In this lesson, we will examine two verses from chapter 21 of Mishlei, each of which touches upon a great foundation in the service of Hashem and derech eretz: The first verse deals with the sacrifice and prayer of the wicked - someone who attempts to appease his Creator without changing his ways; and the second verse deals with the power of speech - the difference between a "false witness" and a "person who listens," someone who reflects before opening his mouth.
זֶבַח רְשָׁעִים תּוֹעֵבָה אַף כִּי בְזִמָּה יְבִיאֶנּוּ׃ (כ"א, כז) - "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more so when he brings it with wicked intent!" (21:27)
The Vilna Gaon explains: The essence of an offering is that a person break his pride and his spirit. The essence of the sacrifice is humility, remorse, and the realization: "I have erred in my ways - I return to Hashem, regret my evil deeds, and want to begin a new path." But the wicked do not return to Hashem at all; they simply wish to avoid punishment, and therefore they go and offer a sacrifice. Regarding this, the verse says that even their sacrifice is an abomination: Why did you bring an offering? You are not doing teshuvah, and you feel no remorse! "How much more so when he brings it with wicked intent" - all the more so if the sacrifice itself came about through sin, being stolen or acquired in a forbidden manner.
The Gra applies this principle to prayer as well, since prayer takes the place of offerings - "And we will render the bulls with our lips." The prayer of the wicked is an abomination, because they do not humble their spirit. And all the more so, "when he brings it with wicked intent" - when the prayer itself is filled with alien thoughts and motives of pride and haughtiness; a person prays that the Holy One, Blessed be He, grant him the status to be appointed president, that they appoint him, glorify him, and exalt him - his entire prayer is driven by this alone.
How far people can be from good sense! It was once related that an elected president testified about himself - a testimony beyond dispute, in his eyes - that he is humble, naturally humble, and that there are few people as humble as he. He even added: "The only reason I fought so hard to become president was purely out of modesty and humility, for what do I have to do with the presidency? Who am I, and what am I? But people urged me on and said that specifically a humble person like me must be there, and so with no choice I made every effort to gain office - and all out of genuine humility." How detached a person can be, failing completely to understand what he is even saying!
This brings to mind a story told of the Rambam, who maintained that a gentile cannot possess refined character traits - "If someone says there is wisdom among the nations, believe it," but Torah among the nations, a Torah that transforms a person's character traits, do not believe it. People said to him: "There is a humble gentile, a Bedouin living in the desert, humble to a degree you have never witnessed." The Rambam decided to go and meet him. He stayed with him for several days, and indeed found no fault or blemish in him - what appeared to be genuine and complete humility. When the time came to depart, the Rambam bade him farewell and said: "I have a difficulty concerning you, something I cannot understand at all." The Bedouin replied: "Please, your honor, ask." The Rambam said: "The verse states, 'And the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any human being on the face of the earth.' Yet seeing you - how could this be said? You seem to be the greatest refutation to that verse, being even more humble than Moshe!" The Bedouin answered: "To tell you the truth, I have been wrestling with that very question for a long time..." The Rambam thanked him and took his leave. It became clear what kind of humility this truly was: he had spent a long time wondering how Moshe could be called the humblest of all men when he himself was even humbler! People can be utterly disconnected and not grasp what they are uttering.
Returning to our subject: the very foundation of prayer is that a person must come empty-handed - meaning, I possess nothing, I depend entirely on You, Master of the Universe: "A broken and crushed heart, O God, You will not despise." One who approaches through the avenue of pride - that is certainly no prayer at all.
Rashi explains "how much more so when he brings it with wicked intent" - all the more so when he brings an offering with zimah, from the word mezimah (a malicious plot), stemming from evil counsel. This is like the sacrifices of Bilam and Balak, whose entire purpose was nothing other than to curse Israel and harm them; therefore, how much more so are they an abomination before Hashem, Blessed be He.
The Ralbag explains that when the wicked bring a sacrifice to Hashem, it is an abomination before Him, because they are not focusing on what Hashem desires or on the true essence of an offering. Even when one brings a sacrifice for a sin - at that very moment he is still persisting in his sin, resembling someone who immerses in a mikveh while holding an impure creature (tovel ve-sheretz be-yado). Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, says, "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? says Hashem."
