Midrasch zu Mischlej 20:12

(Gen. 42:1:) THEN JACOB SAW THAT THERE WAS GRAIN IN EGYPT. This verse is related (to Prov. 20:12): {A SEEING EYE AND A HEARING EAR} [A HEARING EAR AND A SEEING EYE], THE LORD HAS MADE THEM BOTH. What did Solomon see to < make him > say this? Did the Holy One not make the whole body? < We might infer that he did not do so > because < Solomon > spoke < only > about the ear and the eye. Rather, all of one's members are going to render account except the ear and the eye. Why? It is simply that the eye sees involuntarily, and the ear hears involuntarily. In the case of the hands, however, if one is unwilling, one does not steal. So also with the feet. It is therefore stated (in Prov. 20:12): A SEEING EYE AND A HEARING EAR…. Come and see. All that time when Joseph had been sold, Jacob and his children did not know that Joseph was alive. But, when the proper time arrived, the Holy One gave authorization to the eyes and the ears. It is so stated (in Gen. 42:1-2): THEN JACOB SAW THAT THERE WAS GRAIN IN EGYPT…. NOW I HEAR THAT THERE IS GRAIN IN EGYPT….

And Isaac trembled exceedingly (Gen. 27:33). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them (Prov. 20:12). Did the Holy One, blessed be He, fashion only the eye and the ear? Did He not form all of man’s organs? What is the meaning of the words The hearing ear and the seeing eye? You find that three of man’s organs fashioned by the Holy One, blessed be He, are under the control of man, and three are not under his control. Man controls the functioning of his hands, his mouth, and his feet. How is that? In the case of his hands, if he desires to, he may devote them to sacred purposes, such as building a sukkah, fashioning a lulav, a shofar, (or) fringes, or writing the (scriptural) portions which are deposited in phylacteries and mezuzahs. Conversely, if he so desires, he may steal, shed innocent blood, or attack travelers with his hands. Indeed, he can commit many transgressions with his hands. As to his mouth, if he desires, he can study the Torah, speak kindly, extol, praise, and pray unto the Holy One, blessed be He, and he can also sing psalms. Conversely, if he so desires, he can speak slanderously, blaspheme and revile the Lord, and swear falsely with his mouth. With regard to his feet, a man may choose to use them to go about in the performance of good deeds—to visit the sick, comfort the mourner, bury the dead, and to do other charitable deeds; but conversely, if he so desires, he can use them to transgress—to commit adultery, to murder, or to steal.

Similarly, one’s feet are not always within one’s control. There is a biblical verse that confirms this: A man’s goings are of the Lord; how, then, can man look to his way? (Prov. 20:24). Frequently, a man will depart upon a journey without knowing his ultimate destination; whether it will be for good or evil, for death or for life. Thus Elijah told the Arameans: This is not the way, neither is this the city (II Kings 6:19). The mouth likewise is not completely under man’s control. We learn this from the experience of Balaam and Isaac. Regarding Balaam, it is said: Nevertheless, the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam, but the Lord thy God turned the curse unto a blessing (Deut. 23:6). In reference to Isaac we find that when Esau entered, Isaac began to tremble and was on the verge of saying: “Cursed shall he be.” The Holy One, blessed be He, called out to him: What do you intend to do? Do you believe that your mouth is under your control? Thereupon he reconsidered and said: Blessed shall he be. Thus, it is said: The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them (Prov. 20:12).