Musar su Proverbi 18:26

There is yet another general tikkun distinctive for the trait of lashon hara, and that is Torah study, as stated in Arachin 15b: "R. Chamma b. R. Chanina said: 'What is the amendment for the speakers of lashon hara? If he is a Torah scholar, let him occupy himself with Torah, as it is written (Proverbs 15:4): 'The healer of the tongue is the tree of life,' and the tree of life is none other than Torah, as it is written (Ibid. 3:18): 'It [Torah] is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it.'" As to its being called "a tree of life" — "Death and life are in the hand of the tongue" (Ibid. 18:21). If so, one who speaks lashon hara acquires for himself eternal death, wherefore Scripture counseled one who wished to heal his tongue to eat from the tree of life, which is Torah, "and he shall eat [thereof] and live forever."

Dost thou not see, may God guide thee aright, in how many places the sage extols the man who is generous? In one place he says that liberality brings a man to many degrees of eminence in this world and in the world to come. Thus it is said (Prov. xviii. 16), "A man's gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men" in this world, because it brings him near to kings whose good-will he gains through gifts; as thou knowest from the respect of Ben Hadad for Asa, and Tiglath for Ahaz, because presents were made to them,

But he, who resorts to superciliousness unnecessarily and takes only his own counsel, is like him of whom it was said (Prov. xviii. i), "He intermeddleth with all wisdom." Men disregard such a man and desire not his presence: of such as these the sage saith (Prov. xxvi. 16), "The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason." And often, moreover, his vanity impels him to undertake something outside of his usual course of action, because he relies upon his opinion saving him and upon his counsel protecting him. It is this that causes him to stumble; thus it is said (Job v. 12), "He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise."

The eighth principle is submission in [his] actions - such that one should be accustomed to [giving] a gentle response, as it is stated (Proverbs 15:1), "A gentle response allays wrath." For this is the way of lowliness, as it is stated (Isaiah 29:4), "And you shall speak from lower than the ground, your speech shall be humbler than the sod" - the opposite of that which is stated about a rich man who is proud: "The rich man’s answer is harsh" (Proverbs 18:23). And he should not be occupied with the beauty of clothing and jewelry, as it is stated (Exodus 33:5), "and now take off your finery." And it is stated about Ahab, (I Kings 21:27), "he fasted and lay in sackcloth and walked about subdued." And God, may He be blessed, said about this (I Kings 21:29), "Have you seen how Ahab has submitted?" And the matter of "walked about subdued," is the opposite of the way of kings, who walk with many soldiers and the din of a troop. And he should always lower his eyes, like the matter that is stated, (Job 22:29), "for He saves those who lower their eyes." And signs of submission - like a gentle response, a soft voice and lowered eyes - remind him to have a submissive heart.

Chazal have also been very specific in their holy language in the term "in this world" [("What is the craft of a man in this world? Let him make himself mute, etc.")] That is, let a man not think: "I have already been habituated to this ["muting"] for more years than a craftsman to his craft, and I no longer need to devote my eyes and my heart to it so much" — wherefore Chazal have taught us that this is not so; but a man must train himself in this craft of making himself a natural mute all the days of his life, as the GRA has written in Alim Litrufah: "And until the day of his death a man must chastise himself, not with fasts and mortifications, but by putting a rein to his mouth and his lusts. And this is tshuvah [repentance], and this is all the fruit of the world to come, as it is written (Mishlei 6:23): 'For a mitzvah is a lamp; and Torah, light, and the chastisements of mussar [moral discipline], the way of life.' This is [worth] more than all the fasts and mortifications in the world. And Scripture states (Psalms 34:13-15): 'Who is the man who desires life, who loves days to see good? Guard your tongue from evil, etc.' And in this way all of his sins will be forgiven and he will be saved from the depths of Sheol, as it is written (Mishlei 21:23): 'One who guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from suffering,' and (Ibid. 18:21): 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue.' Woe unto him who puts himself to death for one particle of speech. And what advantage is there to the man of the tongue?"

