The chapter before us continues with a fundamental theme of the world: the proper perspective on the wicked and the righteous, on the success of one and the serenity of the other. In this lesson, we will examine three verses: the righteous person's ability to understand the wicked and perceive their ultimate intentions, the punishment of one who closes his ears to the cry of the poor, and the power of charity given in secret.
מַשְׂכִּיל צַדִּיק לְבֵית רָשָׁע מְסַלֵּף רְשָׁעִים לָרָע׃ (יב) - A righteous person wisely considers the house of the wicked; he overthrows the wicked to their ruin. (12)
One interpretation of the verse: The tzaddik wisely observes the house of the wicked, their deceitful ways, the plots in their heart, and their ultimate intentions. And because the tzaddik understands and knows the ultimate intentions of the wicked and recognizes their nature, he subverts them, diverts them, and overcomes them.
It is related that a Jew from a community in the United States once came to consult with the Chazon Ish on a certain matter. During the conversation, the man had an envelope in his hand, and he began pushing it across the table toward the Chazon Ish. The Chazon Ish continued speaking with him, while nudging the envelope back to the visitor's side. The man continued talking and pushed the envelope back to the Chazon Ish's side, and the Chazon Ish pushed it back to him once again. The man did not take the hint and pushed it a third time. The Chazon Ish said to him, "Please do me a favor, put that in your pocket, or we cannot continue speaking." Only then did he realize, shocked. He took the envelope, put it in his pocket, finished what he had to say, and left.
One of the Chazon Ish's attendants, who witnessed the entire exchange, was puzzled: What happened here? The Chazon Ish explained to him: "This concerns a community in the United States that has a specific dispute, and they wanted me to address it and express an opinion. They sent me a letter and I did not reply, then another letter and I still did not reply. The reason I did not reply is that I know these types of people, and I know all they want from me is any reaction at all. The moment I react, they will know how to distort my words and attribute things to me that I never said. For instance, they will say: 'The letter was already seen by the Chazon Ish.' They will not mention that he opposed it, only that it was brought before his eyes. Manipulators have no shortage of ways to falsely attribute claims to the gedolim of Israel. Because I understood what was going on and knew their intentions, I refused to relate to this letter in any way whatsoever. When they saw that I was ignoring it, they sent an emissary here to hand me the letter, so they could claim that the Chazon Ish saw it and did not completely object or protest against it. People can always find ways to distort reality."
There is a well-known story about a race between an American runner and a Russian runner, in which the American won. In America, the newspapers reported that the American runner won the race. In Russia, they also had to publish the results, so they reported: "In the race held yesterday between the American and Russian runners, the Russian runner took second place, while the American runner came in next to last." Are these not the facts? Everything is true! But one can always manipulate the facts by how they are phrased and presented. This was precisely what the Chazon Ish feared, which is why he pushed the letter back - so they could not even claim that the letter had reached his hands.
A week later, the attendant met that same man in Tel Aviv. The man told him, "You should know, the Chazon Ish is extraordinarily wise." The attendant asked, "Why?" The man replied, "We had a problem, and we wanted the Chazon Ish to at least acknowledge it, to say something, so we could claim it was brought before his eyes - yet he did not even allow the letter to reach his hands!" The attendant replied, "He is even wiser than you think, because he saw through your entire plan. He knew everything."
Some people imagine that a Torah sage is detached from worldly affairs, asking: What does he know of schemes, and what does he understand of deceit? Such people fail to grasp a simple truth: they have never studied Gemara. Had they studied Gemara, they would realize that the sage understands every scheme. What is the Gemara built upon? It constantly grapples with fraudsters. In the tractates of Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, and Bava Batra, what are the discussions about? If this person claims X, the other will counter with Y; and if one tries to cheat in such a way, why should we believe him? Because he has a migo - believe me regarding this claim because I could have made a more advantageous one. Does a deceiver have a migo, or does a deceiver not have a migo? The entire Gemara analyzes the ploys and arguments of swindlers and schemers, questioning: perhaps when he claims this, he actually intends that, and raised this argument only to be believed on another point? Everything is rooted in sharpness, keen insight, and penetrating the psyche of the deceiver. The Gemara even details all the tactics of swindlers - various methods of fraud, how they weighed falsely and tampered with scales - to the point where Chazal declared: "Woe to me if I speak, woe to me if I do not speak." If I speak, I may teach tricks to swindlers; and if I do not speak, swindlers might cheat people who will not realize they are being cheated. The Sages are thoroughly versed in all of it.
