Introduction: Two Verses on the Sluggard
We arrive at two adjacent verses in Chapter 21 that share a single theme: the character of the sluggard (atzel). Shlomo HaMelech is not merely describing a person who likes to take things easy, but sketching an entire trajectory in life whose end is bitter. The Malbim links the two verses together, and from them emerges a precise portrait: the sluggard is not devoid of desires - on the contrary, his desires are greater than those of anyone else, yet he lacks mastery over his hands to fulfill them. Standing in contrast to him is the tzaddik, who is his exact opposite.
"The Desire of the Sluggard Kills Him" - When Rest Becomes Life-Threatening
תַּאֲוַת עָצֵל תְּמִיתֶנּוּ כִּי־מֵאֲנוּ יָדָיו לַעֲשׂוֹת׃ - The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: the sluggard prefers laziness because he loves rest. Do not move me, do not trouble me, do not make me get up. And this laziness, Shlomo teaches us, will bring a person to the point that "it kills him." This seems startling to us: he is just lazy, what is so terrible? The answer is that this person will never be able to satisfy his craving. Laziness does not prevent him from having desires; he covets everything that others have, yet he is simply too lazy to translate his desire into action.
Ask him what he wants, and he will lay out a whole list: a villa, a car, another three-story villa to generate rental income, flights abroad, and if possible, a small private plane for hopping here and there. His desires are boundless. But in reality - endless talk and nothing to eat. He talks and talks, but practically speaking, nothing happens. He does not even open the help-wanted ads. Why? "Forget it, I do not have the energy, it is not right for me right now, I just finished a job, and it is far too much effort anyway."
Sluggards also always have doctor's notes. Many of them even suffer from hypochondria: there is always a fear that he is about to catch an infection, he develops some ache, and consequently he cannot work or move; he coughs in the morning, and perhaps these are symptoms of whooping cough, or who knows, maybe pneumonia - after all, he had a third cousin who died of pneumonia. So he will not even leave the house - and all of it, of course, under the rubric of "Venishmartem" (guarding one's health), never for any other reason.
"For His Hands Refuse to Labor" - The Atrophied Hands
Why does he lack the drive to translate his desires into action, the willingness to invest effort to achieve what he genuinely wants? Rabbeinu Yonah explains: because he habituated his limbs to laziness and rest. This person accustomed himself to being lazy, and habit rules over man. Once a person is habituated to something, breaking free is extraordinarily difficult; bad habits are hard to break, and character traits and natural dispositions are difficult to change. So on the surface he wants to, but his hands refuse to act. His hands have atrophied, having become accustomed to doing nothing, and are no longer capable of performing any labor.
This is the meaning of "for his hands refuse to labor": when the limbs are trained in alacrity, a person does everything promptly; but when the limbs are habituated to rest, even when you finally want to act and know you must take care of the matter, you still do not take care of it. Granted, your own negligence caused this state, but it has now slipped beyond your control. He has so thoroughly accustomed himself to laziness that his hands simply will not function anymore.
In contrast to him stands the Eshet Chayil: "and she works with the desire of her hands" - the moment she desires something, she immediately "works." But with the sluggard, even when he desires, his hands refuse to labor. Even if you arrange a job for him and take care of everything, it will not last more than three days: "You have no idea what he expects me to do! He wants me to lift things, and I have back issues..." - we already mentioned the hypochondria. They carry around an entire catalogue of ailments and diseases, and therefore cannot do a thing.
Idleness - The Root of All Sins
Know that when a person does not work, it is the root and foundation of all sins. A person must have either work or Torah study - one of the two. Boredom is simply not an option. Many people err in this and their lives are ruined: people retire and have neither work nor study, and then fights start at home, conflicts with the wife, and chasing nonsense. Do something with your life! Boredom is the worst thing. Work at something even if you do not need the money, for "the toil of both causes sin to be forgotten." And if you have neither derech eretz - meaning neither a trade nor Torah - an idle and bored person comes to sin. Foolish thoughts enter his mind, all sorts of things you cannot fathom where they came from, and it all stems from boredom.
