잠언 10:35의 Musar

His table and his bed shall be clean and all things that pertain to him shall be clean. His own body or person shall be clean not loathesome and he should be careful to wash his face, hands and feet and all his body at frequent times. As we find that "When Hillel the elder took leave of his disciples they said to him, 'Whither you go?' And he said to them, 'To fulfill a precept!' Then they asked him. 'Which precept is Hillel about to fulfill?' He said to them, 'To bathe in the bathhouse.' They asked, 'Is this a precept?' He said to them, 'Yes! If you consider that the statues of kings which are set up in theatres and circuses are scrubbed and cleaned by the one delegated to this task, and this man receives sustenance for this and is among the honored men of the kingdom, should we who are created in the image of God (Gen. 9:6) have less regard for our bodies?' " (Leviticus Rabbah 34:3).

The seventeenth principle is to seek [to do] actions of kindness and truth, as it is stated (Proverbs 16:6), "Iniquity is atoned by kindness and truth; and evil is shunned through fear of the Lord." And now reflect upon the secret of this verse. For surely if the sinner has not repented to God, his sin will not be atoned by doing kindness - as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:17), "who shows no favor and takes no bribe." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, explained (Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 947) that [this means] that He will not take the bribe of [the fulfillment of] a commandment, to forgive and pass over iniquities. And they also said (Bava Kamma 50a), "Anyone who states that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is forgoing will have his life foregone." Rather He is slow to anger. But if they do not obey, he measures [the punishment] of their actions into their laps. Rather [regarding] that which King Solomon, peace be upon him, said, "Iniquity is atoned by kindness and truth" - he was speaking about a penitent. For there are sins that repentance and Yom Kippur suspend, but afflictions absolve, as will be explained in the fourth chapter. But behold that kindness protects the sinner from afflictions, since it also surely saves him from death, as it is written, (Proverbs 10:2) "but righteousness (tsedekah, which can also mean, charity) saves from death." However there is yet an iniquity - and that is the iniquity of the desecration of [God's] name - which repentance and afflictions suspend but death absolves, as it is stated, (Isaiah 22:14), "This iniquity shall never be forgiven you until you die." But behold when a person makes efforts to support the truth, follow it through, be aroused by its words, present its light in the eyes of people, strengthen the hands of the men of truth and uplift their heads and to denigrate the circles of falsehood and bring them to the dirt - behold, these are the ways of sanctification of [God's] name, of majesty and beauty to His faith and worship in the world and of strength and splendor to the holiness of his Torah. Therefore in the increase of his actions to sanctify God, to arouse the truth and to set it up and assist it, he is forgiven the iniquity of the desecration with his repentance - with his placement of the truth across from the sin of the desecration, the measure of his repentance corresponding to the measure of his sin. This is the explanation of, "Iniquity is atoned by kindness and truth."

[And according to the words of Rav, the words of the verse (Psalms 62:13) are well explained, viz.: “And Yours, O L-rd, is kindness; for You pay a man according to his works.” For many ask: “What kindness is there in the L-rd’s bestowing good for the fulfillment of his mitzvoth?” But according to this [interpretation of Rav], it is well understood. For it is known that if one would, with his wisdom, invent a machine with which the builders could build a city in one day, and news of this came to the king, he [the inventor] would certainly find favor in his eyes, and he would give him a great gift according to “the king’s hand,” but it is inconceivable that he would give him those cities that his servants built with this machine and call them by his name as if he himself had built them. But in this case, through the words of Torah that one learns in this world, the creation of heaven and earth is fulfilled, as we wrote above in Chapter I. Now, in truth, did the man himself build these palaces that they should be called by his name? Is it not the Holy One Blessed be He through His power and His strength, who, in His goodness, renews the creation every day and who Himself gives power to the words of Torah that he learned to be the foundation of this thing? And even so, the Holy One Blessed be He accounts it to him as if he himself had built the celestial and terrestrial palaces. And this is Rav’s intent in “as if he himself had planted the heavens and the earth.” And it is also possible to interpret the seemingly superfluous “You” [(in the Hebrew)] in the verse [“For You pay a man according to his works,”] in the manner of the GRA on (Mishlei 10:24): “The fear of the wicked one, it will come upon him, and the desire of the righteous, He will give.” For the transgression that a man commits, it itself will punish him, wherefore the punishment has a limit, just as the transgression itself has a limit. But, for the mitzvah, the Holy One Blessed be He pays him, by Himself and in His honor, wherefore the reward is eternal, without limit, just as the Holy One Blessed be He Himself is without limit. And this is the intent of the verse: “And Yours, O L-rd is kindness; for You pay a man according to his works.” That is, You Yourself pay a man reward for the fulfillment of his mitzvoth, so that there not be a limit to his reward.

And among the things for which a person is obligated to remember the day of death is in order that he not waste [time] and his hands not falter from the service of God, may He be blessed; that he remove sleep from his eyes to toil in Torah [study] and to contemplate fear of God, to refine the traits of his soul [so as] to reach levels of fear and love; and to think thoughts of how to enhance and beatify the commandments such that his soul should be a charm and a treasure - like the matter that is stated (Proverbs 10:8), "He whose heart is wise accepts commandments." For he will know and remember that the days are short - as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:15), "The day is short, and the work is plentiful, and the laborers are indolent, and the reward is great, and the Master of the house is insistent."

