In this section of Chapter 22, we find ourselves within the passage that opens with, "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise." Here, King Solomon reveals the ultimate purpose of all the ethical teachings and mussar he has set forth for us: to lead a person to trust in Hashem (bitachon). From there, he continues by uncovering the structure and objective of the book - that a person should not merely accept the truth by tradition, but understand it, deeply identify with it, be capable of responding to those who question him, and transmit it to future generations. Finally, we will arrive at a grave warning: "Do not rob the impoverished because he is impoverished."
לִהְיוֹת בַּיהוָה מִבְטַחֶךָ, הוֹדַעְתִּיךָ הַיּוֹם אַף־אָתָּה׃ (יט) - "That your trust may be in Hashem, I have made known to you this day, even to you." (19)
Rashi explains this according to its plain meaning: I am informing you that you should trust in Hashem. Engage in Torah study, and do not say, "How can I neglect my trade, and what will be the source of my livelihood?" - "That your trust may be in Hashem."
Rabbeinu Yonah states a profound principle here: Solomon reveals to us that his entire intention throughout all the ethical instruction he arranged for us across the entire Book of Mishlei is for one to attain the trait of bitachon. All good character traits must bring a person to fear of Heaven (yirah) - this is their ultimate purpose, as it says, "What does Hashem, your God, ask of you, but to fear." Purity and holiness lead to fear of sin, and bitachon is among the highest rungs of fear of sin. For fear of sin means that one fears only Hashem, and consequently trusts in Hashem and recognizes that everything comes from Him - and this is the very essence of fear. This is the meaning of the verse: everything I taught you is meant to lead you to trust in Hashem.
And what is the meaning of "I have made known to you this day, even to you"? Rabbeinu Yonah explains: Just as I personally derived immense benefit from these teachings in strengthening trust in Hashem, so too I make this known to you today and teach you, that you also ("even to you") may attain it. You, too, can reach the very same levels of attainment that I reached.
The Vilna Gaon explains that this verse is rooted in verses from Tehillim Chapter 78: "He established a testimony in Yaakov and placed a Torah in Yisrael, which He commanded our fathers to make known to their children. So that the final generation might know, children yet to be born will arise and tell their children. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments." "He established a testimony in Yaakov" - refers to the Prophets (Nevi'im) and the Writings (Ketuvim); "and placed a Torah in Yisrael" - refers to the Torah. Thus we have Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim.
And what is the primary purpose of the giving of the Torah? The Gaon says: so that the Jewish people would place their trust in Hashem - "that they might set their hope (kislam) in God," where kislam means their hope and their trust. The second goal is to teach it to subsequent generations: "So that the final generation might know, children yet to be born will arise and tell their children." The core of everything is complete bitachon, which encompasses within itself all the mitzvos - "and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments."
Accordingly: "That your trust may be in Hashem" - that your trust will be in Hashem, for this is the ultimate purpose of giving the Torah. "I have made known to you this day" - corresponds to "which He commanded our fathers to make known to their children": The Holy One, blessed be He, says, I made it known to you this day through the Divine Inspiration (Ruach HaKodesh) that rests upon you, so that you will make these matters known to future generations. "Even to you" - just as I made it known to you, so you must make it known to those who follow you, "will arise and tell their children." For the Holy One, blessed be He, does not reenact the Revelation at Mount Sinai for us in every generation. The reason I gave you Torah is so that you will pass it down to the next generation.
The Malbim explains that the verse reiterates what was stated earlier: "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise" - through hearing the words of the wise, you will arrive at "that your trust may be in Hashem." "The words of the wise," as we explained, are teachings given according to chochmah, and chochmah refers to matters received through tradition that must be accepted as they are. We do not have intrinsic rational comprehension of them, nor do we possess proof or demonstration for them - rather, this is what we have received. These are the ethical guidelines that one must accept as a tradition from Hashem.
Yet what is required? "That your trust may be in Hashem" - that you should not doubt them, but rather say: I accept that this is God's will. Even though I do not understand it, and even though at times it seems the opposite to me - despite all this, I accept it as an axiom, this is God's will, and I do not doubt lest, heaven forbid, there is something here that is not true.
