Introduction
In this section of Chapter 18, we examine a sequence of verses dealing with true trust versus false security: what is the true fortress in which a person takes shelter, what precedes a downfall and what precedes honor, what is the nature of one who rushes to answer before hearing, and what is the power of the spirit to sustain the body. We will follow the order of the verses and bring the commentaries of the Malbim, the Vilna Gaon, the Ralbag, Ibn Ezra, and Rabbeinu Yonah.
The Internal Yetzer Hara - Background for Understanding the Verse
Before examining the verse itself, one must understand what is meant by "the internal yetzer hara." Even when a person sits entirely alone, with no one tempting him, no one speaking to him, and no one trying to persuade him to commit a sin, he suddenly finds himself craving a transgression, desiring to do something forbidden. Why? Ever since the sin of Adam HaRishon with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. "Da'at" (knowledge) signifies connection, as in, "And Adam knew [vayeda] Chavah his wife." The knowledge of good and evil means that good became intermingled with evil inside the human being, and within his very interior there is an evil inclination. Before Adam's sin, where was the serpent? Outside of him. The temptation came from the outside. After the sin, however, the yetzer hara became internalized: even if no outside person tempts you, you are drawn to evil from within yourself.
Verse 11: A Rich Man's Wealth Is His Strong City
הוֹן עָשִׁיר קִרְיַת עֻזּוֹ וּכְחוֹמָה נִשְׂגָּבָה בְּמַשְׂכִּתוֹ׃ - A rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.
Which rich man is spoken of here, according to the Vilna Gaon? The wealth refers to Torah. "A rich man's wealth" - the abundant wealth of a talmid chacham in Torah and mitzvot, is "his strong city": a kiryah is a fortified city with walls, thanks to which he does not fear those who hurl catapult stones at him, those who mock him and try to deter him from Hashem's mitzvot. If you possess rich wealth in Torah and mitzvot, you do not fear them; you do not care what people will say, how they will look at you, or who turns up their nose. This is his strength even when he goes out into the streets of the city.
"And like a high wall in his imagination [bemaskito]" - within the inner chambers of his heart, in his interior. There he is elevated and saved from his internal yetzer hara. Thus, the wealth of one who immerses himself in Torah operates on two planes: outwardly it is a "strong city" when he goes out into the city streets, and inwardly it is a "high wall" inside his heart, ensuring he does not allow his yetzer hara to overpower him in any matter whatsoever.
The Ralbag's Explanation According to the Literal Meaning
The Ralbag explains the verse according to its literal meaning: a rich man's wealth is like a fortified city, in that money can save a person. If someone comes to harm him, he buys him off with a sum of money. At times, money indeed has the power to deliver a person from trouble. We even find this with kings during the biblical era, who purchased peace by sending golden shields, silver, gold, and tribute to other monarchs so they would not besiege them - what is known as protection money or payoff. Thus they sent silver and gold to Egypt, thinking Egypt would be a reed to lean upon, though it turned out to be a broken reed.
However, the Ralbag emphasizes, there is a fundamental difference between "A rich man's wealth is his strong city" and the previous verse, "A tower of strength is the Name of Hashem; into it runs the righteous man and is elevated." The strength of the righteous person is absolute strength, absolute protection. A rich man's protection, on the other hand, is incomplete. On the contrary: sometimes precisely because he is wealthy, someone might say, "Why should I wait for his handouts? Why should he buy his peace piecemeal each time with a sum of money? Let us eliminate him and take all his wealth." Thus, the wealth itself is not a complete salvation; rather, it exists only "in his imagination" [bemaskito], in the illusions of his heart: "Do not worry, if a problem arises, we will buy peace, we will pay here and pay there." He fails to realize that sometimes the wealth itself is the very reason he is pursued, the reason others seek his life to seize a share of his fortune. But the righteous man - that is a true tower of strength, relying on Him, blessed be He, and indeed no harm will befall him.
Verse 12: Before Destruction a Man's Heart Is Haughty
לִפְנֵי שֶׁבֶר יִגְבַּהּ לֶב אִישׁ וְלִפְנֵי כָבוֹד עֲנָוָה׃ - Before ruin a man's heart becomes haughty, and before honor comes humility.
