Chapter 16 of Mishlei is full of verses that seem at first glance to be practical advice: business rules, weights and measures, conduct between a person and his fellow, and a series of verses dealing with a king and his judgment. In this lesson, we will delve into the central verse among them - "A balance and scales of justice are Hashem's" - and see how it unlocks our understanding of this entire passage.
פֶּלֶס וּמֹאזְנֵי מִשְׁפָּט לַה' מַעֲשֵׂהוּ כׇּל אַבְנֵי כִיס׃ (יא) - A balance and scales of justice are Hashem's; all the bag's weights are His handiwork. (11)
Divine Assistance for Judges - Rabbeinu Yonah
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: "A balance and scales of justice are Hashem's" comes to teach us the dimension of "God stands in the congregation of the mighty" (Tehillim 82:1). When judges come to render true and just judgment, they are granted siyata diShemaya (Divine assistance). The Holy One, blessed be He, assists them in uncovering the truth, prevents others from deceiving them, and ensures that a straight, unperverted judgment emerges from their mouths. This is the meaning of "A balance and scales of justice are Hashem's" - know that Hashem helps them so that the truth is not concealed from them, and aids them in getting to the core of the judgment. Naturally, this is on condition that this is their genuine desire. If a corrupt judge enters with the preconceived intention to pervert justice, his free will is not revoked. But if he genuinely strives to reach the truth, he will have siyata diShemaya, for the balance and the scales of justice belong to Hashem.
All the Kings in the Chapter - The King of the World
Here a question arises: What is a verse about the Holy One, blessed be He, doing in the middle of an entire series of verses dealing with flesh-and-blood kings? The answer is that no metaphor here was written casually. If you see verses in this chapter that appear to be mere financial advice - know that they are a metaphor for something deeper. If you see verses on interpersonal conduct that do not seem connected to the fear of Hashem - they are an allegory. And if you see verses about a king, how a king judges and how he behaves, and you wonder: "Why do I care about a king; am I going to be a king?" To that, the answer is: this directly concerns awe of Heaven, for here it refers to the King of the Universe.
And there is clear proof for this. Chazal taught: One who has an ill person in his home should go to a Torah scholar to plead for mercy on his behalf. From where is this derived? As it says:
חֲמַת מֶלֶךְ מַלְאֲכֵי מָוֶת וְאִישׁ חָכָם יְכַפְּרֶנָּה׃ (יד) - A king's wrath is as messengers of death, but a wise man will appease it. (14)
And who is the king whose wrath must be appeased? The Holy One, blessed be He. Chazal took this verse and derived from it that one must seek to appease Hashem when there is an ill person in one's home. Thus, "a king's wrath" refers to the Almighty. Consequently, when verses mention kings here, all of them refer to Hashem, and the original question completely falls away. "It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness," "Righteous lips are the delight of kings," "In the light of the king's countenance is life" - all of this refers to the Almighty. Therefore, "A balance and scales of justice are Hashem's" relates to all of them.
Weights of the Bag - You Shall Not Have Diverse Weights
What is the meaning of the end of the verse, "all the bag's weights are His handiwork"? A *kis* (bag or pouch) is the container in which weight-stones were kept. In ancient times, stones served as weights, placed on one side of the scale to balance against the goods on the other side. Regarding this, the Torah warns repeatedly: "You shall not have in your bag diverse weights, a large one and a small one" (Devarim 25:13). Why does a dishonest merchant keep two stones? Because when someone comes to sell to me, I weigh using a 1,200-gram stone; and when someone comes to buy from me, I place a 900-gram stone on the scale. That way, I always profit dishonestly. Therefore: you shall not have diverse stones, one for buying and one for selling.
A story is told of a baker who used to purchase margarine from a regular supplier. One day he decided to weigh the shipment, and discovered that the one-kilogram blocks weighed only nine hundred grams. Thinking it might be a one-time error, he weighed them again and again - and every single one weighed nine hundred grams. He summoned the supplier to a beit din (rabbinical court), arguing: "I have been buying from him for years, and this is outright theft and fraud!" They asked the margarine supplier: "What do you have to say in your defense?" He replied: "Your Honor, I have not used standard scale weights for a very long time; I don't own any. What do I do? Every day or two, I buy one-kilogram loaves of bread from this very baker next door. I place his loaf of bread on one side of the scale and my margarine on the other, and that is how I measure what I sell him." It turned out that one was cheating with margarine and the other was cheating with bread; each was dishonest in his own domain, yet each had grievances against the other for cheating him.
