Introduction
Chapter 21 of Mishlei continues King Solomon's approach of setting sharp contrasts between the path of wisdom and the path of folly, between the righteous person and the wicked, and between one who lives in light of the ultimate purpose and one who lives only for the fleeting moment. In this lesson we will examine three pesukim - verse 5 on the difference between the diligent person and the hasty one, verse 6 on treasures gathered by a lying tongue, and verse 7 on the wicked who refuse to do justice - studying them in light of Rabbeinu Yonah, the Vilna Gaon, Ralbag, and the Malbim.
Thoughts of the Diligent - What Is True Alacrity?
מַחְשְׁבוֹת חָרוּץ אַךְ־לְמוֹתָר וְכָל־אָץ אַךְ־לְמַחְסוֹר׃ (ה) - The plans of the diligent lead only to gain, but all who are hasty tend only to loss. (5)
Rabbeinu Yonah opens with a fundamental principle: speed is not synonymous with diligence and alacrity (*zerizus*). A person should not imagine that simply because he completed something quickly, he is diligent and swift. Not necessarily. "The thoughts of the diligent" refers to one who prioritizes careful thought before action, and that is the essence of true *zerizus*. To be sure, deliberation might seem to cause a delay, since had one jumped straight into action, he would have finished sooner, whereas taking time to ponder the matter holds things back. Rabbeinu Yonah explains: know that this is not a loss, but an advantage. "Only to gain" - even if you spent some of your time thinking those thoughts through, you will reap only profit from it. In contrast, "and all who are hasty tend only to loss" - one who says, "Why should I think so much? I am only delaying; I need to be fast," will end up with nothing but lack.
As one of the classic Mussar authors remarked: the fruit of all haste is regret. What is the fruit that grows from the tree called haste? Regret. This is what is commonly referred to as rashness.
Two Stages: Deliberation in Deciding, Alacrity in Execution
The *Mesillas Yesharim*, in the Gate of *Zerizus*, addresses an apparent paradox: on the one hand, a person is instructed to be deliberate (*matun*), while on the other, he is urged to be swift (*zariz*). Which should it be - deliberate or swift? He provides a profound distinction, very much in line with our pasuk. Before doing something, be deliberate. Is it necessary or not? Is it vital or not? Will benefit come from it or will harm result? Weigh it carefully and reach the correct conclusion. But once the decision is made, do not say, "Fine, I have decided; in another two days I will get around to it" - no! At that point, be swift. Immediately act upon what was resolved; rise and execute. There are two distinct stages: the decision-making stage requires deliberation; the implementation stage requires swiftness, without hesitation or delay.
Boaz, and the Moments That Decided the Davidic Dynasty
Who was the person about whom it was said that he would not postpone a matter until tomorrow? Naomi reassured Ruth: "For the man will not rest until he has settled the matter today" - this very day Boaz will resolve the issue, and this very day he will take you as a wife. And indeed, that is exactly what happened. Boaz went to the elders, the redeemer Tov arrived, Boaz asked him whether he wished to redeem the estate, and he replied, "Redeem it yourself, lest I impair my inheritance." That very day Boaz married Ruth, that night she conceived, and on that very night Boaz passed away. Consider what would have occurred had he delayed even slightly.
Along these lines, we find throughout history that the pivotal events leading to Mashiach hinged on mere moments. From where did David enter the world? Through Lot and his daughters. Had the daughters hesitated just one more night, he would never have been born. "I have found David My servant" - where was he found? In Sodom. For had they waited one more day, they would have realized that other people still survived on earth, and that the entire world had not perished as they had assumed. A slight delay, and the entire outcome would have been lost. So too with Yehudah and Tamar: had he not met her at the crossroads of Einayim, and had he not relented and confessed the moment she was brought out to be burned, she would have died, and the entire Davidic line stood within a hairsbreadth of destruction. The same was true with Boaz: had he said, "We will arrange this tomorrow, prepare a proper feast, organize a grand wedding" - what would have become of the dynasty of the House of David?
Let no person say, "I have reached an advanced age; I have time guaranteed." Even when one is blessed with long life, does he know what kind of long life it will be? A person could spend his final years in a vegetative state, merely breathing on life support. There is a recorded instance where Rabbi Ovadia Yosef addressed Ariel Sharon, who used to boast of longevity in his family, remarking: "May Hashem strike him on the head so that he sleeps and does not wake" - and two weeks later, that man fell into a coma that lasted eight years. At all events, we see that there are moments where if one does not act instantly, the opportunity is gone forever. Once the path is determined, do not delay.