And behold we shall conclude this topic with an esteemed statement of the Sages of Israel, may there memory be blessed: Hillel, peace be upon him, used to say (Avot 1:14), "If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if not now, when?" The explanation of the content is [that] if a person does not arouse his soul, what effect can reproof have? For even if they enter his heart on the day that he hears them, the impulse will forget them and drive them out of his heart, like the matter of that which was stated (Hosea 6:4) "when your goodness is like a morning cloud." And it is [also] stated (Proverbs 10:20), "The tongue of a righteous man is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little worth (kimeat)." Its explanation is that the reproof of a righteous man is pure without any dross, and his speech is chosen. But the heart of the evildoers that listen to his reproof is [only for] one instant. This is from the usage (Psalms 81:15), "then would I subdue their enemies instantly (kimeat)" - the meaning of which is, in an instant would I subdue their enemies. And [only] an understanding and refined heart is called a heart, as it is stated (Proverbs 15:32), "he who heeds reproof acquires heart"; and (Proverbs 17:16), "to purchase wisdom, when he has no heart?" Indeed, a man must arouse his heart when he hears reproof and place the things into his heart, to constantly think about them. And he should add teaching from his own heart and produce words. He should also meditate in the chambers of his spirit and repent, to turn the hand of the reproof upon himself and not just rely upon the rebuke of the rebuker. [Otherwise. that] rebuke will be like morning clouds, and for [fleeting] instants, until he takes the reproof upon himself and until he purifies himself. "But if I am for my own self [only], what am I?" Even when I am for myself and I reflect upon wisdom all the time, what am I? For the grasp of a man is short and weak. So [even] with the effort and the refinement, he will only attain a little of the virtues - see what I am and what my life is when I am not for myself, to make efforts to refine my soul. And the comparison here is to a field that is inferior. For with great toil and refinement, and with much work, it will bring out a small [amount of] seed. But if they do not toil in its refinement, it will not produce [anything] and no grass will grow in it besides thorns and brambles. However there is benefit in sowing a superior field - even if he does not toil in working it. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said about this matter (Avot D' Rabbi Natan 16), "That which it is written (Psalms 103:14), 'For He knows our formation' - there is a [relevant] metaphor of a king that gave a field to his servants and warned them to work it and guard it, and to bring him thirty kor from it each year. And they toiled on it and worked it well, but only bought five kor in front of the king. He said to them, 'What have you done?' They said to him, 'Our master, the king, the field that you gave us was inferior, and we worked it with all of our strength. But with all of the toil, it did not make more grain than this.'" "And if not now, when?" It is not appropriate for me to delay my efforts, a day or two, in refining my soul and fixing set times for Torah [study]. For if I say, "I shall hope for leisure time and until I have enough money in my hands for my needs" - behold the distractions of the world do not stop. As our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:4), "Say not, 'When I shall have leisure I shall study,' lest you will not have leisure."

Now that it has been made clear that our intent is to further the service of the Creator, blessed be He, for because of that the world was created, we say that the service of God is an obligation upon us to fulfill, both from Scripture and from reason. From Scripture, we learn that the Creator, blessed be He, created the world for no other reason than for the Torah, as it is said (Jeremiah 33:25), “If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth.” And it says further (Proverbs 3:19), “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.” And it says further (Proverbs 8:22), “The Lord made me the beginning of His way, the first of His works of old.” We can say that the service of God is an obligation upon us, for the Creator gave the Torah to Israel at Mount Sinai, only as the means to serve Him, as it is said (Exodus 20:17), “God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before you, that ye sin not.” And it is written (ibid., 3:12), “When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.” And it is said (Deuteronomy 6:13), “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; and Him shalt thou serve.” Scripture placed “fear” before “service” to teach that if there is no fear there can be no serving of God. Thus it is said (ibid., 10:12), “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God… .” Now that we know that the world was created only for the sake of the Torah, we also know that the world was created for no other purpose than the service of God. As long as service to God and righteousness stand, the world will stand upon them. As it is said (Proverbs 10:25), “But the righteous is an everlasting foundation.” Since it has been explained that the service of God is what we are obligated to do according to Scripture, we will now explain how it is derived by way of reason. We will say that it is well known that with regard to a mortal king, his kingdom is not firmly established except by the faithful service of his servants. If his servants do not serve him or fear him, then he has no sway over them, and there is no way in which his authority over them can be known. We see that such a king rewards his servants according to their service and their fear of him. If a king of flesh and blood must show his dominion and authority over his servants who are creatures such as he, and who may even be better than he, how much more is it fitting that the dominion of the Creator, blessed be He, should be apparent from our fear of Him. In what way can it be known that He is our Creator and we His servants, and that He endures forever, while we are transitory? How can we make all of this known except by doing His will and by our fear of Him? In this way, we will know what we are and what our lives are.

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:

ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף. Shemot Rabbah 20,19 comments here that someone with a wise heart chooses to perform מצות. The reference is to Moses who, while all of Israel was busy collecting silver and gold, busied himself with locating the remains of Joseph to keep the promise made to him on his death-bed that his bones would be taken for permanent burial in ארץ ישראל. We must all learn the lesson to fulfil a מצוה when it is at hand, and to desist from the pursuit of riches during the time it takes to perform the מצוה in question.

And [part of] the content of excision is the shortening of years; like the matter that is stated (Proverbs 10:27), “but the years of the wicked will be shortened.” But there is a difference in the matter of the shortening of the years between death [at the hands of the Heavens] and excision. For [in the case of] excision, the death of the person is before fifty years, whereas [in the case of] death, [it] is before sixty - like those that died in the desert. This is meaning to say, that one about whom it was decreed to live for seventy or eighty years, but became liable for death [at the hands of the Heavens], will die at less than sixty years. However there are righteous ones the [decree for which] is to have less days than sixty [years] - as they said (Taanit 5b), “One [who dies] at fifty-two years, this is the death of Samuel of Rama.” And it is stated (Numbers 4:18), “Do not let the group of Kohathite clans be cut off from the Levites.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, expounded (Yerushalmi Bikkurim 2:1) from this that excision is before fifty years. Its explanation is, let not an accident be how you cause the tribe of the Kohatites to be cut off from the service of the Levites. For if you do not guard them - that they should not come to see when the holy [vessels] are covered - they shall be excised from the service of the Levites, and will die before they are fifty years; as it is stated (Numbers 8:25), “But at the age of fifty they shall retire from the workforce, etc.”

