: that he did not follow, because since he did not follow, he did not stand, and since he did not stand, he did not sit. "scorners" — (Old French, gabors.)

'Happy is the man' — Our predecessors, of blessed memory, said that 'stood' is more severe than 'walked,' and 'sat' is the most severe of all; if so, the scoffers would be worse than the sinners. Rabbi Moshe HaKohen explained the opposite, saying that the sense of 'has not stood' is 'has not even stood.' In my opinion, the word 'wicked' (resha'im) refers to those who do not remain fixed in one condition, in the manner of 'the wicked are like the troubled sea, for it cannot rest' (Isaiah 57:20); and likewise 'and wherever he turned he prevailed' (1 Samuel 14:47) — compare 'when He grants quietness, who can condemn?' (Job 34:29). For this reason Scripture mentioned, together with 'the wicked,' 'walked' — namely, one who is enticed to walk in the counsel of another wicked person, on a way he did not know. The word 'sinners' (chatta'im) is severe, and for this reason Scripture mentioned 'way' (derekh), for he is accustomed to walk in it. The word 'sat' (yashav) is more severe than it, and such is the opinion of the predecessors. 'Scoffers' (letzim) — from the same root as 'the interpreter was between them' (Genesis 42:23), that is, one who reveals the secret of Reuben to Simeon. The scoffers are the opposite of the humble, as in 'though he scoffs at the scoffers' (Proverbs 3:34), and, following it, 'but to the humble He gives grace.' The humble are those who are modest — as opposed to speaking slander, casting blame, and revealing secrets. Now in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:7) there are four postures of the body: 'when you sit,' and its opposite, 'when you walk' — for motion is the opposite of rest — and 'when you lie down,' and its opposite, 'when you rise.' And in Psalms it is written 'sat,' corresponding to 'when you sit'; also 'walked,' corresponding to 'when you walk'; also 'stood,' corresponding to 'rise' — but it did not mention lying down, because most people are then asleep. Now the rule of the holy tongue is to insert a distinguishing letter into all verbs when they are future [in form], saying that the pattern goes from pa'al to yif'al; but when they wish to speak of an ongoing state, they speak in the past tense — and also in the future, as in 'and the posts of the doors moved... and the house was filled with smoke' (Isaiah 6:4). And so too, 'he has not walked,' 'and meditates on His Torah' — for he has no business or desire in the vanities of the world, but his whole desire is for the Torah of Hashem, to perform the commandments. The meaning of 'Torah' is that it teaches us the straight path. The word 'yehgeh' (meditates) [is used] of the heart, as in 'and the meditation of my heart is understanding' (Psalm 49:4), and also of the mouth, as in 'and my tongue shall meditate on Your righteousness' (Psalm 35:28). As for its saying 'and on His Torah he meditates' rather than writing 'and on it he meditates,' this is a matter of stylistic elegance, for behold, the word 'Israel' [occurs] five times in a single verse. And it mentions 'day and night' — corresponding to the four postures of the body. The word 'yehgeh' (meditates) [is used] of the heart, as in 'and the meditation of my heart is understanding' (Psalm 49:4), and also of the mouth, as in 'and my tongue shall meditate on Your righteousness' (Psalm 35:28). As for its saying 'and on His Torah he meditates' rather than writing 'and on it he meditates,' this is a matter of stylistic elegance, for behold, the word 'Israel' [occurs] five times in a single verse. And it mentions 'day and night' — corresponding to the four postures of the body.