The Vilna Gaon explains: when we see ruin befall a person, haughtiness of heart presumably preceded it. Before the downfall his heart was proud, and as a result, Heaven brought ruin upon him. When the Holy One, Blessed be He, wishes to punish a person and magnify His Name in the world, He elevates him and lifts him high, so that the subsequent fall and crash will be far greater. We saw this with Haman: before the ruin came haughtiness; Hashem elevated him, magnified him, and made him great and mighty. So too with Pharaoh, who was an exalted, towering monarch ruling the entire world, followed by a tremendous fall.
And what happens if the person is already an important minister beforehand - how can he be elevated any further? The Vilna Gaon says: the Holy One, Blessed be He, puts haughtiness in his heart. We are familiar with many situations involving a prominent minister who operated quietly on a low flame for a long time, and suddenly began doing all sorts of things to prove that he is the one in charge, that everything must run according to him, and he began acting pridefully. The Holy One, Blessed be He, instilled this pride in him because He wished to bring him down for all the evil deeds he had committed. This is "Before ruin a man's heart becomes haughty."
"And before honor comes humility" - if you see a person who has attained honor, it is a sign that he was humble. For Chazal teach that one who flees from honor, honor pursues him. If you see that honor pursues him - not because he generated public relations for himself, but because honor genuinely pursues him - know that preceding that honor was the trait of humility, and that is what brought him to the level he is now on.
The Malbim's Explanation: "An Abomination to Hashem Is Everyone Haughty of Heart"
The Malbim explains this based on "An abomination to Hashem is everyone haughty of heart": the most detestable thing in the eyes of Hashem, an abomination about which it is said, "I and he cannot dwell together in the world," is the haughty of heart. And as for what is stated there, "Hand to hand, he shall not be cleansed" - the Malbim already explained that the Holy One, Blessed be He, exacts retribution from him immediately. Indeed, we have seen leaders who conducted themselves with pride and an attitude of "I am, and there is none beside me," and it did not take fifty or a hundred years for them to fall; those who were prideful and said, "I will decide and I will navigate," and those who were certain they were masters of the world - very quickly you saw their downfall. If you see pride and haughtiness of heart, prepare for the blow: the Holy One, Blessed be He, is about to cast him down and break the pride of his might.
This is also the connection to the previous verse: the wealthy man we saw whose entire strength is "in his imagery," in the fantasy of his heart - "I am rich, I have plenty, I need not worry about anything" - know that he is before ruin. Soon comes the blow, soon the fall and the shattering. Humility, however, goes before a person and brings him to honor. One who is humble and takes refuge in the strong tower of Hashem's Name, as we saw with "the righteous person runs into it and is set on high," the Holy One, Blessed be He, dwells with him and the glory of Hashem hovers over him, and Hashem ensures that he attains honor. Why? Because Hashem "dwells with the crushed and lowly of spirit" - he has no pride, only humility, and Hashem dwells with him.
Verse 13: Answering a Matter Before Hearing
מֵשִׁיב דָּבָר בְּטֶרֶם יִשְׁמָע אִוֶּלֶת הִיא לוֹ וּכְלִמָּה׃ - One who answers a matter before hearing, it is foolishness to him and shame.
First of all, what is meant by "before hearing"? The Ibn Ezra says: "Hearing" means understanding, as it is written, "A nation whose language you will not hear" - meaning not that I do not hear the sounds, but that I do not understand. Thus, "one who answers a matter before hearing" is someone who rushes to answer even before he has understood.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that this is a direct continuation of the previous verse. There we spoke of "a man's heart becomes haughty," of the arrogant person whose pride is the cause of the ruin that will befall him. Here the verse comes and says: come and see in whom this trait nests - in a person who answers a matter before hearing it. You are still in the middle of speaking, and he already interrupts: "Fine, I already understood what you want, here is my answer." You plead: "Wait, I want to explain." And he says: "You do not need to explain yourself, do not add another word, I already understood." Such a person is full of pride; he does not let the other person express himself, because he is certain he has already understood what the speaker has to say and that all his thoughts are already known to him, for he is surely much wiser than he is. This is the haughtiness of heart from the previous verse.