What does a person think, that the Holy One, blessed be He, is like a priest? That you go to him, hand over a sum of money, and he tells you: "You are forgiven, you are forgiven"? "How much is it, Father?" "One hundred shekels." "I have a two-hundred bill." "Never mind," says the priest, "that covers next week as well; go on sinning, I have granted you collective forgiveness a week in advance, everything is settled." Is this what Hashem is looking for from you? Does the Holy One, blessed be He, ask for a sacrifice just so you can continue committing sins?
There are people who arrive at the synagogue on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and purchase opening the Ark, purchase taking out the Torah scroll, purchase Kol Nidrei - why? The person has money, and the money came from various underworld dealings. He comes to the Master of the Universe and says: "You got your share, now leave me alone; I will keep doing whatever I please." Leaving aside entirely the discussion of whether it is permissible to use such money and where it originated, why would one think that his money can appease the Master of the Universe so he can keep sinning? The Holy One, blessed be He, says: This sacrifice you bring is an abomination in My eyes. It is far more important to Me that you mend your ways.
This is all too common, particularly with certain so-called miracle-workers: someone comes and says, "Rabbi, we have troubles in our building, there are problems." They tell him: "Bring a rooster, we will slaughter it on this day at this hour, we will perform a tikkun for you - 1,200 shekels, you can split it into installments, arrange it with the clerk outside." In short - it all boils down to money and sacrifices, and that settles the matter. Yet if trouble strikes, it came for a reason; the Holy One, blessed be He, is demanding a change from you. Did anyone speak with him about Shabbat observance? About family purity? About the education of his children? About modesty? Not a word. There is no need, sir - a rooster solves everything. They place all the sins onto the head of the fowl, banish it, and you are clean - continue with your abominations. About this it is said, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination": the Holy One, blessed be He, has no need for a sacrifice brought while its bearer remains uncleansed of sin and intends to persist in it. This is a person immersing in a mikveh with an impure reptile in hand.
Metzudat David explains "how much more so when he brings it with wicked intent" - that sometimes a person brings a sacrifice with malicious intent, in order to deceive people. He offers a sacrifice to present himself as a righteous man, to show himself as upright and honest: "Do not look at me that way; after all, I bring sacrifices, I am an upright and honest person." All of this is deception of the public. That is to say, according to the first explanation, a person is attempting to appease Hashem so that he can continue in his sins; whereas according to Metzudat David, it is to curry favor with the public: he brings a sacrifice to cultivate the impression of a righteous man, while the offering is not brought with a whole heart or with any genuine desire to bring pleasure to Hashem, but merely to deceive others. That is the "wicked intent" (zimah) - he has a scheme (mezimah) behind bringing his sacrifice.
The Malbim explains: The sacrifice that the wicked bring - even if they bring it whole-heartedly, as long as they have not repented, it is considered an abomination. To what can this be compared? To an enemy of the king who brings him a gift. Will it find favor before him? The king does not even want to see him, cannot stand him, and detests him; even if the enemy brings it with all his heart, the king will toss it into the garbage and say, "This man is my enemy; I have no desire for this."
"How much more so when he brings it with wicked intent" - all the more so when the enemy bringing a gift to the king does not bring it whole-heartedly but with wicked intent, such that even while presenting the offering, it is accompanied by sinful thoughts and intended as a scheme; it is a ploy, an evil calculation. If the king will not accept a gift from his enemy even when brought with good intentions, how much more so when he knows it stems from self-interest, that the bearer wants to gain something - there is a calculated scheme here, and its ultimate purpose is evil. Certainly he will not accept it.
