Midrash su Proverbi 4:8

(Fol. 48a) R. Nachman said: "A child who understands to whom the benediction is offered is persona grata, to be counted among the three who appeal to the partakers of a meal to say grace after the meal (Mezuman)." Abaye and Rabba, when small, were sitting before Rabba. "To whom do you pray?" Rabba asked them. "To God," both answered." "But where is God?" he asked them. Raba lifted up his hand and pointed towards the ceiling, and Abaye went outside and pointed towards Heaven. "Both of you," remarked Rabba, "will become Rabbis. It is as the people say: 'When the pumpkin is still small, you can tell from its blossoms how it will turn out.'" King Janai and his queen were eating together, and since Janai had killed all the Rabbis, they had no learned person to recite for them the after-meal grace when they had finished their meal. "Who can give us a man, to recite for us the after-meal grace?" the king asked of his wife. Whereupon she replied, "Swear to me, that if I bring thee a man, thou wilt not harm him." He swore to her, and she brought him Simon b. Shetach, her brother. The king gave him a seat between himself and his queen, saying: "Behold, how much I honor you." Whereupon R. Simon b. Shetach replied: "Not thou, but the Torah honors me; as it is written (Pr. 4, 8.) Exalt her and she shall promote thee; she will bring thee to honor, when thou embraceth her." King Janai then said unto the queen: "See how they (the Pharisees) do not recognize (royal) authority." Finally he gave R. Simon a cup [of wine] with which to recite the grace. So R. Simon b. Shetach said: "How can I say the grace? Shall I say, Blessed is He, because Janai and his associates have eaten of His (food)?'" Thereupon he drank the contents of the cup; whereupon they gave him another one, with which he said the grace. R. Abba, the son of R. Chiya, said in the name of R. Jochanan, that Simon b. Shetach [who said the after-meal grace on a cup of wine] did so according to his own opinion only; for thus has R. Chiya b. Abba said in the name of R. Jochanan: "Never can a man recite the after-meal grace for others unless he eats a piece of cornbread at least as large as an olive."

“Wisdom is good with inheritance, and more so for viewers of the sun. For in the shadow of wisdom, in the shadow of money; the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its possessors” (Ecclesiastes 7:11–12).
“Wisdom is good with inheritance” – “wisdom is good” when it is an inheritance. Alternatively, “wisdom is good” when it is accompanied by inheritance, as we learned there in Avot (2:2): Torah study is best with a worldly occupation, etc. Alternatively, “wisdom is good” – the wisdom of Moses is good, as it is stated: “A wise man ascended against the city of the mighty” (Proverbs 21:22);⁷²This is a reference to Moses ascending heavenward to the stronghold of the angels to receive the Torah. “with inheritance” – as he bequeathed the Torah to Israel.
Another matter, “wisdom is good” – this is the wisdom of Betzalel, who bequeathed the Ark to Israel. When Moses said to him: ‘Craft an Ark, vessels, and the Tabernacle,’ Betzalel said to him: ‘Moses our master, does one bring the vessels and position them exposed to the air? Let the Tabernacle be crafted first and the Ark be crafted afterward.’ Moses said to him: ‘Were you, perhaps, sitting in the shadow of God and you knew? First, “they shall craft the Ark” (Exodus 25:10) and then, “the Tabernacle you shall craft” (Exodus 26:1)’ – that is, “wisdom is good with inheritance,” the wisdom of Betzalel is good, “with inheritance,” as he bequeathed the Ark to Israel.
Another matter, the wisdom of Joshua is good “with inheritance,” as he bequeathed the land; “and more so for viewers of the sun.”⁷³This is a reference to the miracle performed for Joshua in which the sun’s orbit was delayed; see Joshua 10:12–13. Alternatively, “wisdom is good” when it is accompanied by the merit of the forefathers. Happy is one for whom the merit of his forefathers stands and illuminates for him.