And what is the result? "It is foolishness to him and shame." When it becomes clear later on that you did not at all understand what you were being asked, it will be revealed that you were foolish and you will also suffer shame. You thought you were a genius and immediately knew the answers, and before he even finished asking you had already offered four answers and even guessed what else he intended to ask - and suddenly he says, "No, I meant such and such," and you are stuck. It turns out you understood nothing, and to his actual question you have no answer. This is the foolishness, and this is the shame.
The Vilna Gaon: The Fool Who Jumps in First
The Vilna Gaon explains that this behavior stems from pride: he rushes to answer. And why is he so hasty? Often, when a scholar poses a question in a shiur, there are those who jump up and answer first - this is the classic "ignoramus who leaps to the head." Notice: precisely when a question is not simple, when it is somewhat subtle, someone immediately jumps in with a foolish answer. Why? Because he cannot bear the thought of someone else getting ahead of him. Yet had you paused and thought for a moment, you might have arrived at the answer before anyone else; but because you refused to think and wanted to answer instantly, your response misses the mark entirely and proves your lack of grasp, for you did not even understand the question. Then you are left with disgrace, as it becomes clear the Rav meant something completely different, and what you said ultimately contradicts the truth - not only does it fail to answer the question, but halachically speaking, you spoke without any basis.
And why is this called foolishness (ivvelet)? Because one of the seven characteristics of a golem (an unformed person) is being "hasty to answer." And what is a golem? An unfinished vessel, as in the halachic phrase golemei keilim (unprocessed vessels). If one wants to make a wooden vessel and cuts a board to the proper size but has not yet planed and smoothed it - its very state of being raw material prepared for processing makes it a golem. If one takes clay to shape a vessel, the raw lump of clay is called a golem, from which the final item will be fashioned. This is also the concept of a chrysalis (a cocoon) and a butterfly: the golem is an entity whose potential is still folded within it and has not yet emerged into the light. In short, something incomplete and unrefined.
Such a person demonstrates that he is foolish, that he is a golem, still unrefined in his understanding: if a question was asked - wait a moment, contemplate! All of this, the Vilna Gaon notes, stems from his urge to display his wisdom: "I know before anyone else." In reality, the very opposite happens: it becomes clear you do not know, and it brings you only humiliation and folly.
The Malbim: "Say to Wisdom, 'You Are My Sister'"
The Malbim explains that the way of wisdom is never to offer an answer unless the matter is crystal clear. "Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister'" - our Sages expound: if a matter is as clear to you as the prohibition of your sister, state it; if not, do not say it. If you are asked and the matter is not entirely clear to you, do not force an answer. Say: "This sugya requires study; I want to look into it, check, and get back to you with an answer." If you rush to answer immediately, you will only become tangled up.
And what does it mean to have something "as clear as your sister"? There are detailed halachos regarding whom one is permitted or forbidden to marry. If someone asks: May one marry his cousin? His aunt? His aunt's sister? You might begin to hesitate and get confused. But if someone asks whether one may marry his own sister - is there anyone who does not know that halachah? It is bright, clear, and obvious to everyone. If a matter is that clear to you - answer. But if it is like the "aunt's sister," where you must rack your brain wondering whether it is permitted or forbidden - do not answer; say instead: "That is a good question, I will look into it."
First and Foremost - Listen Carefully to the Question
In order to arrive at a clear answer, one must first listen properly to the question. This is one of the great pitfalls of those who rush to respond. Notice: when someone comes to consult a great Torah authority, even when the answer is clear to him, he does not shoot from the hip; he pauses for a couple of seconds and only then answers. Notice something else: for every question you ask a gadol, he has four questions of his own. He wants to understand the full context: "And what if you do this? What happens if you don't? What will be said in such-and-such a case?" Only after hearing every side of the dilemma does he declare - it is best to rule this way.