עֵד־כְּזָבִים יֹאבֵד וְאִישׁ שׁוֹמֵעַ לָנֶצַח יְדַבֵּר׃ (כ"א, כח) - "A false witness shall perish, but a man who listens shall speak forever." (21:28)
"A false witness" [ed kezavim] is a deceitful witness. The Ibn Ezra explains: the person who hears of the demise of the false witness will, for all his days, tell others that he was destroyed because of his falsehood. That is, after the false witness is ruined, the listener will continually speak of it and say: "Did you see? He bore false testimony, and because of this, such and such befell him." "Shall speak forever" - he will constantly recall that because of his lie, his memory was destroyed.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: "A false witness" is a person whose habit is always to testify falsely; every time he speaks, you look for the exaggeration, the falsehood, the fabrication. And the faction of liars, as has already been explained, is among the most corrupt and debased of factions.
In contrast, "a listening man" - Rabbeinu Yonah explains that this does not refer merely to auditory hearing with the ear, but rather "hears" means listening attentively and taking to heart, as in the verses, "Speak, for Your servant hears," and "Give Your servant an understanding heart" [literally, a hearing heart] - a contemplative heart, a deep heart, an understanding heart. Similarly, "a nation whose language you will not hear" - does one not physically hear it? One hears every language, even Chinese, and even ancient Chinese; rather, "you will not hear" means you will not understand.
If so, "a listening man" is one who understands matters and is precise about them, and therefore his hearing is accurate and complete. And although an abundance of words is generally a negative thing, one who is precise and mindful of what he hears, and relates matters with precision - is the polar opposite of a liar. With the liar, you are always searching for where he is deceitful; while the listening man is a contemplative person. He does not let everything pour out of his mouth immediately, but pays careful attention to what needs to be said, when it should be said, and how much should be said - all of which require contemplation. Such a person "shall speak forever": even if he were to speak all day, people would listen to him all day without growing weary of his words, because he possesses an understanding of what is fitting to say and how it is fitting to say it. And sometimes, the greatest understanding is knowing when it is proper to remain silent.
The story was once related here about the Chazon Ish, who was asked to protest against a certain matter. He replied: "I lack the strength." They said to him: "If the Rav protests, they will accept it from him; people listen to the Rav." The Chazon Ish said to them: "Do you know why you think people listen to me? Because I do not speak. The moment I start speaking all the time, who will listen to me?"
And how true this is. Had he issued halachic rulings, proclamations, and public declarations every single day - that this is forbidden, that this is severe - people would have dismissed it: "Ah, just another letter," and no one would have been moved. By contrast, when he spoke up on that rare occasion and declared that the drafting of women into the military is a matter of "be killed rather than violate it" [yehareg ve'al ya'avor], the entire world trembled and stirred. Ben-Gurion himself came to the Chazon Ish's home to see who this diminutive Jew was, living in a dilapidated apartment in Bnei Brak that was not even his own, and who this Jew was whose single word mobilizes hundreds of thousands of people - something he, Ben-Gurion, was neither capable of nor successful in achieving; who this Jew was that makes kingdoms tremble. Why? Because he knew when to speak and when not to speak, and when it was necessary to speak, he spoke, and his words made an indelible impression.
It is far better for a person to refrain from saying many meaningless things and speak substance just once, than to speak copiously with occasional substantive remarks scattered within. Say only what is necessary - that is "a listening man." An understanding person who knows how to contemplate what to say and what not to say - "shall speak forever": people will always listen to him, because they know that what he says is true and verified, that he reflects before speaking and does not fabricate. Notice that there are people whom, the moment they speak, you immediately want to listen to what they have to say, while there are others whom you have no curiosity to hear at all. With the former, you know the words are well-founded, substantiated, and responsible, and that he chooses deliberately when to speak - hence they carry weight; whereas the latter grinds everything together, chaff and grain alike, careless about what emerges from his mouth. "A false witness shall perish" - who would ever want to listen to him?
The Gra explains this based on what we learned earlier, that one who "studied and then strayed loses everything": even the righteousness of the righteous is not remembered for him in his time of wickedness. And we explained that this means that when a person served Hashem and at a certain point deviated from the upright path, if he regretted and second-guessed his earlier good deeds and was sorry that he fulfilled mitzvos - even the earlier deeds will not be remembered, and all his merits and all the mitzvos he performed throughout his life are wiped away.