Rabbi Aḥa [said] in the name of Rabbi Tanḥum: If a person studied, taught, observed, and performed [the Torah’s commandments], and he had the wherewithal to support,⁷⁴He was able to facilitate Torah study or the performance of mitzvot by others. but he did not support, he is in the category of: “Cursed is one who will not uphold the matters of this Torah” (Deuteronomy 27:26). If a person studied, did not teach, did not observe, and did not perform, and he did not have the wherewithal to support, but he [nonetheless] supported, he is in the category of: “Blessed is one who will uphold,” as every “cursed” indicates “blessed.”⁷⁵Although the Torah mentions only the curses for those who sin or fail to perform those mitzvot, by inference, all those who refrain from sin or perform those mitzvot are blessed. Rabbi Huna said: The Holy One blessed be He is destined to provide shade and a canopy⁷⁶The supporters of Torah study will be rewarded and accorded honor together with the Torah scholars. for those who have [performed] mitzvot with those who have [studied] Torah. What is the reason? “For in the shadow of wisdom, in the shadow of money.”
Three hundred nazirites ascended⁷⁷To Jerusalem. to sacrifice nine hundred offerings⁷⁸A nazirite is obligated to bring three offerings at the conclusion of his term as a nazirite: a burnt offering, a sin offering, and a peace offering. However, these nazirites did not have the means to pay for their offerings. during the days of Shimon ben Shetaḥ. For one hundred and fifty [of the nazirites], he found an extenuation,⁷⁹A flaw in their initial vow which enabled him to nullify their vows of naziriteship; they therefore were not obligated to bring the three offerings. and for one hundred and fifty he did not find an extenuation. Shimon ben Shetaḥ went up to King Yannai [and] said to him: ‘Three hundred nazirites ascended and they need to sacrifice nine hundred offerings, but they do not have [the means to purchase] them. You give half from yours and I will give half from mine, and they will go and sacrifice.’ Yannai gave them half [the required sum] and they went and sacrificed. Someone went and spoke slander to King Yannai about Shimon ben Shetaḥ. He said to King Yannai: ‘You should know that everything that they sacrificed was from yours, but Shimon ben Shetaḥ did not give anything from his.’ [King Yannai] heard [this] and became angry at Shimon ben Shetaḥ, and Shimon ben Shetaḥ heard [that King Yannai was angry] and he fled.
Some time later, there were important personages there from the kingdom of Persia, who were sitting at the table of King Yannai. After they ate, they said to Yannai, ‘My lord the king, we recall that there was an elder here who would say words of Torah to us.’ [Yannai] said to Salome, [Shimon ben Shetaḥ’s] sister, [who was] King Yannai’s wife: ‘Send [for him] and bring him.’ She said to him: ‘Give me your word⁸⁰That you will not harm him. and send him your ring⁸¹As a sign of good faith. and he will come.’ He gave her his word and [Shimon ben Shetaḥ] came. When he came, he sat between the king and the queen. [Yannai] said to him: ‘Why did you flee?’ He said to [Yannai]: ‘I heard you were angry at me, and I was afraid of you. I fled so you would not execute me. I fulfilled this verse: “Hide for a brief moment until the wrath has passed”’ (Isaiah 26:20). [Yannai] said to him: ‘Why did you deceive me?’ He said to [Yannai]: ‘God forbid, I did not deceive you; rather, you [gave] from your property and I [gave] from my Torah,⁸²Shimon ben Shetaḥ had used his Torah knowledge to annul the vows of half the nazirites, thus exempting them from bringing their sacrifices. as it is written: “For in the shadow of wisdom, in the shadow of money.”’ [Yannai] said to him: ‘Why did you sit between the king and the queen?’ He said to [Yannai]: ‘It is because it is written in the book of Ben Sira: “Extol it and it will exalt you, and it will seat you between leaders.” [Yannai] said to him: ‘Do you see that I honor you more than anyone?’ He said to [Yannai]: ‘It is not you who honor me, but rather my Torah honors me, as it is written: “Extol it and it will exalt you” (Proverbs 4:8).’ [Yannai] said to them:⁸³To his servants ‘Pour him a cup [of wine] so he can recite Grace after Meals.’ [Shimon ben Shetaḥ] said: ‘What will I recite? Shall I say: Blessed is He from whose [food] Yannai has eaten?’⁸⁴Generally, when three men participate in a meal, Grace after Meals is preceded by zimmun, an introductory section in which one of the lines is: Blessed is He from whose [food] we have eaten. However, in this instance Shimon ben Shetaḥ had not actually eaten. [Yannai said:] ‘You remain in your stubbornness; I have never heard Yannai in the Grace after Meals.’ [Shimon ben Shetaḥ] said: ‘What, then, shall I say: Blessed that we ate? I have not eaten.’ [Yannai] said to them: ‘Bring him [food] so he will eat.’ [After having eaten, Shimon ben Shetaḥ recited the Grace after Meals] and said: ‘From whose [food] we have eaten.’