"Happy is the man" — The word "ashrei" (happy) is always in the plural form, and the reason is that a person is not called happy for one piece of good fortune that fills him or one success that happens to come his way, but rather when many good things are found in him do people say of him, "Happy is he!" And David encompassed in this psalm the whole teaching for man and what is fitting for him to do in this world, and the good reward for the righteous and the punishment for the wicked; and it is a very honored psalm, and therefore he opened his book with it, and said: "That has not walked in the counsel of the wicked" — He first described the evil way, just as he also said, "Depart from evil and do good" (Psalms 34:15); for at first a person learns from his youth the way of the desires of this world — to eat and drink and rejoice — and he grows up among them, as it says, "For the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21). And when a person comes to his own understanding and begins to distinguish good from evil, he is warned to turn away from the way of the wicked and not walk in their counsel. And the wicked are those who are anxious to acquire money and to satisfy the desires of their heart in this world, and who do not distinguish between good and evil, and who steal and rob and kill for the sake of money out of the great anxiety of their heart. For the meaning of "resha" (wickedness) is anxiety/agitation, as in "when He grants quiet, who can condemn (yarshia)?" (Job 34:29); "and wherever he turned he dealt harshly (yarshia)" (I Samuel 14:47); "wickedness (resha) will not deliver its possessor" (Ecclesiastes 8:8); "do not be overly wicked (tirsha)" (ibid. 7:17). And for this reason he joined "walked" together with "the wicked"; and he joined with them "the counsel," because they counsel people to listen to them and put on a friendly face by way of advice, [suggesting] that it is good to gather money and rejoice. And in most cases a person goes astray in this, for the good that appears attractive to his eyes seems right to him, and he does not consider where it leads. And he said: "Nor stood in the way of sinners" — For sin is something a person commits even while standing still in his place, at rest, through deed, speech, and thought. And the meaning of "way" (derech) here is not the way of physical walking, but rather a person's custom, occupation, and conduct, as in "and you shall show them the way in which they are to walk" (Exodus 18:20); "yet the righteous holds fast to his way" (Job 17:9); "from doing your own ways" (Isaiah 58:13); "I have recounted my ways" (Psalms 119:26); and similar examples. And the meaning of "did not stand" is: he did not linger, did not associate himself with them, and did not stand in their company, so that he would not learn from their deeds. "Nor sat in the seat of scorners" — The "scorners" (letzim) are those who are cunning in understanding for the purpose of evil, who are haughty and speak evil of people, casting slander and blemish upon them and revealing secrets to one another. And this matter applies to idle men who sit about at street corners; and for this reason it says, "nor sat in the seat of scorners." Now these three [verbs] encompass every posture of a person: he is either walking, or standing, or sitting. And lying down is included within sitting; moreover, lying down is mostly for sleep, and while a person sleeps he does neither good nor evil. And by saying "Happy is the man," etc., it is as though he warned him not to act as they act, for what makes a person happy is that he has moved away from their way and separated himself from their deeds. And what our rabbis, may their memory be blessed, explained about this is what they said (Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 18b): "Now since he did not walk, how could he have stood? And since he did not stand, how could he have sat? And since he did not sit, how could he have scorned?" Rather, [Scripture] comes to tell you: if he walked, in the end he will stand; and if he stood, in the end he will sit; and if he sat, in the end he will scorn; and if he scorned, Scripture says of him, "and if you scorn, you alone shall bear it" (Proverbs 9:12).

"Happy is the man" — The praises told of the man are said about him in his praise: this is the one who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, meaning that his heart was not enticed to walk in their counsel and do as they do; and he was so careful of himself that he did not even stand in the way through which sinners pass, thinking lest they meet him and entice him to follow their counsel; and this being so, he consequently did not come to the point of sitting to dwell with them, to root their counsel in his heart and walk in it — thus he made a safeguard beyond a safeguard.

"Happy." — An expression of praise and blessing, as in "for the daughters have called me happy" (Genesis 30:13). "Scornful." — From the language of eloquent speech (melitzah); for one who mocks people or the straight path tends to season his words with the finest speech, in order to make them enter the heart.