The second section: The flatterer who praises the evildoer in front of people - whether in front of him or not in front of him - even though he does not justify him for his extortion or lie about his trial, but says about him that he is a good man. About this is it stated (Proverbs 28:4), “Those who forsake Torah praise the wicked.” For had he not forsaken the Torah, he would not have praised one who transgressed its words and breached its commandments. Even if he only praises the evildoer for that which he finds that is good about him and he defends him to people to tell them of his righteousness, but he does not mention the bad - this too is a sore evil. For in his mentioning the good and not mentioning the bad and covering up all of his transgression, he will be thought of as a righteous man by those listening and they will give him honor and elevate him. And we have already mentioned [and] let you know the stumbling blocks and the destruction that is found in honoring evildoers. Hence it is incorrect to mention their righteousness without mentioning their evil and foolishness as well, as it is stated (Proverbs 10:7), “But the fame of the wicked rots.” And it is [also] stated (Isaiah 57:12), “I hereby pronounce judgment upon your deeds; your deeds shall not help you.” The explanation is [that] your good deeds will not help to save you from your evil when you will come to judgement and in My evaluation for eternity - since the matters of your iniquities finished off [their merit]. And it is like our Rabbis said (Rosh Hashanah 16b), “One whose iniquities are greater than his merits is written and sealed for death.” And evildoers are recognizable by their speech and behavior, as we discussed earlier with you, in the Gates of the Fear of Sin (no longer extant).

And our Rabbis said (Pesachim 3a), “A person should never put out a disgraceful matter from his mouth; as a verse was distorted by eight letters rather than have it put out a disgraceful matter, as it is stated (Genesis 7:8), ‘From the pure animals and from the animals that are not pure.’” For at that time, the impure animals were permissible to eat but not pure for a sacrifice. Hence it is considered a disgraceful expression if one disgraces things that are for human food. And see that a man must be careful not to put out a disgraceful matter from his mouth - even if by his leaving it, it will bring him to speak at length and add to his statements. And it is like a fence to be careful from vulgar speech - which is one of the weighty sins. And [it is] also a fence from speaking evil speech and the placing of defects upon the creatures - as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, have said about the distancing of [disgraceful] speech (Bava Batra 123a), “The verse did not even speak in disgrace of impure animals.” And our Rabbis said (Pesachim 3b) that one of the priests said in front of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, “I received [for] my portion, the size of a lizard’s tail.” They investigated his background, and they found a trace of disqualification about him.
And our Rabbis also said (Pesachim 3a) that a person must choose an honorable phrase [instead of using] a dishonorable phrase - even if it is not disgraceful - whether it is in words of Torah or in speaking about matters of the world. And this is so long as he does not speak at length for its sake when speaking words of Torah. For a person is obligated to teach his students in a terse fashion. And the matter of honorable phrases is the path of words and speech that was tread upon by those of clean intellect and those that speak with clarity. And they weigh and know which phrase is honorable and which is its opposite, as it is stated (Job 15:5), “And you choose the language of the crafty.” And it is stated (Job 33:3), “and that which my lips know they shall speak sincerely.” And it is stated (Proverbs 1:20), “The tongue of a righteous man is choice silver.”

The impudent person is called wicked, as it is said: "A wicked man hardens his face" (Prov. 21:29). And the wicked are ugly and despicable before the Lord, Blessed He be. And the name of the wicked is ugly, as it is written: "But the name of the wicked shall rot" (Prov. 10:7). On the quality of a sense of shame it is said: "And He teaches the humble His way" (Ps. 25:9). And concerning the wicked impudent it is said: "But the way of the wicked He makes crooked" (Ps. 146:9).

And if a person transgressed [a sin that warrants] excision or a death penalty from the court and he repents: Since his iniquity is not absolved without afflictions - given that repentance suspends [the punishment], but afflictions absolve - he should prepare his heart to do the commandments that protect [him] from the afflictions, such as the commandment of charity. For it also saves from death, as it is stated (Proverbs 10:2), "but righteousness (tsedekah , which can also mean, charity) saves from death." And one who does not have money to give charity, should speak well about the poor person, so that he will be a [spokesman] for him, such that others do well by him. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 9a), “Greater is the one who causes [a commandment] to be done than one who does it.” And likewise should he involve himself with deeds of loving-kindness, to help his fellow with his counsel and his efforts. And [it is] like our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sukkah 49b), “Acts of kindness are superior to charity [...]: Charity can be performed only with one’s money, while acts of kindness can be performed both with his person and with his money. Charity is given to the poor, while acts of kindness are performed both for the poor and for the rich.” And likewise should he speak to the heart of the poor person and honor him and console him from his distress, like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 58:10), “And you offer your compassion to the hungry.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 9b) that one who appeases his fellow with words is greater than one who gives [him] charity. And likewise should he be involved in the commandments of visiting the sick, burying the dead, consoling the mourners and rejoicing the groom and bride. For all of these are from the ways of kindness.
And corresponding to all of them is the commandment of Torah study for the sake of the Heavens. And all of the counsel that we have mentioned is included in that which King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 16:6), “Iniquity is atoned by kindness and truth.” For the acquisition of Torah [knowledge] is called the acquisition of truth, as it is stated (Proverbs 23:23), “Acquire the truth and do not sell it.” And it is stated (Psalms 119:142), “and Your Torah is truth.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Vayikra Rabbah 25:1), “‘It is a tree of life to those who grasp it’ (Proverbs 3:18) - [if] a person transgressed [a sin that warrants] excision or a death penalty from the court: If he was accustomed to reading one chapter [of Mishnah] a day, he should read two chapters; if he was accustomed to reading one section [of Torah], he should read two sections.” And Torah [study] protects him from afflictions from two angles: The first is because our Sages, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 127b), “Torah study corresponds to all of [the other commandments combined].” And the second is that when he toils in Torah, exerts himself upon it and pushes away the sleep from his eyes - it is counted in place of afflictions. [It is] as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 99b), “All bodies are born for toil. Happy is one whose exertion is for Torah.” And they said (Sanhedrin 26b), “Why is the Torah called wisdom (tushiyya)? Because it weakens (mateshet) the strength of a person.”