One who is habituated to silence escapes many transgressions — flattery, levity, lashon hara, falsehood, and insult. For if someone shames and insults him, if he answers him, he will get a double portion. And thus does the wise man say: "I hear evil and keep silent." The other: "Why?" The wise man: "If I answer and retort to my shamers, I fear that I will hear insults more biting than the others!" Also, if one cultivates the trait of silence, everyone feels free to share his secrets with him. Since he is not disposed to speaking, he will not reveal them. In addition, he is not given to rechiluth. In this connection it is written (Mishlei 18:21): "Death and life are in the hands of the tongue." For a man does more [damage] with his tongue than with his sword. For [through scandal] a man can stand here and deliver his friend, who is far from him, to death, whereas the sword kills only at close range. Therefore, a man was created with two eyes, two ears, and two nostrils, but [only] with one mouth, to teach him to minimize speech.

Silence becomes sages; how much more so, fools. (Avoth 3:17): "A fence for wisdom is silence." "Silence is the universal cure." And guard your tongue like the pupil of your eye. (Mishlei 18:7): "The mouth of a fool is destruction to him, and his lips are a stumbling-block to his soul." And (Ibid. 21:23): "One who guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from suffering."

And when people are not careful with their tongues about the honor of Torah scholars - whether in front of them or not in front of them - they turn into [those categorized as] heretics (apikorsim), who do not have a share in the world to come. And likewise, is not the destruction of the four groups (see Sota 42a) from the sin of their mouth and the word of their lips? It is all like it will be explained in this chapter. Therefore it is written (Proverbs 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

And consider how great is the sin of a man who speaks evil speech: Is their sin that they have sealed their lips and quieted their tongues from speaking words of Torah not big enough for them; that they surely [use them to] destroy with evil speech? And King David, peace be upon him, said (Psalms 119:23), “Though princes meet and speak against me, Your servant speaks out Your laws.” The explanation is that they are still from speaking out Your laws and speak evil speech and speak against me, while I am still speaking out Your laws. And our Rabbis said (Arakhin 15a) [that] the cure for evil speech - to save oneself from it - is to be involved with the Torah; as its stated (Proverbs 15:4), “A healing tongue is a tree of life,“ And this is [the meaning of] what is stated (Psalms 39:2), “I would keep my mouth muzzled, etc.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, explained (Midrash Tehillim 39) that the muzzle is involvement with Torah. And our Rabbis said (Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 721), “The Congregation of Israel is beloved by her voice and hated by her voice: She is beloved by her voice, as it is stated (Song of Songs 2:14), ‘let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet.’ And she is hated by her voice, as it is stated (Jeremiah 12:8), ‘she raised her voice against Me; therefore I have hated her.’” And this is [the meaning of] what is stated (Proverbs 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.” And its explanation is: “Those who love it will eat its fruit” - and one who loves the tongue, and that is a man that always wants to talk, for him the proper counsel is that he should, “eat its fruit.” That is, he should not speak idle words but rather words of Torah, wisdom and ethics and the bringing of peace between a man and his fellow; justify the [actions of] the masses; praise the good; disparage the evil; and be zealous about the truth. For there is no end to the merits that he can acquire for himself with his tongue. And [it is] as we discussed earlier, that life is in the tongue.

