Introduction
In Chapter 22, Shlomo Hamelech continues to set before us the choice between the upright path and the crooked path. In the two verses before us, he reveals the root of all spiritual work - humility - and the cost of choosing twisted paths. We will study these verses in light of the teachings of Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Ralbag, Rabbeinu Yonah, the Vilna Gaon (Gra), and the Malbim.
"The Consequence of Humility is the Fear of Hashem" - Humility as the Root of Awe
עֵקֶב עֲנָוָה יִרְאַת יְהֹוָה עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד וְחַיִּים׃ (ד) - The consequence of humility is the fear of Hashem, riches, honor, and life. (4)
Rashi explains the word ekev as expressing cause and effect, just as we say that one thing follows in the footsteps (be'ikvot) of another: Event A happened in the wake of Event B. That is to say, on account of the humility a person possesses, he merits the fear of Hashem. One can accept this as an axiom - a humble person merits fear of Hashem. Yet one can also understand it as a natural psychological process, as Ralbag does: through the trait of humility, a person naturally acquires the fear of Hashem.
Why is this? Because when someone is humble, he is lowly in his own eyes; he sees himself as nothing. Consequently, he looks at everything around him with wonder: everyone is great, everything is wondrous, everything is so extraordinary. The Rambam writes that this is precisely the way to acquire fear of Hashem: one lifts his eyes on high, contemplates the celestial spheres, the stars, the infinite expanse of the heavens, and through this acquires awe. Thus, the humble person, who looks around him from a place of self-effacement, perceives what an awesome Power created all this, and reverence enters his heart. An arrogant person, however, always places himself above everything. Everything seems small next to him, nothing holds any real weight in his eyes, and he is never moved to awe. Could such a person ever stand spellbound before the beauty of creation and the greatness of the Creator, accepting upon himself awe of His exaltedness or fear of retribution? Not at all. It follows that humility naturally leads a person to the fear of Hashem.
Rashi cites another explanation: "The consequence (ekev) of humility is the fear of Hashem" means that humility is the primary virtue, and fear of Hashem is secondary to it. How can we visualize this? As Chazal say: What humility made a heel for its sole, fear of Hashem made a crown for its head. Let us picture fear of Hashem as an entire stature, and humility standing above it - such that the head of fear of Hashem reaches only the feet of humility. In simple terms: the lowest level of humility is higher than the highest level of fear of Hashem. "Ekev anavah" - the heel of humility is the very place where the fear of Hashem begins. Humility is the main foundation, and fear is secondary to it, a heel to it, a footstool beneath its feet.
Ibn Ezra explains that this verse and the next one - "Thorns and snares are in the path of the perverse" - are closely connected. "Ekev," the ultimate outcome of humility, leads a person to the fear of Hashem, which is an aspect of "one mitzvah leads to another": you fulfill the virtue of humility, and you arrive at the fear of Hashem. It also brings about wealth, honor, and material blessing for the humble person, as it is written: "fear of Hashem, riches, honor, and life" - meaning that his days will be lengthened. In contrast, the path of the perverse is fraught with thorns and snares, as will be explained in the next verse.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that there is a virtue here greater than wealth, physical might, or wisdom mentioned earlier - none of which can save a person when a harsh decree is issued. What surpasses them all? Humility, "for the consequence of humility is fear of Hashem." Its stature is supreme, and through it a person merits all the success one could possibly wish for in the matters of this world: wealth, honor, and life.
Rabbeinu Yonah adds that it is also possible to explain that wealth itself is the inherent possession of the humble person. For when we speak of wealth, it does not necessarily refer to the amount of money in one's bank account, but rather as Chazal taught: "Who is wealthy? He who rejoices in his portion." And who truly rejoices in his portion? The humble person. By contrast, one who harbors endless ambitions and desires never rejoices in his portion; he always craves more - and that is the mark of the arrogant. Thus, the humble person suddenly realizes that with whatever he has, he is truly wealthy. He does not seek anything else, and that in itself is his wealth.
The Gra explains that the end and reward of humility are the fear of Hashem, riches, honor, and life. He elaborates: there are two corrupt traits - a wide soul (an insatiable appetite) and a haughty spirit. The opposite of a wide soul is daka (contrite or crushed), and the opposite of a haughty spirit is shefal ruach (a lowly spirit). As Scripture states: "I dwell with the contrite and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." The humble person, says the Gra, possesses both of these positive qualities: he is contrite and lowly of spirit. Therefore, his reward likewise corresponds to both: "riches" corresponds to his contrition - Hashem expands his boundaries and delights his soul; "and honor" corresponds to his lowliness of spirit - Hashem grants him honor, thereby uplifting his spirit. And corresponding to the fear of Hashem within him, Hashem grants him life, for it is explicitly stated that one who merits fear of Hashem merits life: "The fear of Hashem leads to life."