Adam ruined this state of affairs by interfering with the סוד היין, the mystical properties of the grapes. [I suppose that this is based on the tree of knowledge having been a grape bearing tree. Ed.] He followed an evil path by squeezing a cluster of grapes (and consuming its juice). Had he not done so, that "wine" would have remained in the state of what our sages call the יין המשומר בענביו, "the wine that remained preserved within its grapes (compare Berachot 34).” In that event he would have been like "the cistern that does not lose a single drop” [hyperbole for total recall, see Avot 2,11. Ed.]. He would have retained all the holiness that had been his when he was created. When Adam sinned, he did not only lose some of his former glory, fall from a "high roof" (to the ground), but he fell into a "very deep pit" (below the ground). This was a בור רק, an empty pit [allusion to the pit Joseph had been thrown in. Genesis 37,24], since it did not even contain the ingredients for the survival of the species. The species was wiped out at the time of the deluge as a direct consequence of Adam having polluted that "drop of sacred semen," and made it "evil smelling." Due to G–d's personal intervention, Noach was saved seeing he was righteous, and the righteous are the foundation of the universe. The present universe was founded by him as a result.

ואברהם זקן בא בימים . The emphasis on the word בימים, which at first glance seems superfluous, teaches us that a person must be concerned every single day of his life to do good and not to sin. When he thinks in this vein only, every single day of his life will assume meaning. His reverence for G–d will result in his being granted more years. The years of the wicked, on the other hand, become shortened; this means that even if they live chronologically speaking for many years, the sum total of their life is short, seeing it was not filled with worthwhile activities. When Abraham is described as "aging," this means that he had made every one of his days count.

Consider the prohibition of Onaah (fraud/deceit). How easy it is for a person to be enticed (to find permits - SP) and to stumble in it (actual sin - SP). For it appears to him proper to strive to make his merchandise appear appealing to the eyes of people in order to make a profit from the toil of his hands; to try to speak to the prospective customer's heart in order to convince him (salesman talk). He will justify himself on all this citing: "some are industrious and profit" (Pesachim 50b) or "the hand of the diligent prospers" (Mishlei 10:4).

We have learned that at a time when G–d loves man He sends him a gift. What is this gift? A poor person. G–d extends this opportunity to perform a deed of loving kindness with the poor. When such a good deed has been performed by such a person, G–d provides more of a thread of חסד which originates in the 'right' side of the emanations, and He spreads this thread over the head of the person who looked after the poor. He makes a mark on that person's head so that, when judgment engulfs his environment, the executing angel should beware not to touch the individual so marked by G–d. When G–d was about to destroy Sodom, He first provided Abraham with the merit of entertaining the three angels so that through the meeting he would have a chance to save Lot his nephew by using their good services. This is the meaning of 'G–d remembered Abraham and sent Lot away from the destruction' (19,29). The Torah does not say that 'G–d remembered Lot.' He was saved by the merit of Abraham. What was it that G–d remembered? It refers to Abraham's treatment of the angels. G–d remembers the charitable deeds of a person at the time when destructive forces are allowed free reign. All these good deeds performed are recorded in Heaven. This is the meaning of וצדקה תציל ממות, 'and charity saves one from death' (Proverbs 10,2). This is why G–d arranged for Abraham to have the opportunity to perform an act of charity which could serve as an excuse to save Lot." Thus far the Zohar on the subject (Sullam edition Vayera 52).

Likewise regarding the character traits, it is necessary for him to read the teachings of mussar, whether of the early or later sages. For very often, even after one has resolved to become among the meticulously Clean, he may possibly sin in details he never attained knowledge in.

He should accustom himself to fast, but together with good deeds and almsgiving. For if one fasts and his heart is filled with deceit, there is no benefit from his fast, but only affliction, hunger, and thirst. No man should afflict his soul with fasts unless they are replete with good deeds. For good deeds and almsgiving are like the soul, while the fasts are like the body, just as we have pointed out. Therefore, a body without a soul can avail nothing. Let him accustom himself to give some alms each day. Let him give as much as he can. Every day that he gives alms, he will be confident that he will be saved from unnatural death, as it is said (Proverbs 10:2), “But the giving of alms⁴⁹Hebrew Tsedaka. This means either righteousness or charity. delivereth from death.” Or let him feed the poor at his table, for in this way he will honor his table, just as the wise man said⁵⁰Sometimes the "wise man" means a non-Jewish philosopher. This passage is discussed in the Introduction. , “When the Creator wishes to send a present to one of his pious ones, he invites a poor man to his house.”