And the sixth section: The complainer - King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 18:8), “The words of the complainer are like mitlahamim; and they enter the innards of one’s belly.” Its explanation is that a complainer is a man whose way and whose nature is to always complain, get angry and find (movements) [pretexts] about this fellow, regarding his actions and his words - even though his fellow is innocent towards him, and did him no harm in anything. And he judges everything unfavorably, and not favorably; and anything inadvertent he makes volitional. And he surely makes himself like the oppressed and beaten, and as if the sin of his fellow is heavy upon him; whereas he is the hitter and the beater, as his words “enter the innards of one’s belly.” For the one who places complaints in front of his fellow when he did not touch him and only did good to him brings a storm to the heart. And behold he is like one who throws darts that “enter the innards of one’s belly.” The word mitlahamim is [spelled] inverted, [and is as if it were] mithalmim (they are beating); [and like the inversion of] simlah [and] salmah. And it is like the usage (in Proverbs 23:35), “they beat me (halamuni), but I was unaware.” And it is as if he was saying, “It is like the words of the complainer, they are beating me.” And his saying, “They are beating,” in the plural, is because the complainer includes [all] complainers - like (in Jeremiah 11:15), “the sacral flesh will pass away from you” (which is in singular, but refers to the many); [and] (Isaiah 45:8), “triumph sprout.”
King Solomon, peace be upon him, also said (Proverbs 16:28), “and a complainer separates his friend.” He means to say that he separates his friend and his companion from himself, as they cannot endure his friendship. And our Rabbis said (Derekh Eretz Zuta 9), “Do not proliferate complaints, so that you will not come to sin.” And many times, the complainer will be ungrateful for the good and will even consider it bad, so he will return the good with bad. And it is stated (Proverbs 17:13), “He who repays good with evil will not have evil leave his home.” And sometimes he will think about God’s kindnesses, that they are for vengeance and retribution - like that matter that is stated, (Deuteronomy 1:27), “You sulked in your tents and said, ‘It is because the Lord hates us that He brought us out, etc.’” Hence, distance yourself from the path of the complainers, for they have twisted their paths - anyone who walks in it will not know peace. Rather teach your tongue to judge favorably, and justice will be the girdle of your loins.

He who has the trait of impudence commits sins in great quantities and yet considers himself righteous. And it is in this vein that we confess our sins by declaring, "We are not impudent and stiff-necked to say before Thee O Lord our Lord 'We are altogether righteous and we have not sinned.' " And this is a very wretched and evil quality — one who is wicked and yet says "I have not sinned." And for this the Holy One, Blessed is He, judges him and has no mercy upon him, as it is written: "Behold I will enter into judgment with you because you say 'I have not sinned' " (Jer. 2:35). And He has said: "He that covers his transgressions shall not prosper, but who so confesses and forsakes them shall obtain mercy" (Prov. 28:13). And this path of the hard and impudent is far indeed from the paths of repentance. And of the harlot it is said in Proverbs 7:13: "With an impudent face she said to him…". This quality is very evil, for it brings man to shaming his companion and the poor, as it is said: "The poor pleads but the rich answer impudently" (Prov. 18:23). And how much more evil is it when he shames his teachers and acts impudently towards them, and hardens his neck to those who rebuke him because of his excessive rudeness — then this evil quality can remove him from the world. It is proper that a man should far remove any touch of impudence from his soul.

And likewise should he put fasts, tears and abstaining himself from delights in the place of afflictions - as it is stated (Psalms 109:24), “My knees give way from fasting; my flesh is lean, has lost its fat.” And it is stated (Joel 2:12), “Turn back to Me with all your hearts, and with fasting, weeping, and lamenting.” And he should always sigh from the bitterness of his heart, as we mentioned in the first Gate about repentance. And he will place the abundance of bitterness in the place of afflictions, as it is stated (Proverbs 18:14), “A man’s spirit can sustain (yekhalkel) him through illness; but low spirits - who can bear them?” The explanation is that when the body becomes sick, the soul will sustain it [during ] its sickness - from the usage (in Malachi 3:2),“But who can bear (mekhalkel) the day of his coming?” [Here] it means to say - help the body and sustain it by speaking to its heart and comforting it to accept [difficulties] and to carry [them]. But when the soul is sick and low from grief and worry, who will console the soul, and who will hold it up and sustain it? Behold, worry and bitterness of the heart are heavier than sickness of the body - for the soul sustains the body in its sickness; whereas when the soul is sick and low from its grief, the body will not sustain it.
So if you find the sinner suffering, [with] troubles happening to him, justifying his judgement and accepting the rebuke with love - this will be a shield for him from the many afflictions that would be fit to come upon him. [It is] as it is stated (Psalms 76:11), “The rage of men shall acknowledge You, when You gird on the remnant of fury.” Its explanation is, when the pain of a man acknowledges You - meaning that a man acknowledges You at the time of his pain. It is from the usage (Job 6:2), “If my anger were surely weighed” - the meaning [of anger, like rage in Psalms 76:11,] is pain. “The remnant of fury” that had been opened to come upon the man - like the content of (I Kings 20:11), “Let not him who girds on his sword boast like him who opens it!” - gird and hold them back and do not bring them upon him. And this is by way of a comparison to one who opens his sword, but [then] returns it to its sheath. And it is stated (Isaiah 12:1), “Although You were wroth with me, Your wrath has turned back and You comfort me.” And likewise about the matter of acknowledgement for the good, it is stated (Psalms 52:11), “I praise You forever, for You have acted; I will hope in Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your faithful ones.” Its explanation is - I will praise You for the good that You have done with me; and because of this, I will hope for the constancy of Your goodness. And it is stated (Psalms 116:13), “I will raise the cup of slavations and call out in the name of the Lord”; (Psalms 116:3-4) “I came upon trouble and sorrow. And I invoked the name of the Lord.”
And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Midrash Tehillim 79) about the matter of that which is written (Psalms 3:1), “A song of David, when he fled,” “‘Justice done is a joy to the righteous’ (Proverbs 21:15) - the trait of the righteous is to pay their debts and to sing to the Holy One, blessed be He. [There is a relevant] parable about a housholder that had a sharecropper, and that sharecropper was in debt to him. That sharecropper [then] made a threshing floor [from his produce], gathered it together and made a pile. The householder came and took the pile, and the sharecropper entered his house empty-handed. But he was happy that he entered empty-handed. They said to him, ‘You left your threshing floor with your hands on your head (empty), and you are happy?’ He said to them, ‘Even so, the bill is [now] cancelled; I have paid my debt.’”