For if you did not listen to the question properly, did not hear the conflicting factors, and failed to grasp the real dilemma before blurting out an answer - the questioner will simply say: "Yes, but that's where I get stuck, because I run into a problem in such-and-such a scenario," and you will be forced to admit he is right. Why? Because you did not examine the question deeply. Had you examined it well and weighed every aspect of the doubt, you would have reached a conclusion as clear to you as your sister.
Furthermore, it is essential to hear out the questioner's entire claim, because when someone comes to consult a sage, he does so after much inner turmoil. A sage does not run an instant-messaging Responsa service, nor is he dispensing instant answers online; by the time you reach him and wait in line, you have already spent considerable time turning over your dilemma. A person who comes to ask has already analyzed the matter from every angle, for had there been a simple answer, he would have spared himself the trouble. It is therefore vital that the sage ask: "What do you think? How does it look to you? What are the opposing considerations?" In a single moment, you hear what he has been agonizing over for an entire week, giving you far better tools to respond. Very often, he raises angles that never would have occurred to you, because you do not know the person or the full situation and cannot foresee what might unfold. Therefore, says the Malbim, one must hear the claimant's argument and every dimension of his doubts; through this, he earns honor from the listener, for his decision will be clear, sound, and compelling.
Ivvelet - An Expression of Doubt
And if you answer before hearing all sides of the doubt, then he "answers with foolishness" (ivvelet). According to the Malbim, ivvelet represents a consistent theme throughout the book: a term denoting doubt. The difference between an evil (fool) and a kesil, as explained countless times, is that the kesil knows the truth but simply acts contrary to it, pulled after his desires; whereas the evil derives from the root of ulai (perhaps) - he is uncertain. If you answer without carefully listening to the sides of the dilemma, what kind of answer will you provide? An answer of foolishness, of "maybe," a non-definitive answer - because you did not grasp the problem in its full depth, and consequently the answer is also deficient. And beyond the foolishness, there is also shame: the questioner says, "What an illogical answer he gave me; he did not grasp the question at all and failed to understand the dilemma." Now he must come back and present everything all over again, and all this because you were too quick to respond.
The Difference Between "Lehashiv" and "La'anot"
The Malbim notes that in Lashon HaKodesh there is a distinction between lehashiv (to reply or rebut) and la'anot (to answer). The verse says meishiv davar, not oneh davar. La'anot means: you asked, so I answer - "and he answered and said"; the response directly addresses the question. You asked whether to do this, and I answered yes or no. Lehashiv, says the Malbim, refers to someone who comes to refute his fellow's words - like "the reply (teshuvah) of Iyov to his friends" and "the reply of Iyov's friends to Iyov," coming to rebut the other person's claims and disprove them. It may also come from the idea of turning his words back (lehashiv devarav achor): when you say something and I offer a rebuttal, I push you back - you retract your words and say, "Right, you are correct." You said black, and I counter that it is white, meaning I redirect you elsewhere. Therefore, when you hear something and do not properly consider it, you "rebut a matter" - rushing to contradict it. And why are you so quick to refute? First listen, first see what the person has to say, and do not rush to contradict his words.
Verse 14: Ruach Ish Yechalkel Machalehu
רוּחַ אִישׁ יְכַלְכֵּל מַחֲלֵהוּ וְרוּחַ נְכֵאָה מִי יִשָּׂאֶנָּה׃ - The spirit of a man will sustain his sickness, but a broken spirit, who can bear it?
What an extraordinary, powerful statement this is. A complete discourse could be devoted to this, but let us summarize the points briefly. In modern medicine today, there are "medical clowns." In the past, conventional medicine was convinced it knew everything: let us treat the patient and we will overcome any problem. Even today, unfortunately, there are doctors who hold this view, and if you suggest something unconventional, natural, and the like, they will dismiss you completely out of hand. But slowly, a shift is taking place, and today many physicians recognize their limitations and realize there is more to healing than just the chemicals pumped into a patient. Regarding our matter: doctors now understand that there is a psycho-physical dynamic. "Psycho" refers to the intellect, the mind, the soul, and the spirit of a person; "physical" refers to the body, the corporeal aspect.
