Introduction: A New Opening in Sefer Mishlei - "The Words of the Wise"
From verse 17 begins a new section in Sefer Mishlei, the section of "the words of the wise," in which King Solomon addresses the student and teaches him how to receive the words of the Sages and how to acquire them as a permanent acquisition. The two verses before us serve as an introduction to the method of study itself: what is the proper attitude toward one's teachers, and what is the process through which something received merely by tradition becomes clear and settled knowledge.
"Incline Your Ear and Hear the Words of the Wise" - From Whom Does One Learn?
הַט אָזְנְךָ וּשְׁמַע דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים וְלִבְּךָ תָּשִׁית לְדַעְתִּי׃ (כב, יז) - Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge. (22:17)
Rashi explains: "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise" - learn Torah from any sage whatsoever; "and apply your heart to my knowledge" - and if your teacher is wicked, do not learn from his deeds. This is very intriguing, as it implies from Rashi that a person may learn Torah even from a teacher who is wicked, provided that he is careful not to learn from his deeds.
Yet on the other hand, we see in the words of Chazal that there was criticism of Rabbi Meir. Even though Rabbi Meir "found a pomegranate, ate its inside, and discarded its peel" - receiving from Elisha ben Avuyah (Acher) only his Torah, and constantly trying to draw him close and bring him back in repentance - nevertheless, the Sages did not agree with him. The Sages say: such a pomegranate can explode on you; beware, this is dangerous; do not say, "I ate its inside and discarded its peel." Rabbi Meir was unique and singular in truly being capable of separating the edible food from the refuse, but normally one must not do so.
What can be suggested is that Rashi is speaking of a situation where there is no choice: when a person has no worthy sage available at all, let him at least learn Torah from that teacher, while taking care not to emulate his corrupted deeds. But when there is a choice - who would permit someone to learn Torah from a wicked person, when he could also learn from the deeds of a genuine talmid chacham?
Rabbeinu Yonah: Penetrate to the Depths of My Meaning
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: Solomon says, strive to understand my primary intent in every matter, toward which direction and along which path I intend to guide you. The words I am telling you are not simplistic; rather, you must delve into them and contemplate them, and you will not grasp their true meaning until you apply your heart to understand and reflect. At first, the words may seem superficial, but when you delve into them, you see the wondrous depth they contain.
And so it is with all the words of Chazal: "Like a hammer that shatters a rock" - just like a hammer that strikes and gives off many sparks, so too the words of Chazal branch out into numerous sparks. An eight-year-old child studies the Mishnah of an ox that gored a cow, an eighty-year-old sage studies it, and Rav Elyashiv studied it at age one hundred. Do they all learn at the same level? Certainly not. The very same subject can be studied at a minimal, basic level, or it can be studied with profound depth and understanding far beyond that. It is written of the holy Ari that he would study Gemara in six ways - five according to the peshat (plain meaning) and one according to the sod (mystical secret). This is a remarkably high level of depth. And this is what Solomon says: "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise" - yet hearing alone is not enough, and therefore "and apply your heart to my knowledge": apply your heart to reflect and delve, until you penetrate to the depth of my understanding.
The Gra: The Entire Purpose of Study - To Know Me
The Gra explains "and apply your heart to my knowledge" - that the primary intention of your heart should be to know Me, as it is written: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might... but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me." The entire essence of Torah study is so that through it we may merit to know Hashem. If a person studies not in order to know Hashem, he is like a donkey bearing books - study that does not advance him spiritually.
And as the Ramban writes to his son in Iggeret HaRamban: when you rise from the book, consider what you can fulfill from what you have learned. If not, then you are learning without the aim of knowing Me; that is academic study, an intellectual pursuit, rather than study through which one internalizes and comes to know the way of Hashem. And as it is written, "Resolve with all your heart to know My ways" - which is the essential point.
Ralbag: Listen to Everyone - and Verify that the Words Agree with the Torah
Ralbag explains "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise" - learn their wisdom from them, but despite all this, "and apply your heart to my knowledge": regarding what you learn from the wise, ensure that these ideas agree with what I have made known to you. We have foundational Torah principles, bedrock foundations, and anyone who says something contrary to them falls into the category of heresy or misinterpreting the Torah unlawfully (megaleh panim baTorah shelo kahalacha). On the one hand, a person might say: I want to hear from many wise individuals; but on the other hand, I fear falling into error. About this the verse states: Hear the words of the wise, but ultimately "apply your heart to my knowledge" - says the Holy One, blessed be He, so that you ensure there is no illicit interpretation of the Torah here.