Shlomo further said: "also he who is slack in his work is a brother to the destroyer" (Mishlei 18:9). For even though this person is not a destroyer who commits evil directly with his own hands, don't think he is far removed from being one. On the contrary, he is the destroyer's brother and his comrade.

The fifth quality is laziness. This is an evil quality which nullifies the worship of God. For the lazy man does not complete any of his tasks, and therefore the worship of a lazy person is not complete, for he is too lazy to fulfill all of the conditions of the service to God. And know that laziness comes from folly, and from weakness of the will, and from little knowledge, because the man does not know what benefit will come to him from the worship of God, may He be extolled. Laziness may afflict him because of his lack of envy for the alert ones who occupy themselves with the worship of God. Therefore, every intelligent person should guard himself against this quality and seek ways of removing it from his being. And let him envy his companions who exert themselves day and night in the service of God, may He be extolled. For no one who is not alert in his worship will attain benefit from it. Anyone who is slack in his work will destroy it, as it is said (Proverbs 18:9), “Even one that is slack in his work is brother to him that is destroyer.”

Before beginning a deed: that one not allow a Mitzva to become delayed (lit. Chametz).

Rather when the time of its performance comes, or when it happens to present itself to him, or when the thought of performing it enters his mind, he should hurry and hasten to seize hold of it and perform it, and not allow time to go by in between. For there is no danger like its danger. Since, behold each new second that arises can bring with it a new impediment to the good deed.

I reiterate my request that you guide your sons and daughters with words of kindness and Mussar that will find a place in their heart. This is true especially if we merit to arrive in Eretz Yisrael, because one must be extra cautious to follow Hashem's ways there. Therefore, train them well, since one must work hard on one's speech and character traits, and only through good habits can we control ourselves (Shaarey Teshuvah). All beginnings are hard (Mechilta Yisro). But afterwards, one is worthy of praise (Mishlei 20:14). For the wicked person knows that he is taking the wrong path, but it is hard for him to change. But this is man's main task, not to go after his desires, but (Tehillim 32:9) "to restrain himself with a bit and bridle when he is being groomed." Man must deprive himself until he dies, not by fasting or asceticism, but by controlling his mouth and desires. This is teshuvah. And this is the whole reward of the World-to-Come, as it is written (Mishlei 6:23): "For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is a light" - but "the way to life is the rebuke that disciplines." And that is worth more than any amount of fasting and self-affliction! For every second that man controls his tongue, he merits some of the "hidden [by Hashem for the righteous] light," something which no angel or [other] creature can imagine (Midrash). And it is stated (Tehillim 34:13,14): "Who is the man who desires life, and loves days that he may see good? Guard your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceitfully." This will atone for any sin and save one from Gehinnom, as we find (Mishlei 21:23): "He who guards his mouth [from too much eating and drinking] and tongue [from idle words] guards himself from trouble." Also (ib. 18:21): "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." Woe to one who gives away his life for one word! Then what advantage is there to one who has a tongue (see Koheles 10:11)? And, "Everything has a cure except, etc." It is most important to refrain from speaking words of praise about anyone. How much more so does this apply to speaking ill of anyone! Why must one speak about others? "The mouth that speaks strangely is a deep pit; he who angers Hashem falls into it" (Mishlei 22:14).

