Midrash su Proverbi 22:4

Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair began: “If you seek it like silver…” (Proverbs 2:4). If you seek matters of Torah like these hidden treasures, the Holy One blessed be He will not withhold your reward. This is analogous to a person, if he loses a sela or a kilarin²²This was a valuable ornament of gold inlaid with a jewel. in his house, he will kindle several lamps, several wicks, until he finds them. The matter can be inferred a fortiori; if for these, that [enhance] the temporal life of this world, a person kindles several lamps and several wicks until he discovers them and finds them, matters of Torah, that [are essential for] life in this world and in the World to Come, do you not need to search for them like these hidden treasures? That is: “If you seek it like silver….” Rabbi Elazar said: In all my days, no one preceded me to the study hall and I did not leave a person there and exit. One time I awoke early and I found the collectors of manure and collectors of straw,²³These individuals would arise very early to collect straw and manure from public thoroughfares in order to sell them as fertilizer. They had begun their work before Rabbi Elazar had gone to the study hall. and I said: “If you seek it like silver and search for it like for hidden treasures, then you will understand fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 2:4–5). We are not even like the collectors of manure and collectors of straw. Thus we have learned that Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair used to say: Alacrity leads to cleanliness. Cleanliness leads to purity. Purity leads to sanctity. Sanctity leads to humility. Humility leads to fear of sin. Fear of sin leads to piety. Piety leads to the Divine Spirit. The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of the dead leads to Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory.
Alacrity leads to cleanliness, as it is stated: “He shall complete atoning²⁴The term kapara means atonement as well as cleanliness. This verse, which is about the service of the High Priest in the Temple on Yom Kippur, indicates that it is the completion of a service, which is accomplished through alacrity, that leads to atonement, or cleanliness. for the Sanctuary” (Leviticus 16:20). Cleanliness leads to purity, as it is stated: “The priest shall atone for her and she will be purified” (Leviticus 12:8). Purity leads to sanctity, as it is stated: “He shall purify it and he shall sanctify it” (Leviticus 16:19). Sanctity leads to humility, as it is stated: “For so said the Exalted and Most High, who abides forever and whose name is holy: Exalted and holy I will dwell and I will be with the downtrodden and lowly” (Isaiah 57:15). Humility leads to fear of sin, as it is stated: “In the wake of humility is fear of the Lord…” (Proverbs 22:4). Fear of sin leads to piety, as it is stated: “Then you spoke in a vision to your pious ones” (Psalms 89:20).²⁵Some suggest that the text here should read: “The mercy [ḥesed] of the Lord is forever and ever upon those who fear Him” (Psalms 103:17), in accordance with the parallel text of the Jerusalem Talmud (Shekalim 3:3). The term ḥesed, translated in the verse as mercy, is related to the term ḥasidut, piety (see Etz Yosef). Piety leads to the Divine Spirit, as it is stated: “Then you spoke in a vision to your pious ones” (Psalms 89:20). The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead, as it is stated: “I will place My spirit in you, and you will live” (Ezekiel 37:14). The resurrection of the dead leads to Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory, as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending Elijah the prophet to you [before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord]” (Malachi 3:23).²⁶“The great and terrible day of the Lord” is understood as a reference to the resurrection of the dead. Elijah will come before the resurrection of the dead, but it is the need to perform the resurrection of the dead that leads to his coming (Etz Yosef).
Rabbi Matna said: What wisdom made as a crown on its head, humility made as a sandal on its heel. What wisdom made a crown on its head [roshah], as it is stated: “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord” (Psalms 111:10), humility made a sandal on its heel [akevah], as it is stated: “In the wake of [ekev] humility is fear of the Lord…” (Proverbs 22:4).
The resurrection of the dead is by means of Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory. That is what is written: “Then you will understand fear of the Lord, and you will find knowledge of ” (Proverbs 2:5), this is the Divine Spirit.²⁷Commentaries struggle to understand this line, which does not prove that resurrection of the dead is by means of Elijah. Some suggest that it be deleted (Etz Yosef). Others suggest that this is a proof that alacrity eventually leads to understanding via the Divine Spirit, as indicated above. This is because the verse that precedes the one cited here relates to alacrity (Midrash HaMevoar).
Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥalafta: [This is analogous] to a royal adviser who grew prominent in the king’s palace. The king said to him: ‘Make a request; what shall I give you?’ The adviser said: If I request silver and gold, he will give them to me; gems and pearls, he will give them to me. He said: I will request the king’s daughter, and everything will be included. So too, “In Givon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; God said: Request; what shall I give you?” (I Kings 3:5). Solomon said: If I request silver, gold, gems and pearls, he will give them to me. But I will request wisdom and everything will be included. That is what is written: “Give Your servant an attentive heart” (I Kings 3:9). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Solomon, you requested wisdom and you did not request wealth and property and the lives of your enemies. By your life, wisdom is granted you, and thereby, I will give you wealth and property.’ Immediately, “Solomon awakened and behold, a dream” (I Kings 3:15). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The dream was fulfilled; a donkey brayed and he knew what it was braying, a bird tweeted and he knew what it was tweeting. Immediately, “he came to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. He sacrificed burnt offerings, he performed peace offerings, and he made a feast for all his servants” (I Kings 3:15). Rabbi Elazar said: From here it is derived that one makes a feast upon completion of the Torah. Rabbi Yudan said: It is to teach you that anyone who teaches Torah in public is privileged to have the Divine Spirit rest upon him, as so Solomon did. He taught and the Divine Spirit rested upon him and he composed three books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.

