In this part of the chapter, King Solomon paints a complete portrait of a wicked person: an "adam beliya'al" (a corrupt, lawless person), detailing the seven ways his wickedness is manifest - in the mouth, the eyes, the feet, the fingers, the heart, plotting evil, and sowing discord. Afterward, he reveals his ultimate fate, and then enumerates these same seven traits again in their more severe manifestation. At the conclusion of this section, Scripture turns to the positive side: "My son, guard the commandment of your father" - how one preserves himself so that Torah and mitzvos do not slip away from him.
אָדָם בְּלִיַּעַל אִישׁ אָוֶן הוֹלֵךְ עִקְּשׁוּת פֶּה׃ - A corrupt person, a man of iniquity, walks with crookedness of mouth.
"Beliya'al" refers to a person who has cast off the yoke, literally "beli ol" - upon whom no yoke has ascended. In mitzvos between man and God, he casts off the yoke of Heaven, and in mitzvos between man and his fellow, he is an "ish aven" (a man of iniquity) - characterized by theft and deceit. His sin, explains the Malbim, is evident in seven ways, the first of which involves the organ of speech: "walks with crookedness of mouth" - he perverts and distorts matters contrary to the laws of wisdom. For the mouth represents wisdom (chochmah) and the tongue represents understanding (binah), and he speaks with crookedness against the mouth, against the laws of wisdom. In other words, words of Torah are not acceptable in his eyes.
קֹרֵץ בְּעֵינָיו מֹלֵל בְּרַגְלָיו מֹרֶה בְּאֶצְבְּעֹתָיו׃ - He winks with his eyes, speaks with his feet, points with his fingers.
"He winks with his eyes" - this is the instrument of action through the eyes, the absolute opposite of "do not stray after your eyes." "Speaks with his feet" - through the instrument of motion, the feet. What does "moleil" mean? The Malbim explains that it comes from the root of words and speech (milim), as in "Who spoke (mileil) to Avraham that Sarah would nurse children?"; he communicates with his fellow through his feet. Just like a person sitting at a table who wants to hint at something to someone and gives him a gentle kick under the table to signal him - that is "speaking with his feet." And "points with his fingers" - making various gestures and hints with his fingers. All these actions are counted as transgressions, and we mention them in the Vidui (confession) on Yom Kippur: winking of the eye, pointing with fingers, and feet rushing to do evil - for winking the eye is part of deceit and falsehood, through which one tricks other people.
תַּהְפֻּכוֹת בְּלִבּוֹ חֹרֵשׁ רָע בְּכָל עֵת מִדְיָנִים יְשַׁלֵּחַ׃ - Perversity is in his heart, he plots evil at all times, he sows discord.
Until now, it spoke of the mouth, the eyes, the feet, and the hands; now it describes what happens within him. "Perversity is in his heart" - regarding thought, in matters of faith: in his heart, he contemplates things that are contrary to true belief. "He plots evil at all times" - in interpersonal matters, constantly plotting harm against his fellow. And the seventh thing: "he sows discord" - from the root of "madon," strife; he stirs up quarrels between people.
What is sowing discord? He goes and tells someone: "Listen, I don't want to get involved, not that it's my business, but hear this - what he did to you was really not right. I won't tell you what to do, but look, I wouldn't stay silent over such a thing. Not that I'm trying to agitate you, God forbid, but what he did was truly disgraceful; I was so angry on your behalf when I saw it." In this way, he gradually fires him up and incites him, claiming of course that he has no ill intentions, Heaven forbid, but "you should understand well what is before you" - you already understand what you need to do. This is an overt example, but it can also manifest in much subtler ways.
The Chofetz Chaim writes about this, and it is a very severe matter in which many people stumble: sometimes one knows that so-and-so dislikes someone else, and to set him off, it is enough just to mention his name in passing. "Do you know who I ran into today? I saw Yaakov. Do you remember Yaakov?" - and with that, you have opened the floodgates. "What a scoundrel, a liar, a cheat..." One casual remark, and you have caused him to stumble into lashon hara, rechilus, and more. Therefore, the Chofetz Chaim says that it is forbidden even to mention a person's name in front of his enemy. Even when passing along a cake recipe - a woman sharing it with her friend should not say that she got it from their neighbor Miriam, when it is known that friction exists between the two. Do not mention the name.