And what is the meaning of "kezavim" (falsehood)? It is related to "nachal achzav" - an intermittent, deceitful brook. The commentators noted the precision of Lashon HaKodesh: "achzav" refers to something that once existed and then ceased, as opposed to a place where there was never a stream at all - a dry wadi without water is not called a nachal achzav, since there was never a stream there to begin with; only if there was a flowing stream that dried up and disappointed is it a nachal achzav. So too here, this refers to a person who was once a servant of Hashem and then failed, whose divine service ceased - meaning that he came to regret it. "A false witness shall perish" - he will lose all the merits he accumulated, for none of his righteous deeds will be remembered and everything will be erased. In contrast, "a listening man" - one who listens to ethical rebuke, accepts it, and mends his ways, his mitzvos will remain with him for eternity: "he shall speak forever," even in the World to Come he will speak words of Torah and will never prove false.
Another explanation: One who listens and accepts rebuke and mussar, as his reward "will speak forever" [lanetzach yedaber] - in the sense of the rabbinic saying, "there is one leader [dabar] for a generation, and not two leaders for a generation." A dabar means a leader, from the root of hadbarah - governance and leadership. Thus, as reward for being an "attentive man" [ish shome'a], the Holy One, blessed be He, will ensure that he remains a leader forever.
Ralbag explains: "A false witness shall perish" - a person who comes to tell a lie, even if he tells it many times, will stop telling it at a certain point, because it is hard for him to continue. He knows it is not true; he knows the words do not match the facts, so he will not repeat it over and over. By contrast, the one who heard it from him will indeed repeat it again and again. Why? Because the one who invented the fabrication is uneasy with it and knows it is untrue; he spoke it only for the need of the hour and will not keep repeating it. But the one who heard it from him accepted it as an axiom, and as far as he is concerned, it is the absolute truth. Therefore, he will still be telling it fifty years later - for he is certain that this is what really happened, since that is what he heard.
This is the meaning of "a false witness shall perish" - his testimony will perish, meaning he himself will not continue recounting it; "and an attentive man shall speak forever" - the one who heard it from him will continue telling it forever, because from his perspective, he is telling the truth: "This is what I heard from Reuven." Yet Reuven is a liar, and he does not know it. Reuven himself stopped repeating the lie long ago, because deep down he knows it is a fabrication and fears being caught; but the one who heard it from him has no hesitation about continuing to repeat it indefinitely.
Metzudat David explains: "A false witness shall perish" - even if they did not catch the false witness in beit din and failed to detect the falsehood in his words, he will perish by the hands of Heaven nonetheless. "And an attentive man shall speak forever" - although he perished by the hands of Heaven, the things he testified to are not erased from the heart, for anyone who heard his testimony will think it is true and will continue repeating this fabrication endlessly.
And Metzudat David makes a very interesting and true point here: people tend to accept myths, repeat them, and drill them into memory even when there is no substance to them, and even long after they have been thoroughly debunked - the myth remains. Take, for example, Muhammad al-Durrah, that Palestinian boy allegedly killed by IDF fire. Investigative reports showed the boy was still alive and was not killed at all; and those who claim he was killed have no proof whatsoever that IDF soldiers killed him - on the contrary, ballistic tests proved that it was impossible for them to have shot him, as he was not in their line of fire. The body was never produced or examined, the bullets were never inspected, and this was successfully demonstrated in court. Yet despite all this, people continue to repeat the story, and it became an enduring symbol. Likewise, countless examples can be cited of how myths took hold and endured, even without any factual basis.
These two verses teach us about internal truth. "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination" - a korban and prayer are not negotiable currency with which a person buys himself permission to continue sinning. The essence of an offering is the shattering of pride, submission, and repentance; one who approaches with pride, ulterior motives, or to deceive people offers a gift like that of the king's enemy, tossed into the refuse - all the more so when the act of bringing it is itself wrapped in a scheme. On the other hand, "a false witness shall perish, but an attentive man shall speak forever": the liar forfeits his testimony and his standing, while the falsehood he disseminated continues to circulate through the mouths of others as a baseless myth. But the "attentive man" - who reflects, who measures his words, who accepts rebuke and mussar, and who knows when to speak and when to be silent - his words are heard forever, and he will speak for eternity.