Moses, our teacher, merited receiving the Torah, for the sole of the Torah is humility and its crown is fear. The sole of the Torah is humility, as it is said: The base of humility is the fear of the Lord (Prov. 22:4), and its crown is fear, as it is said: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 110:10).

Another interpretation [(of Numb. 10:2): MAKE TWO SILVER TRUMPETS]. This text is related (to Prov. 24:21): FEAR THE LORD, MY CHILD, AND THE KING. R. Isaac bar Eleazar of Caesarea said: What wisdom made was a crown for her head.⁴⁴yShab. 1:3 (or 5) (3c). Her humility made {slippers} a slipper]⁴⁵Lat.: solea. for her foot.⁴⁶The foot with such a covering need fear no thorns. See Gen. R. 44:12. It is written elsewhere (in Ps. 111:10): THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM IS THE FEAR OF THE LORD and it is written (in Prov. 22:4): THE HEEL⁴⁷‘QB. The Masoretic text vocalizes the word as ‘eqev which means “effect” but the word may also be vocalized as ‘aqev to mean “heel.” See Tanh. Gen. 1:1. OF HUMILITY IS THE FEAR OF THE LORD. Solomon therefore said (in Prov. 24:21): FEAR THE LORD, MY CHILD, AND THE KING. But what is the meaning of AND THE KING? Simply <this>: Make him (i.e., the Holy One) king over you.⁴⁸Tanh. Numb. 3:9 cont.; Numb. R. 15:14 cont. Another interpretation (of Prov. 24:21): AND THE KING. Be king over the evil drive, which is called a king where it is stated (in Eccl. 9:14): <THERE WAS A LITTLE CITY WITH FEW PEOPLE IN IT,> AND A GREAT KING CAME AGAINST IT….⁴⁹Cf. see above Gen. R. 11:1; 23:2; also Eccl. R. 4:13:1; 9:14:6, 9. Another interpretation (of Prov. 24:21): AND THE KING. "<More> than the king," lest it be supposed that, if the king says to you: Worship an idol you should heed him.⁵⁰See above Gen. 2:15. The text reads (in Prov. 24:21): FEAR THE LORD, MY CHILD. Thus <when> Nebuchadnezzar told Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to worship an idol, they did not heed him. Instead they said to him (in Dan. 3:18): WE WILL NOT SERVE YOUR GODS, NOR WILL WE PAY HOMAGE TO THE IMAGE OF GOLD WHICH YOU HAVE SET UP. (Dan. 3:14:) IS IT TRUE, SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO? [Yesterday you were actually⁵¹Gk.: ontos. saying: Whoever wanted to take an idol for himself came to Jerusalem, as stated (in Is. 10:10): AND THEIR GRAVEN IMAGES WERE FROM JERUSALEM AND FROM SAMARIA.⁵²It is in this literal sense that the midrash understands the passage. English renderings usually translate in the following sense: AND THEIR GRAVEN IMAGES EXCEEDED THOSE OF JERUSALEM AND SAMARIA. But now you have come to destroy my idol worship. (Dan. 3:14:) IS IT TRUE, SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO? Did not the Holy One say this to you that you should obey royalty in whatever it tells you, where it is stated (in Eccl. 8:2): I <SAY>: KEEP THE KING'S COMMAND? They said to him: You are king over us for taxes and crop levies;⁵³Lat.: annona. but in regard to the service of idols, Nebuchadnezzar and a dog <have> equal <authority>. (Dan. 3:16–17:) SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO ANSWERED [AND SAID TO THE KING: O NEBUCHADNEZZAR], WE DO NOT {CARE} [NEED] <TO ANSWER YOU> IN THIS <MATTER>. IF OUR GOD <WHOM WE SERVE IS ABLE TO SAVE US, HE SHALL SAVE US FROM THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE AND FROM YOUR HAND O KING>. They said: Whether he delivers us or whether he does not deliver us (in vs. 18): BE IT KNOWN TO YOU, <O KING, THAT WE WILL NOT SERVE YOUR GODS NOR PAY HOMAGE TO THE IMAGE OF GOLD WHICH YOU HAVE SET UP>. Ergo (in Prov. 24:21): FEAR THE LORD, MY CHILD, AND THE KING; AND DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THOSE WHO WOULD DIFFER, <i.e.,> DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH those who say that there are two gods in the world, for the end of <such people> is to perish from the world. It is so stated (in Zech. 13:8): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND, SAYS THE LORD, THAT TWO-THIRDS [IN IT] SHALL BE CUT OFF [AND DIE], BUT ONE-THIRD SHALL REMAIN IN IT. And who is the one-third? This is Israel as stated (in Is. 19:24): AND ISRAEL SHALL BE A THIRD <PARTNER WITH EGYPT AND ASSYRIA, A BLESSING IN THE MIDST OF THE EARTH>. Ergo (in Prov. 24:21): FEAR THE LORD MY CHILD AND THE KING.