Comentários de Citação sobre Provérbios 31:5

Another explanation of ki yafli is that it means separation and removal. This can be explained in three ways. The first is that through wine one cannot separate holy and profane, as it is written Do not drink wine or strong drink (Leviticus 10:9-10) and adjacent to it, to differentiate between holy and profane. Therefore it says ki yafli — when one wishes to separate holy and profane, then he should abstain from wine lest he drinks and forgets what is decreed by the Torah (Proverbs 31:5). This excludes women who are not obligated in Torah study, so the language of “haflaa” [separation] does not apply to them.
The second explanation is that it refers to separation from the pleasures of this world, of which wine is foremost, as explained regarding Manoach when it says, Why do you ask my name, seeing it is extraordinary [peli] (Judges 13:18). That is, his name is “Peli” because every angel is named according to his mission, and “I was sent to make the born child a Nazir, extraordinary and separated from all matters of this world.” And because it says ish ki yafli [when a man sets himself apart], therefore I am called “Peli.”
And therefore it says “ki yafli” [singular] and not “yafliu” [plural] because even a woman’s vow depends on her husband, as it is written Any vow to afflict the soul, her husband may uphold it or her husband may annul it (Numbers 30:14). Therefore, her vow also depends on her husband. And the intention of this Naziriteship is not that one should abstain from wine for 30 days and then return to being among the drunkards as before, for if so, what has the righteous person accomplished? Rather, the intention is that one should gradually accustom oneself, for all beginnings are difficult, and in 30 days it becomes an established habit, so that afterwards one will not be so eager for it.
The third explanation follows what our Sages said (Nedarim 22a), “One who makes a vow is as if he built a high place [bamah],” etc. You will find a very precious explanation of this statement later in Parashat Matot (30:3), see there. This agrees with the opinion that the Nazir is called a sinner (Nedarim 10a), and the sin is that he builds a high place for himself and separates himself from the entire world by practicing prohibition in a matter that everyone else practices as permitted. Therefore it says “ki yafli” — because he wants to be distinct and separated from others and builds a high place for himself. This is not common among women because they presumably do this [become Nazirites] because they see a wayward woman [sotah] in her disgrace, not in order to build a high place for themselves.

Judah, Issachar, Zebulun shall journey first, for from them the Torah will emanate. Therefore, the double expression forward to the east is stated to indicate that from them the light of Torah will shine forth. For regarding Judah, it is said The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet (Genesis 49:10). These refer to the heads of the exile and the princes of the Land of Israel (Sanhedrin 5a, see there). And ruler’s staff [mechokek] refers only to Torah, as it says about Moses For there the portion of the lawgiver was safeguarded (Deuteronomy 33:21). And it is written Lest they drink and forget what has been decreed (Proverbs 31:5). And encamping next to him is the tribe of Issachar, about whom it is said And from the children of Issachar, those who had understanding of the times (1 Chronicles 12:32). [Then] the tribe of Zebulun, about whom it is said And from Zebulun, those who wield the writer’s staff (Judges 5:14). Furthermore, [Zebulun] would support Issachar, and therefore it does not say “and beside him the tribe of Zebulun,” because [the text] did not want to make him secondary to the tribe of Issachar, to teach that the one who learns Torah and the one who supports Torah learners are equally important. And it says about them they shall journey first, for they have the right of precedence in war, because the wars of Israel are not [fought] with sword and spear, but rather they need to be armed with the five books of the Torah, which are divided into seven books, meaning “armed,” and it [the Torah] is comprised of 27 letters, which is the numerical value of the first letters of Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, to tell you that the merit of Torah assists them in war, and they are the head of the banner that indicates victory.

If I were not afraid to say a novel idea that the early commentators did not envision, I would say that “tisteh” with a tet is like “tishteh” with a tav, because the tet can be substituted for a tav in the letters “dalet, tet, lamed, nun, tav” as Rashi explains at the end of Parshat Miketz (Genesis 44:16) on the verse and how shall we justify ourselves [umah nitztadak]. This tet is in place of a tav, and similarly the word for “going astray” throughout Scripture is with a tav, but in the language of our Sages it is “to’eh” with a tet. It’s as if the verse is saying “if his wife drinks” [tishteh] wine and intoxicating drink which lead to immorality. According to the one who says it’s a language of foolishness [shetut], this is because wine takes away one’s heart until one cannot distinguish between holy and profane, as it is written Do not drink wine or strong drink… that you may distinguish (Leviticus 10:9-10). And as it is written Lest he drink and forget what has been decreed (Proverbs 31:5). This refers to the Torah, which is called “mechokek” [decree-maker] because it has the same numerical value as “chemer” [wine]. And just as they said (Eruvin 65a) “Wine enters, secret goes out,” so too “chemer enters, mechokek goes out” — the numerical value of this is the same as that, and each one is pushed aside by its counterpart. Wine is called “chemer” because through it a person becomes like a “chamor” [donkey] without understanding. Therefore it says “ki tisteh” [if she strays] — that she becomes foolish like a donkey, to the point where even if a donkey solicits her in the marketplace, she would submit to it (Ketubot 65a).