And here one must realize: Ralbag's words were not addressed to our generations. They were said concerning great sages of earlier generations, who had the ability to separate the straw from the wheat. Today, however, when a person learns from a scholar whose views are distorted, in all likelihood he will become corrupted just like him - he will adopt his distorted views and subsequently think crookedly as he does. Therefore, in our circles, we do not engage at all with the commentaries of those known to be heretics. For example, Cassuto: although he has an extensive commentary on the entire Tanach, we do not study him at all, because when someone is a heretic, studying from him can negatively influence you.
Thus, Ralbag's words apply only to someone at such a high spiritual and intellectual level that he can truly verify whether what he was taught aligns with what the Torah says. But when a person is not at that level, he is liable to hear all kinds of ideas from a scholar and imagine that these ideas are the Torah itself, not realizing that through this he is being led into terrible and immense distortions. All the more so given that we have scholars with straight, sound outlooks - why should I need to study from someone with distorted views and begin sifting what is correct and what is not? Let me learn from someone whose perspective is upright, and then I know that what I have received is pure and untainted.
Malbim: From Chochmah to Da'at
Malbim explains based on the principle we have seen in his writings countless times: chochmah comes through tradition. The laws of wisdom must initially be received from Hashem; there are no empirical proofs or demonstrations for them. This is the upright path, the correct moral path, and there are no philosophical proofs for it - one must accept it: this is what Hashem commanded, this is Hashem's will, accept these teachings. But Shlomo said at the opening of the book, "To know wisdom and discipline" (lada'at chochmah umussar) - that the purpose of the proverbs is that through them you will attain the level of da'at.
And what is the difference between da'at and chochmah? Chochmah must be received; it is an axiom: this is what we received, so accept it. Da'at means that one fully identifies with the teachings and knows them with deep understanding, so that one both understands and accepts them. Initially, one accepts because of the principle "accept the truth from whoever speaks it": this is what was taught, this was transmitted from Hashem, so I accept it. Later, however, as one delves deeper and continues to learn, one arrives at the level of da'at - clear knowledge and a complete understanding of the Divine command. And this is what Shlomo says: through my proverbs I will teach you "to know wisdom and discipline" - what was until now merely in the category of chochmah will become for you complete, internalized knowledge, and for this purpose the parables and examples are needed.
Therefore Shlomo says: "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise" - the words of the wise are the chochmah that comes through tradition, as we received it. First, tell yourself: I accept these things unconditionally, even if I do not yet understand. These matters will become fixed in your heart because you trust in Hashem, knowing that if this is the word of God, it is the absolute truth. And if you do not understand - my mind is limited, while the Holy One, blessed be He, possesses infinite wisdom; I understand that I do not understand, and I fully accept what the Holy One, blessed be He, has said. Afterwards, "and apply your heart to my knowledge" - slowly you will reach the level of da'at, until you possess clear knowledge, rather than just an axiom repeated like a parrot, but genuine understanding, clear grasp, and complete identification with these truths.
But if there is no humble receptivity (bitul) at the outset, and right from the start one asks about everything, "Who said so? How do we know? Where is the proof?" - one will never be able to learn. Study must begin from a place of self-effacing acceptance - I accept everything you say - and in the second stage, step by step, one can delve into the concepts and also come to identify with them.
This is an absolute reality even today, as we see with ba'alei teshuvah. When someone begins to draw close to Torah, he is told: At first, accept it, and the explanations will follow later. But if he says, "If I don't understand, I won't do it," such a person will remain very far away. However, when someone says, "I accept," he gradually learns more, and suddenly feels an inner connection with the teachings. What previously caused antagonism, resistance, and a reluctance to accept - he gradually sees how it makes rational sense, and how this path is the upright path rather than the crooked way he formerly imagined. Even matters that initially seemed devoid of logic, which he accepted solely because it is the will of Hashem, will ultimately influence him so that he reaches the level of da'at and full comprehension regarding them.
"For it is pleasant if you keep them within you" - The Path to Remembering and Understanding
כִּי נָעִים כִּי תִשְׁמְרֵם בְּבִטְנֶךָ יִכֹּנוּ יַחְדָּו עַל שְׂפָתֶיךָ׃ (כב, יח) - "For it is pleasant when you keep them within your belly; let them be established together upon your lips."