And afterwards - "I have made known to you today." Later on, you will merit to comprehend these matters and grasp them through the clear proofs of da'as. This is what we explained above: when a person studies a subject and delves deeply into it, at the initial stage he accepts the matters as an axiom; at the second stage, things begin to become clear, and he starts to understand them - the logic and rationale behind them. This is the level of da'as: I already know these things and succeed in understanding and accepting them with the intellect as well.
And the ultimate goal is - "you too." Until now, you accepted it by virtue of "that your trust may be in Hashem," because I rely on Hashem. Shlomo says: this alone is not enough. The goal is that you reach full da'as, and then "you too" - you yourself will understand, embrace these matters, and identify with them, not only because Hashem said so, but because you truly understand that these things are correct and clear, and that this is the right way by which one must live. This is something that you, too, can attain.
הֲלֹא כָתַבְתִּי לְךָ שָׁלִישִׁים, בְּמֹעֵצוֹת וָדָעַת׃ (כ) - Have I not written for you threefold things, in counsels and knowledge?
Rashi explains: "Shalishim" - Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that "Have I not written for you" is a metaphor that encompasses and clarifies the underlying subject. A shalish is an officer who governs a group of people, like "the captain at the gate" - a commander who oversees a cohort. This is what Shlomo means by "Have I not written for you shalishim" - all the counsels and teachings I have written for you in Sefer Mishlei are expressions that clarify and explain all human conduct in a way that can be understood rationally. When I want to convey that these matters are elucidated by something that has the power to explain and govern, I call them shalishim. "In counsels and knowledge" - with counsels and understanding, so that you may truly grasp the meaning of these teachings.
The Gra explains in accordance with Rashi: "Shalishim" refers to the threefold Torah (orayta telitaya), for the Torah is called threefold: Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, delivered it to a threefold nation - Kohanim, Levi'im, and Yisraelim - on the third day, after the three days of preparation. Here we see the theme of the threefold pattern.
"In counsels and knowledge" - "knowledge" is the Torah, while "counsels" refers to the Prophets; and because the text says mo'eitzot rather than eitzot, the phrasing encompasses both Nevi'im and Ketuvim. The Gra explains: counsel is communicated in two ways. There is counsel where the Holy One, Blessed be He, speaks with us literally face to face, and there is counsel through ru'ach hakodesh and prophecy. The counsel that comes through ru'ach hakodesh and prophecy occurs when the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it were, plants His thought in our heart - this is a form of prophecy where the prophet suddenly senses things in his heart, and these are not mere imaginations but divine revelation; only Hashem does not speak to him face to face as He did with Moshe, but rather the concepts are planted in his heart. And mo'eitzot hints to this - as in the expression "the kidneys give counsel" - where the Holy One, Blessed be He, places counsel and ru'ach hakodesh within his heart.
And "knowledge" hints at direct speech - "mouth to mouth I speak with him," where the Holy One, Blessed be He, speaks directly with us, as was the case with Moshe Rabbeinu. Therefore, "knowledge" refers to the Torah itself, which we received directly from Hashem's mouth, as it were, mouth to mouth; while "counsels" refers to Nevi'im and Ketuvim, which we received through the ru'ach hakodesh of the prophets, since Hashem did not speak mouth to mouth with the prophets who came after Moshe.
Ralbag explains: "Have I not written for you shalishim with counsel and knowledge?" - noble matters to set you straight. "Counsel" refers to practical conduct in society - not foreign diplomacy, but how a person conducts himself in daily life: how to interact with people, in his eating, his work, his married life, and in all matters. "Knowledge" pertains to spiritual matters - in Torah study, in depth, and in intellect, how to study and analyze theoretical and intellectual topics. Why are they called shalishim? Just as officers (shalishim) lead the people and the king leads the kingdom, so too I have given you guidance on how to lead yourself properly, something that clarifies the matter and guides you along the upright path.