Strolls and conversations which are not of something prohibited are certainly permitted according to the Torah. But how much neglect of Torah study (bitul Torah) is drawn after this, how much slander, how many lies, how much frivolity. And scripture says: "In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking [but he who holds back his lips is wise]" (Mishlei 10:19).

There are many people whose desire it is to take hold of the good path but they do not know what is good for them and they plan each day to attain the loftiest heights but they do not reach it in all of their days. And this circumstance arises out of two causes: First, he does not know wherein he is lacking and does not perceive clearly his ugly ways. And he is like Reuben who seeks for Simon but would not recognize him even if he saw him. Even if he should seek for him all day, he will not find him, for though he approach him several times he will not recognize him. Such is the case with this man. Even though he always thinks about what he ought to do and seeks to do the good deed he will not attain it for he does not know what he lacks. And there is a man who knows the bad qualities he possesses and plans to abandon them and take hold of good qualities. This man, too, will never attain the righteous path. For he is too lazy to seek out the good qualities properly. And he is like Reuben who seeks Simon and does know him and nevertheless does not find him because he does not seek him in the proper manner. And concerning this type of man, it is said: "The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver" (Prov. 10:20).

See how removed the lazy man is from good qualities, how worthless as a messenger. He is like vinegar, which is bad for the teeth, as it is said, "As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him" (Prov. 10:26). And it is said, "The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour" (Prov. 21:25). And it is said, "The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men that give wise answer" (Prov. 26:16). The meaning of this verse is as follows : There was a king who had many runners and messagers, and they all did his bidding, and they would report to the king when they returned from their errands. But one of the servants of the king was a lazy man, and he cunningly said, "I am ill!" And he rested and ate from the king's table. When he saw his companions, weary from the exertions of the journey, he considered himself wiser than all of them. But this is folly, for it is written, "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings" (Prov. 22:29). Here, too, the king rewards those who did his bidding.

The following is a quote from the commentary of the Rekanati on the subject of צדקה: "It is well known that a great many commandments are bound up with the commandment to give charity. The matter is similar to the number of organs in man's body which all depend on the soul for his survival. Some of man's organs more than others depend on the health of the central life-sustaining force. Were it not for the dispensation of charity, the poor would be forced to engage in thieving, robbery and a host of other transgressions. We have pointed out on numerous occasions that when good deeds are performed "down here" in our world, positive forces are created in the Celestial Regions. Even a small coin donated to charitable causes in our world is called צדקה. This enables the צדיק to unite with the emanation צדק [otherwise known as מלכות. Ed.] and to establish harmony with it. This is the meaning of Isaiah 32,18: והיה מעשה הצדקה שלום, ועבודת הצדקה השקט ובטח עד עולם, "For the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness calm and confidence forever." The prophet Hosea 10,12 also states: זרעו לכם לצדקה, קצרו לפי חסד, "Sow righteousness for yourselves; reap the fruits according to goodness." We have other verses such as וצדקה תציל ממות, "And (the performance of) righteousness saves from death" (Proverbs 10,2). When people sin and the earth dies out (as a result), then the "feet" of the emanation מלכות descend towards "death" and anyone who causes any damage [in the sense of spiritually undermining the basis. Ed.] to the feet of this "מלכות" will die without mercy and pity. Woe to such a time! When someone, however, causes the צדיק to be united with צדק, beneficial rainfall for the earth will result bringing life in its wake. From this we learn that he who donates to charity in our world causes acts of righteousness to be performed in the Celestial Regions. This is the mystical dimension of the statement in Proverbs 10,2 that "righteousness saves from death." Were it not for the union established with the emanation מלכות, anyone who would do something prejudicial to it would die. This is the meaning of Proverbs 16,12: כי בצדקה יכון כסא, "For a throne is firm if based on righteousness;" we have other verses in the same sense such as Isaiah 1,27: ושביה בצדקה, that the repentant sinners will be redeemed through righteousness. A similar thought is expressed in Isaiah 54,14: בצדקה תכוננו, "You shall be established through righteousness." The secret of domestic peace and harmony is also anchored in the practice of צדקה.

I have also dealt elsewhere at length with קדושת הזמן, the sanctity of time. The reason why our sages call the week שבת [not שבוע Ed.] is that they wish to exhort us to conduct ourselves every day of the week in such a way that from a spiritual point of view each day represents the essence of the idea of the Sabbath. Once we do this we cleave to a world which is totally under the aegis of the Sabbath spirit, and every one of our mundane activities thereby assumes a sacred character. It is this thought that dominates the benediction we recite at the end of the Sabbath when we refer to "G–d who makes a distinction between the holy and the profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the Gentile nations and between the seventh day and the six days allocated to work." The Gentile nations are the epitome of what is mundane or profane, as explained by Rabbenu Chananel in connection with Pessachim 103-104.I have discussed this in connection with Proverbs 10,27: יראת ה' תוסיף ימים, "The fear of the Lord prolongs one's days."

