Introduction
Chapter 4 of Mishlei is a chapter of transmitting a path: King Solomon places the two paths side by side - the path of the righteous and the way of the wicked - and teaches how to flee from the one and cling to the other. In this part of the chapter, we find ourselves in the midst of the warning against the way of the evildoers, and from there the text proceeds to internal spiritual work: guarding the heart, guarding the eyes, and guarding the ways of one's character traits. We will proceed through the verses according to the commentary of the Malbim.
Pera'ehu - Disrupt the Path and Do Not Pass Along It
פְּרָעֵהוּ אַל־תַּעֲבָר־בּוֹ שְׂטֵה מֵעָלָיו וַעֲבֹר׃ - Disrupt it, do not pass through it; turn away from it and pass on.
The verse tells us: Know that this path, the way of the evildoers, is not only one you must avoid to attain true happiness, but you must actively disrupt it. "Pera'ehu" - meaning, know what to answer a heretic. Prove that this path is flawed; contend with the arguments of the apikorsim. And if it is not within your ability to do so, if you cannot dismantle this path - at the very least, "do not pass through it." Do not say: If so, at least let me study it. No. "Turn away from it and pass on" - turn away from that path and cross over to the way of Torah and faith. Do not think that your way to faith must pass through secular philosophy and speculation; rather, "turn away from it" - turn away completely from this path, and cross over to the path of the Torah.
An Ideology to Sin
כִּי לֹא יִשְׁנוּ אִם־לֹא יָרֵעוּ וְנִגְזְלָה שְׁנָתָם אִם־לֹא יַכְשִׁילוּ׃ - For they cannot sleep unless they do evil, and their sleep is robbed unless they cause someone to stumble.
"Unless they do evil" - if they do not do evil themselves to others, they cannot sleep. That is to say, such a person does not sleep well if he has not harmed someone that day. "And their sleep is robbed unless they cause someone to stumble" - and if they did evil themselves but did not cause others to stumble, though he sleeps, since he harmed someone, he feels as though his sleep has been robbed. He thinks: I could have slept even better had I also caused others to stumble.
Sometimes it is enough for a person to commit a transgression on his own: he ate pork, and that satisfies him. But when someone is a profound evildoer, that is not enough; he also feels compelled to set up a stand and distribute pork to others. Sleep he will, for he has already committed evil today - yet "their sleep is robbed," because he did not succeed in causing others to stumble down the path of wickedness as well.
Here the text exposes the mindset of the "evildoers" (the ra'im), who are the heretics and apikorsim: they possess an ideology to sin. This differs from an ordinary rasha, who has no interest in seeing you stumble; why is he wicked? Simply because of the desires of his heart. Twenty years ago, Meretz youth stood in the streets of Jerusalem and set up booths distributing pork sandwiches. A standard rasha does not do such a thing; for that, one must be an "evil person" - someone whose very ideology denies the reality of Hashem, an apikores. Regarding this it is said, "their sleep is robbed unless they cause someone to stumble": if he has not caused someone else to stumble, he cannot sleep peacefully.
The Bread of Wickedness and the Wine of Violence
כִּי לָחֲמוּ לֶחֶם רֶשַׁע וְיֵין חֲמָסִים יִשְׁתּוּ׃ - For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Now the verse returns to speaking about the wicked, explaining why it said, "Do not step onto the path of the wicked" - do not go in their way. Why? "For they eat the bread of wickedness" - the bread they eat was obtained through wickedness: theft, robbery, and all manner of wrongdoing. And the wine they drink was obtained through violence. That is, they have nothing truly of their own; rather, everything they do is rooted in wickedness and violence.
The Path of the Righteous Is like Radiant Light
וְאֹרַח צַדִּיקִים כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ הוֹלֵךְ וָאוֹר עַד־נְכוֹן הַיּוֹם׃ - "And the path of the righteous is like the radiant light of dawn, shining ever brighter until the day is firmly established."
