Musar su Proverbi 31:32

Solomon was the wisest and greatest of all men. He was king over earthly and celestial beings. After he had seen every sort of activity, tried all things and made known all sorts of wisdom, he concluded all of his words by saying, "The end of every matter is fear of the Lord." And thus he began, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7), and he ends, "A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised" (Prov. 31:30).

The reason that the oral Torah is called תורה שב-על פה, is that it occupies a place in the lower Merkavot, carriers of the Divine entourage. This is the meaning of Genesis 2,10 that "from there it would be separated." [These concepts are all based on the interpretation of the word מקדם in Genesis 2,8 as referring to something that had preceded the creation of the physical universe, as stated in Pessachim 54. Ed.] Seeing that the oral Torah does not have its origin in the secluded regions of the heavens, the domain in which G–d is in total יחוד, Unity, i.e. privacy, and seeing that the oral Torah is not part of that sanctuary in the heavens, it is called על פה, [something the function of which is to communicate its content to the outside. Ed.] This entire mystical concept is called תורה שבכתב ותורה שבעל פה. The mystical relationship between the two Torahs is described in the verse שני שדיך כשני עפרים תאומי צביה (Song of Songs 4,3) Rabbi Yannai in Pessikta de Rav Kahane on Exodus 12,1: "This month shall be the head of the months for you," comments that in the verse יונתי תמתי אחת היא לאמה, ("My dove is perfect, she is unique to her mother," [this translation does not reflect the interpretation we deal with here, of course, Ed.]) the word תמתי, is to be understood as תאומתי, my twin. Each of the twins, the oral as well as the written Torah, proclaims that it is no more important than its counterpart. Seeing the written Torah is essentially a book that is concealed, emanates from regions hidden from us, the oral Torah must elucidate the hidden meanings contained in the written Torah for us. By means of the "bride," i.e. the oral Torah, the mysteries of the luminaries in the higher world become accessible. One may view the function of the oral Torah as putting a seal on the written Torah, converting something potential into something actual. The חכם הרזים, i.e. G–d Himself, alluded to this when Solomon was inspired to say in Proverbs 31,23: "Her husband has become known in the gates" (public gatherings). He means that through her acts of kindness her husband has become esteemed. The אשת חיל, woman of valor, in that chapter is none other than the oral Torah, and her husband is the written Torah. The influence of the oral Torah on the written Torah is described here. Not only this, but the holiest name of G–d has been revealed to the world through these שערי צדק. In the Midrash of Rabbi Nechunyah ben Hakanah we are told in the name of Rabbi Rechumai that Torah is the light of Israel and its lamp. How can we reconcile this with what is written in Proverbs 6,23 that נר מצוה ותורה אור, "that the commandment is a lamp, whereas the Torah is light," and we conclude that נר, "lamp," refers to the oral Torah, whereas אור, "light," refers to the written Torah? Why does this Midrash reverse the relative importance of "light and lamp?" Let us explain this by means of a parable. A lamp is able to penetrate with its light to the furthest corner of any room inside a house. However, even the greatest light in the outside world cannot illuminate certain hidden corners inside a house that are covered by shade. The only way such corners can be lit up is if the light of a lamp shines upon those areas. Similarly with the oral Torah. Even though the oral Torah is only comparable to a "lamp" when compared to the great "light" of the written Torah, the written Torah needs that lamp in order to illuminate the hidden recesses that the light of the written Torah cannot reach. The "hidden recesses" referred to are certain queries that arise from the wording of the text." So far the comments of the Tolaat Yaakov.

Behold, wine causes one to become a scoffer and a mocker and to be riotous and quarrelsome. And everyone who transgresses through it is not very wise. Our teacher, Moses Maimonides wrote : "A gathering for drinking intoxicating liquor deserves greater shame among you that when naked people gather exposing their nakedness. And drunkenness is an evil deed for it causes one to lose the intelligence which the Lord, may He be Blessed, breathed into man's nostrils." In truth, the drinking of wine is very good if one drinks like an intelligent person, as under the circumstances and in the manner of which Solomon said : "Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish and wine to the bitter in soul. Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more" (Prov. 31:6-7). And more is said about wine: "Wine which cheers God and man" (Judges 9:13). And it is written : "And wine that makes glad the heart of man" (Ps. 104:15). Also Scripture says : "For thy love is better than wine" (Ecel. 1:2), and it also is said : "And the roof of thy mouth is like the best wine" (Ibid. 7:10).