Silence is one of the virtues mentioned in Ethics of the Fathers. Rabbi Simon, the son of Gamliel, said, "All my days I grew up among the Sages, and I have found nothing better for a person than silence" (Aboth 1:17). And thus said king Solomon, "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise" (Prov. 17:28). And the wise man said, "When I speak, my speech rules over me, for when I utter something that is not worthy, that utterance rules over me and forces me at times to beg the pardon of whoever has heard me, but when I do not speak I rule over whether I want to give expression to a thought or whether I want to conceal it." Our Sages said (Yalkut Shimoni, Beha'alotkha) : Two advocates stood before Hadrian; one taught that speech was best and one taught that silence was best. The king said to the one who taught that speech is best, "Why do you say this?" And he said to him, "My Lord, if it were, not for speech how would kings be proclaimed? How would ships sail to the sea? How would kindness be done to the dead by way of eulogy? How would brides be praised? How would business be carried on in the world?" At once, King Hadrian said to him, "Well have you spoken!" Then he said to the one that taught that silence is best, "Why have you have praised silence?" Just as the man was about to answer the first advocate interrupted him. The king said to him, "Why did you interrupt him?" said he, "My Lord, I taught from what is mine concerning what is mine, for I taught by speech the value of speech, but he comes to teach by my means, speech, concerning that which he believes in, silence. Therefore I interrupted him." Said the other advocate to him, "Solomon did not say that God would have you sit as silent as a deaf mute. But he said, 'In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression; but he that refraineth his lips is wise" (Prov. 10:19). This means that one ought to restrain himself from speaking against his fellow man. There is no one greater than Aaron or Miriam — through Miriam's merit a well sprang up and gave drink, and clouds of glory would surround Israel through the merit of Aaron. But inasmuch as they gave permission to their mouths and they spoke against Moses, they were at once punished (Num. 12).

A parable will illustrate this (Deut. Rabbah 3:3). There is a story about Rabbi Simon, the son of Shetah, who purchased a donkey from an Ishmaelite. His pupils went and found a precious stone hanging from the donkey's neck. They said to him, "Rabbi, 'The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich' " (Prov. 10:22). He said to them, "I purchased a donkey; — a precious stone I did not purchase." So he went and returned the gem to that Ishmaelite. And the Ishmaelite called out concerning him, "Blessed is the Lord the God of Simon, the son of Shetah." There is a similar instance in the Jerusalem Talmud (Baba Mezi'a 2:5). Some mise men of old purchased wheat from heathens, and found in this wheat a bundle of money, and they returned the money to them, and the heathens said, "Blessed is the God of the Jews." And similarly there are many stories of people who restored an object to sanctify the name of God.

But in honoring the wicked there is a profanation of the Torah and of God's service, and this is a transgression that wears away flesh and bone. Then again, many may be drawn to do similarly and they receive retribution, and in this vein the Sages said, "Woe to the wicked, woe to his neighbour" (Nega'im 2:6). Moreover, in honoring the wicked the honor of the righteous is brought low, and there is no honor to the righteous except after the degradation of the wicked. And since there is a stumbling block to the world in the honoring of the wicked one should guard himself against speaking good of the wicked, nor should one mention them for good, as it is said, "But the name of the wicked shall rot" (Prov. 10:7). And it is written, "An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous" (Prov. 29:26). And if a man does not want to speak of the wickedness of a wicked man let him not speak of his goodness.

The seventeenth principle of repentance is to pursue deeds of kindness and truth, as it is said, "By mercy and truth iniquity is expiated" (Prov. 16:6). But if the sinner does not return to the Lord, Blessed be He, then his sin will not be atoned for by kindly deeds alone, as it is said, "Who regardeth not persons, nor taketh rewards" (Deut. 10:17). And the Sages interpreted this to mean that God will not take the bribe of a good deed in order to forgive the wrongs (see Yalkut Shimoni on Proverbs, item 947). And this verse, "In mercy and truth, iniquity is expiated," applies to those who are truly repentant. For there are transgressions which repentance and the Day of Atonement hold in suspense and which are cleansed by affliction. And behold in such a case the kindness of the sinner will protect him and guard him from troubles and will also save him from death. As it is said, "But righteousness delivereth from death" (Prov. 10:2). And then there is the sin of profaning the Name of God, and in this, repentance and the Day of Atonement and even affliction hold everything in suspense, and only death cleanses a person, as it is said, "Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till ye die" (Is. 22:14). And when a man tries to hold the truth in his hand and strengthens the hands of men of truth and lifts their heads and degrades the men of falsehood and causes them to reach the dust — these are ways of sanctifying the Name of God. And if a man is aroused to possess the quality of truth, then his sin of profanation will be forgiven him at the time of repentance.

And the verse in Proverbs 24:30-31 — "I went by the field of the slothful, and the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and lo, it was all grown with thistles, the face thereof was covered with nettles, and the stone thereof was broken down" — was expounded by our Sages as follows (Aboth de-Rabbi Nathan, chap. 24) : He who does not constantly review his Talmud will at first forget the chapter headings, then he will change the words of the Sages, and finally he will say of unclean that is clean and of clean that is unclean, and thus he destroys the world. We thus see that he who does not constantly review his studies cannot declare the Law properly, but errs because he cannot decide between the many teachings. And it is said (Midrash Prov. 10:1) : Rabbi Ishmael said, "Come and see, how severe is the Day of Judgment ! For the Holy One, Blessed be He, will in the future judge all the world in the Valley of Jehosephat; and when a scholar comes before him, He will say to him, 'Did you occupy yourself with Torah?' Then he will say to Him, 'Yes.' Then the Holy One, Blessed be He, will say to him, 'Since you have admitted this before Me, tell Me what you have read, what you have studied, and what you have heard in the academy?' It is on this basis that our Sages said, 'Everything that a man has read should be at his fingertips, so that shame and humiliation will not overtake him on the Day of Judgment.' "

Just as the inhabitants of the land of Canaan had "lost their shadow," so the ten spies now lost their own shadow and died without being under G–d's protective shadow. Bamidbar Rabbah, 16,4, says concerning the verse in Proverbs 10,26, "As vinegar is to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy man to those who send him on a mission," that this describes the mission of the spies. We also read in Proverbs 6,6, "Go to the ant, you lazybones, study its ways and wise up!" Ants love the shade. These men lost their shade. The intent of the spies had been that Israel should become lazy in realizing its objective of inheriting the land of Canaan. Their purpose had been to remain in their position longer. The allusion of the Midrash to the verse in Proverbs is then quite appropriate.