"All the pocket stones are His work" - Hashem, blessed be He, punishes for all the pocket stones. So that you should not say: How much did I really cheat him, twenty grams? Do not make a big deal out of it, it is negligible. Know this: regarding all pocket stones, both the large stone and the small stone, there is judgment for everything, there is justice for everything, and ultimately the robber will be held accountable for everything.
Why Specifically Weight Stones?
And why did the parable specifically use pocket stones? Because with these stones one weighs and measures, and in Heavenly judgment, justice is always compared to scales - the month of Tishrei, the month of judgment and justice, has the zodiac sign of Libra (the scales). Scripture comes to teach us that on the scales of the Holy One, blessed be He, the sensitivity is extremely high: even a deficit of a few grams is registered and felt. Take into account that even for small matters, even for subtle nuances, a person will be held accountable. And this is what is meant by "Behold, I am sending for many judges" - meaning many judgments. And likewise they said: Woe to the servant whose master weighs minor matters against him just like grave ones. And this is the theme of Parashat Eikev - "And it shall come to pass, because (eikev) you heed" - mitzvot that a person treads under his heels (akevav), which he considers not so critical; whereas the truth is that the scale of the Holy One, blessed be He, is exceedingly sensitive.
The Vilna Gaon's First Explanation: Three Categories of People
The Vilna Gaon explains that the verse hints at three categories of people: the righteous (tzaddikim), the wicked (resha'im), and the intermediate (beinonim). Corresponding to the righteous, it says "peles" - a measuring balance used to weigh small quantities just like large ones, meaning that even things of minute weight can be measured with it; with the righteous, they are constantly checked to see if they added yet another mitzvah and another mitzvah, with the utmost sensitivity. Corresponding to the intermediate, it says "scales of justice" (moznei mishpat), for with them sins are weighed against merits, requiring two scale pans: they have mitzvot and they have sins. And corresponding to the wicked, it says "pocket stones" (avnei kis).
And why specifically stones? First, because the wicked are in the aspect of stone, inanimate matter. Second, because it says "stones" in the plural - and the wicked embody division (peruda). This is a concept brought in the Zohar: the wicked are always in an aspect of division, whereas holiness is always in an aspect of unity. Even when the wicked unite - it is only for self-interest, but internally they are divided and in great discord.
To what can this be compared? Someone remarked that people were waiting for the saga in Syria to end, for Assad to be toppled. His friend replied to him: When Assad falls, the real war will begin. Syria is not a homogeneous entity; it is composed of dozens of tribes and sub-factions. Today they have all united to bring down Assad, but just wait until he falls - then you will see a bloody war, for what they did to him they will do to each other. And this is "And I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian." This is the essence of wickedness: I have an interest, so I will ally with you; and at the first opportunity, I will stab you in the back, because I have no genuine care for you, and the entire goal was merely to unite against a third party.
In contrast, holiness is characterized by unity, just as the Gemara states: An assembly of the righteous - good for them and good for the world. From here you can understand the phrasing of Chazal: "the dispute of Korach and his congregation." Seemingly, Korach disputed Moshe, not his own congregation! But in truth, it was indeed the dispute of Korach and his congregation, for had he managed to overthrow Moshe - how many people thought they were worthy of being High Priest? Two hundred and fifty, where each one took a firepan and said: I am the High Priest. And On ben Pelet's wife already perceived this concept, telling him: What difference does it make to you? If Moshe leads - he is the master and you are the servant; and if Korach leads - he is the master and you are the servant. Furthermore: when Moshe falls, they will begin arguing among themselves over who will assume leadership and who will be High Priest. The wicked are in the aspect of division, which is why they are not merely stones, but "pocket stones" - divided, possessing no unity.
