Introduction: Man and Self-Assessment
In chapter 21, Shlomo HaMelech continues to address the root of man's spiritual labor: recognizing the true path. After seeing in the first verse that the king's heart is in the hand of Hashem, the verse turns to the heart of every single individual - and to the persistent illusion that accompanies us, that our own path is the upright and exact one. We will delve into this verse in depth, in light of Rabbeinu Yonah, the Vilna Gaon, the Ralbag, and the Malbim.
כׇּל־דֶּרֶךְ־אִישׁ יָשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו וְתֹכֵן לִבּוֹת יְהֹוָה׃ (משלי כא, ב) - "Every way of a man is upright in his own eyes, but Hashem weighs the hearts" (Mishlei 21:2).
"Every way of a man is upright in his own eyes" - Everyone Is His Own Standard
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: a person's character traits, natural inclinations, and conduct are, in his own eyes, the upright way. This is how one ought to act, and how so? "Look at me and do likewise." Every person is convinced that he is decent, he is upright, and he is the standard. There is a Yiddish saying: anyone above me is a "frummer," and anyone below me is a "proster." A frummer - overly righteous, meticulous, adopts all kinds of stringencies: leave it, that is excessive. And anyone below me - a proster, coarse, superficial, "religious light." If so, who is in the exact right spot? "Look at me and do likewise." That is it. Whatever I do is the right thing to do.
Notice how naturally this happens during the Shemoneh Esrei prayer. A person is praying, and suddenly sees his neighbor to the right finishing after two minutes and taking three steps back for "Oseh Shalom." He is in the middle of prayer, but he cannot help thinking: this fellow is not serious, what kind of prayer takes two minutes? I haven't even reached "Chanun HaMarbeh Lislo'ach" and he is already done. He continues, finishes his Shemoneh Esrei, goes to step back - and sees someone behind him swaying like a tempest. Well, we'll wait. Another two minutes, another two minutes; he thought that person was already at Modim - and it turns out he is still at Magen Avraham. Listen, that is simply excessive. How long should a person pray? Pray reasonably! And what is reasonable? Me. I am reasonable. That one to my right is too brief, and the one behind me is too long. What is wrong with people? And perhaps, perhaps I am simply not well-known enough, and perhaps out of sheer humility I need to publicize myself more for the honor of Heaven, so people understand the correct path!
And so it is in every area. A person walks to Shacharis at eight in the morning and sees people returning from the synagogue - ah, that is too early. Later he walks back and sees people heading there at nine - he went too far, what happened to him? The next day he himself goes at nine, and the exact same thing happens: the early ones are too early, and the one going at ten has gone too far. The yardstick is always me. I am the best, the most successful, the most meticulous.
A wonderful parable is told in the name of Rabbi Assouline: a person goes to a funeral. If the deceased was young - ah, Baruch Hashem, I have already passed that age; he passed away at thirty and I am already past that. And if the deceased was elderly - ah, Baruch Hashem, I haven't reached that age yet; he was seventy, I still have time to live. In either case, he remains calm: either he has passed that age or he hasn't reached it yet, but he is certain he is not on the list. And this is the human condition: a person is always convinced that his actions are proper, his path is correct, and his measure of Yiras Shamayim is in the exact right dosage; anyone above him is exaggerating, and anyone below him is barely observant, while the proper way to conduct oneself is precisely according to his own measure.
"You Shall Be Holy" - The Standard Is Not Your Neighbor
For this reason, Rabbeinu Yonah explains that it is exceptionally difficult for a person to rectify his nature and character traits. Concerning this it is said, "You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your God, am holy." Chazal expound: Could it mean like Me? Scripture teaches, "for I am holy." There is, however, an additional insight on this matter: What is man's downfall? That he constantly measures himself comparatively. You talk to me about modesty? Come see my neighbor - actually, better that you don't - compared to her, I am modest! But those are not the true standards of modesty. "You shall be holy" - what is the standard? Not your neighbor. "For I am holy." Have you attained the holiness of the Master of the World? If not, you have room to grow. Compared to so-and-so I learn, compared to someone else I know, compared to this one I am modest, and compared to that one I am holy - no. Compared to the Holy One, blessed be He, are you holy? Measuring ourselves relative to others is a false measurement.
