Musar su Proverbi 12:32

... And on this the Torah says (Exodus 13:7) "there will not be seen and there will not be found" - it will not be seen b'maaseh (in action) and will not be found b'machshava (in thought), rather one should anul it in his heart. The mitzvot have 3 categories: mitzvot of speech, of the heart and of action, as it is written (Deuteronomy 30:14) "in your mouth and in your heart to do it". Comes the Torah (instructing us) to anul it in the heart, corresponding to the mitzvot which are dependent on the heart. Comes the 'kabbalah' (instructing us) to eradicate it from the house or to burn it, corresponding to the mitzvot of action. And to say 'kol chamira', corresponding to mitzvot of speech. In this way the 3 categories of mitzvot are fulfilled through the prohibition of chametz, teaching you that the prohibition of chametz incorporates all the mitzvot... Just as the 'kabbalah' comes (instructing us) to eradicate chametz and (livdok) to check the house in nooks and in cracks, so too we are obligated to search and check the chambers of our inner being for bad (machshavas) intentions and bad (hirhurim) thoughts. Just as bedikat chametz (checking for chametz) is not valid by sunlight, nor by moonlight, nor by the light of a torch, but only by the light of a candle, so too the bedikah (checking) of the yetzer hara must be by the light of the neshama (soul) which is called 'ner' (candle), this is what is written (Proverbs 20:27) "the candle of Hashem is the soul of man, which searches the chambers of one's inner being.

When we perceive this quality beginning to affect the nature of a man, it becomes necessary for us to call his attention to serious matters, such as lead to reflection on the origin of existent things and their end, i.e., the coming into being of things, their beginnings, their transitoriness, and their destruction. When he learns that all existent things are changeable,¹Cf . Bahya vi. 5 (p. 297), and Brull (p. 75, note 2). and finally that his own being will change (waste away) and his body become extinct, then the quality of his soul, which was haughty throughout the course of his life, will become meek and penitent at (the thought of) death. Since we are forced to accept this logical conclusion and traditional reasoning, it behooves the wise man to avoid preferring this quality of his own free will, since it is detestable and there results no benefit whatever from pursuing it. On the contrary, it is the cause of many dangers, especially if man's arrogance urge him not to incline to the advice of any man ; and although in (seeking) advice is the essence of good counsel, he turn away from it and abide by his own opinion. Of such a man Solomon the Wise, peace be upon him, said (Prov. xii. 15), "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes." Thou knowest also what befell Korach and Rehoboam and others like them, who cared only for their own opinion.

I have determined to linger here a little in the discussion of this chapter. Perhaps God will grant us His grace and inspire us with excellent words, which may relieve the sadness of man, so that he may find healing in our discourse, because it is impossible to find healing for psychical ills other than in spiritual remedies. As this takes firmer hold of the soul, so also it becomes more difficult to find the remedy. Of God we pray that He protect us therefrom in His graciousness. The constitution of apprehensiveness is cold and dry, like the black gall (humor). No man can absolutely escape it. In some it attains immense proportions, so that they thereby become afflicted with psychical ailments. Thus it is said (Prov. xii. 25), "Gloom in the heart of man maketh it stoop, but a good word maketh it glad." Know thou that this quality is generally visible in the countenance, as thou hast seen in the case of Joseph, who discerned what was in the heart of " the servants of Pharaoh," when he beheld their austere countenances; it being said (Gen. xl. 6), "And he looked upon them, and behold they were sad," and as Artaxerxes said to Nehemiah (Neh. ii. 2), "Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick." Thus it is obvious that this quality is generally distinctly visible in the countenance.