This is very common in shops: a person comes to buy something, they tell him 150, and he says, "Why so expensive? I saw this for 130." "From whom?" "From Yaakov on the corner." From there it rolls downhill: "Ah, you are looking for stolen goods? Go buy from Yaakov on the corner; with me you get a warranty, I buy from the original source." And why did you mention his name? After all, craftsmen are naturally resentful and jealous of one another - so why go and mention his competitor to him? He will readily tell you how often people call him to fix the damage that other fellow leaves behind. Never mention names. The mere fact that you mentioned the name - you have already sowed discord.
עַל כֵּן פִּתְאֹם יָבוֹא אֵידוֹ פֶּתַע יִשָּׁבֵר וְאֵין מַרְפֵּא׃ - Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; in an instant he shall be broken, beyond remedy.
This person, who possesses all these abominations, "his calamity shall come suddenly." What is "eido" (his calamity)? His destruction. "Yom eidam" is the day of their downfall, and this is how the Sages referred to the festivals of the idolaters by way of wordplay: the original word is "eidam" - "eid" in Arabic means a holiday, like Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha - and the Sages called it "eidam" (with an aleph), an expression of ruin, as in "For the day of their calamity is at hand." Likewise, we use the phrase "simchah la'eid" - gloating over another's ruin.
What is the difference between pit'om ("suddenly") and peta ("in an instant")? The Malbim explains: pit'om denotes speed in time, while peta denotes the speed of the action itself. These are two different things, for something can happen with instantaneous impact yet not arrive quickly, and vice versa. How so? If something arrived quickly - it did not take two months but arrived within two hours - yet once it arrived it unfolded gradually, that is pit'om and not peta. Conversely, if it took two months to arrive, but once it struck, it came in a single blow, that is peta and not pit'om. Here the verse combines both: both pit'om - it arrives quickly, and peta yishaver - it shatters in a single instant. Furthermore, "beyond remedy": know that even when his calamity arrives, he will not repent. Even when he sees all seven abominations in his heart, despite all the troubles and despite his ruin - "beyond remedy," he will not return to be healed of the sickness within him.
שֶׁשׁ הֵנָּה שָׂנֵא יְהֹוָה וְשֶׁבַע תּוֹעֲבַת נַפְשׁוֹ׃ - These six things the Lord hates, and seven are an abomination to His soul.
The verse enumerates what was already detailed above regarding the corrupt scoundrel, the person who cast off the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven: "walking with deceit of mouth" - one; "winks with his eyes" - two; "scrapes with his feet" - three; "points with his fingers" - four; "perversity is in his heart" - five; "devises evil at all times" - six; "sows discord" - seven. "These six things the Lord hates" - the Holy One, blessed be He, hates the first six, but the seventh, "sows discord," is "an abomination to His soul" - the worst and most detestable of all. One who creates division, who stirs up strife, who goes between people to inflame one against the other and incite quarrel - is an abomination to Him.
עֵינַיִם רָמוֹת לְשׁוֹן שָׁקֶר וְיָדַיִם שֹׁפְכוֹת דָּם נָקִי׃ - Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.
After detailing the seven traits of the corrupt scoundrel, the verse now elaborates on each one to show just how evil and vile it is. Earlier it said "winks with his eyes" - a manipulative person who plots deceit with a wink; now it adds "haughty eyes" - an attitude of arrogance, looking down on everyone. Corresponding to "walking with deceit of mouth," which relates to the mouth, it adds "a lying tongue": the tongue always signifies binah (understanding), and binah is, as it were, the potential counterweight to chochmah (wisdom), since binah is what a person derives on his own and analyzes through his intellect, formulating all sorts of deductions, theories, and speculations in his mind contrary to true wisdom - and that is "a lying tongue." And corresponding to "points with his fingers," it adds "hands that shed innocent blood" - actual murder by his hands.
לֵב חֹרֵשׁ מַחְשְׁבוֹת אָוֶן רַגְלַיִם מְמַהֲרוֹת לָרוּץ לָרָעָה׃ - A heart that devises wicked thoughts, feet that hasten to run to evil.
Corresponding to "devises evil" - "a heart that plots wicked thoughts", thoughts of iniquity. And corresponding to "shuffles his feet", which refers to hinting with the feet, there is something even worse: "feet that hasten to run to evil." There is a person who runs to commit a sin without waiting. With a mitzvah he takes his time - "No need to rush so much; even if I arrive at Yishtabach I'll still have time to daven." But if there is a movie, he is the first one there; he has to see the previews and buy popcorn - to that he runs. "Feet that hasten to run to evil."
