Musar על משלי 9:1

Rabbi Abba son of Kahane in Vayikra Rabbah 11,2 quotes Proverbs 9,1-3: "Wisdom has built her house, when she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered the meat, mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her maids, she cries out." He explains these verses as referring to the Tabernacle. He understands the words חכמות בנתה ביתה, "wisdom built her house," as a reference to Betzalel, concerning whom the Torah (Exodus 31,3) says: ואמלא אותו רוח אלוקים בחכמה בתבונה, "I have filled him with the spirit of G–d, with wisdom, etc." Rabbi Abba understands the words חצבה עמודיה שבעה, "she has hewn her seven pillars," as referring to the seven days of מלואים, consecration, during which Moses performed the service and Aaron and his sons prepared themselves for their holy task. The words טבחה טבחה, are understood as referring to the animals which served as the sacrifices, the words מסכה יינה refer to the drink-offerings; the words: אף ערכה שלחנה, refer to the לחם הפנים, the show breads. The words: שלחה נערותיה תקרא are a reference to Moses. The first verse in our פרשה reports that Moses called on Aaron, etc. Thus far the words of Rabbi Abba.

The author brings a few more examples of the principle just mentioned. Among them he mentions that the use of the word חכמה in the plural, i.e. חכמות in Proverbs 9,1 alludes to the need to employ our physical as well as our mental faculties when building the "house," i.e. when Betzalel built the Tabernacle.

An alternative explanation would be that the Psalmist speaks of both body and food as symbols of matter, the latter sustaining the former. When both achieve a degree of sanctity they express their joy to G–d. The word לבי is also an acronym for לחם-בשר-יין. The Midrash quoted which examined Proverbs 9,1-3 in detail saw in these three kinds of food something very important. In other words, the verse speaks about two worlds, the נגלה, as well as the נסתר, the visible and invisible world.

We have explained on several occasion that the שר העולם, the angel to whom G–d has entrusted the proper allocation of the food- supply in our world, is called Mattatron, or נער. Moses' function too, was to provide for the needs of his people. He is already referred to as נער when the daughter of Pharaoh found him, although normally he should only have been referred to as ילד (Exodus 2,6). Our commentators have said that Moses' voice was like that of a נער. The very name משה is also an acronym for מטטרון שר הפנים. On Exodus 24,1: ואל משה אמר עלה אל ה' our sages comment that Moses' name was Mattatron, just like the name of his teacher. When the Torah commenced the Book of Leviticus with the words ויקרא, this is a choice expression for all those who are מושפעים, direct recipients of G–d's favor. This is another dimension of Proverbs 9,1-3 which we discussed on page 739, i.e. נערותיה תקרא, that Moses called out to Aaron and his sons, etc. The latter were also comparable to angels, as pointed out by Malachi 2,7 that the priest is an angel of the Lord. Every time the Torah refers to a girl as נערה, the word is spelled without the feminine ending, i.e. it is written נער, although we read it as נערה. The description of Moses as נער then is an allusion to his function being similar to that of Mattatron.

The Torah reports here that Moses called Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel. The Talmud Eruvin 54b describes the procedure of Moses explaining the Oral Tradition in the words: "How did Moses teach? Aaron entered and Moses expounded the Torah to him. Afterwards Aaron's sons entered and the procedure was repeated. After this the elders entered and the procedure was again repeated. Finally the whole of Israel approached to be taught the Torah." Here Moses called on the three choicest categories, ignoring the rest of the people for the time being. This was because the paragraph commences with the words ויהי, which – as we have stated – introduces an episode marred by tragedy. Moses knew that the Sanctuary was going to be sanctified through one of the outstanding personalities of Israel. He thought that it might be either himself or his brother Aaron (Torat Kohanim on 10,3). The kind of death experienced by Nadav and Avihu is an excellent death because it testifies to the high degree of sanctity they had achieved. Moses invited the choicest of the people to be taught the Torah first so as to signify that when the need arises to sanctify the name of G–d, i.e. to die for the glorification of His Name, it will be the spiritual leaders of the people who will be chosen for this distinction (sacrifice). When G–d announced the instruction to build the Tabernacle, He said that when all would be completed ושכנתי בתוכם (Exodus 25,8). The building of the house that we read about in Proverbs 9,1-3 refers to the גן עדן of the future when this "house" will have an enduring existence. It refers to the residence of humans at that time.