Now, I shall explain to you the qualities of reason and the moral values²³Da’ot has the connotation of moral values or beliefs (cf. Maimonides, Hilchot De’ot. Mishne Torah.) and in what way man’s reason may be known. We will say that a man who hews to the line of righteousness and does not transgress against the golden mean and does not diminish his deeds from attaining the golden mean is the possessor of a fine intellect. An illustration of this is in the matter of speech. If a man adds to his speech more than is proper, he is called a simpleton and is a sinner, as it is said (Proverbs 10:19), “In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression.” And if he speaks fewer words than is proper, he is called a fool, as it is said (ibid., 24:7), “Wisdom is as unattainable to a fool as corals. He openeth not his mouth in the gate.” But if the words of his mouth are as they should be, and if all of his words are delivered in proper measure, he is called an enlightened man, as it is said (ibid., 16:20), “He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good.” And it is said (ibid., 15:23), “A man hath joy in the answer of his mouth; and a word in due season, how good is it.” Concerning this, King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Ecclesiastes 7:16-17), “Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise; why shouldest thou destroy thyself? Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish; why shouldest thou die before thy time?” He wanted to express both of these ideas in order to let us know the straight path in every deed and in every utterance. Thus must it be in the service of the Creator, blessed be He. From this, you can understand that the deeds and the words, that are in the straight path in every deed and every utterance, are good in the eyes of God, and they are called the proper service of God. This quality cannot be complete without knowledge and wisdom. As the prophet Jeremiah said (Jeremiah 3:15), “And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” In proportion to the knowledge and wisdom that a man possesses, so will be his respect of righteousness, and he will be good with God and with men. As King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 12:8), “A man shall be commended according to his intelligence.” If he has no intelligence, he cannot serve his God as is fitting because of four factors that interfere with the service and destroy it:

“Do not harden your heart and shut your hand” (Deuteronomy 15:7). We were warned with this to remove the trait of cruelty from our souls, and to plant delightful saplings in it - [namely] reliable mercy and kindnesses, as it is written (Deuteronomy 28:9), “and you shall walk in His ways.” And because it is possible not to shut his hand and to grace the poor person, but not in the way of mercy - like the matter that is written (Proverbs 12:10), “but the mercies of the wicked are cruelty” - therefore it is written, “Do not harden your heart.” And the punishment for cruelty is bad and bitter, as will be explained in the Gate of Cruelty (no longer extant), with God’s help. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 151b), “‘And He will show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you’ (Deuteronomy 13:18) - anyone who has compassion for the creatures will receive compassion from Heaven, and anyone who does not have compassion for the creatures will not receive compassion from Heaven.”

The second section: One who lies, but there is no damage or loss to his fellow from the actual lie; however he plans it in order to do the damage or the evil - like one who deceives his fellow to believe that he is his friend and trusted companion; and he plans that [the other] will trust him through this and not be on guard against him, so that he will be able to lead him to evil; like the matter that is stated (Jeremiah 9:7), “One speaks peace to his fellow, but lays an ambush for him in his heart.” And it is stated after it (Jeremiah 9:8), “‘Shall I not punish them for such deeds,’ says the Lord; ‘shall I not bring retribution on such a nation as this?’” And the punishment of these two sections is for two things: For the lie and for the damage that [comes with it]. For falsehood [even] without the angle of damage is an abomination to God, as it is stated (Proverbs 6:16-18), “Six things the Lord hates, etc: A haughty bearing; a lying tongue; etc. A mind that hatches plots of iniquity.” [And it is stated] (Proverbs 8:13), “I have hated duplicity in speech.” And it is stated (Job 15:16), “What then of one loathsome and foul, man, who drinks wrongdoing like water!” And to flesh and blood also is falsehood loathsome, as it is stated (Proverbs 12:22), “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” (It appears to me that there is a printing error here, and it is supposed to say: And it is stated [Proverbs 8:13], “I have hated duplicity in speech”; and it is stated [Proverbs 12:22], “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” And to flesh and blood also is falsehood loathsome, as it is stated [Job 15:16], “What then of one loathsome and foul, etc.” And it means to say that the understanding of the language of the verse is that a man who drinks wrongdoing like water, is essentially loathsome and foul - for he is even loathsome and foul to flesh and blood.)

