Chapter 36 opens Elihu's fourth speech, which is divided into two arguments. In the first part, he comes to explain to Iyov the primary cause of all his suffering, revealing to him the secret known to every reader of the Book of Iyov from the very beginning: all these afflictions are a form of testing (nisayon). We, having read the opening of the book, know of the Satan's accusation and what the Holy One, Blessed be He, permitted him, and we know that everything Iyov is enduring is a trial. But Iyov did not read the Book of Iyov, and therefore did not know why he was suffering - and this is what Elihu will now reveal to him.
The second thing Elihu does in this speech is to rebuke Iyov: How did your heart presume to probe and delve into wonders and matters far greater than you? You seek to delve into matters of the immortality of the soul, divine foreknowledge and free will, and the ways Hashem guides the world - and Elihu asks him: Before you go and delve into such lofty, exalted realms, have you even understood the simple phenomena of nature? Do you already know them so thoroughly that all that remains is to scrutinize the subtleties of how the Creator of the universe governs His world? And if you have not grasped the simple things, why do you go investigating the sublime? Therefore, do not ascend the mountain or touch its edge: you should never have begun investigating these matters at all, for they are exalted and elevated many levels beyond your grasp and comprehension.
(א) וַיֹּסֶף אֱלִיהוּא וַיֹּאמַר׃ (ב) כַּתַּר־לִי זְעֵיר וַאֲחַוֶּךָּ כִּי עוֹד לֶאֱלוֹהַּ מִלִּים׃ - (1) Elihu continued and said: (2) Wait for me a little, and I will show you, for there are still words on God's behalf.
Elihu requests: Wait for me a little, and I wish to express my view to you. "And I will show you (ve-aḥavekha)" - I will convey an insight to you, but not my own personal opinion, for "there are still words on God's behalf." As I told you earlier, my answer stems from the spirit of God that Hashem has granted me. The Holy One, Blessed be He, has not yet finished what He has to say, and He has imprinted additional understandings within my soul through which one can grasp the will and intention of the Creator of the universe regarding your condition and the suffering you endure. And this is what Elihu seeks to explain: the entire reason you are suffering, and the whole concept of the trial you are undergoing - that the Holy One, Blessed be He, desires to bring the latent powers of your soul from potential into actuality and reveal the hidden recesses of your heart, and therefore He puts you to the test.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, places a person in a certain circumstance, and in that situation the person serves Hashem. For example, a wealthy man, upon whom the Holy One, Blessed be He, showers livelihood and wealth, and this person is God-fearing and serves Hashem with wholeness. It is possible that you weathered the test of wealth successfully, but you would not pass the test of poverty intact. Therefore, the Holy One, Blessed be He, tests him with a new trial and examines him in a state of poverty. For if he weathered the test of wealth but fails the test of poverty, it shows that he is not complete in all facets, that he has not attained true perfection: in one setting you are a servant of Hashem, while in another you are self-interested, not caring at all about the will of Hashem, blessed be He. And at times it is the reverse: a poor person who serves Hashem out of his poverty and hardship, yet if you were to give him wealth - you would see "Yeshurun grew fat and kicked," you would see how he drifts away from serving Hashem. The Holy One, Blessed be He, refines a person through all kinds of trials that differ from his initial state in which he has already proven himself, in order to test whether he clings to Hashem, blessed be He, in new circumstances as well.
And so we find with Avraham Avinu. When he was settled in his place, he served Hashem completely. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: Let us see what happens when you are uprooted from place to place - "Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house." Avraham was seventy-five years old, an age when a person has already built, already accomplished, already laboured, and this is the stage when one begins to enjoy the fruits. Yet he is told: Leave everything, forget everything, go and start building anew in an unsown land. What a difficult trial! And Avraham withstood it, as well as the trial of living as a stranger. Afterward, Hashem gave him a son, and when the son was already thirty-seven years old - a tremendous tzaddik from whom you can already see great fruit and derive joy - the Holy One, Blessed be He, says to him: Take the only son you have and offer him up as a burnt offering. If you withstand this situation, and that one, and that one as well, and in every circumstance you remain a servant of God - you have attained perfection. But if you serve Hashem only in a specific situation, while in another situation you cast off all restraint, it turns out that your divine service is incomplete.