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The colleagues of Shimon ben Shetaḥ disagree with him. Rabbi Avin said: Regarding the second.⁸⁵Shimon ben Shetaḥ had not actually eaten bread. His colleagues held that one cannot recite Grace after Meals on behalf of those who ate bread if one did not himself eat bread. Rabbi Yirmeya said: Regarding the first.⁸⁶The nazirites had come from outside of the Land of Israel to sacrifice offerings. His colleagues maintained that it is impossible to complete the period of naziriteship there in ritual purity. They reversed the opinion of Rabbi Yirmeya, as there it is clear for him, while here it requires [resolution].⁸⁷There, regarding the incident with Shimon ben Shetaḥ, it was clearly stated that his colleagues disagreed with him, whereas regarding the laws of Grace after Meals, Rabbi Yirmeya was not sure about the halakha. [Alternatively,] there, it is clear for him, in accordance with the opinion of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel,⁸⁸It is clear to Rabbi Yirmeya that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel disagreed with Shimon ben Shetaḥ. while here it requires [resolution], according to the Rabbis,⁸⁹When Rabbi Yirmeya sought clarification, it was about the opinion of the Rabbis. as it is taught in this regard: If one reclined and dipped with them, even though he did not eat with them an olive-bulk of grain, they include him in their zimmun; [this is] the statement of the Rabbis.⁹⁰Rabbi Yirmeya was unsure whether the individual who did not eat grain could be counted for the zimmun, which requires three men, or whether he could even recite the zimmun and Grace after Meals on behalf of the others. Rabbi Yaakov bar Aḥa said in the name of Rabbi Isi: Actually, one does not include him in the zimun unless he eats an olive-bulk of grain. It is taught: Two who ate grain and one who ate something other than grain join together.⁹¹The implication of this phrase is that they may join together for the zimmun but the individual who did not eat grain may not be the one to recite the zimmun and the Grace after Meals. In accordance with whose opinion is this taught? It is in accordance with [the opinion of] Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel.
There were three prominent wealthy leaders in Jerusalem:⁹²This was during the Roman siege on Jerusalem. Ben Tzitzit HaKesat, Nakdimon ben Guryon, and ben Kalba Savua. Each and every one of them was capable of providing for and sustaining the country for ten years. There was [a warrior] there [named] ben-Batiaḥ, the son of Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai’s sister, who was the official in charge of the storehouses, and the leader of the rebels in Jerusalem. He arose and burned the storehouses. Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai heard and said: ‘Alas.’ They went and told ben-Batiaḥ that his uncle had said: ‘Alas, alas.’ He sent and had him brought [and] said to him: ‘Why did you say alas?’ [Rabbi Yoḥanan] said to him: ‘I did not say alas [vai], but I said hurrah [vah], for as long as the full storehouses are intact, they will not give their lives to wage war.’ By the difference between vai and vah, Rabbi Yoḥanan was spared. They read in his regard: “The advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its possessors.”
There was an incident involving Rabbi Yoḥanan, who was overcome with bulmus,⁹³This results from great hunger and its symptoms include trembling and a loss of eyesight. and he went to Emmaus. He sat to the east of a fig tree⁹⁴He ate figs from the tree. and was cured. They said to him: ‘From where did you know [that figs could cure you of this condition]?’ He said to them: ‘From David, as it is written: “They gave him a slice of pressed figs”’ (I Samuel 30:12). They read in his regard: “The advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its possessors.”