Therefore it is said that a person cannot rectify his character traits without the study of mussar. The study of mussar holds up a mirror before him and tells him: this is how one ought to look. Not what you imagine yourself to be, not what you convince yourself makes you "fine" - but this is how one ought to look. When you study mussar, you realize how much further you still have to advance.
"And Hashem Weighs the Hearts" - The Holy One Establishes the Heart
The word tochen (תוכן), spelled with a tav and a chaf, is related to the idea of rectifying and establishing, as in tikkanta Shabbat - to establish something and set it on its proper foundation. The Holy One, blessed be He, helps a person, rectifies his character traits, straightens his conduct, and awakens within him the realization: I am in the wrong, I need to rectify myself. But notice when this happens: when a person directs his heart to seek the truth and follow Hashem. This is an essential condition. A person can live his entire life in error simply because he never directed his heart to seek the truth. But if you genuinely direct your heart to follow Hashem, your inner compass - your conscience - will tell you deep within: the way you responded was not right; in what you just said there is a trace of pride; that action was unnecessary, I was mistaken. Where does this come from? No one told you. Rather, because you direct your heart to seek the truth, your conscience becomes a compass guiding you along the upright path.
"David's Heart Struck Him" - The Inner Moral Sense
We find a similar and wonderful explanation in the Malbim regarding Shaul's pursuit of David. David cut off the corner of Shaul's robe, and it says: "David's heart struck him." The Malbim explains a profound idea: perfected people know whether their actions are fitting and right based on their inner moral sense. The moment David's heart struck him, he knew he had not acted properly. One might argue: this was a good deed; you cut his robe and proved to him that you pursue peace, that you had the power to kill him yet spared him. But why did you need to damage his garment? "David's heart struck him" - his heart struck him, and he knew he had not acted fittingly. (Whoever wishes may hear this in greater detail in the recording on Sefer Shemuel.) Such is a person who genuinely strives for uprightness.
And this is an explicit verse: "For God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes." All crooked paths are habits a person adopts for himself, but the Holy One, blessed be He, created man as straight as a plumb line. Notice young children who grew up in completely secular homes; suddenly you hear a six-year-old child say, "God, I wanted You to know what I dreamed tonight in bed." Who spoke to you about God? Where did you hear about Him? It is natural; it comes from within; he senses the Master of the World. Later, as he matures, desires and worldly distractions extinguish every spark - yet you see that naturally, "God made man upright." The child speaks to the Master of the World and prays to Hashem because purity still resides within him.
The Connection to the Previous Verse: Begin, and Hashem Will Help
פַּלְגֵי־מַיִם לֶב־מֶלֶךְ בְּיַד־יְהֹוָה עַל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ יַטֶּנּוּ׃ (משלי כא, א) - Like streams of water, a king's heart is in the hand of Hashem; He turns it wherever He wills. (Mishlei 21:1)
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: if you understand correctly, you will see that this verse is directly connected to the one preceding it. In the previous verse we learned that "like streams of water, a king's heart is in the hand of Hashem," and Rabbeinu Yonah explained that when a person pleads for mercy and yearns for Hashem, the Holy One, blessed be He, turns the king's heart wherever He wills. So too in our case: when a person seeks and turns his heart toward Hashem - "and Hashem establishes hearts" - the Holy One, blessed be He, rectifies his heart, grants him an attraction to the good, transforms his negative nature, and directs his heart to follow Hashem and serve Him with complete and wholesome devotion.
What do we learn from this? That a person must make the start. Take the first step, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will surely help you. We see this endlessly with ba'alei teshuvah. A ba'al teshuvah usually says, "I cannot do it, I am simply unable." He is told: start with something. Start by washing your hands in the morning (netilat yadayim) - you have added a measure of sanctity to yourself, and already there is an opening to be drawn further. Provided he does not eat forbidden foods; if one consumes forbidden foods, that extinguishes everything. But if he is careful, and begins with some mitzvah - the Holy One, blessed be He, establishes hearts; He knows the inner contents of your heart, and He will rectify your heart to be drawn further toward holiness, for one who comes to purify himself receives Divine assistance.