The Malbim's Explanation: The Diligent Person Looks to the Ultimate Purpose
The Gaon Malbim explains: The thoughts of the diligent person are always focused on the ultimate purpose. Therefore, in the actions he takes, there is never a loss, but only "surplus" (motar) - an expression of abundance and profit. Everything he does is directed toward reaching his aspired goal. "And everyone who is hasty" - one who does not look ahead to the ultimate purpose but only sees the immediate benefit - "leads only to lack": he will always end up with deficit and loss, never with profit, because he does not look to the future, only to momentary gratification.
An illustration of this is told about a real estate broker in Ashdod. He had a friend, one of the managers at the Port of Ashdod, who had purchased several apartments through him and would even refer port employees to him. At the Port of Ashdod, baruch Hashem, they are not starving - even a junior worker earns twenty-five thousand shekels, and in Ashdod it is very common to buy apartments to rent out, practically a widespread phenomenon, and they can afford it. One day the manager came to him and said: "I saw an apartment on such-and-such street, do you have details on it? I do not need you to broker the deal, just the information." The broker replied: "From ordinary clients I take two percent, but for you - one percent." He said to him: "I do not need you to broker it, just the information." He replied: "Yes, but in our business, information costs money, and I need to make a living too." The man thanked him and went on his way.
At that very moment, that broker lost his best client. That was the last time he ever saw him, and not only him, but all the workers he used to refer to him. Complete foolishness, absolute folly! For a minor matter, after all that he brought you, doesn't he deserve some service? And you argue with him over a percentage? Not only that, but what about all the buyers he brought you - didn't he earn some goodwill for that? And what did he ask for altogether? Just some information; he did not even ask you to find him an apartment. "I need to make a living"... This is "he who is hasty leads only to lack": he sees money, and his eyes immediately light up like in cartoons, but there is no sense or logic here. "The plans of the diligent lead only to surplus" - the diligent person thinks about the ultimate purpose and therefore profits; the hasty one sees only the momentary gain, and nothing comes of it but harm and loss.
The Diligent and the Hasty in Torah Study
The Vilna Gaon says the same regarding the study of Torah. One who learns for the sake of the ultimate purpose, which is the knowledge of Torah for the sake of Heaven, will always merit "surplus," because he constantly reviews and always finds new flavor in what he has learned. As Chazal said: Why is the Torah compared to a breast? Just as with a breast, whenever the nursing infant nurses from it, he finds flavor in it. This is one who learns with "the plans of the diligent" - studying properly, truly for the sake of Heaven, through perseverance and constant review.
The hasty person, on the other hand, only wants to cover ground: "We already saw this yesterday; we didn't fully understand it, no matter, let's move on." He seeks only to rack up pages and jumps ahead - and this "leads only to lack"; nothing comes of it but loss. What he learned is lost to him, every precious treasure slips away, for if one does not review and internalize the material, it will be forgotten. In contrast, one who reflects on what he has learned, delves into it, and contemplates it - "leads only to surplus"; he will thereby attain a great advantage and vast Torah knowledge.
In short, as seen in the commentary of Rabbeinu Yonah: The diligent person is the proactive, thoughtful one who weighs every matter beforehand with all its possibilities and then carries it out in the most successful way, which is why it leads "to surplus." And if one should ask: While he is hesitating and thinking, might he not suffer a loss? To this the verse states, "leads only to lack" - it is precisely when one takes immediate actions without contemplating them that loss will result.
Treasures Gathered by a Lying Tongue
פֹּעַל אֹצָרוֹת בִּלְשׁוֹן שָׁקֶר הֶבֶל נִדָּף מְבַקְשֵׁי־מָוֶת׃ (ו) - "Acquiring treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, seeking death." (6)
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: The treasures a person amasses are like chaff driven by the wind, and a minor incident can cause them to be lost. And if one thought that in our times it is not so simple to lose a fortune - with the economic crashes and the events witnessed in recent years, we see how people who were enormously wealthy were left with meager assets. Furthermore, these treasures not only fail to benefit those who gathered them, but they even corrupt them. For it is a reality that when a person possesses vast wealth, he does not become more righteous as a result; on the contrary: "And Yeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, thick, gross; and he abandoned the God who made him, and spurned the Rock of his salvation." "A lion does not roar except over a basket of meat" - when a person has it good, he permits himself to treat Torah, mitzvos, shiurim, and Torah study lightly, emboldened by the wealth he has attained. Therefore, Rabbeinu Yonah says that these treasures seek their masters and pursue their downfall.