I DO not find this quality among righteous or superior men. But it is (to be found) in him whose nature resembles that of a lion, for he is one who is never sated. These are the ones of whom it is said (Deut. xxviii. 50), "A nation of fierce countenance." Upon my soul, this is a wholly detestable quality, whether (its measure be) great or small. It comes into being when the spirit of wrath prevails over a man. This quality is exercised for the purpose of wreaking vengeance upon enemies. There is no harm in making use of it in this manner, although the intelligent man ought not endeavor to be avenged upon his enemies. For this is not befitting. Thus saith the sage (Prov. xxiv. 17), "Rejoice not when thy enemy falleth." To make use of it in order that one may do evil to his fellow-man, to kill him, or to lay hold of the possessions of one who has given no offence, is reprehensible. From such as these may God preserve me, for of their ilk, the Saint said (Ps. cxxiv., i and 3), "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say:" … "Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us." A proof that this quality is only found in the wicked is the expression (Prov. xii. 10), "But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." Plato, the author of the laws in regard to vengeance, said, "He who desires to be revenged upon his enemies should add (a degree of) excellence to himself."

I MUST preface, in treating of this quality, of what nature it is derived. I would hold that it is of the yellow-gall species. This quality appears usually when the soul is free from other blamable qualities and when it is not mingled with aught of grief, and most frequently it is (found) in pure and noble souls. It is a commendable quality, and man ought to make use of it in whatsoever work of art or science he be engrossed. Was it not said of him (Prov. xii. 27), "The substance of a wide-awake man is precious," which means that the most precious virtue of the lofty is wide-awakedness, both in the present and future life. In the world de generation et corruption, he is wide-awake in his quest of knowledge as well as goodness of service and faith, and in the attempt to attain to the world of intellect.

These are words of vanity. And when they come out into the atmosphere of the world the Samech Mem, who is called “a man of deceit” (Mishlei 16:28) and a “false tongue” (Mishlei 12:19), comes out to meet them. He summons his strength and goes out towards those words from the opening of the deep chasm and leaps towards them five hundred parsaos. He takes these words of falsehood and makes from them a firmament of vanity called “Chaos” and floats about that firmament, this “man of deceit,” six thousand parsaos at a time. Once that firmament is established the wanton wife, the wicked Lilis, goes out to meet them. She, too, goes along increasing in strength in that firmament. Then thousands and myriads of destroyers join with her and enter into partnership with her. In that firmament they are able to traverse the entire world in a moment. These evil troops of destroyers dress up as the troops of the nations of the world and fall upon Yisroel committing great slaughter.

But there is a kind of mercy that is worse than cruelty. For example, when one has mercy on the wicked and strengthens them. And there is a great stumbling block before the one who raises up the wicked and gives them his hand and abases and rejects the good, and on this it is said in the Torah: "Neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him" (Deut. 13:9). Nor shall one have mercy upon the poor in the course of a law suit, but judge the case fairly, as it is written: "Neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause" (Exodus 23:3), which means that he should not prevert justice because of sympathy with the poor man's distress. And there is mercy which is cruelty. For example, when one gives alms to a poor man and afterwards burdens the poor man by saying, "I gave you this and this; now you must do something for me and serve me just like all that I did for you." And of this type of mercy it is said : "The mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Prov. 12:10).

Cruelty is the opposite of Mercy as it is written: "They are cruel and have no compassion" (Jer. 50:42). And this trait of cruelty is not found in righteous people but in the souls of the wicked as it is written: "The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Prov. 12:10). This quality is also found in the impudent as it is written: "An impudent nation that shall have no regard for the person of the old and show no mercy to the young" (Deut. 28:50). And you already know the evil of the trait of impudence. Go forth and learn the evil nature and the punishment of cruelty, for in the matter of the reward of a wicked man — rebellious and disobedient — it is said: "A rebellious man seeks only evil, therefore, a cruel messenger shall be sent against him" (Prov. 12:11). Every cruel person has no quality of kindness in his make up, even towards himself, as it is written: "The merciful man does kindness to his own soul, but he that is cruel troubles his own flesh" (Ibid. 11:17).

Cruelty is the opposite of Mercy as it is written: "They are cruel and have no compassion" (Jer. 50:42). And this trait of cruelty is not found in righteous people but in the souls of the wicked as it is written: "The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Prov. 12:10). This quality is also found in the impudent as it is written: "An impudent nation that shall have no regard for the person of the old and show no mercy to the young" (Deut. 28:50). And you already know the evil of the trait of impudence. Go forth and learn the evil nature and the punishment of cruelty, for in the matter of the reward of a wicked man — rebellious and disobedient — it is said: "A rebellious man seeks only evil, therefore, a cruel messenger shall be sent against him" (Prov. 12:11). Every cruel person has no quality of kindness in his make up, even towards himself, as it is written: "The merciful man does kindness to his own soul, but he that is cruel troubles his own flesh" (Ibid. 11:17).