We have already explained that an orach is a private, narrow, winding pathway - the trail leading between towns and villages; whereas a derech is a broad highway, leading from city to city. The verse tells you: although it might seem that the righteous do not walk upon a broad highway - since you see that being righteous requires immense labor and great effort, and the beginning of the road is full of thorns - nevertheless, know that in the end it becomes smooth and level.
This narrow path initially resembles the "radiant light" (or nogah). And what is or nogah? It is the light that begins to rise at the break of dawn. When you look at dawn, you see a faint glow beginning to appear in the east, a faint aura of the first light. And what is the nature of this glow - is it the sun? No, the sun is still far beneath the horizon. Rather, there are vapors in the atmosphere, and the sun strikes these vapors, and this reflection creates a kind of aura that appears before our eyes. That is what is called or nogah.
At first, the path of the righteous appears like or nogah - the light of dawn that has just begun, a faint glow visible above the earth. But know that afterward it is "shining ever brighter until the day is firmly established": later it becomes direct light, no longer merely a reflected glow but the actual light of the sun itself, continually increasing until the sun stands at its zenith at midday. Such is also the light of the soul: at first it is covered with clouds, the sun is hidden, but out of that narrow path one ultimately arrives at a straight and clear highway.
This also applies to our personal trials. Frequently, when a person is deeply entrenched in a sin, immersed in a sinful pattern, it is extremely difficult for him to struggle and break free of those habits - habit becomes second nature. Once a person develops a habit of doing wrong, it turns into his nature, and it is very hard to alter one's nature. This is what the verse is saying: at first it is an orach, a narrow path, difficult, a struggle; and not only that, but also or nogah, merely a faint glimmer. Yet know that if you exert effort and prevail, you will merit that it becomes "shining ever brighter until the day is firmly established" - it will transform from the state of a narrow path into that of a wide road, until there is radiant illumination, and you emerge from darkness into light.
And so it is with any bad habit. When someone who is accustomed to smoking wants to quit, it is a very difficult battle; but after six months of not smoking, he says: cigarettes simply do not appeal to me anymore. Perhaps if I see someone smoking right next to me - maybe; but on my own, I no longer even think about it, I have already broken free. And so it is with every single matter: at first it is a narrow path with little light, but if you persevere along this way, you will merit that it "shines ever brighter until the day is firmly established," and then it will become easy for you to master your inclination.
The Way of the Wicked Is like Pitch Darkness
דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים כָּאֲפֵלָה לֹא יָדְעוּ בַּמֶּה יִכָּשֵׁלוּ׃ - "The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."
Although it may appear that the wicked walk on a broad "highway" (derech) - while the righteous person seems to walk along a narrow "path" (orach): he struggles, it is difficult for him, he faces challenges; whereas the wicked person ostensibly lives well and does whatever he pleases - know that "the way of the wicked is like deep darkness." And afelah is more severe than ordinary darkness (choshech); afelah is an intensified degree of pitch darkness. And they "do not know over what they stumble."
With the righteous, even their narrow path - that is, their individual, private conduct - contains light. With the wicked, even their broad highway is filled with gloom; and all the more so if one examines the details of their deeds, where every single act reveals intrigue, deceit, corruption, and falsehood. But even their grand public actions suffice to show just how deeply they walk in darkness, and how twisted their path truly is.
With the righteous, it is just the opposite: even in the orach, in his narrow side path, there is light. This is the test of the tzaddik we spoke of - the test of small things. A person might be told: there is a major chesed campaign underway - and people love big campaigns. But if he is told: here is a small, personal act of kindness, something between you and the friend sitting next to you on the bench - he might say: forget it, there are plenty of other mitzvos, this particular kindness isn't essential. Yet this is where a person is truly measured: in the small, private act of kindness, not in the one accompanied by fanfare, noise, and impression. Therefore, "the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn" - even if you examine them in the finest details, even the narrow path is filled with light. By contrast, with the wicked, even the main highway is pitch black, all the more so the small, private path.
To My Words Pay Attention, to My Sayings Incline Your Ear
בְּנִי לִדְבָרַי הַקְשִׁיבָה לַאֲמָרַי הַט־אָזְנֶךָ׃ - "My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings."
"Devarim" (words) refers to an extended discourse. When a person delivers his thoughts with cadence and proper explanation, that is called dibbur. "Amarim" (sayings), on the other hand, refers to the specific phrasing in which a person clothes his ideas. Shlomo tells him: "To my words pay attention" - listen to the lengthy, explained ideas; but also to the exact words coming out of my mouth, to the precise phrasing I formulate - "to my sayings incline your ear," bend your ear to hear those as well.
Even in everyday Hebrew, we distinguish between dibbur (speaking) and amirah (saying). There is an informal street expression that illustrates this: "I have a dibbur with you," meaning an extended conversation. Saying "I spoke (dibarti) with him" does not mean I tossed a single word at him and walked away, but that I had an in-depth conversation and explained things to him. In contrast, "I told (amarti) him" implies a quick remark: I told him not to park here, and that was it. We say, "I told him no," not "I spoke him no," because dibbur implies a longer, substantive exchange.
This is what the verse is conveying: "My son, pay attention to my words" - when I elaborate on the ideas and explain them, attentive listening is required. "And to my sayings" - this refers to the phrasing, the specific wording used; you must examine this closely as well. The deeper parallel is that the language of the Written Torah is called amarim - concise statements that require great precision. When the Torah uses a specific word, why did it say it this way and not another? What do we derive from an apparent redundancy? What do we learn from an extra letter vav or the word et? These are concise utterances that demand exact analysis. And the halachos transmitted at length in the Oral Torah - to those you must also listen closely. Corresponding to these two dimensions, the verse states: "To my words pay attention, to my sayings incline your ear."
Keep Them in the Midst of Your Heart - Internalizing Torah into Reason
אַל־יַלִּיזוּ מֵעֵינֶיךָ שָׁמְרֵם בְּתוֹךְ לְבָבֶךָ׃ - "Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart."
"Let them not depart [al yalizu] from your eyes" - from the root naloz, meaning to deviate from the straight path; they should never stray from before your eyes, but remain constantly in your sight. "Keep them in the midst of your heart" - meaning that you should always think according to the ways of wisdom in your heart's own logic. Sometimes a person is told: do this. Why? Simply because His wisdom, blessed be He, decreed so. Such directives are not always retained properly within us. When are they properly preserved? When we bring them close to the intellect, explaining and elucidating them - and then it becomes far easier to fulfill them.
As a rule, notice what we remember best: things that resonate with reason and intellect. If someone were given ten halachos, five of which were explained so that they made logical sense, and five presented merely as axioms, the chances of remembering the first five are far greater. When asked a question regarding the first five, one can say: wait, logic dictates this, oh right - and immediately recall the halachah. But with the other five, where the underlying reasoning was never explained, there is nothing to hold onto: should one do this or that? Option A or Option B? There is no intuitive logic to decide one way or the other. When a matter is detached from reason, we remember it far less.
Here is the simplest example: if someone teaches you an idea right now, you might remember, say, twenty percent of it. But if he gives you a random sequence of numbers, there is barely a one percent chance you will remember it. Why? Because there is no logic in a string of numbers. 7, 13, 24, 12, 15, 12, 14, 32 - could you remember that half an hour from now? There is no inherent sense to it. Things that lack internal logic are difficult for us to retain. But once we integrate concepts into our reasoning, then when a question arises, we can say: wait, logic dictates this - and immediately know the answer. We remember best what resonates with our heart and our intellect. This is the meaning of "keep them in the midst of your heart": train yourself to think according to the ways of wisdom, so that this wisdom becomes the very logic of your heart, and in this way you will preserve and remember them.
For They Are Life to Those Who Find Them
כִּי־חַיִּים הֵם לְמֹצְאֵיהֶם וּלְכָל־בְּשָׂרוֹ מַרְפֵּא׃ - "For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all his flesh."
What is meant by "to those who find them"? Did one simply happen upon them? Rather, as we have already explained, wisdom is not the sort of knowledge a person can simply receive from another person or deduce on his own; one must receive it from Divine Providence, from the Creator of the world. For wisdom addresses the proper paths of conduct in matters involving good and evil: compassion versus cruelty, kindness versus malice, generosity versus stinginess, and so forth. In all these matters, man cannot determine the truth on his own. Indeed, we see that when people attempt to decide for themselves when to show cruelty and when to show compassion, there is no end to the differing opinions. This guidance must be received from Hashem. Therefore, when you receive it from Hashem, it is considered a "find" - "those who find them": if you find it, it means it was granted to you from Heaven. Our way of receiving it is through the holy Torah that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave us through His prophets, and through it we come to know His blessed will.
And if you attain this, you attain life. This life is the life of the soul. For a person who lives improperly, living in stinginess, anger, irritability, and cruelty, creates a miserable existence for himself; the life of his soul is a wretched one. Moreover, this directly impacts the body as well, as we have discussed at length several times. "They are life to those who find them" - whoever finds wisdom finds life.
And Healing to All His Flesh - A Remedy That Does Not Harm
"And healing to all his flesh" - know that this also refers to the life of the body. What is meant by "healing"? Even someone whose life has been disrupted, who is like an invalid, the Torah possesses the power to heal him. Nor is this like conventional medications and drugs, where a remedy taken for one organ is liable to harm another. For example, when someone suffers from a fungal infection, they are told to take pills, and then instructed to have their liver tested two months later. Why? Because antifungal medication can damage the liver. What is preferable, fungus or liver? To each their own taste! In any case, one sees that here one thing conflicts with another: while you bring benefit to one area, you cause harm in another. With the Torah, however, this is not the case: its healing benefits all limbs and organs together - "It shall be health to your navel, and marrow to your bones" - it is healing for everything. This is "and healing to all his flesh": a cure that heals everything, without healing one part while ruining another.
And here the verse touches upon what was noted earlier: whoever walks in the ways of wisdom possesses not only a healthy soul, but a healthy body as well. For a person who lives in constant irritability and anger is slowly destroying himself; he harms himself and suffers from illnesses - high blood pressure, ulcers, heart trouble - all stemming from constant stress, a lack of inner tranquility, irritability, and anger. Therefore, you do not merely gain life for your soul, but "healing to all his flesh": one who lives according to the Torah will have a healthy body as well, and in physical terms will also enjoy long life. Look at the great Torah leaders of Israel who merited extraordinary longevity: Rav Elyashiv lived past one hundred, reaching beyond 101; Rav Ovadia Yosef lived well into his nineties; Rav Shteinman into his nineties - these were towering figures, and one sees remarkable longevity among them. Do not let anyone tell you it was because they ate organic foods, as people often search for all sorts of health remedies. It is not that there is no substance to physical care, for a person certainly must guard his bodily health; but even more so, he must guard the health of his soul. Preserving the health of the soul brings true life - life in this world and life in the World to Come.
Above All That Is Guarded, Guard Your Heart
מִכָּל־מִשְׁמָר נְצֹר לִבֶּךָ כִּי־מִמֶּנּוּ תּוֹצְאוֹת חַיִּים׃ - "Above all that is guarded, guard your heart, for from it flow the wellsprings of life."
The Malbim explains that this verse can be understood in light of his commentary on the verse, "Do good, Hashem, to the good, and to those who are upright in their hearts; but as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, Hashem will lead them away with the workers of iniquity." There he explains that the primary demand placed upon a person is to be upright in his heart and in his conscience. The Hebrew word for conscience, matzpun, derives from tzafun, meaning hidden - that which lies deep within the heart. The main thing required of man is that what is hidden in his heart be pure; and even if at times, in terms of outward actions, it may seem that he is doing things that appear not entirely proper, what is far more important is that internally things are worthy and upright, that his heart and conscience remain pure.
This is the definition of a "crooked" matter: "crooked" refers to "those who turn aside to their crooked ways" - where in the heart the matter is pure, clean, and directed for the sake of Heaven, yet from the outside it looks questionable, improper, or unseemly. This is the meaning of "Do good, Hashem, to the good, and to those who are upright in their hearts": ultimately, even if outwardly there appears to be something unseemly, if in their hearts they are upright, that is what is paramount. The Merciful One desires the heart. Similarly, our Sages taught that "greater is a transgression performed for the sake of Heaven than a mitzvah performed not for its own sake": outwardly one performed a mitzvah and the other performed a transgression, but internally, the one who performed the transgression for the sake of Heaven is greater, because Hashem ultimately seeks the heart.
And this is "Above all that is guarded, guard your heart": it is the heart that you must guard and watch over, for it is the core - ensuring that the heart is guarded against evil, so that whatever action you do does not stem from malice, but is rather an act where the goodness of the heart speaks through it. And why? "For from it flow the wellsprings of life" - the outcomes of life emerge from the heart. The decisive factor is what your inner state of mind is, while the physical body is secondary to it. If a person is upright in his conscience, in that sense we say he has attained the highest level; therefore, "from it flow the wellsprings of life" - guard it properly.
Yet Also "What Will People Say" - Put Away from Yourself Crookedness of Mouth
And if you ask: Does this mean I can do whatever I want and say, "The main thing is that my heart is pure and clean," even though externally it looks bad? To this the next verse responds.
הָסֵר מִמְּךָ עִקְּשׁוּת פֶּה וּלְזוּת שְׂפָתַיִם הַרְחֵק מִמֶּךָּ׃ - Put away from yourself crookedness of mouth, and remove deviousness of lips far from you.
Even so, do not neglect the concern of "what will people say" and how things appear. Therefore, "Put away from yourself crookedness of mouth" - be careful that people do not speak crookedly with their mouths and say that your actions are crooked. "Crooked" (akosh) means bent, distorted. You might cause a Chillul Hashem even when your intentions are desirable, and therefore "put away from yourself crookedness of mouth."
The Malbim adds: the lips are external compared to the mouth, which is internal, and speech originating in the mouth is more substantial than speech merely on the lips. The verse warns: be careful not to do anything that will cause people to suspect you, to the point that their mouths distort your actions and declare them crooked - that you violated Halachah, the law, or the path of uprightness and integrity. Not only that, but "remove deviousness of lips far from you": even if someone does not openly stand up and say harsh things about you because he misunderstood your actions, and even if it does not reach that extreme, there might still be some deviousness of the lips, a mere grimace or murmur, curling their lips at what you did. Distance yourself from that as well. Even though you say, "My intention is for the sake of Heaven" and "the Merciful One desires the heart," do not do things that will arouse suspicion; avoid not only overt talk against you, but even prompting people to purse their lips at you - a person should distance himself from that as well.
Open Eyes and Closed Eyes
עֵינֶיךָ לְנֹכַח יַבִּיטוּ וְעַפְעַפֶּיךָ יַיְשִׁרוּ נֶגְדֶּךָ׃ - Let your eyes look straight ahead, and let your eyelids gaze directly before you.
The Malbim explains: the eyes represent open eyes, while the eyelids represent closing the eyes. For when are the eyelids visible to us? When a person closes his eyes - then the eyelid is seen; but when the eyes are open, it is not seen, because it folds back and is concealed.
"Let your eyes look straight ahead" - in matters of spirituality and the soul, a person must open his eyes: to gaze toward God, to see His deeds and mighty acts, and to walk in His ways. "Nochach" (straight ahead) refers to looking directly toward a specific point, directly opposite it. This is what it means for your eyes to look straight ahead - "My eyes are constantly toward Hashem."
"And let your eyelids gaze directly before you" - but in bodily matters and matters of desires, here one needs the eyelids: to close the eyes. There the eyelid is revealed, when you shut your eyes. Do not wander after the sight of your eyes and the desires of your heart, but rather face what is before you - standing against the evil inclination, against bodily cravings, against worldly pleasures and being drawn after prohibitions and sins. In this, "let your eyelids gaze directly": close your eyelids so that you do not see those harmful things, and thereby distance yourself from trial and temptation as well.