The Gra: Along the Path a Person Wishes to Walk, He Is Led
The Vilna Gaon likewise explains that this verse follows from the previous one, based on the principle that along the path a person wishes to walk, he is led. In accordance with what the Gra explained there regarding the talmid chacham - that a talmid chacham is considered a king, and his heart is in Hashem's hand - "He turns it wherever He wills": since the talmid chacham aspires to the service of Hashem, the Holy One, blessed be He, inclines his heart to serve Him whole-heartedly and assists him. So too here: "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but Hashem directs hearts" - the Holy One, blessed be He, knows a person's inner thoughts, and along the path he wishes to walk, he is led, for every deed is drawn after the thought.
Ralbag: In Every Path One Can Find Some Merit
The Ralbag explains: whichever path a person chooses to take, he will find some virtue in it. Take any principled individual, even without religion, and ask him why he champions these methods and holds these views - he will point out a virtue in his path and worldview. Let us take an extreme example: communism. Why did people support it? Everyone is equal, there are no class divisions, no situation where people rummage through trash and sleep on a subway bench while multi-billionaires have no idea what to do with their wealth. You will hear arguments highlighting the virtue of the ideology. And then ask a proponent of capitalism, and he will tell you: there is no need for lengthy explanations, just look at what happened to every single country that embraced communism - total and complete collapse.
One who wishes can find lectures on Hidabroot titled "Democratic Rule vs. Monarchical Rule," as well as another lecture on Shemittah, which discuss at length the difference between communism and capitalism. The capitalist view allows people to amass limitless wealth, while the communist view ostensibly divides wealth equally - yet one who reflects will see that the capitalist view is closer to the truth than the communist one. However, the Torah is neither purely communist nor purely capitalist: on the one hand, it leans toward free enterprise, but on the other, it creates checks and balances through an exceptionally intricate system of chesed (charity and loving-kindness) - something absent in pure capitalism. In capitalism: if you have, you will have; if you do not, you starve. Look at how difficult it was for Mr. Obama to pass the healthcare law in the United States. What is the point of a healthcare law? That every American can receive medical care. Yet standing against it is the philosophy: if you have money, be healthy; if you have no money, let him die - you are encouraging laziness, let them go work. But in the meantime, he has nothing! Thus, if we take the capitalist mindset to its extreme, it is deeply flawed, and the Torah counterbalances this. Why capitalism is still preferable to communism will not be explored here, and whoever wishes can listen to those shiurim.
Yet the principle is clear: in every path, a person can find some good - whether practical benefit, pleasantness, honor, victory, or anything a person deems good. In every ideology a person champions, he can find advantages. But what truly aligns us with the genuine good? That which the Torah instructs. The reason is simple: suppose someone invents a car and specifies that it requires a certain fuel to run. Then someone else comes along and says: "I put in alcohol and it ran; I mixed in a bit of oil and it still ran; I added kerosene, it still runs, and it is even more economical!" You may find some advantage or benefit in every method, but who can truly tell you how the car will run properly? The manufacturer. He says: "I built the engine, I know its components, the oxidation and combustion rates, the spark size, and the temperature of combustion - and I am telling you exactly what fuel you need." The same is true here: one might find some merit in any path, but the Manufacturer surely knows the correct way to operate the machine called man.
Therefore, "Every way of a man is upright in his own eyes" - in every path, a person can find virtue, fairness, and advantage. But who truly directs the hearts, and what is the genuinely correct path? "Yet Hashem weighs the hearts." Arriving at the upright path is possible only through the divine influx bestowed by Hashem, may He be blessed.