People once thought: if a person has an illness, give him medicine and the body will heal. Today it has become clear that a human being is more than a mere collection of molecules, and that he possesses a spirit and a soul. Often, if a person's soul is unwell, you can continue treating the body and nothing will help, because the spirit radiates negative effects onto the body. For example, studies in China found that elderly people pass away after the holidays at far higher rates than before them. Researchers could not understand what they were eating during the festival that was killing them, until it became clear that before the holidays, an elderly person has a will to live: he is looking forward to something, the children are coming, the grandchildren are coming, and he has a zest for life. But after the holiday, he experiences a decline, falls into depression, returns to the gray routine, and loses his taste for life - and this psychological impact weakens the body. This is precisely what medical clowns do: they approach someone who is depressed, melancholic, and lacking a will to live, and they restore his desire for life and bring him joy. Through that joy, he wants to live and yearns for life, and in that way he manages to overcome his illness.
This is a tangible reality: when a person despairs of his life, very quickly you see him decline and pass away. But when a person overcomes, exerts effort, takes active steps to survive and thrive, believes in himself, and places his trust and prayers in Hashem - that alone gives him the strength to endure the illness or physical hardship. If a person is sunken in depression and low morale, that is the worst thing of all. This is why children battling cancer, may Hashem protect them, are taken to summer camps and have their wishes fulfilled. It must be said to the credit of secular singers and organizations like Ezrah LaYeled, Ezer MiZion, and Kav LaChaim that they have taken it upon themselves to grant the heartfelt wishes of sick children. A famous singer whom the child admires comes to his bedside, takes a guitar, and plays with him; friends are brought in to celebrate with him - and this gives the child fuel for months of renewed will to live and joy. A child who was genuinely depressed from radiation treatments and everything he endured suddenly has a smile brought back to his face, and he finds the strength to overcome the illness.
The Vilna Gaon explains: joy comes from the power of the spirit. When one possesses a spirit of joy - "the spirit of a man will sustain his sickness" - even if illness strikes, his spirit will sustain him through it and nullify it, enabling him to renew his strength, endure, and muster courage to overcome his illness.
"A Broken Spirit, Who Can Bear It?" - A One-Way Influence
Notice that this influence is strictly one-way. If a person has a broken spirit, crushed and emotionally depressed, yet his physical health is excellent and he is strong as an ox - he must be told: make no mistake. The body lacks the power to lift the spirit; rather, it is the spirit that has the power to lift the body, heal it, and elevate it. But as for a broken spirit - who can bear it? The body cannot elevate the soul. On the contrary, what happens as a result? The body breaks down as well. Many people remark: I saw a healthy, robust man, what happened to him? He underwent a crisis, went through a divorce, had a falling out with his children - and emotionally, you see him wither away, and suddenly it turns out he developed an ulcer or contracted an illness. Where did this come from? The broken spirit radiates onto the body. This is what Chazal refer to when quoting, "and a broken spirit dries up the bone" - it has the power to desiccate even the bone, which is sturdy and solid, not just the flesh. Suddenly one says: this man became a mere skeleton, yet I remember him healthy and strong! What happened to him? He lost his home, suffered losses in the stock market, went through crises - and now you see only a shadow of a man. Sometime later, someone tells you: didn't you hear? He passed away. You look at pictures of him from a year or two ago and say: he could have lived to ninety, yet suddenly at sixty he is gone. What happened? The person broke down emotionally, and that emotional devastation radiated onto his physical body.
"A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body"?
One might ask: do people not say, "A healthy soul in a healthy body," seemingly implying that the body influences the soul? Indeed, one cannot entirely rule out some bodily influence upon the soul, for when a person is chronically ill, it can affect him emotionally as well, and physical distress can easily lead to despondency of the spirit. However, a healthy body can in no way uplift an ailing soul. A healthy soul has the power to raise up a sick body and bring it out of illness, whereas a healthy body will never elevate the soul, no matter how robust it may be.