'Happy is the man' — He comes to explain the conditions by which a man attains happiness. There is a difference between being 'happy' (blessed) and being 'successful': success pertains to worldly matters in the life of this world, while happiness pertains to matters of the soul in the life of the world to come. Now, perfection consists of three things: perfection of possessions, perfection of the body, and perfection of the soul. He therefore explains that here he speaks of the happiness of the man — the happiness unique to man as man, not the happiness he shares with his genus insofar as he is a living creature. That is to say, perfection of possessions and perfection of the body are also found among the other animals — for we find many animals that attain their sustenance and food more easily and abundantly than man (and there is none richer than swine), and likewise they surpass man in bodily strength, such as the elephant and the lion, and in their senses, such as the eagle and the kite in the sense of sight, and so forth. This is not the happiness unique to man and to mankind; rather, only the perfection of character traits and the qualities of the soul are unique to man alone. He explains that his happiness depends, first of all, on his being careful to avoid sin: 'who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked,' etc. There is a difference between 'the wicked' and 'sinners': the wicked are those who sin out of willfulness and rebellion, whether between man and God or between man and his fellow; therefore it says 'the counsel of the wicked,' for they are sinners by counsel and deliberation — which is not so with 'sinners,' of whom one cannot say 'counsel,' for they do not sin by counsel. He adds that he also 'has not stood in the way of sinners' — sinners are those who sin only out of desire; that is to say, he also will not sin out of his own desire. And not only did he not walk in the way of sinners, meaning that he does not persist in sin, but he also did not stand in their way even for a moment. He adds, 'nor sat in the seat of the scornful' — the scornful are those who sit idle on street corners; they do not do evil, but neither do they do good — they only chase after wind, vanity, and mockery, and do not occupy themselves with Torah.

"But his desire is in the law of the Lord" — Hence you learn that the company of scorners brings one to neglect the study of Torah. "and in his law he meditates" — In the beginning, it is called the law of the Lord, and after he has toiled to master it, it is called his own Torah. "he meditates" — Heb. יהגה. Every expression of הגה refers to the heart, as you say (below 19:15): “and the meditation (והגיון) of my heart”; (Isa. 33:18), “Your heart shall meditate (יהגה) in fear”; (Prov. 24:2), “For their heart thinks (יהגה) of plunder.”

"But his delight is in the law of Hashem" — He says: if a person turned away from the evil way but did not do good, he has not completed his task, and people would not call him happy. And so it says, "Depart from evil and do good" (Psalms 34:15). And even though our rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Midrash Shocher Tov, ad loc.), "If a person merely refrained from committing a transgression, he is given reward as one who performed a commandment" — they also explained there that this refers to a case where a matter of transgression came within his reach and he was saved from it, as it says "depart from evil and do good," meaning depart from evil in order to do good. And so it says, "They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways" (Psalms 119:3). And they held that one who conquers his [evil] inclination in deed is considered as though he performed a commandment, since the transgression had come within his reach; and this is also the meaning of "they also do no iniquity," etc. — even though they do no iniquity, they must [also] walk in His ways and do good deeds. And so it says, "Happy is the man who has not walked" — but what should he do? "His delight is in the law of Hashem." And included within "delight" (chefetz) is both study and practice, as in "doing your own affairs" (Isaiah 58:13); for the deed is not proper without study. "And in His law" — the phrase "in His law" is a repetition, like [the name] Noah, [which appears] three times in one verse (Genesis 6:9), and [the word] "Israel," five times in one verse (Numbers 5:19), and others besides these; for such is the way of the Hebrew language. And they — the grammarians and commentators, in innumerable places — say that this is a matter of stylistic elegance. And our rabbis, may their memory be blessed, expounded (Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 19a): at first it is called "the law of Hashem," but in the end, once he has grown strong in it through study, it becomes "his law" and is called by his own name. And the meaning of— "He meditates" (yehgeh) — in his heart, as in "the meditation of my heart before You" (Psalms 19:15); for he has already mentioned study and practice, and now he mentions the intent of his heart and his thought — that his thought should be, day and night, upon the law and the commandments. And therefore he charged him concerning them in every deed that he does, as they said (Avot 1:3), "and let all your deeds be for the sake of Heaven." "And in His law he meditates day and night" — that he should be occupied with study. And they said in the Midrash (Midrash Shocher Tov, ad loc.): "Now is it possible to meditate day and night? Where and when will he do his work and his craft? Rather, whoever fulfills the commandment of tefillin, Scripture accounts it to him as though he studied day and night." And some of them said (ibid.), "whoever recites the Shema morning and evening." And we shall say, according to the plain sense: if we interpret "he meditates" as study by mouth [i.e., recitation aloud], then the meaning of "day and night" would be: at any time that he is free from the affairs of his livelihood, whether by day or by night.