Even from an animal he must keep cruely far away, as it is written: "A righteous man knows the needs and capacity of his animal" (Prov. 12:10), so as not to burden it too much and not to let it hunger, and so it is written : "When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under his burden you shall restrain yourself from passing by; you shall surely work with him to release the animal" (Exod. 23:5). And our rabbis said: "The laws against causing pain to living creatures are from the Torah" (Baba Mezi'a 32b). And if you are a man who inspires fear, and the fear of you is upon other human beings so that they are afraid to refuse your requests, be very careful not to overburden them even by asking them to warm a flask of water or sending them on an errand to the market square to buy merely a loaf of bread. And on this subject it is said in the Torah: "But over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule one over another harshly" (Lev. 25:46). And as to this precept we have been warned that a man should not cause his companion to work at hard labor and not command him to anything unless he does it willingly and knowingly. A Canaanite slave may be directed to do hard labor, yet even in this latter case the pious way is to be merciful to him and not to make the yoke too heavy and not shame him, not by a blow and not by words, for Scripture has permitted you to receive his labor but not to shame him (Niddah 47a). And the master must speak quietly to his Canaanite slave even though there is a quarrel between them, and he must listen to his slave's complaints, and so did Job say: "If I did despise the cause of my man servant or of my maid servant when they contended with me — What then shall I do when God rises up and when He remembers some wrong He claims I did to a slave, what shall I answer him. Did not he that made me in the womb make him (the Canaanite slave) also? And did not the One fashion us (both) in the womb?" (Job 31:13-15).

Chazal have explained that the class of slanderers is one of four classes who do not behold the Shechinah, viz. (Sotah 42b): "R. Yirmiyah b. Abba said: Four classes do not behold the Shechinah: the class of flatterers, the class of liars, the class of scoffers, and the class of slanderers … The class of slanderers, viz. (Psalms 5:5): 'For You are not a G-d that desires wickedness; evil will not sojourn with You.' You are righteous, O L-rd; evil will not sojourn in Your dwelling place.'" This section deals with the sin of lashon hara, as Rashi explains there. And the speaker of lashon hara is even called "evil," as we find in Aggadath Mishlei on the verse (Mishlei 12:20): "There is deceit in the heart of plotters of evil" — R. Chamma b. R. Chanina said: "One who speaks with his friend and eats and drinks with him and speaks lashon hara against him, the Holy One Blessed be He calls him 'evil,' etc." He is also judged in the fourth level of Gehinnom for this sin, as stated in Midrash Hane'elam on Ruth.

And between this and that, he connects the Divine Presence to him in his meal, such that he bestows kindness on the poor one - as Hillel the Elder (Vayikra Rabbah 34:3) would say, "A righteous one should know the soul of his animal" (Proverbs 12:10). And this [should] be his intention in his meal, to bestow kindness to the animal soul and to connect it with the secret of nourishment.

And it is found that it [(guarding one's tongue)] leads to peace [shalom]. And the greatness of peace is already known. As Chazal have said: "Even if there be, G-d forbid, the sin of idolatry in Israel, but there is peace among them, the Holy One Blessed be He tells Satan not to touch them." And if one accustoms himself to speak well of his friend, he merits that the Holy One Blessed be He calls him by His name — "Shalom!" As it is written (Judges 6:24): "And he called it [(the altar)] 'the L-rd - Shalom.'" And if he does the opposite, G-d forbid, he is called "Ra" ["evil"]. As Chazal have said: "If one speaks with his friend and eats with him and drinks with him and speaks lashon hara against him, the Holy One Blessed be He calls him 'Ra,' as it is written (Mishlei 12:20): 'There is deceit in the heart of the plotters of ra.' And if one does not eat and drink with him and does not deal with him [i.e., if he has acquired no favors from him] and [still] he speaks well of him, the Holy One Blessed be He calls him 'Shalom,' viz. (Ibid.): 'And for the counselors of Shalom there is joy.'"