Furthermore, "a healthy soul in a healthy body" is not a rabbinic maxim at all; it does not appear in the Gemara or the Halachic decisors and has no Torah source; it is written on the walls of gymnasiums. Secondly, one must realize that many of the Gedolei Yisrael were physically frail and afflicted with illness throughout their lives, yet despite this, they possessed an exceptionally vibrant, healthy soul. We observe this among many Torah giants who were acquainted with pain and suffering, such as the Chazon Ish, Rav Finkel (the Rosh Yeshivah of Mir), and many others.
Moreover, in Judaism the exact opposite is true: the more the physical body is humbled and subdued, the more brightly the soul shines forth. In Jewish thought, the body is a curtain that dims the radiance of the soul. Who possesses the loftiest and purest soul? Individuals with autism, children whose bodies are entirely confined, those with profound cognitive limitations. The sacred books teach that prophecy was given to the shotim (the intellectually impaired). Why specifically to them? Because those who are entirely devoid of worldly intellect are often lofty souls who returned to this world solely to complete a final rectification. And what must they rectify? Nothing active - merely to be here. Had they been lacking a mitzvah, they would have been born with full mental capacity in order to perform it; since they lack no mitzvah, they are brought down with mental or physical limitations to spend a period in this world and endure suffering. It emerges, then, that specifically among those whose physical faculties are completely subdued, the soul is at its most elevated; and the more prominent the body becomes, the more the soul is concealed, unable to manifest its spiritual power.
This is why the Gemara notes that Sages who were exceptionally handsome - meaning their physical form held prominence - were comparatively less accomplished in wisdom, whereas those who were less physically favored grew greater in Torah. Although Tosafos offers an alternative nuance, the plain sense of the Gemara indicates that while Rabbi Yochanan was extraordinarily handsome and achieved an immense level in Torah, had he been uncomely, he could have attained an even higher rung. We see that a strong, appealing body stands in tension with spirituality; when the body asserts its presence and displays its strength, it comes at the expense of the soul. For this reason, the greatest masters of Torah were often physically frail and sickly rather than robust and brawny - because when one cultivates the soul, it comes at a physical cost.
Interestingly, the reverse is also true: one will never find a Mr. Universe who is a professor of quantum mechanics, nor a world champion boxer or judoka - and this applies not only to world champions, but down the ranks as well. When a person dedicates himself entirely to developing his physique, in the vast majority of cases it corresponds to a lower intellectual inclination. This is not to say exceptions do not exist, as individual rarities can always be found, but the more one invests in the physical body, the more it comes at the expense of the soul. Even regarding Muhammad Ali, while people note that his brain was damaged by the numerous blows he sustained to the head - beyond the trauma inherent to the sport itself - fundamentally, when a person's entire focus is physical, he becomes thoroughly earthly, and his soul does not incline toward deep contemplation, research, and analysis. This holds true for non-Jews as well, not only for Jews. It turns out that excessive investment in the body comes at the soul's expense, and a powerful, dominant body frequently darkens the soul. Conversely, when the soul is strong, it radiates vitality onto the body, whereas a healthy body by no means ensures a healthy soul.
In summary:
We have seen a single continuous thread throughout these verses: the wealth of one who is rich in Torah serves as a fortified city externally and a towering wall within his heart against the inner yetzer hara, whereas material wealth protects only "in his imagination," in the delusions of the heart, and at times is itself the cause of persecution - in contrast to "The Name of Hashem is a tower of strength," which offers absolute security. From there we proceeded to "Before destruction, the heart of a man is haughty": pride is the prelude to downfall, whereas humility precedes honor, for Hashem dwells with the crushed and humble in spirit. The practical manifestation of haughtiness is "He who answers a matter before he hears it" - one who is hasty to reply without listening to the question and considering every nuance of doubt, thereby reaping folly and disgrace; the way of wisdom is to answer only when the matter is as clear to you as your sister, after fully hearing the words of the questioner. And finally, "The spirit of a man will sustain his sickness": the power of inner spirit and joy uplifts the body and carries it through illness, whereas a crushed spirit the body cannot endure; therefore, a person must first and foremost strengthen his spirit and his trust in Hashem.