The Ibn Ezra offers two interpretations. The first: Why should you apply your heart to my knowledge? "For it is pleasant" - my words are pleasant, and therefore you should apply your heart to my knowledge. The second: "pleasant" does not refer back to "my knowledge," but rather to you - "apply your heart to my knowledge," and then "for it is pleasant when you keep them within your belly": when you keep them within your belly (meaning in your heart), you yourself will become pleasant, your deeds will be pleasant, and your path will be pleasant. That is to say, either "it is pleasant" - my knowledge is pleasant, or you will become a more pleasant and better person as a result of keeping them within you.
Rashi explains: "For it is pleasant" - it will be pleasant for you later on if you guard them and treasure them within your belly. And what does "guard them" mean to convey? That you should not forget what the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded, the Torah that He gave. And how do we ensure we do not forget? "Let them be established together upon your lips."
Beruriah and the Student Who Whispered His Studies
As the Gemara recounts regarding Beruriah, who kicked a certain student with her sandal because she saw him reviewing his studies in a whisper - studying silently. She quoted this verse to him: "For it is pleasant when you keep them within your belly; let them be established together upon your lips." Do you know when "you keep them within your belly," such that everything is preserved within you and you do not forget a thing? When "they are established together upon your lips" - articulate the words with your mouth, express them explicitly, study out loud.
It is well known even today that an essential study methodology is to review things out loud and repeat them. When a person reads with his eyes alone, it is not adequate learning: first, it lacks true comprehension, and second, it lacks retention.
Rav Elyashiv: Giving a Shiur to Himself
A person once related that when Rav Elyashiv was young, he learned with him in a chavruta for two years. How did you learn with him? He replied: He learned by himself, and I simply sat beside him and listened, as if he did not notice me at all. Rav Elyashiv would learn to himself out loud: Rava said such and such, and Rava according to his approach argues with Abaye, for Abaye said this and Rava says that; and if Tosafot ask - according to Rava's approach what is written cannot be understood... That is how he learned the entire Gemara, delivering a shiur to himself, lecturing to himself and reviewing. At the conclusion of the sugya, he would summarize: It turns out that according to Rava, in such-and-such a case one is liable, in such a case one is exempt, and in such a case the burden of proof falls upon the claimant; while according to Abaye, in this case one is liable, according to Tosafot one is liable, according to the Rosh's understanding one is exempt, and according to the Rambam's ruling one is liable only in this specific case. He would summarize the entire sugya in its entirety.
And it is no wonder that later on, whatever he was asked on any subject, the halachah was crystal clear to him - even in obscure areas of Torah that few people ever reach or study - and in every single place he possessed total mastery. The secret: first, in-depth study articulated with the mouth, and second, summarizing the concepts and reciting them aloud, which is how a person truly remembers.
Writing Is Equivalent to Four Reviews
They would say the same about Rav Ovadia Yosef: his way of learning was to learn aloud and also to write everything down in his own handwriting, and afterwards he would dictate it to his assistant who typed it up. Writing also aids comprehension tremendously; indeed, it is written that writing is equivalent to reviewing four times, because when a person commits words to paper, he carries a heavy burden of responsibility.
Rav Elyashiv, for example, did not write. When asked why, he said that when he sat down to write, he would get stuck: when you say something orally, it is easier, but when you write, you immediately become hyper-cautious about your phrasing - wait, should it say "should" or "must"? What is the precise definition? How should I formulate it? He was deeply reverent and fearful of rendering halachic rulings, and therefore he dreaded writing, explaining that writing consumed far too much time to formulate everything with utmost precision, lest he inadvertently write something that was not completely accurate. The rare occasions when he did write were in Aggadah, where writing poses no such issue because it carries no monumental responsibility of issuing practical halachic rulings for the public, or in the formal rulings he issued while sitting on the Rabbinical High Court, where there was no way around it - one must write. But in other areas, he rarely wrote at all, saying: "I cannot waste the time; in that time I can cover another Tosafot."
Thus, by verbalizing and writing down words of Torah, matters become far sharper in a person's mind and he remembers them much better. "For it is pleasant when you keep them within your belly" - on the condition that "they will be established together upon your lips": speak the words and rehearse them upon your lips, and through this they will become fluent on your tongue and you will remember them.
Learning Aloud and with a Melody
By the way, anyone who observes will notice that Yemenite Jews possess an extraordinary knowledge of Tanach. Why? Because their method of study was always reading aloud and with a melody, rather than reading silently with their eyes. A melody also enhances memory: when a person sings or chants something, he remembers it. How are children taught the English alphabet? A-B-C-D-E-F - through song. And why do they sing? Because without a tune it is difficult to remember, but with a tune it becomes much easier. Therefore, the traditional way of learning was always through song, melody, and a raised voice, and through this a person retained what he learned. And if someone was reading quietly, what would they tell him? "Open!" - open your mouth, read aloud, articulate the words, read properly.
The Vilna Gaon: If You Cannot Repeat It, You Have Not Understood It
The Vilna Gaon explains: we have seen that he interpreted "and apply your heart to My knowledge" to mean that the primary goal must be to know Hashem. Now he says: it will be pleasant to your soul when you attain this level of Da'as, keeping them in your belly and having them "established together upon your lips." When will it be pleasant for you? When the knowledge of Torah resides in your belly - which, as explained, refers to the heart - and is also established together upon your lips.
The Gra adds: at times, even though a person knows the matter in its truth, he is unable to explain it with his lips and bring forth its proper judgment. Every one of us is familiar with this reality: Did you understand? Yes. Can you repeat it? I cannot. But I understood it... Yet when a person is unable to repeat a concept, it indicates that his comprehension is superficial, and he has not succeeded in delving deeply to grasp a sound and true understanding. Why is this? The Gra says: because it is not orderly organized in his mind. If it were well-ordered, you would know and review the material, and be able to articulate it; if one cannot express it, his grasp of it remains shaky.
"One Must Always Stand and Return"
Once, Rav Chaim of Volozhin asked the Gra: "I have already learned Maseches Sukkah dozens of times; is that enough? How much must one review?" The Gra replied, "There is no limit to it." Rav Chaim asked, "Does that mean one hundred and one times?" The Gra answered, "There is no limit; one must always 'stand and return.'" This is an adaptation of the halachic dictum regarding a lost object: if one returns an animal and it runs away again, the Torah commands "you shall surely return them" - stand and return it again and again. So too with Torah: one must constantly review. And it is related of the Gra that out of his immense love of Torah, he said he was capable of reviewing the very same Mishnah for all the days of his life. We might read a Mishnah and think: fine, let us move on, I already understood it, on to the next Mishnah. But the Gra, even though from the very first time he grasped the Mishnah in all its depth, breadth, and length, was capable out of sheer love of Torah of repeating and studying that same Mishnah his entire life.
Then the Gra asked him: "Have you reviewed it thoroughly?" Rav Chaim answered, "Yes." The Gra asked him: "How many valid sukkos are mentioned in the tractate, and how many invalid sukkos?" The Gra then told him that the valid sukkos correspond to the numerical value of "sukkah" spelled without a vav (91), and the invalid sukkos correspond to the gematria of "sukkah" spelled with a vav (97). He then sat and enumerated every single one of them, one by one: such a sukkah, and such a sukkah, until he reached the exact count. This is "For it is pleasant when you keep them within your belly": do you know when it will be pleasant for you? When "they will be established together upon your lips" - when you are able to enumerate, count, detail, and explain. Then you have truly attained a state where the words are preserved within your belly and your Torah is pleasant to you. If you see a Talmid Chacham whose study is as heavy upon him as iron, it is because his learning is not systematically organized. But if his learning is well-ordered, and he has rehearsed the material and truly understands it, how wonderful it is: the matters are sweet and clear to him, and he is able to transmit them to others as well.
The Responsibility of the Maggid Shiur
These words are very much needed in our time as well. Rav Ovadia Yosef strongly emphasized this issue: that sometimes a person goes to deliver a shiur and is unprepared. One sees someone relying on the assumption that "these are working laymen, they do not understand much," thinking he can simply show up, open a Gemara, and try to understand it on the spot. It is deeply embarrassing to witness such a scene: a maggid shiur reaches a line of text and struggles to understand what is written; he assumed it was simple, but suddenly reads Rashi and tries to figure out along with the listeners what Rashi means.