"Acquiring treasures by a lying tongue" - especially when amassed through deceit, crafty schemes, manipulation, and all sorts of dishonest methods - know that this is a "fleeting vapor," vanity that is destined to vanish from you, and it can even bring a person to death. Indeed, such was the case with a prominent building contractor some thirty-five years ago, who suffered a financial collapse he could not bear, and took his own life. We understand that this "fleeting vapor" can drive a person to his very death - while one who did not amass such wealth is entirely free of these troubles.
The Vilna Gaon: Bribery and Lives
The Vilna Gaon explains that "one who amasses treasures by a lying tongue" refers to someone who utters falsehood because he takes bribes. By taking the bribe he gains an unlawful and halachically forbidden profit, and concerning him it is said: the money he receives is "a driven vapor" - nothing will remain in his possession - and he is among those "seeking death."
And what is the meaning of "seeking death"? The Gemara relates that whenever a certain sage went out to the beit din, he would say of himself: "Of my own volition I go out to be killed" - by my own choice I walk toward death. For if a judge perverts justice, taking money from one who is not liable and giving it to one who is not entitled, the Gemara states: "And He will rob the life of those that rob them" (Mishlei 22:23) - the word kove'a signifies robbery, as in the verse, "For you have robbed Me, even this whole nation" (Malachi 3:9). When a judge robs, the Holy One, Blessed is He, demands his life, not merely his money. That sage would therefore say of himself, with a touch of irony: I am now going out to the beit din and risking my life, for I face immense danger there and could bring about my own death. This is the meaning of "one who amasses treasures by a lying tongue": by taking bribes and speaking falsehood, he amasses his treasures - yet he is told that this is a driven vapor that will leave nothing behind, and furthermore, such people are "seeking death," for the Holy One, Blessed is He, will take his life on account of it.
Ralbag: Shaky Foundations and Flawed Conclusions
Ralbag, as is well known, directs these verses toward the realm of wisdom. When a person begins his studies and his premise is what he terms a "false beginning" - that is, shaky foundations - his conclusions will inevitably be corrupted. For if the foundations are unsound, every superstructure built upon them is a vain and futile edifice, since it all stems from a mistaken underlying assumption. But if you grasp the foundation correctly, all the structures you subsequently build will naturally be sound and sturdy.
A contemporary example: a person decides that the chareidim must enter the workforce, decides that everyone must be drafted, decides that there is no other choice, that the Jewish people need this manpower, and that they must bear the burden. And from what foundation did all this stem? From the premise that Torah study is nothing and of no consequence, and that consequently the only way to save ourselves is through the military, which alone protects and saves.
Yet your foundation is fundamentally flawed. Had the foundation been sound, and had you known that "Were it not for My covenant day and night, I would not have set the statutes of heaven and earth" (Yirmeyahu 33:25); and had you known the words of the Gemara that Torah scholars who immerse themselves in Torah are the neturei karta - the true guardians of the city by virtue of their learning - whereas those you assume to be fighting may, through their sins, actually be in the category of charovei karta (those who destroy the city); and had you known that all wars are decided first in Heaven and only afterward play out down here, and that in Heaven battles are fought neither with rockets nor with atomic bombs, but with those who plead for merit and those who plead for liability, with merits pitted against sins - and had you understood the immense merits possessed by someone who sits and toils in Torah, who has the power to save the entire public - then you would establish shifts, as the holy Ohr HaChaim writes, posting watchmen in the beit midrash.
And you would stop every avreich who stepped out: Where are you going now? To get coffee? Not now; study for another two hours, and then you may go. Where are you going? Your wife called? No, sir; you may leave at one o'clock. Guards would be posted at the beit midrash to ensure no one left: Persevere! You have no idea what danger you bring upon the Jewish people when you interrupt your studies. That is how people would act.
Instead, because the foundation is flawed and they lack the basic understanding of the supreme value of Torah study, a person naturally arrives at conclusions that seem entirely reasonable to his own logic: there must be an equal sharing of the burden; why should everyone else serve in the army and not you; why should everyone else study a core curriculum and not you. And how absurd it is that this very person demands of you what he himself lacks: he has no academic degree, he never finished twelve years of schooling, and he never served in the army - yet he will make sure that the chareidim study secular subjects and that the chareidim are drafted.
Says the Ralbag: "One who amasses treasures" - someone who has accumulated great stores of knowledge, reached conclusions, established committees and the like, but all of it "by a lying tongue," stemming entirely from a faulty premise where he fails to grasp the greatness of Torah study - know that this is a driven vapor, an illusion devoid of substance. As Rav Chaim Kanievsky said: they determine nothing. Period. Do not be alarmed. Such a person can harass you, he can withhold budgets that are yours by right and not by favor, he can cause you trouble - but in Heaven, they determine nothing. This is what one must understand: if you arrive at false conclusions, it is a sign that your foundations are shaky. You may have amassed treasures, but it was done by a lying tongue, and these treasures are "seeking death"; one will not attain the paths of life through them, but rather they will lead him to ruin and utter destruction.