This is precisely the problem with youth as well. One hears about "children from good homes" who did such and such, and people ask: How did children from good homes become like this? Boredom. Boredom leads to sin. A person must never allow himself to be idle; a person must always bring himself to do something, to occupy himself with something. For "the desire of the sluggard will kill him, for his hands refuse to labor": even when he already needs to do something, his hands refuse, and even if you send him to a job, he will leave very quickly. And that is the most terrible thing of all.
Alacrity and Ambition
The first thing a person needs to develop within himself is alacrity (zerizut). For an energetic, prompt person, everything goes smoothly, everything falls into place. But with a person you arranged to meet at eight in the morning and he only wakes up at eleven, you already know in advance that there is no one to talk to; you tell him "be well," and do business with someone else. The most basic thing - waking up on time - you are unable to do.
Therefore, one must know this regarding child-rearing as well: waking up late is not an option. It is not about waking up at six in the morning; wake up at eight, but do not wake up at noon. "But I do not work" - it does not matter. Wake up, pray; and even if you do not pray, at least do not be lazy. When a person is lazy, it ruins his life in every area.
Notice that those who attain success in any field - as has already been discussed at length in the words of Rabbeinu Yerucham - share a common denominator: they possess ambition. Ambition is the opposite of laziness; ambition is a drive to do. It does not matter in which realm: in earning a livelihood, in the service of Hashem, in authoring a book, in inspiring the public, or in learning - have drive and you will succeed. A lack of ambition is ruin in every realm, both financially and in matters between man and God. The first priority is not to be lazy.
"They Shall Still Bring Forth Fruit in Old Age" - The Active Person
A person who remains active, who moves himself, ages gracefully. "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age" - because he is active. In contrast, consider the sluggard, whom you see all day like a couch potato, channel-surfing with the remote. This is reality. Ask an active seventy-year-old what he does, and he will tell you: in the morning hours I volunteer at a chesed organization, afterward I teach a few children, and after that... He has a purpose in life; he is doing something with his days. And the lazy person? He goes to pray, returns from prayer and goes to sleep because he got tired from praying; he wakes up, eats lunch, and goes to sleep because he got tired from eating; and afterward he goes out a bit, drinks with friends, wanders around - and burns the day away. "The desire of the sluggard will kill him." A person must know how to be active, and when you are active you find occupations for yourself, you have a zest for life and adrenaline pumping through your veins - and that gives life.
Know that studies have found that people who retired and did not keep themselves occupied - neither with intellectual pursuits, nor beginning to learn, nor attending a study hall, nor engaging in physical activity - very quickly developed dementia. Alzheimer's issues have been found far less frequently among those engaged in Torah study, because with a Torah scholar the mind is constantly working and neural connections remain active. In contrast, one whose mind is in decline begins to suffer from these conditions; the brain atrophies and deteriorates.
Have you seen elderly people working in shops? You see an eighty-five-year-old working and active. And compared to him, someone who retired - after five years you see him fading away. When a person has activity, his life continues; and when he does not, he buries himself: the brain atrophies, the body stiffens, illnesses and aches begin, bones soften, every small slip becomes a fracture, and he runs from doctor to doctor. This is the advantage of the self-employed. True, on one hand it has its drawback, and people have joked about self-employed business owners that "the funeral will depart from such-and-such shop," because until age ninety-nine he is still in the shop, and if a funeral is needed, it departs from the business, having collapsed at his post. There is a downside in this, that one can become addicted to work. But the great lesson to be learned from it is the very fact of being active: when a person is active, his mind thinks, calculates, and works, and he has a zest for life. And this applies to Torah as well: a person who attends a shiur here and a shiur there, volunteers here and accomplishes there - an active person has meaning and vitality in his life.