(ג) אֶשָּׂא דֵעִי לְמֵרָחוֹק וּלְפֹעֲלִי אֶתֵּן־צֶדֶק׃ - (3) I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
Elihu says to Iyov: I will not debate you based on philosophical inquiry, like a person who investigates, ponders, and newly arrives at a conclusion. "I will fetch my knowledge from afar" - my knowledge is divine knowledge, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, implanted divine wisdom within me to answer you. These answers come from afar, from before I was placed inside a physical body, when my soul was still beside the Creator of the universe. An understanding that a person derives through investigation and arrives at by logical conclusion is merely what he grasps now, inside the coarse body; but the truths I am conveying to you were received from afar - they have been within me in the soul, before it was ever bound to a body. And consequently, "I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker": He who fashioned man is the Holy One, Blessed be He, and He instilled true conceptions within man. Heaven forbid to suggest that Hashem imprinted false notions in the soul, and it is impossible that Hashem would mislead man. If so, He who fashioned me fashioned me in righteousness, imprinting true and correct understanding within me, and therefore the answer I give you is a true and sound response according to Hashem, blessed be He.
To elaborate on this concept: there are fundamental principles embedded within the human soul that every person anywhere in the world accepts without ever having studied them. They are universally acknowledged because they are innate ideas that the Holy One, blessed be He, imprinted upon the soul. You will not find any society in the world that claims murder is legitimate; you will not find a society that views illicit relations as legitimate; nor will you find a society that declares stealing, robbing, and extortion to be legitimate. You may find societies rife with immorality, theft, and murder - but nowhere will you find a society asserting that this is how things ought to be, that this is the law, or that this is proper conduct.
On the surface, this seems inexplicable. One might argue that someone raised in a civilized society was merely taught these values. But what can be said of a person born in a remote jungle in Africa, far removed from civilization - how do they know among themselves that theft is illegitimate, that murder is wrong, and that promiscuity is unacceptable? After all, if one looks at the animal kingdom, there are no moral boundaries regarding mating; there is nothing wrong in nature if a bull mates with one cow today and another bull mates with her tomorrow. Why, then, is there no human society where it is accepted that a woman is not designated to one man, or where disputes are legitimately settled through murder - a society with no law, no justice, and no judge? From this one must deduce: the Holy One, blessed be He, implanted within the human soul the innate awareness that there are things one simply does not do. These are inborn ideas, imprinted upon the soul even before it enters the human body.
A practical example helps illustrate this. It is taught that man possesses qualities resembling the ministering angels and qualities resembling beasts. Intellect and understanding are close to the ministering angels; yet man eats and drinks like an animal, procreates like an animal, and sleeps like an animal, whereas angels do not eat, drink, procreate, or sleep. Notice something remarkable: virtually no civilized person would want to be filmed during those three states in which human beings resemble beasts. This does not refer to individuals who are utterly crude, but to standard, everyday people. If a videographer at a wedding zooms in on someone right in the middle of a mouthful, what does the person do immediately? He stops eating and composes himself, acting as if the plate has nothing to do with him and was merely placed there by accident. Raising a glass for a "l'chaim" - gladly; but being filmed while chewing? "Why document me eating?" It feels animalistic, and even a non-Jew finds it distasteful. How much more so regarding marital intimacy, or even sleep: who wants to be photographed in unflattering postures while asleep? Yet if someone is standing in prayer, photograph all you want, make a video, no one objects - indeed, perhaps someone will see him learning Torah and be inspired to learn as well. What does this show? When it comes to activities shared with animals, the soul senses that they are animalistic, that this is not man's true essence, and that humans should not be defined by them. In matters of blessing, prayer, and Torah study, we feel no shame; but regarding bodily, animalistic functions, people recoil from being documented that way.
(ד) כִּי־אָמְנָם לֹא־שֶׁקֶר מִלָּי תְּמִים דֵּעוֹת עִמָּךְ׃ - "For truly, my words are not false; one perfect in knowledge is with you."
Elihu says to Iyov: The Holy One, blessed be He, imprinted foundational concepts within the human soul - basic ideas of morality, justice, uprightness, and proper conduct that exist within every person - and within me He also planted the answers to the questions you raised. Therefore, "For truly, my words are not false" - believe me that my words are not untruthful. When I say that there are concepts embedded in the human soul that are true convictions granted by God and genuine foundations, "one perfect in knowledge is with you" - you can attest to this yourself. The Holy One, blessed be He, Who is perfect in knowledge and Whose wisdom is complete, is also present with you; you too can sense those innate ideas He instilled within you: the aspiration for integrity, the revulsion toward evil, and the disgust for anything defined as crime or cruelty. These exist within the human soul, and you yourself can bear witness to them. Trust me, then, that the Holy One, blessed be He, planted within me the answers to your questions, and that my words are true.
(ה) הֶן־אֵל כַּבִּיר וְלֹא יִמְאָס כַּבִּיר כֹּחַ לֵב׃ - "Behold, God is mighty and despises no one; He is mighty in strength of heart."
Here Elihu begins to explain the convictions ingrained within the human soul. "Behold, God" - first, the very knowledge that there is a God in Heaven is embedded in every human soul. It is fascinating to observe that from the most ancient times, every person believed in a Supreme Power guiding creation. And not only in ancient times: take a child raised in a completely secular, non-believing home, and as a young child he naturally believes: "Dear God, I wanted You to know what I dreamt in bed tonight." Children possess a profound, natural faith; they speak of God and feel God's presence. Where did the child hear this? At home no one spoke of God or believed in God. Rather, from the very nature of humanity, man innately senses that there is a Creator of the universe, and in times of distress and anguish, he cries out to God. This demonstrates that there are truths Hashem planted within man simply by virtue of being human.
The second point - "mighty": this God is all-powerful and awesome, possessing the power to overturn all of nature. The third point - "and despises no one; He is mighty in strength of heart": the Holy One, blessed be He, does not reject someone whose strength of heart is mighty. Whom does the Holy One, blessed be He, cherish? One who withstands trials, one who manages to overcome adversity. A person whose inner resolve is mighty and firm, who is not dismayed by tests but endures them - Hashem does not despise him.
Why? Because of a fundamental rule: like attracts like. This is a reality of life, which unfortunately can even be negative at times. A person who loves hiking and traveling - with whom does he connect? With fellow travel lovers. A passionate, temperamental person - with whom does he like to connect? With spirited people, not with easygoing, laid-back types. An educated, refined person does not enjoy associating with base, vulgar people, and vice versa: introduce a crude person to a scholar and he will say, "This guy just likes to philosophize; let's talk to someone on my level, eye-to-eye." A person naturally loves to cleave to those who are like him, and incidentally, he also views them as better: "I am good, so whoever is like me must be better than those who are different from me."
From this tendency also arises the phenomenon of tribalism, of "one of our own," which is the negative side of the matter. For if we belong to one exclusive circle - an ethnic group, a specific Chassidic group, partners in a shared path and mindset - then automatically I dislike anyone who does not share my outlook. "I am right-wing and hate left-wingers; I am left-wing and hate right-wingers; I am a centrist and hate both." In short, a person brands himself in a certain camp, distancing himself from anyone who does not fit his mold, and that is certainly negative. Yet it remains human nature to bond with one's own kind, as Ben Sira stated in his proverbs: "Every bird dwells with its kind, and man with his like."
So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, so to speak, desires, loves, and seeks closeness with someone who is "mighty in strength of heart," who possesses immense inner fortitude to overcome trials - because in this, he resembles his Maker. For is the power of the Holy One, blessed be He, limited? A person who successfully withstands tests exhibits extraordinary strength. Not the brute physical force of someone who lands a punch and knocks out his fellow - that does not impress us. What truly defines a person of might? "Who is mighty? He who conquers his evil inclination" (Pirkei Avot 4:1). This is what the Holy One, blessed be He, loves, and this is the meaning of "He does not despise the mighty in strength of heart": Hashem does not despise a person who resembles Him, as it were, in inner strength, by succeeding in overcoming the desires of his heart.
(ו) לֹא־יְחַיֶּה רָשָׁע וּמִשְׁפַּט עֲנִיִּים יִתֵּן׃ - "He will not preserve the wicked alive, but gives justice to the poor."
This conviction is also deeply ingrained in the human soul: that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not preserve the wicked. Hashem is the source of all good, and by definition He must hate evil. You will never find anyone who says, "I believe there is a Creator of the universe, but I think Hashem loves the existence of wicked people and wants wickedness to multiply in the world." Anyone who concedes that the world has a Creator, whatever concept of a Creator he may hold and however he defines Him, will acknowledge that this Creator does not desire wickedness in the world, but only goodness.
"But gives justice to the poor" - another truth ingrained in the human soul is that Hashem executes justice for the poor and oppressed. For no defect or deficiency can be attributed to Him; Hashem is utterly and completely perfect. If the Holy One, blessed be He, did not execute justice for the poor and the downtrodden, and did not exact retribution from those who perpetrate injustice against the destitute and vulnerable, that would be an injustice, Heaven forbid. And we believe with complete faith that "Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity" (Iyov 34:10). Consequently, it is likewise imprinted within the human soul to recognize that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not allow injustice to go unchecked in the world.
(ז) לֹא־יִגְרַע מִצַּדִּיק עֵינָיו וְאֶת־מְלָכִים לַכִּסֵּא וַיֹּשִׁיבֵם לָנֶצַח וַיִּגְבָּהוּ׃ - "He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous, and with kings upon the throne He establishes them forever, and they are exalted."
Yet another truth embedded in the human soul is that Hashem does not withdraw His eyes from the tzaddik; that is, He never removes His individual Divine Providence from the righteous person, even for a moment. This, too, is intuitively felt: the tzaddik is close to God, and Hashem is with him. Everyone intuitively senses that when someone is a tzaddik, the Holy One, blessed be He, is with him. In proportion to a person's righteousness, the spirit of holiness rests upon him, and according to his closeness to God, so is the Divine influence channeled to him.
From this follows a further principle: since the Holy One, blessed be He, watches over every single action of the tzaddik just as one watches over an only child, He continually scrutinizes and tests his righteousness - "You test him every moment" (Iyov 7:18). The logic is simple: if the Holy One, blessed be He, does not closely oversee the wicked, He also does not judge him with hairsplitting precision, as He is not closely attached to him. But once you acknowledge that the Holy One, blessed be He, is intimately close to the righteous person, it inevitably follows from that very proximity that He holds him to a rigorous standard: "I am with you at every moment - why did you act this way? Why did you speak like that?" The wicked person, on the other hand, from whom Hashem remains distant, may do many things without facing immediate, hairbreadth scrutiny. This is the meaning of Chazal's exposition on the verse "And round about Him it storms exceedingly" (Tehillim 50:3): He is meticulous with the righteous to a hairbreadth (k'chut ha-se'arah).
And this is fundamentally where the concept of testing and elevation originates. "And with kings upon the throne He establishes them forever, and they are exalted" - there is a situation where the Holy One, blessed be He, tests the tzaddik, in the sense of elevating him (related to nes, a banner raised high). He places him upon a throne of greatness together with kings, exalts his position, and tests him. "He establishes them forever, and they are exalted" - as long as things go well for him, he remains lofty, spiritually elevated, and his heart is lifted up in the ways of Hashem. When? When all is well, when he sits on high with kings - then he appears righteous perpetually.
(ח) וְאִם־אֲסוּרִים בַּזִּקִּים יִלָּכְדוּן בְּחַבְלֵי־עֹנִי׃ (ט) וַיַּגֵּד לָהֶם פָּעֳלָם וּפִשְׁעֵיהֶם כִּי יִתְגַּבָּרוּ׃ - "(8) And if they are bound in fetters, held in cords of poverty; (9) Then He declares to them their deed, and their transgressions, that they have grown insolent."
However, if the Holy One, blessed be He, takes that righteous person and humbles him, brings him down from his stature and binds him in chains - meaning in shackles - he may fall from his righteousness, protest against the Creator of the world, and voice complaints against the Almighty. "Held in cords of poverty": even though he was not ensnared in the trap of the evil inclination when he was wealthy and managed to overcome it, the evil inclination will succeed in capturing him when he is brought to poverty. And this is the essence of the trial: the Holy One, blessed be He, being with the righteous, tests him and says - in this state you are righteous; let us see if you are also righteous in the reverse situation. Then we will know whether your perfection is genuine from all sides. And this was the very argument raised regarding Iyov: "Have You not made a hedge around him?" - You gave him and showered him with bounty, Master of the Universe; what do You expect Iyov to do in his leisure time? Of course he is righteous! Test him with suffering and poverty, and then examine him.
"Then He declares to them their deed, and their transgressions, that they have grown insolent" - the Holy One, blessed be He, subjects them to the test of poverty to make this known to them. When it becomes clear that while they are poor and bound in chains their transgressions multiply, and one does not remain in the same state he was in before, it emerges that his conduct was not truly upright with Hashem. Prior to this, we were certain that his actions were pure and upright - what a tzaddik, what a God-fearing person! But once he is put through the crucible of poverty, it becomes evident that this was not out of integrity and righteousness, but rather a product of the bounty Hashem had bestowed upon him. For in his poverty he levels complaints against Hashem, speaks inappropriate words, and expresses grievance - showing that his work was not pure and upright, and that he has indeed transgressed.
(י) וַיִּגֶל אָזְנָם לַמּוּסָר וַיֹּאמֶר כִּי־יְשׁוּבוּן מֵאָוֶן׃ - "(10) He also opens their ear to discipline, and commands that they return from iniquity."
Through this, the Holy One, blessed be He, opens their ear to discipline, so to speak, instructing them through it: "and commands that they return from iniquity" - that they withstand the trial of poverty as well, and thereby demonstrate that their service of Hashem was pure and unblemished from every side, in poverty as in wealth. The Holy One, blessed be He, desires that even in a state of poverty a person turn back from iniquity, from acts of transgression and wrongdoing, and not be dragged into negative deeds on account of his poverty.
(יא) אִם־יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיַעֲבֹדוּ יְכַלּוּ יְמֵיהֶם בַּטּוֹב וּשְׁנֵיהֶם בַּנְּעִימִים׃ - "(11) If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness."
If he heeds Hashem's reproof, accepts it, and says, "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?", justifies the judgment of Heaven upon himself, and continues to serve Hashem with integrity of heart even in his poverty, then Hashem's chastisement has achieved its purpose, and he has received the rebuke properly. "If they obey" - if he heeds Hashem's word and remains in his righteousness; "and serve" - if he serves Hashem with pure and complete service, even though Hashem brought upon him suffering, hardship, and trials. And then: "they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness." The Holy One, blessed be He, will once again raise them up and restore them to their former stature. After all, why did He humble them in the first place? In order to test them. And if a person has stood the test, there is no need to continue subjecting him to such a terrible state; once Hashem sees that you have endured it, He ensures that you will finish your days in prosperity and your years in pleasantness, returning you to the state you were in before the trial.
(יב) וְאִם־לֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ בְּשֶׁלַח יַעֲבֹרוּ וְיִגְוְעוּ בִּבְלִי־דָעַת׃ - "(12) But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge."
But if they do not listen - Hashem opens their ear to discipline, yet a person seals his ear from hearing, refuses to accept Hashem's chastisement, and even complains and challenges Him - "they shall perish by the sword [be-shelach ya'avoru]." "Shelach" is a sword, as though Hashem will dispatch the Satan to take him, meaning death will be decreed upon him. "And they will perish without knowledge [ve-yigve'u be-veli da'at]" - he will die without knowing that everything he endured was merely a trial. And if so, why did you cry out? Why did you complain? For Hashem reveals and communicates this to the righteous person at the time of suffering, telling him: Know that it is worthwhile for you to withstand the trial, so that your former state will be restored tenfold; and if, Heaven forbid, you do not withstand the trial - know that the Satan awaits you with the sword and you will perish without knowledge. Therefore, it is well worth enduring the trial.
(יג) וְחַנְפֵי־לֵב יָשִׂימוּ אָף לֹא יְשַׁוְּעוּ כִּי אֲסָרָם׃ - "And the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; they do not cry for help when He binds them."
These are people who were not genuinely righteous. Why did they serve Hashem? Only because He showered goodness upon them. Their insides did not match their outsides; inwardly they are hypocrites in heart, having served the Holy One, blessed be He, with flattery: "Master of the Universe, I prayed today, take care of me, arrange things for me"; "Master of the Universe, here I gave this charity, I performed this mitzvah." All his service stems from the hope of reward, rather than the duty to serve Hashem and out of gratitude to the Holy One, blessed be He. Instead, between him and the Holy One, blessed be He, there is a give-and-take transaction. Consequently, if Hashem is no longer giving - he ceases serving Hashem, claiming that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not uphold the deal. It turns out that his service was merely flattery, like someone who flatters the Master of the Universe solely to receive benefits.
"They store up wrath" - why? "When He binds them": since the Holy One, blessed be He, bound them and afflicted them, they become angry: "Master of the Universe, what is this? We have an agreement - I serve You and You shower me with blessings; You stopped giving, so I stop as well." This demonstrates that his service is not pure and complete, but rather service on condition of receiving a reward, not out of the duty and commandment to serve the Holy One, blessed be He. "They do not cry for help" - they do not call out to Hashem for salvation, saying, "Please, Hashem, save us," but on the contrary, he harbors anger toward the Holy One, blessed be He. Instead of calling out to Hashem for salvation, maintaining his humility and lowliness, and serving Hashem with innocence as he did before, he does not cry out, but rather harbors wrath: "What is this, Master of the Universe? How could You do this to me?" This proves that they are truly hypocrites at heart.
(יד) תָּמֹת בַּנֹּעַר נַפְשָׁם וְחַיָּתָם בַּקְּדֵשִׁים׃ - "Their soul dies in youth, and their life is among the depraved."
Through this, they forfeit both the life of the soul in the World to Come - "their soul dies in youth," its spiritual life cut short - and the life of the body in this world: "and their life" - meaning the physical body - "is among the depraved." The Malbim explains that the kedeshim were people engaged in promiscuity, who generally, and certainly in those times, died prematurely from all kinds of illnesses. Here too, their body will die young like the kedeshim. And why? Because he failed to withstand the trial, for in truth, his service was that of a hypocrite at heart.
(טו) יְחַלֵּץ עָנִי בְעָנְיוֹ וְיִגֶל בַּלַּחַץ אָזְנָם׃ - "He rescues the poor in his affliction, and opens their ear through oppression."
However, the poor person, one who humbles himself before the Holy One, blessed be He, and does not challenge Him - Hashem rescues him in his affliction. Through his poverty and humility, that itself becomes the reason to extricate him from suffering. "And opens their ear through oppression" - when they are under pressure, amidst all their tribulations, Hashem opens their ear and tells them: Everything you went through was only a trial, and from now on, things will begin to improve.
Elihu asks Iyov to wait a little, informing him that his words are not mere human speculation but truths that Hashem planted in the soul from afar, before it entered the body - and therefore they are the truth. From these innate ideas embedded in every human being, he enumerates: that there is a God; that He is mighty; that He does not despise the mighty of heart who withstands trials; that He does not preserve the wicked and grants justice to the poor; and that He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous. From this close providence over the righteous stems the exactitude with which He scrutinizes them to a hairsbreadth, and from here arises the purpose of testing: the Holy One, blessed be He, elevates a person and then binds him in fetters and cords of affliction, in order to examine whether his perfection is genuine from every angle. One who withstands the trial and accepts the chastisement will spend his days in goodness and his years in pleasantness, returning to his previous state and rising even higher; but for one who closes his ears and protests - it turns out that his service was hypocritical, transactional flattery, and he is destined to perish by the sword and expire without knowledge. And as for one who humbles himself - Hashem extricates him from his affliction and reveals to his ear that all he went through was nothing more than a trial.