"But rather" — It is not enough that he ceased from and was careful to avoid the counsel of the wicked; rather, he also did what is good, for his whole desire was in the law of Hashem. "And in His law" — At all times he would think to meditate, devising in his heart reasons, and blossoms and flowers, for the Torah.

"He shall meditate." — Sometimes this word is used in the sense of thought, as in "and the meditation of my heart" (below, 19:15); and sometimes it is used in the sense of speech, as in "and my tongue shall speak" (below, 35:28).

'But' — However, it is not enough merely to refrain from evil, for it is also a condition of happiness that one do good — and not that he do 'good' merely by conventional morality, like the philosophers who invented religions for themselves, but rather that he keep the Torah of Hashem and His commandments. He also explains that it is a condition of doing good that one do it because it is good and for the sake of the commandment of Hashem alone, not out of other, ulterior motives, hoping to gain reward and benefit for his service — for then his desire is not the Torah of Hashem but rather the pleasantness and benefit he hopes to gain as the reward of his service. Therefore he stipulates: 'but his delight is in the Torah of Hashem.' Now, this perfection divides into two: perfection of contemplation and perfection of practice. The perfection of contemplation is called 'the Torah of Hashem,' for it teaches him the knowledge of Hashem, His ways, and His truth; but a man cannot attain this part to its ultimate end, and it is enough that his delight and desire be in the Torah of Hashem, and that he strive to attain it and seek after it, even though he will not attain it and its face shall not be seen. The perfection of practice is 'the Torah of man' — it teaches him what he should do or not do, and this is called 'his Torah'; and in this part 'he meditates day and night,' studying in order to act.

"planted" — Heb. שתול, plonte in Old French (plante). "rivulets" — ruyseys in Old French, (ruisseaux), brooks (as in Ezek. 32:6). "and its leaves do not wilt" — Even the inferior part of it serves a purpose. The conversation of Torah scholars is essential and requires study. "do not wilt" — Heb. יבול, an expression of wilting, fleistre in Old French.

'Streams' (palgei) — from the same root as 'confuse (divide) their tongue' (Psalm 55:10). 'By streams of water' — referring to one of the streams, [a plural form used for a single item], as in 'into the innermost parts (yarketei) of the ship' (Jonah 1:5), 'and he was buried in the cities of Gilead' (Judges 12:7), '[the] foal (ben atonot) of a donkey' (Zechariah 9:9). And some say that the meaning of 'its fruit' is like 'the sons of one's youth' (Psalm 127:4). 'And whose leaf does not wither' — his wealth [lasts] all his days, in the manner of 'wisdom together with an inheritance is good' (Ecclesiastes 7:11). 'And in whatever he does he shall prosper' — this refers back to the man who is likened to a tree. And some say that 'in whatever he does he shall prosper' refers back to the tree — for if a branch is taken from it and planted, it will prosper. Others said that it refers back to 'its leaf,' as in 'and its leaf shall be for healing' (Ezekiel 47:12). In my opinion, the meaning of 'its fruit' is the wise soul, which will be full of the Torah of God, so as to know its Creator and His works, which endure forever, and it shall cling to its upper world when it separates from its body — like the fruit that ripens on the tree and separates from it, no longer needing it, for the tree existed for the sake of the fruit. 'And whose leaf does not wither' — his good memory, in the manner of 'the memory of the righteous is for a blessing' (Proverbs 10:7). 'And in whatever he does he shall prosper' — wealth, children, and honor.

