Commentary for Proverbs 3:38

they shall add length of days...and peace The Torah and the commandments.

"That God created to do/make." These are the ten things that were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight: [1] the mouth of the earth, [2] the mouth of the well, [3] the mouth of the donkey, [4] the rainbow, [5] the manna, [6] the letters, [7] the writing, [8] the tablets, [9] the grave of Moses and [10] the ram of Abraham, our father. [...] For all these God created to do miracles and mighty deeds. [...]

Trust in the Lord and squander your money to seek for yourself a teacher from whom to learn, and do not rely on your understanding.

Do not be wise in your own sight to despise the word of the one who reproves you.

It shall be healing for your navel Heb. לשרך. The wisdom shall be healing. שרך is like (Song 7:4): שררך, which means, your navel.

and marrow for your bones Heb. ושקוי, lit. moisture. That is the marrow, as the matter is stated (Job 21:24): “and the marrow of his bones is moistened.”

from your substance From whatever He favored you [with], even from a pleasant voice. (Do not read: from your substance [מהונך] but: from your throat [מגרונך].)

and from the first (These are the terumoth and the tithes.)

My son, despise not the discipline of the Lord Should pains come upon you, they should be dear to you.

and do not abhor Heb. תקץ, from the expression of (Gen. 27:46) “I abhor (קצתי) my life.”

as a father placates his son He desires to benefit his son and he placates him after striking him with the staff. So will the benefit be pleasant to you after the smiting.

Fortunate is the man who has found wisdom and a man who gives forth discernment One who learned wisdom until he is so accustomed to it that he can express it with his mouth.

for its commerce is better than the commerce of silver In any exchange, when a person exchanges [something] for merchandise, this one takes this, and that one takes that; but if one says to his friend, “Teach me your chapter, and I will teach you my chapter,” [then] both chapters are found in the hand of each of them.

than fine gold Heb. מחרוץ. That is a type of gold.

and all your desirable things Heb. חפציך all that you desire.

cannot be compared to it They are not equal to its worth, nor their price to its price.

in its right hand Those who make the right use of it and engage in it for its own sake will have length of days and surely riches and honor, but those who make the wrong [lit. left] use of it, who engage in it not for its own sake, will still have riches and honor.

for those who grasp it Heb. למחזיקים for those who hold onto it, as in (Ex. 4:4): “and he extended his hand and grasped (ויחזק) it.”

and those who draw near it are fortunate Heb. ותמכיה, those who draw near it. Likewise, every expression of תמיכה in this Book means that he holds onto it.

The Lord founded the earth with wisdom According to the Torah. This is the Torah, which is discernment and which is knowledge.

drip Heb. ירעפו, like יטיפו. Now, since the entire world was created with them, therefore...

let them not depart from your eyes Let them not be curved away from before your eyes, to remove them from before you.

and they shall be life for your soul for it is a tree of life.

and grace for your neck For this is its praise that is mentioned above (1:9): “and a necklace for your neck.”

shall not stumble Heb. לא תגוף. This is an expression of stumbling, (achopper in French, straucheln in German. And so in Jeremiah 13:16 Psalms 91.12.) And so (Ps. 91:12). “Lest your foot stumble (תגף) on a stone”; and so (Jer. 13:16): “And before your feet stumble (יתנגפו)” and so (Ex. 21:22): “and they dash (ונגפו) a pregnant woman.”

and when you lie down, your sleep shall be sweet Your sleep shall be sweet when you sleep, that you will not fear sudden terror.

or of the darkness when it comes upon the wicked.

For the Lord shall be your trust Heb. בכסלך, in your trust. Another explanation: in the things concerning which you are a fool (כסיל). This I found in Yerushalmi.

Do not withhold good from the one who needs it If you see that your friend wishes to benefit the poor, do not prevent him from doing so.

when you have power in your hand to stop him. Another explanation: Do not withhold good from the one who needs it Do not withhold charity from the poor man. when you have the power in your hand to do charity; perhaps a day will come when you will not have the power in your hand, and similarly...

Do not say to your fellow To the poor man.

though you have it with you what to give to him. But our Sages explained: “Go and return” regarding the wages of a hireling.

Devise no harm against your fellow Heb. אל תחרש, do not think—but it does not deviate from the meaning of plowing (חרישה) ; just as it is customary for the plower to prepare a place for the time of sowing, so does one who devises harm prepare a place for devices in his heart, how he will get up and execute it.

Do not quarrel with anyone to complain about him.

if he did you no harm i.e., unless he transgressed a commandment written in the Torah. The Torah states (Lev. 19:18): “And you shall love your fellow as yourself,” but one who is wicked, you may hate.

Do not envy a man of violence to do as his deeds if you see him prospering.

for the perverse is an abomination to the Lord One who is crooked in his ways.

but His counsel is with the upright Heb. ואת, and with, etc.

If [one goes] to the scoffers If a person is attracted to them, he too will scoff with them.

but [if he goes] to the humble, he evokes grace If he joins the humble, eventually his deeds will evoke grace in people’s eyes.

The wise shall inherit honor, but the fools take disgrace as their portion For himself, he takes disgrace for his portion.