Generosity is that trait through which man can attain great heights; when dedicated to the good it is indeed most praiseworthy. By means of this quality, one may attain many lofty heights in this world and in the world to come, as it is said, "A man's gifts maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men" (Prov. 18:16). Because of his gifts, kings and nobles will love him and so will every man. There is nothing in the world like generosity for getting the world to love you, and even in the world to come the generous man will receive a good reward because of his gifts.

There are times when silence is good, as when divine justice strikes against a man, as in the case of Aaron, as it is written, "And Aaron held his peace" (Lev. 10:3). If a person hears people reviling him, he should be silent. And this is a great quality, to be silent in the face of one's revilers. And one should also accustom himself to be silent in the synagogue, for this is modesty and it requires great alertness properly to direct his heart in prayer. And if one is sitting among the wise he should be silent and listen to their words, for when he is silent, he hears what he does not know, but when he speaks he does not add anything to his knowledge. However, if he is doubtful as to the meaning of the words of the wise he should ask them, for to be silent in such a case is very bad: King Solomon said, "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Eccl. 3:7) — there are times when speaking is good and there are times when silence is good. And the wise man said, "When you do not find a man who can teach you morality, then cleave to silence lest you speak folly." And since the tongue is very facile, one must take care to make it heavy, to guard it so that it does not speak. An abundance of words is like a heavy burden, and the weight of many words is more difficult to bear than the weight of much silence. And if a man hears his neighbor speaking he should be silent until he finishes, "He that giveth answer before he heareth, it is folly and confusion unto him" (Prov. 18:13).

Then too, if a person is silent, others can reveal secrets to him, for inasmuch as he is not accustomed to speak much he will not reveal the secret. Moreover, it is not his habit to indulge in gossip, and concerning this it is said, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21), for a man can do more harm with his tongue than he can with a sword. For a man can stand here and yet betray his companion, who is a long distance from him, and cause his death (by his word), while the sword can only slay someone who is near it. Therefore man was created with two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and one mouth to say to him that he ought to speak less. Silence is fitting for the wise, and thus all the more so for fools. "A fence around wisdom is silence" (Aboth 3:13). "There is no better medicine than silence" (Megillah 18a).

But there are times when silence can be evil, as it is written, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes" (Prov. 26:5). With respect to words of the Torah, if a person sees that the fools are scorning the words of the wise, he should answer in order to turn them back from their errors so that they do not imagine themselves wise in their eyes. If a man sees another man committing a transgression, he should protest and reprove him. And long ago Solomon said, "A soft answer turneth away wrath" (Prov. 15:1), "and a soft tongue breaketh the bone" (Prov. 25:15). Therefore, a man should accustom himself to speak gently and not harshly. And be careful to guard your tongue like the apple of your eye, for "A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul" (Prov. 18:7). And it is further written, "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles" (Prov. 21:23). And it is said, "Oh, that ye would altogether hold your peace! And it would be your wisdom" (Job 13:5). And if you are sitting in a group, it is better that they should say to you, "Speak, why are you so silent?" than that you should speak and your words become such a burden to them that they finally say to you, "Be silent!"

We have an allusion to this in Psalms 131. David testifies that though he had certainly attained a measure of understanding about the ways of G–d, this had not been a cause for him to become proud or haughty. In this Psalm the words לא גבה לבי allude to the שלימות הגוף, whereas the following words ולא רמו עיני allude to the שלימות הממון, seeing that it is the eye which is usually the cause of greed for money. The last words ולא הלכתי בגדולות refer to the שלימות הנפש. It means that David did not seek out merits which were beyond his ability to achieve, and when he was granted them he did not boast about such achievements. When our sages report that any halachic ruling made by David was always accepted as final this may have been the reward for his humility.