"And he shall be like a tree" — He compares the good person to a tree "planted by streams of water," and says: the person who turns away from evil and does good is like a tree planted by streams of water, which is always satisfied [with water]; so too he will always rejoice in his portion, whether he has little or much to eat. And the meaning of "streams of water" is that there is a stream of water on one side and a stream of water on the other side, passing beneath it, so that it always stands above them. "That brings forth its fruit in its season" — For a tree that stands in a thirsty place and waits for rain, when the rain has not fallen as needed, does not bring forth its fruit in its season, but rather delays and is late in producing its fruit because of its thirst; but the tree planted by streams of water brings forth its fruit in its season. "And whose leaf does not wither" — for leaves wither because of dryness, and this tree, being by streams of water, its leaf does not wither. And "in its season," mentioned [in the previous clause], applies here as well, as though it said, "its leaf does not wither in its season," meaning the season of summer heat, when people need its shade. And so travelers going to and fro find rest in it, resting beneath it in the shade of its leaves, drinking from the water beneath it and eating of its fruit; for in the rainy season the leaves fall from most trees. Or, this is stated hyperbolically, meaning that even in the rainy season its leaf does not fall, as is true of some leaves by nature, on account of the great moisture within them. And so it says, "its leaf shall not wither, nor its fruit fail" (Ezekiel 47:12), and further, "and its fruit shall be for food, and its leaf for healing" (ibid.). So too the good person: people take from him his fruit and his moral instruction — that is, they learn from him his teaching and his good deeds. "And its leaf does not wither" — meaning that they take shelter in the shade of his good ways. And our rabbis explained (Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 19b): "it gives its fruit in its season" teaches that he issued rulings once he had reached the qualification to teach, and not before his time; and once his time had come, he did not hold himself back from teaching. And the meaning of "in its season" is: at the time for study, study, and at the time for practice, practice. And our rabbis, may their memory be blessed, further explained (ibid., with a slight variation): "and its leaf does not wither" — meaning that even the idle talk of the wise requires study; that is, even their casual conversation, a person can learn from it worldly wisdom and how people should conduct themselves with one another. "And in whatsoever he does he shall prosper" — if one takes a cutting from this tree, it will succeed and be like it; so too the good person: his sons and his descendants will be like him. And our rabbis explained (ibid.), "and in whatsoever he does he shall prosper": if he occupies himself with the law, his possessions prosper for him. This verse may also be interpreted in the sense of blessing, peace, and good reward: for if he turns away from the evil way and does good, his reward will be that he becomes "like a tree planted by streams of water." And the sage Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra, may his memory be blessed, explained that "its fruit" is the wise soul, which will be full of Torah and the knowledge of God, so as to recognize its Creator and His works, which endure forever; and it will cling to the upper world when it separates from its body, like a fruit that ripens on the tree and separates from it, no longer needing it — for the tree exists for the sake of the fruit. "And its leaf does not wither" — [meaning] his good memory, in the manner of "the memory of the righteous is for a blessing" (Proverbs 10:7). "And in whatsoever he does" — wealth, children, and honor.

"And he shall be" — And on account of this, the recompense of his reward was to be like a tree planted by a place of water, which brings forth its fruits in its season, and even its leaves do not wither, because of the abundance of moisture and the plenty of wetness — for so is this man abounding in much goodness without lack. It is as if to say: from the recompense of the reward, the uprightness of his way is recognized, and all that he does. That is to say: in all the plantings that will be planted from him he will succeed in being like it; and likewise the offspring of this man will be like him.

"Planted." — Planted, as in "planted in the house of Hashem" (below, 92:14). "By." — Adjacent to, as in "and those who camp by it" (Numbers 2). "Streams of water." — Channels of water, as in "a river, its streams" (below, 46:5) — so called because it divides and spreads out to flow this way and that. "Wither." — Shall wilt, as in "like an oak whose leaf withers" (Isaiah 1:30).