The Malbim explains that the root of humility branches out from a person's apprehension of the Creator's greatness. When one grasps the boundless majesty of the Ein Sof Baruch Hu (the Infinite One, blessed is He), he realizes that he himself is utter nothingness, humbled by his recognition of the Creator's grandeur. Even if a person were to achieve kingship, wisdom, valor, and tremendous stature in this world, what is he compared to the Infinite One? Even an ant is something significant by comparison, whereas he is considered as nothing and vanity. This awareness instills in his heart the fear of Hashem, making him fearful of acting against His will: If I am so small and Hashem is so great, how could I dare to provoke the Master of the Universe?
And as the Rama writes in the very first siman of the Shulchan Aruch regarding the verse "I have set Hashem before me always": a person's demeanor when sitting before a flesh-and-blood king is nothing like his demeanor when sitting among his companions and friends, and all the more so when sitting before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, Who observes his deeds. When a person instills the fear of Hashem in his heart, he naturally will not do anything bad. And where does this begin? From humility: I am nothing, Hashem is everything, and consequently I fear Him and will not stumble into any transgression. And one who acquires humility, the Malbim explains, will also merit wealth and honor, because Hashem elevates the lowly. When a person is humble and modest, the Holy One, blessed be He, exalts him measure for measure, and grants him eternal life, both the life of this world and the life of the World to Come.
"Thorns and snares are on the path of the crooked" - The Cost of Devious Ways
צִנִּים פַּחִים בְּדֶרֶךְ עִקֵּשׁ שׁוֹמֵר נַפְשׁוֹ יִרְחַק מֵהֶם׃ (ה) - "Thorns and snares are on the path of the crooked; one who guards his soul stays far from them." (5)
There are two explanations for the word tzinim. Rashi explains that it is related to "thorns [tzininim] in your sides," meaning raiding troops and bandits. Ibn Ezra says its root is tz-n-n, and he too cites "and thorns in your sides," but in his view it refers to prickles - sharp, painful thorns. An ikkesh (crooked person) is someone who does not walk on the straight path but on a crooked one. In biblical and rabbinic language, akush means crooked, bent, and twisted, just as the Sages remarked about the fox whose teeth are crooked.
This is what is stated here: when a person walks on the path of the crooked, on a winding trail rather than the paved road, he will encounter tzinim - thorns or bandits - as well as pachim, meaning trapped snares and hidden hazards along the way. But "one who guards his soul stays far from them": one who walks on the paved road, on the straight path, and does not look for alternative routes, detours, or shortcuts, but instead travels the royal highway - he preserves his soul.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that a person who takes an unpaved path to cut his journey short often encounters thorns, because no one has traveled that way to clear and pave it. "One who guards his soul stays far from them" - no harm or evil will befall the person who protects his soul, because he travels the straight path. He then adds the deeper lesson: this directly follows "The reward for humility is the fear of Hashem: wealth, honor, and life." Come and see: when one walks on the straight path, one attains all good things - wealth, honor, and life - in addition to the future rewards for the soul: the World to Come and eternal reward. And how is this achieved? Through humility, by which a person is safeguarded against all sin.
Yet there are those who seek to cut corners. A person is told: a good name is built over years; at first the business might not flourish, but if you act faithfully and conduct yourself with integrity, slowly but surely honor will follow, and over time you will have wealth, honor, and life. But he replies: "I do not have time for that! Am I supposed to work thirty years before I finally turn a profit?" And so he brings ruin upon himself. He seeks to get rich quick. At first, it might seem to him that the scheme is actually succeeding, until suddenly the truth comes out: Where did you invest? How could anyone pay ten percent returns? No legitimate investment in the economy offers such things. Why didn't you realize that if someone offers you this, it is likely a pyramid scheme? And that is a milder example. The extreme cases involve people who run business scams, frauds, and trickery to make a quick buck. Such a person must be told: this is the path of the crooked; you are seeking devious shortcuts, and there lie thorns and snares.