יָפִיחַ כְּזָבִים עֵד שָׁקֶר וּמְשַׁלֵּחַ מְדָנִים בֵּין אַחִים׃ - A false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Corresponding to "perversity in his heart", the schemes of the heart, he adds "a false witness who breathes out lies" - speaking lies and bearing false witness in matters of faith. "Yafi'ach" (breathes out) means spreading forth, and "kezavim" (lies) is related to "achzav" - something deceitful that does not endure. Truth endures, as it says, "The lip of truth will be established forever," but a lie has no feet; it cannot walk, it merely stands, stumbles, and falls. It is like a deceitful brook (nachal achzav), failing and running dry. And corresponding to the seventh, "sowing discord", he says, "and one who sows discord among brothers": even among brothers, among close people, where one would think that on the contrary - even you understand that closeness should be preserved - even between them he stirs up quarrel and dispute.
נְצֹר בְּנִי מִצְוַת אָבִיךָ וְאַל תִּטֹּשׁ תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ׃ - Guard, my son, your father's mitzvah, and do not forsake your mother's Torah.
What is the difference between a "mitzvah" (commandment) and "Torah" (instruction)? A mitzvah is something in which the commander compels the one being commanded to carry out his bidding - "I command you", as an order. In this manner, a father commands his son, and a master commands his servant: an instruction that you must fulfill, which compels you. "Torah", by contrast, refers to the teachings - the beliefs, outlooks, and ethical principles - and this does not fall into the category of compulsion. For in the Torah, there is no explicit compulsion regarding commandments related to character traits (middot); rather, compulsion applies to commandments of action. In the Torah it is written, "You shall not eat chametz," but there is no explicit prohibition of "Do not get angry," nor is there a negative commandment saying, "Do not be a miser," and similarly throughout the realm of middot we do not find formal prohibitions.
The Maharḥu explains that the reason for this is because character traits fall under derech eretz (proper conduct), and derech eretz precedes the Torah. Therefore, most ethical matters in the Torah are derived from Sefer Bereishit: through the conduct of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, of Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah, and of Yosef. Good character is learned primarily from Bereishit, even before any discussion of mitzvot begins - because this is derech eretz, and derech eretz precedes the Torah; without derech eretz, there is no basis upon which to receive the Torah at all.
Therefore, he attributes the mitzvot to the father. A father naturally inspires awe - "When Av enters, we diminish in joy" (as the popular wordplay goes) - and when a father is home, children feel greater trepidation (today perhaps less so, as children fear nothing, but relatively speaking). By contrast, when a mother is alone, children allow themselves more liberty. This is what the verse says: "Guard, my son, your father's mitzvah" - keep the commands of the one who compels the fulfillment of his word, even when it goes against the natural inclination of the heart. For the nature of a person's heart craves liberty and freedom, wanting to do whatever one pleases and follow the desires of one's heart. And notice the word "guard" (netzōr) - a firm guarding, like a besieged city (ir netzurah): precisely because it is difficult, because it goes against nature and one dislikes being coerced, a greater effort is required here.
"And do not forsake your mother's Torah" - once you guard your father's mitzvah, you will naturally not forsake your mother's Torah, to which the soul is naturally drawn. For regarding beliefs, viewpoints, and ethics, a person naturally understands that one ought to be moral. Indeed, when the Enlightenment began in Europe, the thing the Maskilim seized upon was morality and ethics - "the noble German" and polite manners, "please, thank you, excuse me" - that was their focus. In other words, even a person without Torah understands that character, proper conduct, and derech eretz are necessary. Today people are taught to be vulgar and act however they feel like, but fundamentally, a person understands that morality and good character are necessary.
But what happens? The moment a person does not guard his father's mitzvah and does not observe Torah and mitzvot, then even when told, "Sir, that is inappropriate, that is arrogance," he replies, "Leave me alone about arrogance; just be free!" Since a person does not want Hashem's mitzvot, which are binding and coercive, he inevitably also forsakes the Torah of his mother - forsaking middot and ethics. Why? Because they stem from the Torah, and the Torah commands, and he has no interest. One who spurns a mitzvah ends up abandoning Torah.
"Torah" also encompasses matters of faith (emunah). In principle, a person should have no reason to despise faith, because faith is well-substantiated. As has been noted many times, two hundred of the greatest scientists of the past 150 years were believers; Einstein himself believed, saying that one cannot walk through the world and think it created itself. This is plain common sense, straightforward logic, and anyone who investigates, delves deeply, and examines will find it clear that there is a Creator of the universe, and that the Torah and mitzvot are binding. If so, why does a person deny it? Because to believe means to be obligated; and since one has no desire to guard the father's mitzvah, one ends up forsaking the mother's Torah as well - the realm of faith.