Rabbi Yosei bar Yasin was traveling on a ship coming from Tarshish. His lad said to him: ‘I need to descend.’⁹⁵He needed to immerse in the sea due to the ritual impurity of a seminal emission. [Rabbi Yosei] said to him: ‘Do not descend into the sea, as the sea is dangerous.’ [The lad] said to him: ‘I must recite shema.’⁹⁶It was prohibited for one who experienced a seminal emission to recite shema or blessings (see Berakhot 20b). He said to [the lad]: ‘Recite it.’ [The lad] said to him: ‘I need to eat.’⁹⁷This involves reciting the blessings over food. He said to [the lad]: ‘Eat.’ When they came to port, he said to [the lad]: It is prohibited for you until you immerse.⁹⁸He permitted reciting shema and reciting the blessings without immersion only at sea, due to the danger. It was read in his regard: “The advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its possessors.”
Rabbi Meir was wanted by the government, and he fled. He passed an Aramean inn and found them sitting and partaking of “that species.”⁹⁹Pig meat. They saw him [and] said: ‘It is him, it is not him.’¹⁰⁰Roman officials saw him but were not absolutely sure it was him. They said: ‘[To see] if it is him, let us invite him [and see] if he comes to eat with us.’ [Rabbi Meir] dipped one of his fingers into the pig’s blood and put a different finger into his mouth; he dipped this one and sucked that one. [The Romans thought he had eaten the pig blood and] said to each other: ‘Were he Rabbi Meir, he would not have done so.’ They let him be, and he fled. It was read in his regard: “The advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its possessors.”
Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] was dying in Tzippori, and the residents of Tzippori said: ‘Anyone who comes and says that Rabbi died, we will kill him.’ Bar Kappara¹⁰¹He was one of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s disciples and was with him as he died. went to the window and looked outside, and his head was covered and his garments were rent. He said: ‘Our brethren, descendants of Yedaya,¹⁰²Beginning in the Second Temple period, the members of the priestly watch of Yedaya resided in the city of Tzippori. hear me, hear me. Angels and righteous people grasped the Tablets of the covenant. Angels overcame the righteous, and they snatched the Tablets.’¹⁰³This was his way of saying that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s soul had ascended to heaven. They said to him: ‘Has Rabbi died?’ He said to them: ‘You said so, I did not say so.’ Why did he not say? Because it is written: “One who utters a negative report is a fool” (Proverbs 10:18). They rent their garments until the sound of the rending reached Gufteta, at a distance of three mil. It was read in his regard:¹⁰⁴Regarding bar Kappara. “The advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its possessors.”
Rabbi Neḥemya [said] in the name of Rabbi Mana: Miraculous acts were performed on that day. It was Friday and all the cities gathered for Rabbi’s eulogy. They stopped his [burial procession to eulogize him] at eighteen synagogues, and took him to Beit She’arim,¹⁰⁵That was Rabbi’s home. Several years earlier he had taken ill and he moved to Tzippori. and the day lasted until each and every one of the people of Israel reached home and kindled a lamp for himself, roasted a fish for himself, and filled a barrel of water for himself, until the last of them did so; [then] the sun set and the rooster crowed.¹⁰⁶The rooster crowed signifying daybreak, which came just after sunset because sunset had been miraculously delayed for so long. [The people] began to become agitated and said: ‘Alas, we have desecrated Shabbat!’ A Divine Voice called out and said: ‘Anyone who was not indolent in the eulogy of Rabbi is destined for life in the World to Come except for the launderer, who was there, but did not come.’¹⁰⁷He was in the town but did not come to the funeral. When [the launderer] heard [this], he ascended and cast himself from the roof, and he fell and died. A Divine Voice called out and said: ‘Even the launderer [who was on] the roof is destined for life in the World to Come.’

"as winds upon the herbage": Just as winds raise the grass and make it flourish, so, words of Torah raise their disciples and make them flourish, viz. (Proverbs 4:8) "Caress it (Torah) and it will uplift you."