'And he shall be like a tree' — If we consider man from the perspective of the vegetative faculty within him, by which he shares, in his higher genus, with the tree and with plant life, we may picture him like a tree whose roots are planted and rooted above and whose crown bends downward. For the brain in man occupies the place of the root in a tree of the field — from it go out all the sensations to the branches, which are all the limbs, and to it they return, just as the tree sends its moisture and nourishment from the root to the branches. From this man may understand that he is not like a tree of the field, whose life and root are in the ground; rather, his root and source are above, and from there he receives his sustenance and life — man lives by every utterance of the mouth of Hashem. But if he lives by bread alone and turns only to the earth, then he is like one walking upside down, his head below and his feet above. And our sages, of blessed memory, said that the righteous are like a tree whose root is planted in a place of purity and whose crown bends toward a place of impurity, while the wicked are the opposite. There is a difference between a tree and grass: grass is seen sprouting in the days of spring, putting forth its blossom and its seed after its kind, and then it withers and is no more — so that it seems its entire purpose is only the preservation of its species, not of itself as an individual. Not so the tree, which endures many days, puts forth bud, blossom, and fruit, with its seed in it year after year, as if, besides the preservation of its species, its own individual existence also endures many days, and its fruit serves for food and its leaf for healing. In light of this parable he speaks of the happiness of the perfect man and his virtues. (First aspect) 'That he shall be like a tree' — not like grass, not like a blossom, which preserve only their species, that being their ultimate purpose. So too the multitude of mankind do nothing for the preservation of their own individual selves, only for the preservation of their species, leaving their surplus to their children, as if they had no purpose beyond the preservation of the species. But he is like a tree which, besides the preservation of its species — for it will still bear fruit in old age — also has its own individual existence endure, and it yields the holy fruit of praise, Torah, and good deeds for the preservation of his soul. (Second aspect) For he is like 'a transplanted tree,' not like a merely planted tree — for there is a difference between 'planted' and 'transplanted': 'planted' is that which is planted in its original place, while 'transplanted' is a plant that has been uprooted from its place and replanted elsewhere in order to improve and repair it. Now, there are moist, fresh herbs that cannot be transplanted from place to place because of their great moisture, and they neither improve nor endure many days; but a tree, whose moisture is not so great, and which is not overly wet when exposed to the sun, when it is uprooted from its place and transplanted elsewhere, improves and endures more — as I explained in my commentary on Job 8:11, 'Can papyrus grow without a marsh...' etc., 'it is moist before the sun' — see there — where I liken the wicked to grass planted in its own place, which cannot be transplanted from place to place because of its great moisture, so that it withers before any other grass, and I liken the righteous to a plant that does not have so much moisture and is transplanted from place to place, and this is the joy of its way, and it grows again from other soil. So the wicked man — this world is his home, and here is the place where he is planted; but the righteous man is uprooted from this world and from its desires, and transplants himself by the upper streams of water, as it is written: 'planted in the house of Hashem.' (Third aspect) 'By streams of water' — for a tree planted in a dry place worries in a year of drought and ceases to bear fruit, or fails to produce it in its season (as is written in Jeremiah 17:8); not so one planted by streams of water, which always finds its nourishment and moisture. So the upright among the philosophers, who conducted themselves with righteousness and kindness according to rational conventions, did not always find their needs sufficiently met, for human reason grows weary of always hitting its mark and errs in most of its judgments; not so one planted upon the Torah of Hashem and His precepts, who will always find his portion without sinning. (Fourth aspect) 'That brings forth its fruit' — this tree gives its own fruit; that is to say, not like grass and herbs, which give only their seed and do not endure as an individual, only as a species, for it gives its own particular fruit itself every year — and not like a tree planted in the desert plain, which spoils and does not give its own particular fruit, but only poor and corrupted fruits — rather, this one gives its own particular fruit. So too the righteous man is not like the sages among the nations who produce fruit through their intellectual speculations and rational proofs, for these are not the fruit unique to the soul, inasmuch as it is a daughter of the divine heights, whose fruit, in this respect, is holy praise — and these do not come into actuality except through the divine Torah and its commandments. (Fifth aspect) 'In its season' — this tree brings forth its fruits at its own appointed time; so too the happiness of the soul and the success of the righteous will come at their own appointed time, when the soul returns to the stronghold, to the place from which it was taken. (Sixth aspect) That also 'its leaf does not wither' — because the leaves are what guard its fruit and protect it; so too his temporal successes — his wealth, his possessions, and the health of his body — will endure and not wither, so that they may be a help toward his ultimate happiness, which is his fruit. For the fruit of the righteous man, which is his engagement in Torah and commandments, is easily guarded by means of the leaves, which are his possessions and bodily health — for when these leaves wither, his poverty or his illness will keep him from the service of Hashem. (Seventh aspect) 'And in whatsoever he does he shall prosper' — for this tree causes even its seed to prosper, so that all that is sown and planted from it will be like it; so too the righteous man — his children too will prosper by his merit: his descendants shall be mighty in the land, a generation of the upright shall be blessed. 'Not so the wicked' — having explained the happiness of the righteous, he now explains that the opposite is found among the wicked: not only will they not find the happiness and success found in the righteous — for this he says, 'not so the wicked' — but they are, on the contrary, like chaff. And not like chaff that has grain within it, which protects the fruit, so that then the wind does not move it from its place, because the kernel and the grain shield it; rather, 'like chaff that the wind drives away' — chaff from which the grain has been removed, and the wind carries it off. For so it is: while the multitude cling to the righteous man to guard him and surround him, like chaff around grain, he finds shelter in this; not so if he is by himself, like mere chaff and husk. He also explains, by means of this parable, that just as the driving away of the chaff by the wind is necessary for winnowing and sifting, to clean the grain from the refuse, so the destruction of the wicked is necessary so that they not mix with the righteous — for this he says, 'therefore they shall not stand,' the word 'therefore' functioning here like the word 'so that' — so that they not stand in the congregation of the righteous and not mingle with them.