This is the mindset of those who think they are cleverer than everyone else: "Everyone else follows the straight path like a herd, but I know better; I will forge a bypass, and in no time I will be a tycoon." Fast to rise, fast to fall - there are no shortcuts here. But one who advances step by step, with humility, walking the common road, acting with integrity, fairness in commerce, and honesty, will ultimately attain wealth, honor, life, and eternal reward. And as for those who pursue honor and riches in a hurry, where does that stem from? From arrogance, says Rabbeinu Yonah: lust for dominion, robbery, and extortion. This brings harm in both this world and the World to Come. Perhaps this is why the verse mentions both "thorns and snares": thorns are the painful obstacles that meet him here, while snares are the traps waiting for him in the World to Come. And whoever wishes to guard his soul must stay far from all of this.
"Everything is in the Hands of Heaven Except Thorns and Snares"
The Vilna Gaon cites the Sages' teaching on this verse: "Everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven," and the Sages further teach that "thorns and snares" [chills and heat] are within man's own hands - "one who guards his soul stays far from them." This means: if it was decreed upon a person to fall ill, that is in the hands of Heaven; if it was decreed that he fall and break his leg, that is in the hands of Heaven; if other illnesses were decreed, Heaven forbid, that is in the hands of Heaven. But as for tzinim - a person catches a cold, and when asked how he caught cold, he answers: "I slept with the window open." Why didn't you close the window? That is "on the path of the crooked" [or stubborn] - one acted stubbornly and chose to leave the window open. And pachim refers to heat; how does one escape the heat? Today we turn on an air conditioner; in Talmudic times, people did not have air conditioning, so the Sages mentioned a "marble house" - a marble-paneled room that stayed cool, the cooling room of its day. Simply put: it is within a person's own power to prevent these harms.
Some commentators explain that this refers strictly to colds and heatstroke. Others hold that it extends far beyond that. This is the Rambam's view: that most ailments and mishaps that befall a person are his own fault. That is, even many illnesses - though not all - depend on one's conduct. There are many people who guarded their health meticulously and yet fell ill, may Hashem protect us, and are no longer among the living. One hears of an elderly aunt, of blessed memory, who was exceedingly careful about natural remedies and diet, yet did not live to a ripe old age. Toward the end of her days, she began eating chocolate freely, saying: "I deprived myself of this all my life, and I see it brought me no great benefit." This does not mean a person should simply eat whatever he pleases - certainly one must be careful and take precautions - but there are also factors beyond human control. In any case, according to the Rambam, most matters are in human hands: a person has the power to prevent illnesses, eat properly, live healthily, and thereby avoid all sorts of complications. According to this, "thorns and snares" are not literally just cold and heat, but examples of ways a person lives irresponsibly and brings damage upon himself. The Sages, however, specifically interpreted tzinim and pachim as cold and heat, as explained.
A Gehinnom of Cold and a Gehinnom of Heat
The Vilna Gaon (the Gra) takes this in a different direction, adopting from Chazal only the basic translation of the words: tzinim means cold, and pachim means heat. And what is the connection between "pachim" and heat? The Malbim explains: as in "coals [pachim], fire, and brimstone" (Tehillim 11:6), from the root of kindling a fire (hafachat eish) - since to kindle a fire one must blow upon it. Therefore, "pachim" refers to a blown fire, glowing embers.
The Gra explains: the judgment of the wicked in Gehennom lasts twelve months - six months in snow and six months in heat. Why is there a need for both a Gehennom of cold and a Gehennom of heat; why is one of them not sufficient? The holy books already state that a Gehennom of heat and burning is meant for one who warmed himself up for sin, while a Gehennom of snow and cold is meant for one who cooled himself off toward a mitzvah - someone who should have been enthusiastic and eager, yet performed it with coldness and reluctance. Just as his service was cold, so too he receives a Gehennom of cold. The Gra adds that this corresponds to positive and negative commandments: one who neglected a positive commandment was cold, froze, and did not go out to perform the mitzvah - corresponding to the Gehennom of snow; while one who transgressed a negative commandment engaged in an action, energy, heat, actively going out and committing a sin - corresponding to the Gehennom of heat.
According to this: "Thorns [tzinim - cold] and snares [pachim - heat] are in the way of the perverse" - the path of the perverse person is to spend twelve months in Gehennom, six months of freezing cold and six months of burning heat, because he perverted and distorted his ways in this world rather than walking on the straight path. But "he who guards his soul," who walks in the path of Hashem and observes both positive and negative commandments, will merit to distance himself from them - reaching neither the Gehennom of cold nor the Gehennom of heat.