When someone prepares, and then while delivering the shiur the concepts become sharper and he suddenly notices a difficulty - that is very common and entirely legitimate; when laying out the details, one often notices a question. But when someone comes to teach material he has not prepared, relying on an annotated edition thinking "it will be fine" and will bail him out, only to suddenly encounter complex sugyos that cannot possibly be taught properly without having reviewed them once or twice beforehand - this is a tremendous responsibility. Concerning such behavior, Heaven forbid, Scripture warns, "Cursed is he who performs the work of Hashem deceitfully." Rav Ovadia Yosef once protested against this vigorously, saying: "I used to teach a shiur to working men on Ein Yaakov, and it was unthinkable that I would not prepare the sugya beforehand!" And this was Rav Ovadia, who, wherever you asked him across all of Shas and anywhere in the Torah, could cite the page, folio, and commentaries of Shas! There is no such thing as coming to a shiur unprepared; one does not deliver a shiur unless he is thoroughly prepared.
And this is what is said here: "For it is pleasant if you keep them within your belly; they will be established together upon your lips" - and if one's Talmud is as hard as iron for him, it is because his learning is not well organized for him. A person must organize his learning, and that is when studying for himself; how much more so when someone is supposed to understand from you what you learned, and you are supposed to explain what you learned. If you did not prepare the material properly, how will you explain it to people when you yourself do not fully understand? As someone once said: There are those who expound "in secrets" (berazin) - they expound on the secrets of the Torah, meaning that the maggid shiur understands and the listeners do not understand. And what is "secrets of secrets" (razei derazin)? When even the maggid shiur does not understand what he is saying: he reads and recites the words, tries to supply connecting words, and moves on without understanding what he said. That is razei derazin - absolute secrets; both he and they are on a "diet", they did not understand, did not absorb, and came away hungry. Therefore, the most fundamental thing is to understand properly, and then one can also teach properly.
The Malbim: "Na'im" - Wandering and Unsettled
The Malbim, after explaining in the previous verse, "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise" - accept the words of the Sages even if it is only by tradition without comprehension, and afterward you will merit that "you apply your heart to my knowledge," to attain within them the level of da'at - explains here: what I taught you of knowledge and wisdom, through this you will be able to express them with your lips.
The Malbim always explains that "lips" (sefatayim) symbolize da'at, as distinct from the "mouth" (peh), which is more internal and expresses chochmah. Wisdom is internal: you ask me if I understand - I do not understand, it is inside, this is what I received, for wisdom comes through tradition. But afterward I reach the level of da'at, and then I both identify with the teachings and merit to understand them, and when asked, I can also explain and elucidate them - because I have reached the level of da'at.
And here the Malbim offers an original interpretation: up until now, according to all commentators, na'im means pleasantness, but the Malbim says no - na'im is from the language of na vanad, moving and wandering. When a matter is accepted merely by tradition, a person does not yet identify with it, but rather accepts it: this is what the sage said, and so I accept. And are the matters settled in your belly? Not completely, but that is what I accept. And what is their status? They are na'im - moving and unsettled. "For it is moving (na'im) if you keep them within your belly": initially, when you accept it and it is kept only in your belly, the matter is moving and unsettled, not yet firmly grounded.
However, afterward, when you accept the teachings even though you do not yet understand them, "they will be established together upon your lips" - if they emerge from the belly to the lips, and the lips symbolize da'at, then "they will be established": they will have a base and a foundation. It is no longer moving or wavering, but acquires permanence - now I understand, now the teachings are settled within me. I have reached the level of da'at in these matters, and through this there is a solid base and foundation; I identify with them and comprehend them with a true and accurate understanding.
In summary:
These two verses open the section of "the words of the wise" and lay down the foundations of the approach to Torah study. "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise" - first comes acceptance and nullification, to listen and accept even without understanding, provided that it is from a sage whose perspective is sound, for from a teacher whose views are warped, one is very likely to become confused like him. "And apply your heart to my knowledge" - and from there to delve deeper until reaching the level of da'at, clear knowledge and full identification, for the ultimate purpose of study is "understanding and knowing Me" and fulfilling what we have learned. "For they wander if you keep them within your belly" - and what wanders and remains unsettled in the belly becomes firmly established only when "they are established together upon your lips": studying aloud, review, summarizing, writing, and limitless repetition, until one's learning is well organized and he does not fall into the category of "his study is as hard as iron for him." And all of this applies first and foremost to one's own learning, and how much more so for one who comes to deliver a shiur to others, who must prepare and understand - for only one who has understood properly is capable of teaching properly.