Metzudat David explains: Lest you say, how can I be confident learning Torah from my teachers without fearing that they might be mistaken? Perhaps he explains a verse to me, or teaches me a halachah regarding tefillin, and he is mistaken in it - and I followed his words and did not fulfill the mitzvah properly; I will arrive in Heaven and be told, "You were mistaken," and what will I answer - "They misled me"? A person might come to doubt every single mitzvah in this way.
Regarding this, the verse says: "Have I not written for you shalishim with counsel and knowledge?" - I have written for you in the Sefer Torah important and noble matters expressed with counsel and knowledge, so that you may study them and reflect upon them, and thereby know that what you receive from the Sages is true and aligns with the Torah. If we had only the Oral Torah, you might say: Perhaps he was mistaken, perhaps there was a misunderstanding here. But since there is the Written Torah, the Holy One, Blessed is He, says: Come and examine the Written Torah, and you will find counsel and knowledge there, seeing that what the Sage teaches you is the plain meaning of the verses. According to this, shalishim means noble things: I gave you a noble gift, the Holy Torah, which is full of counsel and knowledge.
The Malbim offers a very original explanation here. It is written of Shlomo: "And he spoke three thousand proverbs" - has anyone ever seen three thousand proverbs of Shlomo? Similarly, "and his songs were a thousand and five" - has anyone seen one thousand and five songs of Shlomo? The Malbim explains: These are not counts. Alafim is not from the word for thousand (elef), but from the root of instruction (iluf), as in "I will teach you (a'alefcha) wisdom" - and "three alafim of proverbs" means three studies of proverbs. For Sefer Mishlei is divided into three distinct parts: the first part up to chapter 10, the second part up to chapter 25, and the third part from there to the end of the book.
And if so, this is what is written here: "Have I not written for you shalishim" - this book is threefold, divided into three parts. "With counsel and knowledge" - to give you counsel on how to conduct yourself and lead a proper life; and "knowledge" - that you will have a clear grasp of these matters, so that you can also teach others. For "counsel" relates to how one acts personally, but when one connects deeply with the concepts and understands them thoroughly, one can transmit them to others and convince them.
And what is the meaning of "his songs were a thousand and five"? In the Malbim's view, Shir HaShirim is divided into five parts - five wondrous movements between the Beloved and the Maiden, as discussed elsewhere at length - and there is a final part in Shir HaShirim that serves as an appendix, which he calls "the thousand," because in that final section it says, "The thousand is for you, Shlomo, and two hundred for those who guard its fruit," and it is not part of the general progression of Shir HaShirim. This is "five and a thousand" - five songs plus "the thousand," the final song. And this aligns precisely with his interpretation here of shalishim.
לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ קֹשְׁטְ אִמְרֵי אֱמֶת, לְהָשִׁיב אֲמָרִים אֱמֶת לְשֹׁלְחֶךָ׃ (כא) - To make known to you the certainty of true words, to return words of truth to those who send you. (21)
Rashi explains that this is a continuation of the preceding verse: I have written for you shalishim with counsel and knowledge - Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim - so that you may understand from them the certainty of true words ("kosht" means truth), and through this, you will be able to return words of truth to those who send you. When things are clear to you, you can explain them to others; but if they are not clear to you, how can you respond to someone who asks you for guidance? Yet when I have written for you shalishim, and you meditate on them and delve into them, you will be able to return words of truth to those who send you, providing a clear response from the Holy Torah.
The Gra explains that imrei ("words of") refers to Nevi'im and Kesuvim, while emes ("truth") refers to the Torah that we received directly from Hashem. And "to return words of truth to those who sent you" applies to both of them - the Torah on one side, and Nevi'im and Kesuvim on the other. And who are "those who sent you"? The ones who sent you and accompanied you into this world, allegorically speaking. The holy Zohar says: "In a pillar of cloud by day" refers to the Written Torah, "and in a pillar of fire by night" refers to the Oral Torah. What accompanies a person in this world and illuminates his path? The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, which are the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. And when you fulfill "the certainty of the words of truth," studying both the Written Torah and Nevi'im and Kesuvim, through this you are able "to return words to those who sent you": when you arrive in the Next World after one hundred and twenty years and they ask you, "Did you do it? Did you uphold it?" - the Torah itself, as it were, asks: Did you fulfill what is written in me? - you will have the proper answers: Yes, I fulfilled what is written in the Torah.
