Commentaire de citation sur Les Proverbes 23:1

King Solomon said: “when you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider well who is before you” [Proverbs, 23:1]. The verse teaches us that the person should not pursue noblemen and aristocrats, and should not have to engage with them too much and do business with them. The authorities are compared to a fire. Just like a fire is good to warm oneself near it and at the same time is very bad when one is too close to it. He will burn himself. So too are the authorities of the gentiles. Whoever gets too close to them, he will be harmed by them. They bring a person close when they have benefit from him. Therefore, King Solomon said, when you want to eat bread with a nobleman, see and ask how it went with other people who ate bread with those authorities. The verse also teaches us that the person should not think much or have many thoughts about what is in heaven, how the Holy One is and what He is. Therefore, the verse says, “consider well who is before you” [Proverbs, 23:1]. That is to say, if you want to know what the Holy One is, then see what is before you, the heaven and the earth that the Holy One does wonders and miracles all the time. With that you will recognize the Holy One. Therefore, the children of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, at Mount Sinai looked intently at the Shekhinah and thought very deeply about it. Therefore, the Holy One killed them, as the verse says here.¹Bahya, Ahrei Mot, Introduction.

Give ear to my words, O Lord when I have strength to ask before You and, when I have no strength to pray before You and the worry is confined to my heart...consider my meditation Heb. בינה. Consider the meditation of my heart. So it is explained in Midrash [Psalms 5:6]: In every [instance of] בינה in Scripture, the accent is under the “nun,” except this one and its fellow (in Job 34: 16): “And if you wish, understand (בִּנָה), hearken to this,” which is not a noun but an expression of “understand,” like (Prov. 23:1): “you should understand well (בין תבין) who is in front of you.” Therefore, the accent is under the “beth.”