Along similar lines, the Brisker Rav once said to Rav Amram Blau - who used to protest against the desecration of Shabbat in Jerusalem when cinemas opened on Shabbat and the like, enduring beatings without fearing any man - "You are a Zionist." To Rav Amram Blau, one of the foremost zealots, this was the most dreadful insult imaginable. He asked, "How could the Rav consider me a Zionist?" The Brisker Rav replied, "If you go out to protest, you evidently believe they will not kill you. In Kiev, would you have gone out to protest against a Russian policeman? There, you knew it would cost you your head. But here, you say to yourself, 'They are Jews, they will not do anything to me.' That is a sign that you trust them, and that makes you a Zionist."
And indeed, did they not kill? Were there not people who stood in the way and were eliminated? Anyone who knew too much might be found dead in prison right after his affair came to light. Was there not what took place during the Saison period? The tzaddik knows the ways of the wicked, understands what they are capable of, and does not for a moment view their actions as being born of good intentions. He understands that there are no illusions: if someone stands in their way, even if he is called a doctor or a professor, even if he seeks to make peace without asking them, he will be eliminated. One must realize that they are capable of murder, just as Avraham Avinu said: "There is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me." The tzaddik knows all the paths of wickedness; nothing surprises him. To think that because he is a righteous man immersed in the four cubits of Halachah, he does not understand or recognize worldly schemes, is naivete at best and malice at worst.
The Vilna Gaon explains: "Maskil" means teaching through the path of reason and understanding. The tzaddik teaches the members of the wicked person's household while they are still young, educating them in a good path. This is "the righteous person gives understanding to the household of the wicked." But if they will not heed him and if they mock him - that is, the wicked themselves - then "He overthrows the wicked to their ruin," turning them toward evil.
We have already seen what the Vilna Gaon explained elsewhere, which has been discussed at length on several occasions: when a tzaddik seeks to bring a wicked person back in teshuvah, one of two things occurs. Either that wicked person repents, and then you share in all the mitzvos he performs - since every mitzvah he does comes through your power, and "if you extract the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth," achieving tremendous and immense spiritual heights. Or he does not repent, and then a person says to himself: What did I accomplish? I wasted two hours, I wasted two days, and nothing came of this person. But they tell you: Do not worry. The kabbalists teach that through speaking with him and trying to persuade him, the holy sparks within him leave him and cleave to you, while the sparks of the kelipah within you leave you and attach to him. Simply put: this is an investment that yields a return in either case. If he repents, you have gained; and if he does not repent, you have drawn out the sparks of holiness from within him, while he has absorbed your sparks of kelipah.
It has been noted that this can even serve as a defense for those who say, "I do not go to lectures; I do not go to outreach speakers." Such a person thinks: At least I have a few sparks of holiness left - let me keep them a bit longer! What, do you want that rabbi to take them away from me too? At least he wishes to retain them. Well, that is a way to judge them favorably. At any rate, this is what is written here according to the Vilna Gaon: "The righteous person gives understanding to the household of the wicked" - to the children of the wicked he imparts wisdom and teaches Torah; but regarding the wicked themselves who refuse to repent, "He overthrows the wicked to their ruin" - he causes only evil to remain within them, for he has already extracted and absorbed the good from them, leaving behind only the sparks of kelipah and impurity.
Ralbag explains: "The righteous person brings success to the household of the wicked" - the tzaddik brings prosperity to the house of the wicked person, as exemplified by Yaakov Avinu, who brought prosperity to the house of Lavan. Lavan's household flourished because Yaakov was there, as Lavan said: "I have divined that Hashem has blessed me for your sake" - all my success is because of you. Without question, the success was due entirely to the tzaddik. For when Yaakov arrived at Lavan's home, Lavan did not even have a shepherd; he had to send his daughters to shepherd the sheep because he had no sons. And who else would be willing to shepherd Lavan's flock, knowing that the business would not end well? Yet after Yaakov arrived, everything broke forth in great abundance.
And what does this bring about? "He misleads the wicked to evil." This causes the wicked to become corrupted and led astray down an evil path. The wicked person says: Do you see that I am successful? Do you see that everything is going well for me and I lack nothing? Do not tell me what is wrong or what goes against the will of Hashem; the facts speak for themselves, proving that one who does evil prospers! But where did that success really come from? "The righteous person brings success to the household of the wicked" - the success actually came on account of the tzaddik in the wicked man's home; he is the one who brings success and blessing to the household of the wicked. Yet this very success ultimately leads the wicked astray to their harm, encouraging them to add wickedness upon wickedness and persist in their corrupt path.
Ralbag offers another explanation: "The righteous person brings success to the household of the wicked" - this occurs when good cleaves to them on account of their ancestors. Perhaps you had a righteous grandfather, or a righteous great-grandfather; there was a tzaddik associated with the wicked man's household, and through him all the success comes. And this causes "He misleads the wicked to evil," as it makes them believe that their success stems from their wickedness.
The Malbim explains: Even when the household of the wicked person is at peace, when everything goes smoothly for him, with no breach, no exile, and no outcry in our streets - yet this is the house of a wicked man! The word "house" signifies that he sits at ease in his home, without fear and without misfortune. Know that "the righteous person contemplates the house of the wicked": the tzaddik observes, reflects, and delves into what happens in the home of the wicked person, understanding its underlying reason. Why has the Holy One, blessed be He, granted this wicked person tranquility? The answer is: "He overthrows the wicked to their ruin." The Holy One, blessed be He, arranged this so that they would continue to do evil, receive their reward in this world, persist in their misdeeds, and receive their full punishment in the World to Come. That is why they enjoy tranquility.
The wicked person looking at this says: See, it pays to be wicked! But the tzaddik looks through an entirely different lens. He tells you: what you see - that the wicked person sits comfortably in his house - is to his harm, not to his benefit. On the contrary, if the Holy One, blessed be He, desired his good, He would chastise him; He would bring suffering, hardships, and struggles upon him to awaken him. And if Heaven does not awaken him, that is indeed to his misfortune. "Mesalef" means to subvert, to ensure that his state will not endure, so that ultimately he will pay the full price.
Furthermore, through their wickedness, their calamity will swiftly hasten. Since he receives all his good here in a brief time, he is taken away quickly, for he has already managed to commit vast wickedness in a short time and has filled his measure. Not long ago, there was a crime boss in Netanya who fulfilled upon himself the verse "and you shall purge the evil from your midst." Until then, he had practiced other deeds: anyone who did not do what he wanted, Hashem protect us! Some things he did personally, and some he eliminated through an agent, as if "it is a greater mitzvah to do it oneself than through an agent." This time, he decided to benefit the public and give up his life, literally fulfilling "and you shall purge the evil from your midst," and took his own life. Following that, thousands of people breathed a sigh of relief. People who had suffered from the mafia there, which was dreadful. They would walk into a person's business and say: Sir, starting tomorrow we are partners. "Partners? What are you talking about?" "Do you remember so-and-so? Yes, poor man, his shop burned down. He also resisted at first." And when you turn to the police, they are not even willing to deal with them. How many people suffered and were tormented - to say nothing of those who were sent to the World of Truth before their time!
The tzaddik sees this and is entirely unimpressed. People tell him: Look, this man is succeeding! But he says: Wait, do not be dazzled, just wait and see. And suddenly it becomes clear: the father was killed, one son was assassinated, a third son is in prison, and he himself committed suicide. That is the work of Hashem: "and you shall purge the evil from your midst." And that is "the righteous person contemplates the house of the wicked" - the tzaddik looks at the home of the wicked and does not panic. "He overthrows the wicked to their ruin" - do not worry, the Holy One, blessed be He, overturns the wicked and brings calamity upon them far faster than you think. When that wicked man was blocking the way and making threats, how much stress there was, and yet how long was it before we saw him scurrying like a mouse out of some hole? Do not be dismayed. When you see the wicked person threatening, do not panic; it is only temporary.
The righteous person understands, observes, and knows that all of this is in order to overthrow the wicked to ruin, for "Hashem repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them." The Holy One, blessed be He, does so so that the wicked person quickly receives what is coming to him here, and afterwards departs from this world and ascends Above to receive his punishment. The tzaddik understands all of this, but the wicked person does not, and says: I have seen evildoers succeed. Only the tzaddik, a person of elevated stature, looks at the entire situation from above and knows that everything is temporary. That man who went around threatening and speaking about drafting yeshivah students and cutting budgets, how much noise he made, how many battles he waged, how much he spoke against those who keep the mitzvos, how he slandered and blackened the faces of avreichim and bnei Torah - and a wind passed over him and he is gone, and his own companions kicked him out. There is no sweeter retribution than this. "They sprout like grass" - Scripture states that the wicked are like grass, growing quickly and withering quickly. Therefore, one should not be alarmed when seeing the wicked prosper, nor when seeing that all is well with him and he enjoys tranquility. On the contrary, this shows that his downfall is near.
אֹטֵם אָזְנוֹ מִזַּעֲקַת דָּל גַּם הוּא יִקְרָא וְלֹא יֵעָנֶה׃ (יג) - Whoever shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, he too shall call and not be answered. (13)
The plain meaning of the verse is measure for measure: you do not listen to the cry of the poor, so he too will call and not be answered. The Holy One, blessed be He, will not answer him and will not listen to his outcry.
The Vilna Gaon explains: the verse retains its literal meaning, as we explained, but there is also a deeper dimension. The yetzer hatov is called "a poor and wise man." And when a person shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, who is the poor one? The yetzer hatov. You are unwilling to listen to the yetzer hatov, yet it pleads with you: Do not do this, it is a sin, it will bring you down, you will suffer from this. It cries out, and this is the cry of the poor. But it is poor and destitute, unfortunate, "a poor and wise man," and no one listens to it, and he does not turn away from his foolishness.
And afterward, "he too shall call and not be answered." Why? Because he will be told: Sir, you already listened to the yetzer hara; you became its client. And when you reach the point where you are stuck in the mud and want someone to pull you out, you will discover that it is not at all simple. You will discover that shaking off all those corrupt habits and distorted behaviors is extraordinarily difficult. Had you listened to the yetzer hatov before you entered the mud - which was the cry of the poor - you would not need to cry out now. But one who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, to the yetzer hatov, when he still had the opportunity to listen to it, he too will call and not be answered. A stage will arrive when he cries for help and will not be answered, and he will be told: Sir, the time has passed; you are already in a place from which, by natural means, it is very difficult to return.
The Malbim explains that there is a difference between a dal and a rash. A rash is simply an impoverished person, whereas a dal is someone who once possessed wealth but was impoverished and brought low. Most often, a person becomes a dal through oppression and extortion, and he then goes to cry out to the judges to save him from the hand of the oppressor and robber. If the judge shuts his ear to the cry of one who was impoverished by the oppression of the wicked, and does not bring him justice or rescue him, his punishment is "he too shall call and not be answered." This means: that very oppression which you neglected to stop will oppress you as well. Instead of you, in your role as judge, dealing with the oppressor, he becomes an authorized oppressor doing whatever he pleases, and consequently, next in line is you, honorable judge.