The Metzudas David explains that the Torah was meant "to make you know the certainty of the words of truth," meaning to distinguish between truth and falsehood. When a person lacks Torah, falsehood easily misleads him - one can present a lie to him as truth, teach him all kinds of distorted beliefs and ideas, and he will believe them, thinking this is Torah from Sinai. But someone who has Torah, once he has attained the truth, immediately realizes that everything else is darkness and complete error with no substance. Through the holy Torah, you possess the certainty and integrity of words of truth; you know what the truth is and do not stray after falsehood.
And "those who send you" (sholechecha), the Metzudas David explains, is an expression of expulsion, as in "If a man divorces (yeshalach)" - yeshalach means banishes or drives out. That is to say: if someone wants to drive you away from the path of truth with false arguments and proofs, as though the Torah were not true, or bring you proofs that there is truth in other religions - since I have written for you excellent things in counsel and knowledge and set you straight on the path of truth, you will be able "to return words of truth to those who drive you away": even to someone who comes to debate, you will have answers, because you have proofs and demonstrations that our Torah is a Torah of truth.
In connection with this, we have already mentioned the words of the Rambam in Iggeres Teiman on the verse, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn." The Torah promised us that no tyrant or polemicist who tries to turn the Jewish people away from their faith will succeed. The Torah will never be nullified, neither by force nor by intellectual arguments. By force - how many throughout history have tried to destroy us, and how many try today, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, rescues us from their hand. And through arguments and proofs - there were dozens and hundreds of debates between the Sages of Israel and Christianity and other religions, and there was never a single debate from which Judaism emerged on the losing side. Never. And in truth, that is no great wonder: when you come with truth and they come with vanity and futile wind, it is self-evident. But the Torah also promises us that we will not stumble. A "polemicist" means a debater - "no weapon formed against you shall prosper"; "that rises against you in judgment" - they staged trials and debates against the holy Torah; "you shall condemn" - you will demonstrate the futility and wickedness of their claims, proving that the Torah is a Torah of truth. This is the progression of the verse: first, "to make you know the certainty of the words of truth," and once you know and understand with absolute clarity that the Torah is true, you will also be able "to return words of truth" to anyone who tries to drive you away from the holy Torah.
One can find here an allusion to what we discussed in the past: that one does not bring people back in teshuvah through fabricated stories. If you come to draw someone closer, tell something that is true. We have plenty of true teachings and authentic miracles to persuade with, and there is no need to convince people with "bubbe meises" (tall tales). The allusion to this in the verse is that it does not say merely "to return words to those who sent you," but "to return words of truth to those who sent you." If someone tries to drive you away from the Torah, answer him with responses, but truthful ones. Do not answer him deceitfully, assuming that he does not know or is unfamiliar with the facts. The Torah is a Torah of truth, and persuasion must be done with truth, for the truth shows its own way.
The Malbim explains that there is a distinction between kosht (certainty) and emes (truth). The word kosht is familiar to us from the Targum - anyone who reviews Shenayim Mikra ve-Echad Targum knows that emes is translated as be-kushta. If so, a difficulty arises: "To make you know the kosht of the words of emes" - why the repetition, truth upon truth?