The Malbim: The Inclination of the Heart vs. the Proper Deed
The Malbim explains that a person often decides based on his heart's inclination, imagining that this is the upright choice. Take, for example, a situation where it is known that a certain infant - named Adolf - "will grow to be great," and may Hashem spare us from him. Perhaps it would be proper to eliminate him while he is still small? But the heart refuses: "What, shall I murder a small child?" In such a case, one has not performed the objectively proper deed, but rather followed the inclinations of his heart; his heart leaned in this direction, and that is what he chose. But "yet Hashem weighs the hearts" - the Holy One, blessed be He, knows the character of the heart, and He levels its paths. Says the Malbim: Who is the One who "weighs" (tochen) the heart? The Holy One, blessed be He, for He knows where the heart leans and why you decided as you did - not because it was what was required, but because "every way of a man is upright in his own eyes." You followed your heart's inclinations, and your heart's inclinations in this case were to show mercy, even though Hashem commanded that here one must be unyielding.
"Upright" vs. "Pure" - Weighing Hearts and Weighing Spirits
The Malbim adds: Up to this point, we have spoken of an outright error - one who shows mercy to the cruel, which is a complete mistake. But there are situations where a person has not erred to that extent. For instance, he was required to perform a specific action and indeed carried it out, but not for the sake of Heaven (leshem Shamayim). The deed itself is correct, but it is no longer pure (zach). "Pure" means free of dross, free of waste, without the slightest taint of sin. Of this person, it is said that he is upright (yashar), yet not pure. The person we spoke of earlier, by contrast, is not upright at all: here one was supposed to be harsh, yet he showed pity - that is a crooked path.
And who determines the source of the purity of a person's heart? That lies deeper inward, within his spirit (ruach). The heart (lev) is more external, while the spirit is more internal. For when one performs a proper deed, who can detect that there was a subtle motive not for the sake of Heaven? This is "yet Hashem weighs the spirits" (vetochen ruchot Hashem) - only the Holy One, blessed be He, knows what transpires deep within the spirit. A person may very well deceive even himself, saying, "No, I am doing this purely for the mitzvah." Yet if he delves deeper and deeper, he will discover that an external motive was also present - and it is no longer pure.
See how marvelous this is: "Every way of a man is upright in his own eyes" - a person does crooked things, yet they seem upright to him; he shows mercy to one who should be dealt with harshly, and in his eyes, this is upright. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: "I know what is in your heart, I know the devious nature of the heart, and I know that you performed this action out of the crookedness of your heart." In contrast, "Every way of a man is pure in his own eyes" refers to a person on a higher level, who already does what is upright, but not what is entirely pure; there is dross and impurity, yet he still feels at ease with himself. Even at higher levels, a person convinces himself: "I am pure; my intentions are solely for the sake of Heaven." Regarding this it is said, "Yet Hashem weighs the spirits" - Hashem knows what lies deep within the spirit, not only in the heart, and He knows that an external bias was present and that it was not purely for the sake of Hashem.
Thus, a person must direct all his actions toward two goals: first, to walk in the upright path; and second, that his walking in the upright path be pure, purely for the sake of Hashem. Then indeed, regarding both "weighing hearts" and "weighing spirits," the Holy One, blessed be He, knows the content of his heart and recognizes that his deeds are both upright and pure, devoid of any ulterior motive or intention for personal gain.
From here, the text proceeds to the next verse: "עֲשֹׂה צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט נִבְחָר לַיהֹוָה מִזָּבַח" - "To do righteousness and justice is preferred by Hashem over sacrifice" - for specifically the upright paths of righteousness and justice are favored by Hashem more than offerings, as will be explained with Hashem's help.
In summary: "Every way of a man is upright in his own eyes" - it is human nature to measure oneself against oneself: anyone above him is an extremist, anyone below him is negligent, and he is always in the exact right spot. This standard of measurement is false, which is why it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" - the standard is the Holy One, blessed be He, not the neighbor, and the study of mussar is the mirror showing a person how much further he must advance. On the other hand, "yet Hashem weighs the hearts": when a person directs his heart to seek the truth and follow Hashem, the Almighty establishes his heart, refines his character traits, and awakens his conscience to serve as a compass - just as David's heart struck him when he cut the corner of Saul's robe. A small start on the person's part is enough, for "one who comes to purify himself is assisted." And although one can find some virtue in every philosophy, only the Manufacturer - the Giver of the Torah - knows the true path. Finally, being upright is not enough: one must also be pure, free of any self-interest, for Hashem weighs not only hearts, but spirits as well.