The Vilna Gaon's Second Explanation: Three Types of Mitzvot
The Vilna Gaon further explains: balance, scales, and pocket stones teach about three types of mitzvot. There is a mitzvah performed entirely for the sake of Heaven, devoid of any ulterior motives, free from desire for honor and the pursuit of fame, purely for the Name of Hashem - this is the aspect of the balance (peles), a type of scale that measures from one side alone, not composed of two balance pans. Then there is the aspect of scales - good and evil intermingled, mitzvot where dross is mixed with gold: there is good intention, but also a slight desire for recognition, so people will say I am a good person, so they will see how charitable I am, and also so I will feel personal gratification from it.
To what extent is a mitzvah considered a mitzvah even when ulterior motives are mixed into it? Regarding this, the Vilna Gaon says that this is the meaning of the Gemara in Masechet Shabbat: "If there is for him an advocating angel, one out of a thousand" - even if in that very angel, nine hundred and ninety-nine parts speak to guilt and only one part to merit. Astounding! For with every mitzvah an angel is created, and even if nine hundred and ninety-nine parts of that angel were not for the sake of Heaven, and only one part in a thousand - one tenth of a percent - was for the sake of Heaven, nevertheless, that alone is enough to save him. This is the aspect of scales of justice.
Whereas "pocket stones" represent those mitzvot that are entirely stones, with no good mixed into them whatsoever. Now it is clear why the Gaon was precise in stating "even one in a thousand": to tell you that if you combined any good intention at all, even one part in a thousand, you have already improved your situation; but if you had no good intention whatsoever, the mitzvah is not considered a mitzvah at all, has no significance, and is in the category of a useless stone.
Therefore, our Sages said that when you see a wicked person performing a good deed, on the contrary, look for where the evil intention lies within that act. Why? Because the wicked person's intentions are generally negative, and he does not do things for the sake of Heaven; so if you saw him do something good, look for the negative intention. Consider an example: suppose someone says that a certain political extremist sought to increase child allowances for large families - behold, he too does good things! But one must investigate: whom exactly did he seek to help here, and what was he trying to achieve? When a person whose path is consistently wicked does a good deed, one must look for what he wants to accomplish here.
A story is told of the Rav of Brisk (the Brisker Rov) sailing on a ship. The ship's captain noticed that the Rav was not eating, nor were his children, due to kashrus concerns. The captain approached one of his attendants and asked: What does the Rav need? I have brand-new pots here. They said to him: They must be immersed in a mikveh - and the sea is right before you! He offered additional foods and made all sorts of suggestions. The attendant came and said to the Rav: The captain here is willing to help us and accommodate us. The Rav of Brisk was skeptical and did not leap at the offer as though finding great spoil. Only after careful inquiry did he say: Well, let it be for the children, so that the children can eat; but for himself he did not wish to rely upon it. Later, the attendant returned and told the Rav: The captain said to me, "What do you think, that I am not Jewish? I am a Jew too!" The Rav said to him: "Ah, now you have put my mind at ease! The entire time I was trying to figure out what this non-Jew wanted from us; since when does a gentile care whether a Jewish rabbi eats kosher, to the point of troubling himself to bring new pots and arrange special food? Now that I hear he is Jewish, I am reassured." When dealing with a person whose path is consistently wicked, if he does something good, look for what is hidden behind it and where his self-interest lies. This is the aspect of pocket stones (avnei chis), where all his mitzvos are merely useless stones.
A Third Explanation of the Vilna Gaon: Mitzvos in the World of Truth and Exacting Judgment
The Vilna Gaon further explains: The mitzvos that a person performs here in this world ascend to Gan Eden; mitzvah joins with mitzvah, and together they create the reality of his reward in the World of Truth. And if, Heaven forbid, there are transgressions, aveirah joins with aveirah, and that forms the fire of Gehennom that burns Above. The peles (balance scale) represents unification: the peles weighs everything as one whole, and upon it all the mitzvos are weighed together - this is Gan Eden; and all the sins together - this is Gehennom. The moznayim (pair of scales) represent the subsequent stage, on the great and awesome Day of Judgment, when the Holy One, Blessed is He, weighs the transgressions against the mitzvos. And the pocket stones (avnei chis) are the deeds themselves.