The Malbim: The Middle Path in Directing the Soul
The Malbim explains that the straight path, as the Rambam writes, is the middle path in every character trait. Those who follow extremes are usually the more problematic individuals. In every trait, a person must choose the golden mean - except for humility, regarding which it is said, "Be exceedingly humble of spirit." The same applies to anger: one should not be prone to anger, yet on the other hand, one should not be a "person who never feels anything," utterly apathetic to whatever is done to him, completely unmoved by anything - that too is improper. One must balance not being angry with not being entirely indifferent.
A story is told of one of the great Torah leaders whose wife caused him distress and spoke harshly to him - such things have happened. A disciple walking with him heard it all, while the rabbi remained silent, silent, and silent, until at a certain point he finally replied to her. Afterwards, the student asked him: "Our teacher, it is Torah and I must learn it - I saw that the master stayed silent and restrained himself for a long time, and then answered. What was the reasoning at first, and what was the reasoning in the end?" The rabbi replied: "In truth, I would not have answered her at all, but I saw that if I continued to remain silent, she would become more and more inflamed, which could harm her health. Therefore, I answered her to calm her down." And that is indeed the reality: when one does not respond to an upset person, it often infuriates them further. "I therefore needed to say something to lower the flames so she would not be harmed by excessive anger and agitation."
And so it is with every trait. Just as with anger, so too with stinginess and generosity: a person can be overly generous and squander his money, giving away too much, having "holes in his pockets," as people say. On the other hand, someone might say that this is terrible, and what does he do? He hoards his money, refuses to give a single cent, and extracting a penny from him is harder than drawing water from a rock. Is that good? Here too, the middle path is the proper path: giving when it is appropriate to give, and refraining from giving when it is not.
The problem is that a person always assumes that the middle path is exactly where he stands. There is a Yiddish saying: anyone above me is a "frummer" (excessively pious), and anyone below me is a "proster" (crude and non-observant). A frummer is viewed as overdoing it, while a proster is viewed as empty and lax. And what is the proper standard? Exactly like me; I am the middle line! Consider a classic example: a person is in the middle of Shemoneh Esreh, reaches Mevaréch HaShanim, and notices that his neighbor to the right has already finished. "What kind of prayer is that? Not serious at all! You are finished already? How do you even enunciate the words? What sort of kavvanah could you have?" For the rest of the prayer, he keeps thinking about his neighbor's praying. Baruch Hashem, he himself finishes after four minutes. As he is about to step back for Oseh Shalom, he notices the kollel fellow behind him swaying with all his might. He waits, and after two minutes glances back, only to see the man still swaying. He wonders: is he at Magen Avraham or Modim? Where is he up to? He begins to feel agitated: "Listen, the man is overdoing it! How long can a Shemoneh Esreh take? Does he think he is meditating on the intentions of the Rashash?" So what is the ideal measure? Exactly like me. That is the middle: anything less is terrible, anything more is exaggerated. That is the challenge - we struggle to objectively define the true middle.
The Parable from Nature: Balanced Climate
To summarize the Malbim's explanation: a temperate path in directing the soul is the correct path, and he draws a parable from nature to illustrate this. Which climate is most pleasant for human beings - cold or heat? Spring. It is taught that in the generation of Noach, prior to the Flood, the entire year was like spring, like the pleasant season from Pesach to Atzeret (Shavuot). There was neither winter nor summer, and only afterward did God say, "Cold and heat, summer and winter" (Bereishit 8:22). Prior to that, everything was like spring - around 24 degrees Celsius (mid-70s Fahrenheit) constantly, neither hot nor cold. A moderate climate is the healthiest and best for man.
Incidentally, this is also scientifically understandable. Rabbi Dr. Avraham Levy, in a fascinating lecture on the Flood, explains based on the verses and the Midrashim of Chazal that the Flood was triggered by two celestial bodies that the Holy One, blessed be He, took from the constellation Kimah. Modern scientists similarly propose that the Flood conditions were triggered by the impact of two meteors on the Earth, which caused the Earth's crust to crack open. And what lies beneath the crust? Water - "the springs of the great deep" - causing subterranean waters to burst forth. He wonderfully explains that according to scientists, this caused darkness for an entire year due to soot, immense heat, and vapor rising from below. Initially, scalding water surged from the earth, just as Chazal describe, while cold water poured from above, producing soot and thick cloud cover for a year - explaining Chazal's statement that the heavenly luminaries did not function throughout that year, as the sun and moon were completely obscured.