Today a new generation has arisen that sees no contradiction between the two: a person can be a fervent believer and desecrate Shabbat, speaking to you about faith with a cigarette in hand. "Right, you are correct, that is the truth, there is a Creator of the world - but I feel like doing otherwise." In the past, a person could not live with such a contradiction; his inner integrity would not tolerate it. After all, make up your mind: if there is a Creator of the world, there is judgment and there is a Judge, and if He gave instructions, how can you live like this? And from that tension, one would be driven to say, "There is no Creator, there is no proof" - the very abandonment of the mitzvot brought about a denial of faith as well. But today a generation has emerged that has no problem with internal contradiction. At most, a person will give a little more money to a psychologist to talk him through it, but he feels no real distress. On the one hand, he is a great believer; on the other hand, he lives however he pleases. He comes to the synagogue for Selichot, gets inspired, and then walks out and does whatever he feels like. Everything has come to run on desire, and the concept of inner integrity has long ceased to mean anything to anyone.
But the verse here is speaking about someone who is honest with himself, who finds it difficult to live with this contradiction: how can there be a Creator of the world when I do not live accordingly? And then, because he wants to satisfy his desires, he "fires" the Creator of the world, and consequently can do whatever he wants. Therefore: "Keep, my son, your father's commandment" - and through this, "and do not forsake your mother's teaching." If you safeguard the mitzvah, you will not forsake the Torah and you will not forsake faith; but whoever does not safeguard the mitzvah will inevitably come to abandon the Torah - not because he found it to be untrue, but because it restricts him.
קָשְׁרֵם עַל לִבְּךָ תָמִיד עָנְדֵם עַל גַּרְגְּרֹתֶךָ׃ - Bind them upon your heart continually; tie them around your throat.
Mitzvot run contrary to the nature of the heart, for the heart's nature is "do not force me." The very fact that someone commanded me already clashes with the nature of the heart, even in matters that make no demanding claim upon me. If someone is told that he is forced to give ten cents, not many would give; but when people are told, "Give according to your heart's desire," some will take out 20, 50, or even 100. "You are letting me decide? Then I will give 50." But when he is told, "Sir, you are obligated," he will not even give ten cents: "Why am I obligated? I don't owe anything."
This is also the reason Chazal say, "Greater is one who is commanded and performs than one who is not commanded and performs." Seemingly, the one who is not commanded and performs is a volunteer who deserves a medal, while the one who is commanded and performs is like a salaried employee - what is so great about him? Rather, quite the opposite: for the one who is not commanded, the fact that he can get up and leave at any moment gives him the strength to stay: "I am here of my own free will; no one forced me. If it doesn't suit me, I leave." But when someone has a gun held to his temple and is told, "You must stay, you must put on tefillin, you must observe Shabbat" - the very obligation creates resistance within him. And if he fulfills it despite that internal resistance, here is where he earns an immense reward; here he has truly earned his share in the World to Come. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, commands man as a compelling force - for in this lies the test, in this lies the difficulty.
From this we can understand why things are easy for a baal teshuvah at the beginning. Aside from the abundant Divine assistance he receives, it is naturally easy for him as well: he kept Shabbat and feels excitement and enthusiasm, because "I could just as easily have gone out for a smoke, yet I kept it" - and that gives him a good feeling. But the moment he begins to internalize that it is forbidden, that he cannot leave, that there is punishment - suddenly it begins to feel suffocating. His feeling during the first few months is, "I just dropped in for a visit; if it doesn't suit me, I'm out." That feeling gives him strength and sustains him. But when he deepens his understanding and realizes that this does not depend on his whims and that he is truly obligated, it becomes burdensome - and when it feels burdensome, a person wants to throw off the yoke.
Therefore the verse states, "Bind them upon your heart continually." The mitzvot are far from the nature of the heart, and naturally you want to cast them off; therefore, bind them with cords so that they are always upon your heart. The heart symbolizes the ruling power within man - the domain of the heart, as in "my heart tells me." "Bind them upon your heart" means that the sovereign faculty within man should be bound to the Torah and the mitzvot. If they are bound and connected to it, it will guide all of man's conduct through their power. But if you do not bind them securely, it will fly off; you will travel just a little way down the road, and suddenly you will see everything crumble.
"Tie them around your throat" - the throat is the front part of the neck, as opposed to the nape, which is the back. The metaphor is a necklace worn so that it hangs over the throat, and the lesson is: you must constantly speak of them. "I believed, for I spoke" - as the Chassidim say: how does one acquire faith? By speaking faith. By repeatedly speaking about matters of faith, the greatness of the Creator, and the vastness of His providence over man and all his deeds, you enter a state of faith. When a person repeatedly says, "with God's help," "God willing," "the Holy One, blessed be He, will assist me" - these words penetrate within. "Tie them around your throat" - speak of them constantly; it is this constant repetition that will preserve it within you.
Know this: the Torah and mitzvot easily slip away from a person. You must bind them upon your heart and tie them around your throat - meaning, speak of them constantly and review them - and this is the only thing that can preserve you. Notice how this applies to every single mitzvah: someone who studies the laws of lashon hara right now will be careful regarding them. If he hears gossip, he will say, "Excuse me, I'm not interested"; if he is about to speak, he will stop himself. But after a month, two months, three months of leaving the topic aside, you suddenly see that he has reverted to his old ways, speaking freely without paying attention to who, what, or how much. The world goes on as usual, and it all seems smooth and permissible to him once more. Why? Because he did not tie them around his throat; he did not constantly review them. Constant review is what produces greater vigilance in a person.
בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ בְּשָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ הִיא תְשִׂיחֶךָ׃ - When you walk, it will guide you; when you lie down, it will watch over you; and when you awake, it will talk with you.
Everything we have discussed until now corresponds to "Guard, my son, your father's commandment" - bind them upon your heart, tie them around your throat, and in this way you will fulfill the mitzvot properly. And now, corresponding to "and do not forsake the Torah of your mother," he continues and enumerates three states in which a person finds himself: when walking on the way, when lying down, and when rising up in his home.
"When you walk, it will guide you" - when a person travels on the road there are perils, and all roads are presumed dangerous; it is your mother's Torah that will guide you to walk on the upright path. "When you lie down, it will watch over you" - lying down also involves danger, because when a person sleeps, the faculty of intellect is inactive and there is no one to guide him. Physically: all kinds of harmful pests can come while he sleeps without his realizing it. If a person is awake and sees a snake or scorpion approaching, he moves away or kills it; but if he is asleep, he may fall into an eternal sleep without even feeling that he was stung. Spiritually as well: one who sleeps lacks the awareness to distance himself from bad thoughts. During the day, when a bad thought arises, he has the awareness to dismiss it; but when he is asleep, bad dreams can also come, and who can guarantee that he will be saved from them? When a person is immersed in Torah, then naturally "when you lie down, it will watch over you." "And when you awake, it will be your talk" - when you wake from your sleep, the holy Torah will be your conversation, and it will be what you always speak of.
כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר׃ - For a mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.
A mitzvah is a specific, individual matter, and is therefore likened to a lamp; while the Torah, the engagement in Torah study, is an all-encompassing reality, and is therefore likened to light. If someone enters a room and says, "A lamp was burning there" - that is specific and localized; whereas light is an all-embracing phenomenon that illuminates everything, just as a person steps outside during the day and says, "There is light." Furthermore, a lamp can burn only as long as there are oil and a wick, which represent the more physical aspect - for if the flame symbolizes the spiritual realm, what does it grasp onto? Onto the physical part, which is the lamp. This is also well known from the Kabbalists regarding lighting a candle for the elevation of the soul of the departed: the physical dimension of man is like the oil and wick, while the flame corresponds to the spiritual, more elevated dimension.
The chapter has placed two figures before us. On the one hand is the "base person" who has cast off the yoke: his mouth distorts the laws of wisdom, his eyes are haughty and winking, his feet and fingers motion and run to do evil, his heart is full of perversity and plots wickedness - and above all, he "sows discord," which is an abomination to the Holy One, Blessed be He, where even a single mention of a name suffices to stumble into it. His end is that "suddenly his calamity will come," both swiftly in time and all at once, "and there is no healing" - for he will not repent. On the other hand is "Guard, my son, your father's commandment, and do not forsake the Torah of your mother": a mitzvah is obligatory and must therefore be guarded with all one's might, and whoever guards a mitzvah will not forsake the Torah - the proper character traits and beliefs. The path to this is: "Bind them upon your heart" - so that the governing faculty within man is bound to the Torah; and "Tie them around your throat" - constant speech and review; and then the Torah will guide him on the way, watch over him while lying down, and be his conversation upon rising, "For a mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light."