We read in the Talmud Shabbat 111a, that someone who has a toothache should not sip vinegar on the Sabbath, since it is good as a remedy. The Talmud queries this by quoting the verse in Proverbs 10,26, as proof that vinegar is not only no remedy, but on the contrary, is harmful. The Talmud there answers that it depends on the kind of vinegar. If it is made from unripe grapes, it is indeed harmful, otherwise it is beneficial.

We have learned in Avot 4,21, that "jealousy, lust, greed, and ego (i.e. the desire for public recognition) drive man from this world." These very negative virtues had driven Adam from the world. There was the jealousy of the serpent of Adam possessing Eve, its pursuit to gratify its lust, and the pursuit of ego, i.e. Adam and Eve wanted to usurp the unique place of G–d in the universe, since they responded to the lure והייתם כאלוקים, "you will be like G–d." Eve had squeezed out a cluster of grapes, ate it, found that they were unripe. This suggests that in this material world one must not pursue honor. Honor will be inherited by the scholars in the world to come. At that time what is written in Isaiah 24,23: "G–d's Presence will be revealed to His elders," will be fulfilled. This is what is meant when the sages describe יין המשומר, "well aged wine," as being part of the reward in store for the righteous in the future. Concerning what happens to the wicked at that time, it is written in Malachi 3,19: "For lo! that day is at hand, burning like a furnace.. All the arrogant and doers of evil shall be straw, etc." It also says in Samuel II 22,9: "smoke rose from His nostrils," i.e. when G–d was angry, and burned those whom He was angry at." Since we have shown that what happens on earth has its counterpart in the heavens, the Torah reports that the season the spies were dispatched was when the grape harvest commences on earth, i.e. a hint that many grapes are not ripe yet. The spies ignored the items mentioned in Avot as destructive. They ate unripe grapes, i.e they were greedy, they were concerned with their own honor and glory, hence they had to suffer what is described in Proverbs 10,26.

Afterwards, as a result of Bileam "walking" i.e. setting out on an errand that was meant to harm the Jewish people, G–d transformed the intended curses into blessings in inverse ratio to the wickedness intended by him. As Solomon says in Proverbs 10,24: "The fear of the wicked will come upon him; the desire of the righteous will be granted." When Bileam next announces "ואדעה מה יוסף ה' דבר עמי," "I will know what else G–d will speak to me" (22,19), he is already inadvertently hinting that he will become the instrument by means of which G–d will bless Israel. An example of this additional blessing can be seen in the words "how goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwellings O Israel." Whereas, originally the blessing was valid only while Israel was secure in its land, the additional words referring to temporary abodes of Israel, i.e. משכנותיך, include periods during which Israel will be exiled (24,5). The very exile is a source of blessing, since it produces repentance and subsequently a rejuvenation of the Jewish people. This is why the name Jacob, and the temporary nature of the dwellings called "huts," is associated with the former temporary residence of the Jewish people, on their own land, whereas "Israel," the choicest of names for this people, as well as "dwellings," is employed when it describes-paradoxically,-its state of exile. The Talmud in Baba Metzia 68a, in trying to define a mortgage which is called in Aramaic mashkanta, a word resembling the Hebrew Mishkan, dwelling, describes it as something that constantly “dwells” with the owner of the field against which a loan has been made. The constant awareness of one's dependence acts as a spur to rid oneself of such an obligation. The exile experience of the Jewish people is meant to do the same, to imbue us with the urgent desire to do all in our power to become worthy of redemption. At that time G–d's promise (Leviticus 26,11) ונתתי משכני בתוככם "I will give My dwelling to be in your midst," will be fulfilled. The destruction of the Temple and the Jewish state was a necessary prelude to building a better Jewish nation. This is the meaning of the prophecy וירד מיעקב והאביד שריד מעיר, "A victor will issue forth from Jacob to wipe out what is left of ‘lr’" (24,19). Bileam saw a vision of the greatness of the Messiah, someone greater than himself. What he did not appreciate was that purity could be rooted in impurity, just as Abraham came forth out of a Terach. When the Messiah arrives, the last vestiges of the dross remaining from former efforts at distilling the pure out of the impure will vanish. The מלאך רע, "evil angel," who is personified by Bileam, had to acknowledge this, i.e. say Amen" to this concept. Bileam expanded on this theme of redemption when he said: "What I see for them is not yet, what I behold will not be soon" (24,17). He seems to be repeating himself. Another difficulty in Bileam's words is the fact that they seem to be contradictory. First he says: "I can see it," suggesting a clear vision, whereas immediately afterwards he describes this as in the distant future, i.e. not being so clear. What is meant is that every single day that passes contains elements of the eventual total Redemption. This is what Bileam realises clearly. What he does not see so clearly is the date on which this process will be complete. Our Rabbis have described this process as "a single sheep resides amongst seventy wolves. These wolves attempt daily to devour the sheep, but the Almighty saves it from their clutches," as in Pessikta Rabbah 9,2. The very fact that the Jewish nation continues to exist is part of the proof that the Redemption is an ongoing process. G–d is busy performing such miracles without the person for whom such miracles are being performed even becoming aware of them. This is why Bileam says "I see it," i.e. as an ongoing process, "but not now," i.e. the true Redemption, the arrival of the Messiah, has not yet come to pass. Subsequently, Bileam turns to the vision of the Redemption, of which he says: "I see it, but not in the near future." He reveals that there is a date that G–d has fixed for it, though if the people were deserving that date could be advanced. This is parallel to the explanation of the sages on the apparent paradox in Isaiah 60,22, "at its appointed time, I will hasten it." The meaning is that though there is an appointed time beyond which the Redemption will not be delayed, it may occur sooner if Israel deserves it (Sanhedrin 98a). אשורנו, means "I can see it if Israel does penitence," whereas ולא קרוב, means that if they were not worthy then that Redemption would not be in the near future. It is at that time that all previous curses will turn into blessings, for the Redemption was brought about sooner as a result of Israel responding positively to the curses it has had to suffer. We read in Deuteronomy 23,6: "G–d transformed the curse (Bileam's) into a blessing for you, for the Lord your G–d loves you." The last words seem superfluous, since no one would assume that someone who hates you turns your curses into blessings. The meaning, however, may be that repentance is "great," since it has the power to convert former misdeeds into merits. Such repentance indeed has such power when it is the result of love of G–d and not the fear of punishment. Curses may be a hidden display of G–d's love, for once they have fulfilled their purpose, they eventually enable Him to turn them into blessings. Love for G–d by the repentant sinner is reciprocated by Him so that what used to be demerits are accounted as merits retroactively.