"Gauge the Path of Your Foot" - Measuring the Circuitous Route
פַּלֵּס מַעְגַּל רַגְלֶךָ וְכָל־דְּרָכֶיךָ יִכֹּנוּ׃ - Gauge the path of your foot, and all your ways will be established.
We have explained that there is a difference between a "way" (derech) and a "circuit" (ma'agal): a derech is the direct, straightforward road by which one reaches the intended destination, whereas a ma'agal is a roundabout path, in which one deviates from the straight road in order to ultimately reach the desired point after the detour. And how can we know whether this roundabout way will bring you to the desired destination or not? For this there is a measuring tool, which is the peles - not necessarily the spirit level familiar to us today, but a measuring instrument in general.
As explained regarding the previous verses: a person who wishes to attain the middle path of character traits, but currently possesses an extreme trait on the opposite side - for example, a great miser who wishes to reach a state where he is neither overly spendthrift nor stingy, but rather on the middle path - must begin by spending generously. In this way, he will instill in himself the habit of spending, and ultimately arrive at the balanced middle path. This is the meaning of "Weigh the path of your feet": when you take a roundabout route, making a detour and deviating from the straight path in order to eventually reach the desired destination, use a level. That is, calculate your steps carefully so that you do not veer off course and end up missing the destination you seek. For when one walks in a straight line, matters are far simpler; but when one seeks to reach a point through a detour, it is far more complex, and there is a real concern of losing the way.
Therefore, "Weigh the path of your feet": you must carefully measure the right route to ultimately return to the straight line. Like one who is held captive by the trait of arrogance and becomes overly prideful - he must adopt the opposite extreme, going to the very edge of self-abasement and lowliness, until he returns to the balanced, proper measure of humility. And through weighing the roundabout path of your feet, "and all your ways will be established": you will be able to return to the central, middle path. At first, you will need a detour, and at first you will need a level to ensure that this detour brings you to the desired point; but once you arrive, you will continue along a paved, straight path, and all your ways will be established.
Do Not Turn Right or Left
אַל־תֵּט־יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול הָסֵר רַגְלְךָ מֵרָע׃ - "Do not turn right or left; remove your foot from evil."
Ideally, one must take care from the outset not to deviate from the middle path, neither to the right nor to the left - neither toward excess nor toward deficiency - and through this, "remove your foot from evil," so that you never arrive at evil. That is, after discussing situations where one must steer toward an extreme in order to ultimately return to the middle path, the verse comes and teaches: Know that the optimal way, which every person should adopt from the outset - if he has not fallen into an extreme, but rather seeks from the beginning to walk the straight path - is "Do not turn right or left": do not veer to the right or to the left, but walk from the very start along the straight path. And through this, "remove your foot from evil" - you will not encounter anything bad, because on the middle path a person conducts all his actions with balance, appropriately and properly.
In Summary:
In these verses, King Solomon set before us two paths: the path of the wicked, along which one must not even pass, but rather avoid it and turn away from it entirely, whose very lives are built upon doing harm, causing others to stumble, and eating the bread of wickedness and drinking the wine of violence - and the path of the righteous, which begins as a narrow way with faint light, but whose end is "shining ever brighter until the height of day," for anyone who exerts effort and overcomes his bad habits will ultimately merit illumination and ease in his divine service. From examining these two paths, Scripture transitions to inner spiritual work: listening closely to the words and analyzing the sayings, guarding wisdom within the heart until it becomes the very reasoning of the heart, knowing that wisdom is a find granted from Heaven and that it is life to the soul and healing to the entire body, guarding the heart with all vigilance for from it flow the springs of life, and along with this, guarding oneself from crooked speech and perverse lips, opening the eyes to spirituality while shutting them to base desires, weighing the paths of one's character traits - and from the outset, not turning right or left, but walking the straight, balanced middle path, thereby fulfilling "remove your foot from evil."