There are some people whose profession is lying. Namely, those people who go around and make up complete lies in order to increase social conversation or to be considered among the intelligent and knowledgeable. On this type it is written "lying lips are an abomination to G-d" (Mishlei 12:22). And also "your lips speak lies, your tongue mutters perverseness" (Isaiah 59:3). Our sages, of blessed memory, have already pronounced their judgment: "four classes of people do not receive the divine presence" (Sanhedrin 103a, Sota 42a), and one of these is the class of liars.

It is a sign on behalf of all who pursue the way of awe that through this they receive special protection from the Creator to keep them from stumbling in iniquity, Heaven forbid. Thus it is written, “No wrong will befall the righteous” (Mishlei 12:21). Even when he sleeps the Holy One Blessed is He protects him from all mishap.

Thus did Solomon say, "He who listens to counsel is a wise man" (Prov. 12:15). Solomon did not mean "to listen with the ears alone," but that listening means to listen to the counsel of a wise man and to willingly do that which the wise man tells him. It is obvious, therefore, that the whole Torah is summarized in this quality of willingness to listen and obey. And thus it is with all the rebukes and all the blessings. What does this mean ? Concerning the time that the Torah was given, it is written — "Now therefore, if ye will surely listen unto My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples" (Exodus 19:5). The meaning of "you will surely listen," is that you shall accept these commandments and receive them willingly. And the people answered "We will do" (Ibid. 19:8, 24:7) — willingly.

Behold, this is a faithful guideline. But the weighing of this rule is a matter of individual judgment and "according to his understanding a man is praised" (Mishlei 12:8). For it is impossible to discuss all the details of Separation for they are so numerous that a man's mind cannot grasp all of them. Rather each matter must be dealt with in its time.

Let him remember all the troubles and misfortunes which surrounded him and occurred to him from the day of his birth, and that God saved him from all of them. Let him consider in his heart, whether he was saved from unnatural death, or whether he was surrendered unto the hands of his enemies and his God saved him, or whether he passed a dangerous place and he was spared. Or whether troubles and evil happenings befell all of his companions, while he was saved from all of them. Let him remember when he was sick and approached death, and the Creator brought his soul up from the pit. Let him remember if he was destitute and poor in his youth, and afterwards God gave to him wealth and riches, or if he was lowly and held in contempt by the people and yet arose to a great height. Let him remember if he had many debts, and the Creator gave him relief and bestowed gifts upon him from his own bounty until he paid his debts and came forth from the yoke of his distress. Similarly, he should reflect whether a decree of a king was ever issued against him that he be slain or punished, and God saved him, or whether he was taken captive or confined in jail and later released, or if he planned to commit a sin and the Creator saved him from doing that sin, as it is said (Proverbs 12:21), “There shall no mischief befall the righteous.” Let him consider whether he entreated God in time of trouble and was answered, and whether he prayed in his heart because he had enemies and his prayer was heard concerning those who sought to do him evil, and he saw that he was avenged or they fell into his power, and he repaid them with good in place of evil.

One who shuts his eyes from an opportunity to give charity, it is as though he served idols (Kethuboth 68a). Such a man is called "worthless," "wicked," "merciless," and a "sinner." Worthless, as it is said, "Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying : 'The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand;' and thine eye be evil against thy needy brother, and thou give him nought" (Deut. 15:9). Merciless as it is written, "But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Prov. 12:10). And he denies his lineage; he is not of the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for they were merciful, but he is of the seed of the heathens who are cruel, as it is said, "They are cruel and have no compassion" (Jer. 50:42). And everyone who shows mercy, Heaven has mercy upon him (Shabbath 151b). As it is said, "… and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee" (Deut. 13:18).

Included in this matter is to not cause pain to any creature, even animals, and to show mercy and concern towards them. Likewise scripture states: "the righteous man knows the soul of his beast" (Mishlei 12:10) (Rashi-what his beast needs), and according to some of our sages (Shabbat 128b), to cause pain to an animal is a biblical prohibition, while to others it is at least a Rabbinical prohibition.

What a person needs to understand is that one should not judge the matters of Chasidut according to their superficial appearance. Rather, one must examine and contemplate the full extent of where the future consequences of the deed leads. For sometimes, the deed itself may appear to be good but since the consequences are evil one must abstain from it. For doing it would not have made him a Chasid but rather a sinner.