The reference to Israel counting its days according to the solar calendar, etc., is simply a hint to the moon that it had misunderstood G–d and that a whole lifetime of seventy years may on occasion be telescoped into merely days, all depending on the opportunities that presented themselves to G–d's creature, (in this case the Israelite) to perform the commandments. In other words, under certain circumstances G–d will consider the intention as equivalent to the actual performance. In terms of the debate about the relative value of study versus peformance, this means that study is superior. Study is almost always לשמה, whereas performance may often be merely by rote, without even the intention to perform G–d's will.

In connection with the debate in the Talmud (Shabbat 55a) whether זכות אבות, reliance on the merits of our patriarchs is still effective today, and if not, when it ceased to be so, the author makes the following observations: Tosafot quote a verse proving that even nowadays, i.e. after the destruction of the second Temple, this merit has not expired, and that we mention it in our prayers in order to remind G–d of it. I believe (author) that there is a difference between someone saying: "Please remember so and so," and someone saying: "Please do not forget so and so." The opinions in the Talmud which try and determine the merit of the forefathers ceased to be effective refer to G–d no longer actively remembering the merit of the patriarchs but simply not having forgotten them. The author of our prayer therefore refers to the merits of our forefathers כלא היו, "as if they had never existed," as distinct from "never having existed, having been used up." This is the difference between אין, and כאין. The חכמים mentioned in our prayer are the twelve sons of Jacob, all of whom accumulated powerful merits, so much so that Solomon describes them as a source of joy to their father (Proverbs 10,1). We also have a verse in Proverbs 24,3: בחכמה יבנה בית, "a house is built by wisdom," which is a reference to the house of Jacob. There used to be a period when the merits of the forefathers were constantly on G–d's mind. This was when the High Priest wore the breastplate. During those years the knowledge of what G–d desired flowed to us through the אורים ותומים, the oracle contained in that breastplate. Nowadays, alas, we are as if bereft of knowledge, i.e. כבלי מדע.

The author views our rehabilitation process as linked to our souls having stood at Mount Sinai and having witnessed the revelation. The major organs involved were the ears which had heard the commandments. When later generations tune in their ears to what is written in the Torah, it is as if they were trying to make up for generations or individuals who had closed their ears to Torah instructions. The very word נעשה "we shall do," which the Jewish people said prior to the revelation was an allusion to the beginning of creation when G–d had said נעשה אדם בצלמנו. Once our ears are involved in this process of rehabilitation the other organs will become involved also and general מצוה performance will result.

Money/silver - it is written "The tongue of the just is like choice silver" (Prov. 10:20) and it is also written "under the shadow of wisdom, under the shadow of silver" (Eccl. 7:12). Look and see the analogy of silver to speech and of silver to wisdom. There is a hint there, that they said "life and death are in the hands of the tongue, one who wants who live can do so because of the tongue, one who wants to die can do so because of the tongue" (Arakhin 15b). And they also said that the Torah is similar to a simple drug one who wants life [can get it through Torah] one who wants death [can get it through Torah] (Kidushin 30b). So too this we can say about the question of money: one who wants who live can do so because of the money, one who wants to die can do so because of the money - this is because most of the transgressions are caused due to a person being eager after money: robbing, stealing, exploitation, cheating, swearing falsely, swearing a lie, lies, unrighteousness in character traits [NT: could be 'in judgment' as עול במשפט makes more sense in the context of Torah list], moving boundaries, disputes, jealousy, hatred, rivalry, forbidden foods, desecration of Shabbat and holy days, and most of the transgressions that a person does is over gaining money, and the sin of desecrating God's Name is on top of them all. And so too, someone who loves their money cancels most of the mitzvot and the prayers and the blessings, and study of Torah corresponds to them all. And when such a person does them, they are unfit due to the doing them as fast as possible, and with miserliness, and the fact that one's heart is not into it, since that person's heart is only preoccupied with their own gain all the time, and they avert their eyes from [the needy by not giving] tzedakah, and when this person wants to do it, they really don't, and likewise many evils are done this way "riches kept for their owner to the owner's pwn hurt" (Eccl. 5:12) and at its hands one inherits Gehenna and goes down to the pit of destruction.