This operates on two planes. In the judgment of Heaven, measure for measure: you will cry out and the Holy One, blessed be He, will not answer you, because you did not answer the cry of the poor. And in earthly affairs: since he did not administer justice and did not eradicate the wicked, the wicked will turn on him and ultimately arrive at his doorstep as well. But had you not shut your ear to the cry of the poor, but rather dealt with the wicked, evil would not have spread throughout the world, and consequently you would not have suffered either.
Indeed, this is one of the arguments that Iyov's companions leveled against him. They told him: When you were powerful and prominent, you did not eradicate wickedness, and therefore you created a situation where all of these ultimately came and took retribution against you. Sheba came, the Chaldeans came, and the others came. Why? Because you allowed wickedness to persist, you allowed crime to become organized, and that crime ultimately struck you as well. This is "Whoever shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, he too shall call and not be answered" on the earthly plane: by failing to eradicate wickedness, wickedness strikes him, and he will call and not be answered, suffering from those very same things.
מַתָּן בַּסֵּתֶר יִכְפֶּה אָף וְשֹׁחַד בַּחֵק חֵמָה עַזָּה׃ (יד) - A gift in secret pacifies anger, and a bribe in the bosom strong wrath. (14)
The plain meaning of "a gift in secret" is tzedakah, and "subdues anger" means that it suppresses and brings down wrath and fury. "And a bribe in the bosom" is also tzedakah, and it subdues even fierce wrath. Rashi characteristically is brief here, and the matter is elaborated more fully in the other commentators.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: Although if a person does not go and inquire where the poor are, and does not pursue them to give to them, that too is a shortcoming, the far more severe problem is when they come and cry out before him and he still does not give - when the poor person cries out to his face and he does not open his hand. By rights, he should have gone and searched, pursuing tzedakah, looking for where there are needy people, being one who "considers the poor," and thereby he would receive an immense reward, for "a gift in secret subdues anger."
Thus, this verse is a continuation of the preceding verse. "He who stops his ear at the cry of the poor, he too shall call out and not be answered" - and what should you have done? Not wait until the poor person comes to cry out, but go and give a gift in secret even before the poor person cries out, pursuing tzedakah and reaching him before he even turns to you. And the reward for this is immense: "A gift in secret subdues anger," meaning that even if one has sins, the merit of giving secretly subdues the anger and annuls it.
"And a bribe in the bosom [subdues] fierce wrath." A bribe is what a person gives when he is in trouble in order to extricate himself from it. It could be a bribe given to a judge to be acquitted in his judgment, or a bribe given to a government official to approve a housing complex or the like. A bribe is intended to get a person out of trouble.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: The conclusion of the verse, "and a bribe in the bosom [subdues] fierce wrath," means that even if you have already reached a situation where you are deep in trouble, where fierce wrath has already been decreed upon you, where there is already more than anger against you - for af is anger, whereas cheimah azah ("fierce wrath") is already a harsh decree in Heaven - if you give "a bribe in the bosom," and the intent is not in a negative sense, but that you go to the poor person and place a sum of money into his bosom, know that this giving has the power to remove fierce wrath from you. And why does the verse call it a bribe? Because this refers to a person who is already in deep trouble, in a very difficult state, and therefore he goes and gives "a bribe in the bosom." Through this giving, he annuls that great anger and divine wrath in Heaven.
The three verses we studied teach a way of contemplation. "The righteous considers the house of the wicked": the tzaddik is not naive; he understands the ways of the wicked person and his ultimate aim, and is not alarmed by his tranquility, for "He overthrows the wicked to their ruin" - that very tranquility is to their detriment, so that they receive their reward here and hasten toward their punishment. "He who stops his ear at the cry of the poor": one who does not listen to the cry of the oppressed, and one who does not listen to the cry of his yetzer hatov, will ultimately cry out and not be answered, in the judgment of Heaven and in the judgment of the earth. And "a gift in secret subdues anger": do not wait for the cry; pursue tzedakah in secret, for it has the power to subdue anger and annul even fierce wrath.