Here the Vilna Gaon analyzes the precise wording of our Sages: "Woe to the servant whose Master weighs against him light sins as grave ones." Ostensibly, is it justice to judge a minor infraction as if it were a severe transgression? Rather, the meaning is not that one is punished for minor sins as harshly as for grave ones. The meaning is different: generally, when weighing massive quantities, one is not meticulous about minute discrepancies. If one purchases a ton of cucumbers, whether it is a ton plus two kilograms or a ton minus two kilograms, who takes note? Out of a thousand kilograms, two kilograms are negligible; and if it is a matter of two hundred grams, who would even mention it? Would anyone remove four cucumbers to make the weight exact? But with the Holy One, Blessed is He, it is not so: He weighs the grave sins with the exact same precision that one weighs minor ones. Just as when weighing gold, where every fraction of a gram matters, so too with the Holy One, Blessed is He, even when weighing the weightiest matters, every fraction of a gram matters. He does not administer approximate, sweeping punishments, but measures out precisely what is deserved. This is the meaning of "all the stones of the bag" - this is the way of weighing, even with the most minute weights, teaching you that the judgment of the Holy One, Blessed is He, is exacting and executed according to absolute truth and uprightness.
The Malbim's Explanation: The Peles to Guide, the Scales to Repay
The Malbim explains that the peles is larger than the moznayim, and was generally used for measuring distance from one place to another - that is, a measuring standard to gauge distance. The moznayim are the familiar balance scales, consisting of two pans in which one weighs one thing against another, a point about which none dispute.
The verse comes to teach: Hashem possesses a peles to measure a person's paths and conduct and to direct them toward the straight path, so that he walks in the proper way. He also possesses "scales of justice" to pay him a good reward for his good deeds, or, Heaven forbid, punishment for bad deeds. And what are the pocket stones that He places on the scales - for without them one cannot weigh? This is "His work" (ma'asehu): Hashem examines the deeds of human beings, and corresponding to the person's deeds is the deed of Hashem in the retribution He administers.
And this is what is written: "If you will diligently obey My commandments... then I will give the rain of your land in its season" (Devarim 11:13-14), and "Lest your heart be deceived... and He will shut up the heavens" (ibid. 11:16-17). In simple terms: the punishments of the Holy One, Blessed is He, are always a response. If you hide your face from Hashem, Hashem will hide His face from you. If you do good and increase divine bounty in the upper worlds, you will receive bounty: rain will fall, and there will be blessing and a positive outflow. "If you walk in My statutes... then I will grant peace in the land" (Vayikra 26:3, 6); and if not, the opposite.
And what does the verse include when it says "all the stones of the bag"? The Malbim explains: among weight stones, there are large ones and small ones, and all of them are calibrated in weight. This comes to teach that the judgment of the Holy One, Blessed is He, is precise, calibrated as upon a scale: whatever you put on one side, He will place on the other side. Do not think it is approximate, more or less, or lacking complete justice; rather, He has pocket stones to place upon the pan of the scale until it balances exactly one against one. Hashem administers measure for measure in a remarkably precise manner: on the scales Hashem weighs the deeds of man to pay him according to his actions, and the evaluation is conducted using the most minute pocket stones.
In summary:
"A just balance and scales are Hashem's; all the weights of the bag are His work" - a verse that appears to be a commercial law, yet is truly a foundational principle in hashkafah. Rabbeinu Yonah taught us that a judge who seeks truth merits Heavenly assistance; and from the verse "The wrath of a king," we saw that the entire section concerning kings in this chapter speaks of the King of the Universe. The warning "You shall not have in your bag diverse weights, a large and a small" teaches that there is no such thing as petty theft, and that regarding "all the weights of the bag," judgment is rendered over the large and the small alike. The Vilna Gaon explained the three instruments as corresponding to the righteous, the intermediate, and the wicked; corresponding to three types of mitzvos (a mitzvah done entirely for the sake of Heaven, a mixed mitzvah where one pure part in a thousand suffices, and a mitzvah that is entirely stone); and corresponding to the joining together of deeds in the World of Truth and the precision of divine judgment. And the Malbim added: the peles guides a person on the straight path, and the scales repay him measure for measure - with absolute precision, without approximations. From here we draw a profound lesson: to be meticulous in deeds both minor and grave, and to know that everything is weighed, and everything is judged in righteousness.