The Malbim: It Is Precisely the Sluggard Who Has the Greatest Desires
The Malbim explains that our verse is linked to the verse that follows it, "All day long he covets greedily." The root of the matter is that whatever is not important or necessary to us, we are lazy to do. The reality is that regarding things that are deeply important to a person, he is never lazy. Someone might be terribly lazy, but when he needs his cigarettes, even in the middle of the night he will drive to the other end of town to get his daily fix - there, he is no longer lazy.
Based on this, one might have thought: the reason you see a lazy person slacking in his work is simply that he has no desires, that worldly matters hold no value in his eyes; amassing wealth is not important to him - "Leave me alone, what is money anyway, it's all nonsense" - and that is why he is lazy.
In this regard, Rav Dessler notes: often the song of *bitachon* (trust in Hashem) is on people's lips, yet it is not *bitachon* at all, but laziness. You ask someone: "Why don't you go to work?" And he replies: "Livelihood is from Heaven; whatever is decreed for a person, he will receive, and everything is from Him, blessed be He." Stirring words of inspiration - except that behind them lurks the trait of laziness: "I don't have the energy, don't bother me, let me rest." This is laziness cloaked in the virtue of *bitachon*. And how can you test this? If someone comes and offers him a job for twenty thousand shekels a month, he will come running on all fours. So where did the *bitachon* go? Do you trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, only up to five thousand, and from five thousand onwards you rely on the paycheck? If it is truly the case that whatever is destined for a person he will receive, you should have said to the one offering thirty thousand: "Will you buy my *bitachon* with money? I trust in the Master of the World, and I do not need to go out to work." But if instead you hear: "How much did you say? Thirty? When do we start? Can I start now?" - this proves that this person was speaking purely out of laziness. It's not worth his while to move himself for five or seven thousand; only from twenty thousand and up does it speak to him. That is a clear sign that this is not *bitachon*, but laziness.
"Bread in His Basket" - Why We Crave
The Malbim explains: Do not be mistaken. We might have thought that the lazy person is not drawn to worldly matters, materiality, advancement, and profits, and that he is more spiritual, which is why he does not go out and take action. That is not so. "The craving of the sluggard will kill him" - know that his craving is actually greater than the craving of one who is not lazy.
And why? Because one who is not lazy has "bread in his basket"; he knows that he is capable of acting and achieving, that it is within his reach, since he possesses ambition and drive, and he goes out and acts. But the lazy person does not have bread in his basket; it is out of his reach. And what do we always crave? Whatever is out of reach. What I already have is familiar, boring. A child opens the refrigerator: "Mom, there's nothing to eat." There is tuna, deli meat, cottage cheese - "We already ate that." He wants something special. The car I have no longer appeals to me, the phone needs an upgrade, and the clothes... What I have doesn't speak to me. A person always craves what he lacks, what he has not yet attained. Thus, a person always craves that for which he has no "bread in his basket."
We previously brought an example of this from a person fasting: already at five in the morning, he feels thirsty. Why? Because drinking is forbidden. The moment it is forbidden, I am already thirsty. But if I am permitted to drink, I can delay it by fifteen minutes, half an hour, two hours; someone might only remember at noon: "I left the synagogue, ran to the bank, did this and that - I forgot to drink today." He didn't feel it at all, because he knew that at any moment he could drink. Yet the moment he is told it is forbidden, he is immediately thirsty.
If so, who has greater desire: the lazy person or the one who is not lazy? Certainly the lazy person, because he has no bread in his basket; it is unattainable for him, and therefore he craves it constantly. Whereas one who has bread in his basket, who can work a little and achieve it, sees it as attainable, and consequently is not as tempted by it. Do not mistakenly think that the lazy person's refusal to work stems from worldly matters holding no appeal for him; on the contrary, he is filled with immense desire and wants even more than the person who acts and achieves.