In one's speaking: our sages, of blessed memory, said: "one should always speak with other people in a gentle manner" (Yomah 86a). This is stated explicitly in scripture: "the words of the wise are heeded [when spoken] gently" (Kohelet 9:17). One's words should be of honoring [others] not of belittling them. Likewise scripture says: "he who belittles his fellow lacks sense" (Mishlei 11:12), and "when the wicked comes, there also comes contempt" (Mishlei 18:3).

Just as contempt is associated with the wicked, as in the verse we mentioned earlier "When a wicked man comes, there also comes contempt" (Mishlei 18:3), so is honor associated with the righteous. For honor resides with them and does not separate from them, and it is written: "and before his elders there is honor"(Isaiah 24:23).

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).

We have already seen that Moses, the greatest man that ever lived, was also the most humble.

You can see clearly that most high officials and kings or other people in positions of power, regardless of their rank, stumble and become corrupted by the flattery of their subordinates.

As to that which our Sages said, that "One sin quenches a commandment, but one sin does not quench the whole Torah" (Sotah 21a), as it is said, "For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is a light" (Prov. 6:23) — this applies to one who commits a sin by chance, but not to one who completely throws off the yoke of warning against a sin. And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "The congregation of Israel is beloved for its voice" (Shohar Tov, 39a), as it is said, "Let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice" (Cant. 2:14). And it is also hated for its voice, as it is said, "She hath uttered her voice against Me, therefore have I hated her" (Jer. 12:8). From this we can conclude that "life and death are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21). And it is said, "And those who love her will eat her fruit" (ibid.). This means that one who loves the tongue, that is to say a man who loves to speak constantly, it is worthy and true counsel to him that he should eat of its fruit. In other words, he should not speak idle talk, but should speak words of the Torah, or words that will bring peace, or words that will teach many to do good, and he should teach them the good and keep them far from evil, and to be zealous for the truth, for there is no end to the good deeds that a man may do with his tongue. And this is the meaning of "life and death are in the power of the tongue."

It is written, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that indulge it shall eat the fruit thereof" (Prov. 18:21). There is a story about a king of Persia who became ill, and the doctors said to him, "You cannot be healed until they bring you the milk of a lioness and then we will make you a medicine that will heal you." One of the men present said, "I will bring you the milk of a lioness if you wish, but give me ten goats." The king told his servants to give them to him, and they did so. He went to a pit of lions and there was a lioness there who was giving suck to her young. The first day he stood far off and threw one goat to the lioness and she ate it. The second day he came closer to her a bit and threw her another goat, and thus did he do until he was able to play with the lioness, and he took some of her milk and started back. As he was travelling along the way, he saw in a dream that his limbs were quarrelling with one another. The leg said, "There are no limbs like us, for if we had not gone our master would not have been able to bring the milk." Then the hand said, "There is no one like us, for if we had not done our part, nothing would have happened." The brain said, "There is no one like me! If I had not given counsel, of what use would any of you have been?" Then the tongue said, "There is nobody like me. For if I had not said that we would do this thing, who would have done it?" All the limbs answered, "How dare you compare yourself with us? You are in a place of darkness, and you possess no bone like the rest of the limbs." And the tongue replied to them, "This day will you say that I rule over all of you."

The sense of touch also stands in relation to four qualities, and these are Liberality, Niggardliness, Valor, and Cowardice. Liberality in connection with touch is possible only through the action of the hand. Liberality consists in open-handedness, even as niggardliness is but close-fistedness. With regard to giving, it is said (Prov. xviii. 16), "A man's gift maketh room for him, and before great men it will lead him." Of niggardliness, it is said (Prov. xiii. 11), "He that gathereth by close hand will increase." That valor is in connection with the touch is evident from the connection between seizing hold of (something) and the hand; thus it is said (Jud. v. 26), "Her hand she put forth to the nail." In opposition to this, it is said of cowardice (Isa. xxxv. 3), "Strengthen ye weak hands"; and again (Ezek. vii. 17), "All hands shall become feeble," and so forth.