"like chaff" — An expression of straw, come bale in Old French (comme paille), like straw.

'Chaff' (motz) — finer than straw; 'like chaff driven from the threshing floor' (Hosea 13:3). And behold, the soul of the righteous is comparable to the grain, which stands firm, while the wicked are like straw before the wind.

"Not all the wicked — rather, like the chaff that the wind drives away" — He says: the wicked, including sinners and scoffers, are not so [i.e., not like the righteous], for people do not benefit from them or from their goodness, but rather are harmed by them. Their movement toward evil is like the chaff — the thin husk of the stalk from which people derive no benefit — and "the wind drives it away," swiftly and quickly, and it causes harm through its motion, for it strikes those who pass by in their faces and eyes; or "the wind drives it" into houses or gardens and causes damage. According to the last explanation we gave of the verse before this one — understanding it in terms of reward and good recompense — the explanation of this verse will be: that the wicked will perish swiftly and quickly, like "the chaff that the wind drives away."

"Not so" — The wicked will not be successful in this way; rather it will be just the opposite, for many pains are prepared for the wicked time after time, like this chaff which is driven away at every moment by the blowing of the wind and finds no rest.

"Chaff." — This is the refuse of the grain, as in "like chaff that is storm-driven from the threshing floor" (Hosea 13:3). "Drives it away." — An expression of pushing and striking, as in "the sound of a driven leaf" (Leviticus 26:36).

"Therefore, etc." — This refers to the verse following it.

'Therefore' — Scripture mentioned that the souls of the wicked will perish, and also that the remembrance of their offspring in this world will perish; therefore the word 'shall not rise' (lo yakumu) means 'shall not stand.' The meaning of 'in judgment' is like 'God will bring every deed into judgment' (Ecclesiastes 12:14); and the letter bet [of 'bamishpat'] is vocalized with a patach, indicating an elided definite article — in the manner of 'Your kindness, Hashem, is in the heavens' (Psalm 36:6) — because it is a day of judgment: either one day for everyone, or for each person at his death. The meaning of 'in the congregation of the righteous' is that their association is good for all of them — the opposite of a company of the wicked.

"Therefore the wicked shall not stand" — Because the wicked walk in an evil way in this world, they shall not stand. "In judgment" means: on the day of judgment, that is, the day of death, they will have no standing. "Nor sinners" — likewise, and the same ruling applies to scoffers: they too will have no standing. "In the congregation of the righteous" — for the righteous, at their death, will have standing, but the wicked will have no standing; rather, their soul will perish along with their body on the day of death. And he says "in the congregation of," because when the righteous person dies, his soul delights together with the souls of the righteous in supreme glory.