If so, why doesn't he act? The Malbim explains: because he has no dominion over his hands; he lacks mastery over them. To act, one needs the power of dominion - that if I want to, I will do it. But that willpower does not exist within him, and his hands have already atrophied. He became lazy, and that laziness brought him to a state where it is no longer even in his control. It turns out that "the craving of the sluggard will kill him": ordinarily, what was supposed to save him from death? His hands - by going out, working, and satisfying his craving. But since he has no ability to satisfy his desire, the sluggard can even starve to death; he has desires but no way to fulfill them, and all the tools that were ready to save him from death, like the work of his hands, he left unused. Through working he could satisfy his craving, but his hands do not obey him, for they are indolent. Thus, all day long he is consumed with cravings, yet has no way to fulfill them.
"All Day Long He Craves Greedily"
כׇּל־הַיּוֹם הִתְאַוָּה תַאֲוָה וְצַדִּיק יִתֵּן וְלֹא יַחְשֹׂךְ׃ - All day long he craves greedily, but the righteous person gives and does not withhold.
Do not think that the sluggard has no desires; he has them in abundance, for he has no bread in his basket, and therefore "all day long he craves greedily." The Malbim notes: see how in this respect he differs from the energetic person. What does the energetic person do during the day? He works. Does he have time for cravings? "The exertion of both causes sin to be forgotten" - when a person works, he has no leisure for desires. That is why we said that one who wishes to be saved from the evil inclination must fill his day, all day long; even if you work all day, no matter at what. When a person is busy with work, his mind is not free for cravings. When do cravings begin? When a person rests - then he begins to think and imagine. But the sluggard, who does not fill his day, what else does he have to do? All day long he craves greedily; all day long he dwells on his desires. The energetic person only has leisure to crave at night, for during the day he has his work.
"The Righteous Person Gives and Does Not Withhold" - Compassion for the Sluggard
In contrast, come and see the righteous person: "and the righteous gives and does not withhold." The tzaddik gives charity even to a sluggard and does not withhold it from him, because he reasons: this lazy person is unfortunate; he has no self-control, no strength to push himself out to work, and no one will have mercy on him. Even if he were to starve to death, people would not pity him. And this is human nature: when we are told that a certain person is capable of working yet does not work - which of us would give him charity? "Help yourself! You can work, and you are looking for someone else to support you?" When someone can help himself and instead prefers to go to sleep and expect you to help him, nobody wants to help him. That is human nature.
But the tzaddik, even though he knows that the man is physically able to work and simply does not, gives to him as well. You might ask: but are his hands not healthy? True, but one person has an illness in his hand, and another has an illness in his soul. And which is worse? Surely an illness of the soul is worse. The tzaddik pities the sluggard because he knows the man is genuinely miserable, no longer capable of doing anything with himself and unable to help himself; therefore, he gives to him. An ordinary person cannot relate to this illness and does not believe the man is truly sick, so he tells him, "Go work." But the tzaddik has mercy on him and gives to him, even though he is lazy.
Rabbeinu Yonah: Three Contrasts Between the Tzaddik and the Sluggard
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that the verse teaches us that the tzaddik is the exact antithesis of the sluggard. First, it is impossible for a tzaddik to be lazy, for Scripture says, "When you eat the labor of your hands, you will be happy and it will be good for you," and "one who hates gifts will live"; the tzaddik has no interest in handouts, but rather in the toil of his own hands. And in the service of Hashem, it is certainly impossible for a tzaddik to be lazy, for his entire essence and righteousness stem from his alacrity in serving the Almighty.
Second, King Solomon contrasts the tzaddik with the desires of the sluggard to teach that even though the tzaddik could easily attain pleasures, he relinquishes his pleasures and indulgences to give to charity, as it is written, "All day long he is gracious and lends, and his seed is a blessing," and as it is written, "Good is the man who is gracious and lends." The tzaddik restricts his food, his drink, and his household expenses so that he will have resources to give to others. In contrast, the seeker of pleasure craves desires all day long and spends all his money on lusts, pleasures, and material pursuits.