Let us now look at the legislation of the levirate marriage or its alternative חליצה, removal of the sandal from the foot of the potential second husband by the widow qualifying for such a levirate marriage. I have explained earlier that the Torah's statement that man was created in the image and form of G–d means that there is a comparison between man and G–d in seven separate areas. We explained that man, i.e. the male, possesses six of these aspects, the seventh being his wife. It is required of man that he "build" a replica or replacement of himself by employing his G–d-given assets and thus preserve the דמות of G–d granted him; should he fail to create all the conditions that facilitate procreation he would thereby become guilty of diminishing G–d's דמות. [the word must be understood as portraying that man's physical faculties represent all the physical forces G–d created in the macrocosm. (cf. Kuzari 4,25) Ed.] דמות is the "final" attribute (emanation). [In Pardes Rimonim described as דמות אדם=מלכות. Ed] It is known as תמונה, "picture," because its numerical value equals the numerical value פרצוף אדם, =501. [The word פרצוף in Kabbalistic terms generally refers to the manifestation of abstract concepts. Ed.] The "feet" of this attribute descend to the domain of death, i.e. anything which is lower than this attribute is part of the domain of death. Above that domain is Mattatron, another name for the emanation מלכות. This domain may be understood as having a lower and a higher section. The lower section is below one's loins, a part connected with death, whereas what is above the loins is connected, i.e. cleaves to the objective "good." Concerning the area above the loins we are told in Proverbs 18,22: מצא אשה מצא טוב, "he who found a (suitable) wife has found (objective) good." Anything below this dividing line of מתניו, his loins, is the domain of death.

Before explaining the meaning of the "arks," let me mention a comment by the Zohar on Proverbs 18,10: 13 מגדל עוז שם ה' בו ירוץ צדיק ונשגב, "The name of the Lord is a tower of strength; the righteous runs towards it and is elevated." The "tower" is a reference to the ark, the "righteous" is a reference to Noach. While on the subject, I shall also explain the difference between the word Migdol in Samuel II 22,51, and the alternate reading of the same word as Magdil both in Samuel and in Psalms 18,51. We are in the habit of reciting this verse at the end of saying Grace, and our sages suggested that on weekdays we should recite the version Magdil, whereas on Sabbaths and New Moons we should recite the spelling Migdol. There is a further third spelling, Migdal David in Song of Songs 4,4 כמגדיל דויד צוארך, בנוי לתלפיות, "Your neck is the Tower of David, built as a landmark."

We have explained in our commentary on בראשית, that the letter מ is an allusion to the מלאך המות, angel of death. Keeping this in mind, one may view the moral challenge of the ark i.e. מגדל, to Noach: the hope that he should be man enough when descending from the “מ” of that מגדול to become גדול, morally equivalent to what the last letter in that word גדול represents, and to thereby be able to overcome the power of the angel of death. In other words, he should fulfil the promise inherent in נח איש צדיק תמים, to be not only righteous but "perfect." The ark would then have become equivalent to the ultimate Temple, the מגדל עז, whose glory will outshine that of the previous Temples. He, Noach, would have been the צדיק that is described in Proverbs 18,10 as being elevated.

Then he should recite as he stands by the doorway beside the mezuzah in his tallis and tefillin: “Hear, O Israel, Hashem is our God, Hashem is one. O Unique and Unitary One, unify my heart to love and fear Your great, mighty and awesome Name with all my heart and soul.” Afterwards he should recite the eight verse beginning with the letter hei in Tehillim, Chapter 119 (verses 33-40). Then he should recite Mishlei 18:10, “The name of Hashem is a mighty tower, the righteous man runs into it and is protected.” And Tehillim 122:4: “The tribes of God, as a testimony for Israel to give thanks the Name of Hashem.” You recite eight verses of Tehillim 119 because they begin with the letter hei and end with the letter yud, spelling out the Name Y-h, which is the Name that served as testimony to the purity of the tribes of Israel in Egypt, as it is stated HaReuveiny (Bamidbar 26:7). [That is, when the families of Israel are listed in that passage a hei is appended to the beginning of each name and a yud to the end of each name, indicating that Hashem Himself attested to their purity].