Moreover, that same impact altered the Earth's axis and orbit. The Earth does not stand upright but is tilted on an axis, and this tilted rotation is what creates the seasons of the year, bringing different regions closer to or farther from the sun's direct rays. Before the Flood, scientists suggest, the rotation was upright rather than tilted, meaning conditions across the globe were temperate, just as Chazal describe that it was perpetual spring. In short: it took science nearly five thousand years to arrive at the conclusions that Chazal revealed to us two thousand years ago in the Talmud.
To return to our subject: the climate recommended for human life, which corresponds to the health of the physical body, is a temperate climate. And so it is whenever medicine is discussed, the conversation is about balance: Who is a healthy person? One whose body is entirely balanced. He does not have too much iron, nor an iron deficiency; he does not have too many red blood cells or too few, nor too many or too few white blood cells, and so on with everything. A healthy person is one whose bodily systems are in equilibrium.
And which attribute expresses balance among the holy Sefirot? The middle attribute. "Chessed is the right arm, Gevurah is the left arm" - these are the extremes; and what is the middle? "Tiferet is the torso." The body is Tiferet, and Tiferet is the central attribute - "Any path that is a glory (tiferet) to the one who adopts it, and brings him glory from mankind." We have noted on this that Rebbi formulated this teaching because Rebbi's soul-root is Tiferet, as Rebbi was a reincarnation of Yaakov, and Yaakov embodies Tiferet; whoever wishes may study this at length in the teachings on gilgulim. In any event, Tiferet is the middle.
And so it is in the blessings of Shemoneh Esreh, where each blessing corresponds through its vocalization to one of the Sefirot: "Baruch Atah Hashem" in "Magen Avraham" is vocalized with a Patach, which corresponds to Chochmah; "Mechayeh HaMeitim" with a Tzeirei, which is Binah; and so on. In the blessing "Rofeh Cholei Amo Yisrael," the vocalization is a Cholam, and the attribute of Cholam is Tiferet - for indeed, complete healing is Tiferet. And what is Tiferet? That a person's state is in complete equilibrium: nothing is in excess and nothing is deficient; there is not too much moisture in the body and not too little leading to dryness, not excessive fat and not excessive thinness. The attribute of Tiferet is the attribute of health.
The Malbim therefore explains: A person who leans toward the extreme of excess - whose body overheated and reached a high temperature - this scorches the blood, "the red humor, dryness, and fire intensify" (Chazal spoke of the red humor, the bodily fluids), and this is what is called pachim, burning coals, related to blowing on embers (nefichat eish). On the other hand, the opposite extreme is also harmful: one who leans toward the extreme of deficiency, the cold will freeze and ruin his blood, and this is called tzinim, from intense cold (tzinah). Both are detrimental to the body. What should the body be? Neither too hot nor too cold - thirty-seven degrees Celsius, and that is it, you are in equilibrium.
And this is the allegory: observe what is good in the management of the body - equilibrium, neither this extreme nor that extreme, neither too hot nor too cold. So too in the management of souls: excessive heat or excessive cold, both are destructive. A person with an uncontrollable temper - that is excessive heat, and very harmful. And a person who is as heavy as a tank, completely immobile - that too is no good. What, then, is good? Equilibrium: a person who is both energetic and agile, yet knows how to restrain himself and acts with deliberate thought. In every single matter - neither too hot nor too cold, but rather the middle path. This is what the verse conveys through its metaphor: just as tzinim and pachim, excessive cold and excessive heat, damage the body, apply this to the realm of the soul, where "he who guards his soul shall stay far from them" - he will not allow his soul excessive heat nor excessive cold, but will conduct his soul along the middle path in all his affairs.
In summary:
These two verses set before us both the foundation and the warning. The foundation: "The consequence of humility is the fear of Hashem" - humility is the root of all things, for through recognizing the Creator's greatness and humbling oneself, the fear of Heaven enters the heart, and consequently, a person is safeguarded from all sin. Measure for measure, Hashem raises the lowly and grants the humble wealth, honor, and life. Moreover, his true wealth stems from his humility, for he rejoices in his lot. And the warning: "Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse" - one who seeks shortcuts and amasses wealth through crooked paths out of arrogance and lust for prestige encounters thorns and traps on his path in this world, and in the World to Come, a Gehinnom of cold and heat. And according to the Malbim's approach: just as the physical body is healthy only at a balanced temperature, so too the soul - neither excessive heat nor excessive cold, but rather the middle path and balance in all character traits: "He who guards his soul shall stay far from them."