Third, "and does not withhold": Rabbeinu Yonah explains that even if he has already given multiple times, he gives again. Some people are approached and give, but immediately another person arrives, and a few minutes later another - so they lock the door, say, "This is too much for one day," and peek through the peephole. That is not the conduct of a tzaddik. Is the third person at fault simply because others preceded him? And this refers to upright individuals who hold rabbinic endorsements and have been properly vetted, not to cases of suspected fraud. To give, and give again, and keep giving - that is a genuine test. Yet the tzaddik, even if he has given multiple times, will not withhold from the pauper; he gives again and again. And that is an immense, exalted virtue.
The Vilna Gaon: "And Does Not Withhold" - Nothing Will Be Lacking for Him
The Gra explains: the sluggard craves all day and does nothing, whereas the tzaddik even gives charity to others, and through all of this, "he will not lack." What does "he will not lack" mean according to him? When a person gives to others, he might fear running out, since he is giving away what he has. The verse assures us: even though he gives again and again, it will not be withheld from him, nor will he be deprived of a livelihood and sustained means. "There is one who scatters and yet increases more" - giving will never cause him to lack simply because he gave to another.
The Vilna Gaon: Everything Pertains to Torah
And the Gra, as is his way, applies everything to Torah study. "The desire of the sluggard will kill him" - the sluggard desires to learn and constantly thinks about learning, yet he does not learn, "for his hands refuse to labor." Everything remains an abstract wish: "Wow, I want so much to finish Shas!" And what are you doing toward that goal? "Listen, tomorrow when you go to the shiur, call me." Then the next day: "I saw you called, but an urgent matter came up." Desire he has, wants he has, aspirations he has - but action, there is none.
A story is told of yeshivah students who were sitting and discussing the yetzer hara, its enticements, and the tactics for battling it. Just then, the mashgiach walked by - perhaps it was Rav Chatzkel Levenstein - and rebuked them for talking during the seder. They said to him, "Rebbe, heaven forbid, we were not engaging in idle chatter in the middle of learning; we were discussing strategies to battle the yetzer hara!" He replied to them, "The yetzer hara is completely willing for you to talk about him, curse him, do anything - so long as you do not learn. 'Talk about me, say whatever you want about me, as long as you do not notice that all this time you haven't learned!'"
And so it is here: the sluggard desires to learn, but his desire will kill him; he constantly wants and worries about learning, yet he does not learn, for his hands refuse to labor. And there is an even deeper explanation: after all, "anyone whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, his wisdom will not endure." Even if he does study, does he translate it into action? Does he fulfill what he learns? He does not; he is lazy, lacking enthusiasm for the performance of mitzvos - and consequently, he will not acquire wisdom, for his wisdom exceeds his deeds and has no endurance. "All day long he craves desire": for all seventy years of his life, says the Gra, everything remains trapped in his wish to learn, yet he neither learns nor acts.
In contrast to him stands the tzaddik: not only does he learn, but he also teaches others. Seemingly, this comes at the expense of his own time, for he could have been learning and advancing on his own. Regarding this, the verse states, "and does not withhold" - it does not come at his expense. What you teach others does not diminish or take away from you. On the contrary, the more a person gives and shares of his own with others, the Holy One, Blessed be He, grants him even more and assists him; and because he teaches others, he receives even greater siyata di'shmaya in his own personal learning as well.
In summary:
The two verses portray two opposing figures. The lazy person is not free of desires; rather, he is full of them - and precisely because he has no bread in his basket, his desire is greater than that of anyone else. Yet his hands have atrophied through the habit of idleness and he has no mastery over them; therefore, his craving kills him, and his entire day is nothing but longing without action. Opposite him is the tzaddik: diligent and not lazy, living from the toil of his hands, curtailing his own pleasures to give to others, giving time and again without locking his door, and even having compassion on the sluggard himself, who is sick in spirit. And not only does his giving not detract from him - it actually adds to him, both in wealth and in Torah. The practical message for each of us is to flee from idleness, fill the day with Torah or work, and cultivate within ourselves diligence and the drive to act - for upon this depend the life of the body and the life of the soul.