Gambling with Life on a False Premise
A classic example of this occurred about a century ago, or perhaps more: a man invented a pair of special, outstretched wings with which he believed a person could fly. To demonstrate the invention, he initially thought of training a monkey, dropping it from a high tower, and having it soar like an eagle. He was convinced that this was the invention of the century, that he was about to become a millionaire, and that everyone would buy his patent. At the last moment he reconsidered, deciding that it might not work properly with a monkey, and resolved to do it himself. His family tried to dissuade him - after all, this was a leap from the Eiffel Tower, not from a first-floor window - but he believed in his invention, jumped, and was killed. And all of this took place before thousands of onlookers who had gathered to witness the invention of the century.
"Acquiring treasures with a deceitful tongue" - a person thought he found a treasure, that he had made a great invention, but everything was built on a false foundation. Did you test it? Do you really know? Are you gambling with your life? And for what? For something where in the end you might say, "Oops, I made a mistake" - and with that mistake there is no possibility of repair; it is finished, gone. "A fleeting vapor, pursuing death," quite literally. And incidentally, there have been more than one or two instances where a doctor or a chemist developed a medication, and when no volunteer was found to test it, decided to test it on himself - and that was the final test, which proved that the medication was lethal. May Hashem protect us. You are "acquiring treasures with a deceitful tongue," thinking, "I can become a millionaire, I invented a vaccine" - and in the end, it is not a cure but a kill. And indeed, says the Ralbag, when you set out to draw conclusions, it is critical that the foundations be solid; if not, the conclusions will be as flimsy as the premises, and they may turn out to be a fleeting vapor and even seek the death of their master.
The Malbim's Explanation
The Malbim explains: "Acquiring treasures" - one who amasses wealth "with a deceitful tongue," meaning through false testimony, forging documents, and counterfeiting metals, what would be called scams or shady schemes today. Even though he does succeed in amassing treasures, they are "a vapor" - lacking substance, and "fleeting" - like something driven away by the wind that dissipates. Furthermore, these treasures are "pursuing death," for when he is caught, he will be led to the gallows - the treasures themselves literally bring about his death.
The Robbery of the Wicked: Theft That Destroys Its Perpetrators
שֹׁד־רְשָׁעִים יְגוֹרֵם כִּי מֵאֲנוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט׃ (ז) - "The robbery of the wicked shall drag them away, for they refused to do justice." (v. 7)
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: Aside from the punishment that the wicked will receive when they ascend to Heaven and are judged for their theft and violence, they also face "shall drag them away" (yegorem) - a term of dragging and sawing, like something sawn with a saw (megerah), meaning that the robbery itself will cut them down. And where? Here, in this world, in addition to what awaits them in the World of Truth. And why? "For they refused to do justice" - for the wicked person does not willingly go to a judge, and when required to appear, he tries to flee and evade; and by turning his back on the court, his punishment increases and intensifies.
This raises a difficulty: How can they refuse to face justice? Every court has enforcement, power, and authorities to bring someone in. What does "they refused" mean? Can one simply refuse? Therefore, Rabbeinu Yonah adds another explanation: The verse may be speaking of ruthless tyrants and haughty men who, if they have a dispute or monetary claim with someone, refuse outright to approach a judge and act strictly as they see fit. These are tyrants who spread their terror in the land of the living, accountable to no one - and the judge himself is afraid to deal with them.
In Summary:
The three verses we studied impress upon us the same central theme: looking toward the ultimate goal versus focusing on the immediate moment. "The thoughts of the diligent lead only to abundance" - one who gives thought before taking action, deliberating patiently before deciding and executing promptly, always emerges with a gain; while the "hasty person," who pursues immediate gratification, reaps only regret and deprivation, for the fruit of all haste is regret. "Acquiring treasures with a deceitful tongue" - any treasure accumulated through deceit, bribery, or false premises is a fleeting vapor that not only dissipates but even pursues its owner unto death. "The robbery of the wicked shall drag them away" - theft itself cuts down the thieves, especially those tyrants who refuse to submit to justice. From this follows a lesson for each of us: build the foundations properly, reflect before acting, and remember the greatness of engaging in Torah study, which is the true guardian of the city - and then the entire structure built upon them will be enduring and lasting.