It is also the way of the righteous to be zealous for Hashem whenever they see a desecration of His Name or the evil deeds of the wicked. And although it may cause them to face persecution and even death, they refuse to show the wicked a smiling countenance but only one of displeasure, so that they will understand on their own that their actions find no favor in their eyes. It pains them that the wicked incite Hashem’s anger. In their hearts they pray that the hearts of the wicked will be transformed and inclined towards the way of awe. Thus it is the duty of all who are faithful in their service of Hashem to admonish the wicked and to be pained whenever they witness or hear of the deeds of the wicked. This is explained in the Zohar (ibid. 238b-240b): Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Yitzchak were traveling together along the road. Rabbi Yehudah said: “It is written, ‘She will not be afraid for her household on account of the snow, for her entire household is dressed in crimson’ (Mishlei 31:21). Our colleague Rabbi Chizkyahu has explained this as follows: The punishment of the wicked in Gehinnom lasts for twelve months. During half of them he is punished with heat, while during the other half he is punished with snow. When they enter the fire they say, “This is surely Gehinnom!” But when they enter the snow they say, “This is the cool of winter!” And they rejoice, saying, “We are content, for after the judgment in fire we have come to cool off in a cold place.” What they do not realize is that the snow is a continuation of their judgment. There they suffer terrible and bitter punishments. But lest it should occur to someone that Israel will also endure punishment in the snow, for this reason it is written, “She will not be afraid for her household on account of the snow, for her entire household is dressed in crimson.” Do not read, “dressed in crimson (shanim)” but in “two” (shnayim; that is, they perform the commandments in pairs) — circumcision and pri’ah (the tearing of the membrane underlying the foreskin), tzitzis and tefillin, mezuzah and the Chanukah lamp … .

Yalkut Shimoni on Proverbs 31,30: שקר החן והבל היופי, אשה יראת ה' היא תתהלל, "Grace is deceptive, beauty is vain, a G–d fearing woman is the woman who is truly praiseworthy," explains the words שקר החן as applying to the grace of Noach, i.e. "Noach found favour, grace;" the words הבל היופי are taken to refer to the beauty of the original Adam, whereas אשה יראת ה' היא תתהלל is applied to Moses. [The Yalkut goes on to explain that the reason prophets are compared to women is that they do not feel ashamed to ask G–d for Israel's material needs, just as a wife is not ashamed to ask her husband. Ed.].

The mystical dimension of true אמונה, faith, is the striving to re-unite (make whole) the Holy Name which embraces all aspects of the highest spiritual domain, אצילות. We have explained that G–d's Ineffable Name is spelled either as י-ה-ו-ה when written, or as א-ד-נ-י when read, and that it "resides" in His היכל קדשו הס מפניו כל הארץ, Holy Sanctuary, and that the whole Earth is ordered to be silent in His Presence (Habbakuk 2,20). The numerical value of this Sanctuary in the Heavens, היכל, is 65, the same as the numerical value of אדנ"י. We know that in our world we try to emulate what goes on in Heaven. It follows that the Tabernacle or Temple on earth is also the abode of G–d's Holy Name. This is the reason that no sword i.e. metal tool, instrument of potential death, was allowed to be used in its construction. The sword brings to mind Samael, the very concept that the Temple is designed to banish from earth. It is also clear why ערוה, nakedness, must not be displayed wholly or partially within the confines of the Holy Temple. The latter symbolises the אשה זונה, the harlot, whereas the Temple symbolises the אשת חיל the woman of valour as described by Solomon in Proverbs chapter 31. In the Temple the High Priest is therefore able to express our attachment to G–d by pronouncing His Ineffable Name in holiness and purity on the Day of Atonement. While it is true that the Torah (Exodus 20,21) has stated: בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבא אליך וברכתיך, "I shall come to you and bless you in any place that I allow My name to be mentioned," the meaning is not that we may mention His name in any place of our choosing. The Torah was careful not to write: "in any place where you choose to mention My name."

Therefore a mother must be sure to guide her children along the path of virtue, and let her not have pity on them when the teacher or her husband strikes them. Let every woman learn from Batsheva, wife of King David and mother of King Shlomo. Batsheva beat her son King Shlomo personally after he once overslept until the third hour of the day with the keys to the Holy Temple beneath his head (Vayikra Rabbah, 12:5). This is alluded to in the verse, “The words of Lemuel who was chastised by his mother” (Mishlei 31:1). Fortunate are the husband and wife who guide their children along the straight and virtuous path. Then they will merit upright offspring and will have cause to rejoice in this world and the next.

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.