"Therefore" — Because many pains are held ready for them, therefore they will have no standing at the time judgment comes, when their measure (of sin) becomes full, for those pains will come upon them, approaching one after another. "Nor sinners" — The word "not," stated at the beginning of the verse, serves double duty, as if to say: the sinners will not be included in the congregation of the righteous, to be watched over by Hashem as they are.

"Therefore the wicked shall not stand in judgment" — not even when judged on their own. "And sinners" — meaning those who sin out of desire, who are less culpable than the wicked — even though they would stand when judged on their own, for they would find an excuse in that the nature of the flesh inclines toward desire, as it says, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity," and "He remembered that they are flesh" — nevertheless, "they shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous," when judged by the pure judgment reckoned against the righteous, for then they would be found guilty, since it would be shown to them that these [the righteous] conquered their inclination and overcame their desire.

"For the Lord knows the way, etc." — Because He knows the way of the righteous, and it is before Him to recognize it constantly; the way of the wicked is hateful to Him, and He removes it from before Him. Therefore, the foot of the wicked will not stand up on the day of judgment, neither shall the sinners be written in the congregation of the righteous.

'For Hashem knows' — there is no doubt that the glorious Hashem knows both universals and particulars. The universals are the life-force common to every living thing among all creatures; the particulars are each species by itself, or even each individual creature by itself, for they are all the work of His hands. As for knowledge of the particular for each one in a general way — whether for righteousness or for wickedness — we know [that He has it], and He always knows the fixed natures of things that are known. And since the souls of the righteous will stand and remain forever, therefore He knows them; and He also knows that the souls of the wicked will perish. Now the meaning is that the way of the wicked leads to destruction; and if the souls of the wicked shall perish, how much more so the souls of the scoffers. Or perhaps the word 'wicked' here includes both sinners and scoffers.

"For Hashem regards the way of the righteous" — This verse explains the one before it. For he said "in the congregation of the righteous" without explaining what sort of thing the congregation of the righteous is after death; therefore he now explains, saying "for He regards." The meaning of "regards" is: recognizes and watches over them, so as to do good to them. So too: "What is man, that You should regard him?" (Psalms 144:3); "whom Hashem knew" (Deuteronomy 34:10); "for I have known his sufferings" (Exodus 3:7); "You have known the troubles of my soul" (Psalms 31:8); "I knew you" (Hosea 13:5). And in this same way: "and I have none who recognizes me" (Psalms 142:5); "Blessed be he who recognized you" (Ruth 2:19). He is saying that God, exalted be He, gathers the souls of the righteous to Himself, and knows them and recognizes them, so as to do good to them and satisfy them with His goodness, with knowledge of Him, and with His providence — which is the great good and the good reward, as it is said: "and the soul of my lord shall be bound up in the bundle of life with Hashem your God" (I Samuel 25:29). "But the way of the wicked shall perish" — For at their death they have no standing, as he said, "shall not stand"; and their souls perish and go to destruction, as it is said: "but the souls of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the hollow of a sling" (ibid.).

"For Hashem knows" — For the Omnipresent, blessed be He, gives heed to know and to watch over the way of the righteous, so that they do not stumble in it; but the way of the wicked will be lost from the providence of Hashem, being abandoned to chance events, and thus they will not be included in the congregation of the righteous.

"Regards." — An expression of providence, as in "and God took heed" (Exodus 2:25).

"For Hashem knows" — this knowing is the attachment of the known thing to the knower, as it says, "For I have known him, that he will command his children and his household after him" — meaning, he is attached to My knowledge. This can only be so with eternal, unchanging things, which attach themselves to the Eternal and Unchanging One. Now, the way of the righteous, who walk the path of perfection on the highway going up to Beth-el, to love Hashem and cleave to Him, is inseparable from His knowledge, and so it remains eternal and enduring like Him; therefore they endure forever. But the way of the wicked leads down to the depths of Sheol, to things that decay and perish; they do not bind themselves to the knowledge of Hashem, and so it will be lost in the end, and will be as though it never was.