The second temple was likewise destroyed due to such incorrectly weighed Chasidut. In the story of Bar Kamtza (Gitin 56a): "the Rabbis thought to offer the blemished animal [of the emperor in order not to offend him]. Said Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulas to them: 'people will say that blemished animals may be offered on the altar'. They then proposed to kill Bar Kamtza so that he should not go and inform against them, but Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulas said to them: 'people will say one who makes a blemish on a consecrated animals is to be put to death'".

Above all, one should always contemplate to recognize the weakness of human intellect and its great many errors and falsehoods, how it is always nearer to error than true knowledge. Therefore, he should always fear this danger, and seek to learn from every person, always listening to advice, lest he stumble. This is what our sages, of blessed memory, said: "Who is wise? He who learns from all men" (Avot 4:1), and scripture says "he who hearkens to counsel is wise" (Mishlei 12:15).

Fear of punishment, as its name implies, is for a person to fear transgressing the word of the L-rd, his G-d, due to the punishments incurred for the transgression, whether to body or soul. This [type of fear] is certainly easy to attain. For every man loves himself and fears for his soul and there is nothing which keeps a person from doing something more than the fear that this thing might bring harm to him.

And of these twenty-four things that impede repentance, five of them are such that he who does them is constantly drawn after them and finds it very difficult to separate himself from them. Therefore, a man must be very careful of these, lest he cleave to them, and they are all very evil states of mind. And these are : tale-bearing, gossip, wrath, evil thoughts, and associating with a wicked man, for he will surely learn from his deeds. For when one is always with the wicked and sees these deeds they become impressed in his heart, as Solomon said, "But the companion of fools shall smart for it" (Prov. 12:20).

The crown of Torah, known as תפארת, refers to the written Torah which was deposited in the Holy Ark, otherwise known as ארון הברית אדון כל הארץ, "the ark of the covenant with the Lord of the whole earth. This name is a reference to the שכינה, i.e. the ark containing תפארת, and is concealed therein as explained by the Zohar. The border or crown around the Holy Ark is an allusion to the אשת חיל עטרת בעלה, "The woman of valour, crown of her husband" (Proverbs 12,4). When the Torah (Exodus 25,12) commands: "You shall cast for it (the golden altar) four rings of gold," this is an allusion to the four legs of the מרכבה, chariot, which carries the presence of the שכינה. The dimensions of the tablets, -2 tablets each of 6 handbreadths by 6 handbreadths by 3 handbreadths each,- add up to 72 handbreadths cubed, i.e. 216. The number 216 is reminiscent of the Ineffable name of G–d spelled as words, using the letter י in such a spelling. [Example: יוד-הי-ויו-הי. This gives you 72. When you cube this number, as we did with the measurements of the tablets, you obtain the number 216. Ed.] The written Torah is the foundation, יסוד, of the Ineffable Name, and it reposed within the Holy Ark, as hinted at when G–d said: כי שמי בקרבו, "For My Name is within it" (Exodus 23,21). This means that G–d's Ineffable Name is in the Sanctuary, that G–d is found within His Torah. This is where you find the crown of the good name. From that source Israel [potentially any Israelite. Ed.] was crowned with the crown of Torah.

But at that very moment Israel declared, ‘We will do’ before ‘We will hear’ (Shemos 24:7) and all of them were shown to be righteous, as it is stated, “You are entirely beautiful, my beloved, and there is no flaw in you” (Shir HaShirim 4:7). And it is also said of them, “Who can find a woman of valor” (Mishlei 31:10) and, “A woman of valor is a crown for her husband” (Mishlei 12:4). Therefore the Zohar (ibid., 96b) refers to the flour offering of Shavuos as a “jealousy offering” (Bamidbar 5:18). It is also called a “new flour offering” (Vayikra 23:16) because Israel was as if created anew the day the Torah was given. Thus they resembled a straying wife who is discovered to be unsullied, of whom it is stated, “She shall be exonerated and seed shall be sown and she shall be pure” (Bamidbar 5:28). And so did Israel become pure after they brought the Shavuos offering.