The Malbim explains: Emes refers to something that is true in and of itself, even if I cannot explain or prove it if asked to do so - nevertheless, it is intrinsically true. Let us take an example: Will Mashiach come? Certainly, one hundred percent. Can you prove it? I can show you that it is written in Scripture, and I can show you that in the very same place where it is written, a thousand and one other things are written that have come to pass, and therefore this too will come to pass - but to actually prove that Mashiach will come requires that Mashiach arrive and that you see it with your own eyes, which would be conclusive proof. Yet, because I lack conclusive proof, does that mean it is not true? It is absolute truth, except that I cannot prove it empirically. Similarly with the existence of the Creator: I can bring rational proofs that the world has a Creator and that there is no other explanation for everything occurring in nature, but have you seen Him? No. Does this detract from the truth of the matter? Certainly not. Just as it does not detract from the reality of radiation - who has ever seen radiation? And no human being has ever seen an atom; although we have illustrations of it, even Einstein never saw one. There are things that exist even though I cannot physically display them, and they are inherently true.
By contrast, kosht, says the Malbim, is not a truth whose rationale remains unknown, but rather a truth whose veracity a person can demonstrate, and its truth is evident to all. This is what Shlomo means: I have written for you excellent things (shalishim) in counsel and knowledge - and these shalishim are the parables of Sefer Mishlei, which is divided into three sections - and these parables will make known to you the kosht of the words of truth. If until now it was merely in the category of emes - accept it, even if I do not know the underlying reason and cannot prove it, but it is true - when I explain these matters to you through parables, you will understand the kosht within the words of truth: you will grasp the rationale, the explanation, and the logic. From something that was merely an axiom, it will become something understood and grasped by the intellect; the inner essence of matters will be revealed to you, and you will comprehend their depth.
Not only that, but also "to return words of truth to those who send you." When a matter is thoroughly understood, then "they will be established together upon your lips" - the words rest ready on one's lips. As discussed previously: chochmah is internal, something one cannot display or fully demonstrate - it must be accepted as received tradition. But the mouth and lips represent da'as; da'as means being able to articulate matters with one's lips, to prove them, explain them, and demonstrate their veracity - this is the level of complete, lucid knowledge. Here, through "to inform you the certainty of words of truth," you will grasp the underlying da'as and inner logic of the teachings, and when someone asks you questions, you will be able to answer him. For when one attempts to persuade another by merely asserting, "Accept this, this is how it is, this is truth" - it is difficult to accept; but when one explains and demonstrates, one brings the matter close to da'as, making it truly understood. Through this, one can also persuade others and convey to them the rationales of wisdom, so that they too attain a clear, settled understanding.
אַל־תִּגְזָל־דָּל כִּי דַל־הוּא, וְאַל־תְּדַכֵּא עָנִי בַשָּׁעַר׃ (כב) - Do not rob the destitute because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate. (22)
"Do not rob the destitute because he is poor" - do not exploit his helpless condition, knowing you have no cause to fear that he might wrest the stolen property back from your hand or retaliate against you. He is weak and entirely powerless against you - and precisely for this reason, the warning is issued.
"And do not crush the afflicted at the gate" - "at the gate" refers to a public gathering place, as in "his brother's wife shall go up to the gate" or "if I saw my help in the gate." That is: because you know you can humiliate him in front of everyone without facing any reckoning - since he is impoverished, without allies, and has no one to rescue him from your hand - you feel no hesitation in degrading him even publicly. Heaven forbid! "Do not crush the afflicted at the gate" - do not exploit his poverty to oppress and humiliate him in the sight of all.
In these verses, Shlomo revealed to us the ultimate purpose of his entire book: "That your trust may be in Hashem" - that all ethical instruction and character refinement should lead a person to trust in Hashem, which is among the highest rungs in the fear of sin; and from there, "you as well," that you too will attain this and transmit it to future generations. "Have I not written for you three-fold things?" - whether Tanach as a whole or the three divisions of Sefer Mishlei - the Holy One, Blessed is He, gave us counsels for conducting our lives and da'as for deep study and contemplation, along with tools to verify that what we receive from the Sages is pure truth. "To make you know the certainty of words of truth" - that the truth received through tradition should become an elucidated and demonstrated truth, resting ready upon your lips to answer anyone who challenges your commitment to the Torah - through truth alone. And finally, the solemn warning: one who possesses true da'as understands that the helplessness of the destitute is never a license to exploit, but rather a grave warning - "Do not rob the destitute because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate."