Introduction
We continue in Chapter 24 of Mishlei, in the section that opens with, "These also are for the wise." In the preceding verses, we saw the disgrace of the flatterer - "He who says to the wicked, 'You are righteous,'" of whom it is said, "peoples shall curse him, nations shall despise him." From here onward, Shlomo HaMelech turns to the other side of the coin: to those who rebuke, to one who knows how to respond with straightforward words, to the proper order of building one's life, and to the prohibition against giving groundless testimony and repaying evil for evil.
"To Those Who Rebuke It Shall Be Pleasant" - The Good Path Is Pleasant to the Soul
וְלַמּוֹכִיחִים יִנְעָם וַעֲלֵיהֶם תָּבוֹא בִרְכַּת טוֹב׃ (כה) - But to those who rebuke, it shall be pleasant, and upon them shall come a blessing of good. (25)
In contrast to the flatterer who justifies the wicked and brings a curse upon himself, stand those who rebuke: those who are not afraid and do not flatter, and when they see an improper act, they offer rebuke for it. Concerning them it is said, "it shall be pleasant," and upon them shall come a blessing of good - the blessing of abundance and goodness.
What does "it shall be pleasant" mean? The Malbim explains: pleasant in and of itself, because the good path is intrinsically pleasant to the soul. A person who lives properly lives a happy, tranquil, and good life. "Properly" means according to the Manufacturer's instructions, according to the Torah. A parable illustrates this: If you do not operate a car according to the manufacturer's instructions, pouring in improper oil and the wrong fuel, suddenly the car will begin to sputter and make bizarre noises that your ancestors never imagined. And you will ask: What happened? But the truth is simple - you did not follow the manufacturer's instructions. There are those who might say, "The manufacturer just wants me to buy from him; he has dividends to make; I won't let anyone fool me" - and so he puts in cheap oil and diesel instead of gasoline. And it simply does not work. If that is true of a car, why would one think that the human body, a far more complex machine, could attain perfection outside of the way of Hashem? When the Holy One, Blessed is He, gives instructions on how to live, He is saying: This is the ultimate perfection for you; this is the path to true happiness.
As noted previously, the definition of being me'ushar (happy) relates to having ishur (validation) - a person whose every deed has validation, carrying a seal of approval. When does every act have approval? When one walks in the way of Hashem. A person wakes up, washes netilat yadayim, prays, recites HaMotzi, recites Birkat HaMazon, goes to the Beit Midrash, and engages in Torah study - every action performed has approval. That is a truly happy person. But someone who lives according to fleeting desires and momentary impulses has no validation for his actions and is internally conflicted. He is never sure that what he is doing is right: at one moment he feels like this, and at another, like that. "And the wicked are like the troubled sea" - the wicked person is in a constant state of turmoil: let's go here, let's go there, we haven't been there yet. In contrast, one who already knows the way of Hashem possesses calm; he is secure in himself and does not need endless substitutes and thrills, because he knows that the path he walks is the right one.
A story is told of a child who sat at an organ and began playing the same two keys: plink, plink, plink. His father said to him: "Danny, there are other keys on the organ; move to the right, to the left." The child replied: "Daddy, they are still searching - I have already found it." One who has found what he is looking for is at peace; one who is still searching remains in a state of pursuit, devoid of serenity and calm.
"He Shall Kiss the Lips" - The Familiar Expression and Its Interpretations
שְׂפָתַיִם יִשָּׁק מֵשִׁיב דְּבָרִים נְכֹחִים׃ (כו) - He kisses the lips who gives an upright answer. (26)
This is an expression that many recognize, but not many understand its meaning. Rashi explains: all lips are worthy of kissing him. A person who responds with straightforward words - words of truth and integrity - is worthy of having all lips kiss him, or it is fitting to kiss him on his lips.
The Vilna Gaon (Gra) interprets this in another direction: those who hear straightforward words and cannot refute them - their lips press together (kiss one another), meaning they close their mouths. The previous verse spoke of the one who rebukes; and here, when one offers rebuke and the other person has no answer, he closes his mouth. True, there are people who will never say "You are right" - that phrase will never cross their lips, and they will continue to argue to the bitter end even when they know they are wrong. But with a decent person who possesses intellectual honesty, when it is proven to him that he is mistaken, he admits it. And such words are called nechochim (straightforward) from the root of tochechah (rebuke), for they placed reality nochach (directly before) his eyes and showed him that he was wrong - provided that they are indeed straightforward and upright words.
Two Stages in Rebuke: Demolishing and Then Building
The Vilna Gaon explains further: In the first stage, it is proper to rebuke someone whom you see doing an improper deed, showing him that his path is mistaken - this is "To those who rebuke, it will be pleasant." In the second stage, one must show him the upright path, the proper things that should be done - and this is "one who responds with straightforward words," the path that is set directly before him.
This is a fundamental rule in any debate. If someone holds a certain premise and you merely come and show him that your theory is good, he will reply: "Very nice, you are right, and mine is good too." You have not refuted his position, so he continues on his way and feels no need to change: Just because a Subaru is good, does that mean a Mazda is not? "Do not withdraw your hand from this or that." In order to prove to him that he is wrong, one must first demonstrate that his way is mistaken, and only then show him the correct path.
This is what the masters of Mussar call "the sense of contradiction." Often a person does things without realizing he is contradicting himself, choosing two opposing paths and walking down both simultaneously. The example brought by the masters of Mussar is the test of Eliyahu at Mount Carmel. Eliyahu told the people: "If Hashem is God, follow Him; and if the Baal, follow him" - and only afterward did he bring down fire from heaven. Seemingly, why was that Mussar talk necessary? Bring down fire and that is it, an absolute proof! But had he brought down fire without an introduction, they would have said to him: "You convinced us, there is a God in heaven, all honor to you Eliyahu, go on your way - and as for us? There is God, and there is also the Baal." Eliyahu therefore had to first sharpen their sense of contradiction: If there is God, there is no Baal; and if there is Baal, there is no God; they cannot possibly coexist. Only after he clarified this did bringing down the fire become conclusive proof. Without that, bringing down fire would only prove that God has power, alongside other powers and forces of influence in creation. Thus says the Gra: First demolish his path - it is either/or, not both; and only in the second stage show him the upright path he must walk upon.
Targum Yonatan and Metzudat David
Targum Yonatan offers an original explanation: "The lips shall be kissed of those who distort upright words." While everyone explains the verse in a positive light, the Targum explains it negatively: "One who responds with straightforward words" is not one who speaks good things, but one who argues against straightforward words - you tell him proper things, and he contradicts and subverts them. Regarding such people the Sages say: "He kisses the lips" - their lips will be sealed together, and they will be unable to open their mouths.
Metzudat David also explains that "he kisses the lips" refers to the person being rebuked: He will not open his mouth, his lips kiss one another, sealing his mouth shut. Not only that, but in his view "one who responds with straightforward words" refers to the listener: He will even reply to you, "Your words are straightforward; you are right, what we did was incorrect and your way is the just one."
The Malbim's Explanation: The Art of Debate
The Malbim speaks of a person skilled in rebuke, who knows how to answer anyone who debates him and refute his arguments - a master of debate. In classical works, the art of debate was counted among the disciplines of wisdom, a discipline that had to be studied: how to debate, how to hear claims, and how to refute arguments. Today one hardly needs to study it; our children are born with it built-in.
Kings would place people before them to debate various matters, which itself shows that kings in those days were of deeper intellect: when a king wanted entertainment, he entertained himself with an intellectual matter. Like that king who set two men before him to debate which is superior, silence or speech. One argued that speech is good, for through speech kings are crowned, people conduct business with one another, and couples wed. The king turned to the second, and as soon as he opened his mouth to say that speech is inferior, the first slapped him across the face. They asked him, "Why the violence?" He told them: "I prove my case from my own stance - I claim speech is good and demonstrate my words through speech; but you, who wish to prove that speech is not good, why are you using my tools? If you claim that silence is good, prove it through silence." This example is brought in Sefer Orchot Tzaddikim.
Many of those debates were religious disputations: a Christian scholar against a Jewish sage. There are entire works on this, such as the Ramban's *Sefer HaVikuach* and others. And know that never has anyone defeated the Jewish faith in a debate. This is a promise given to us: "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn; this is the heritage of the servants of Hashem, and their righteousness is from Me, says Hashem." Whoever arises to enter into judgment to prove the truth of his religion against the faith of Israel - you shall condemn, and the Jewish faith will emerge triumphant. The reason is simple: the Jewish faith is the only true religion, and all the rest are falsehood and deceit, and it is not difficult to prove truth over falsehood.
And what is the meaning of "one who responds" (*meishiv*)? The Malbim explains: There is a difference between "answering" (*oneh*) and "responding" (*meishiv*). If you ask me how to get to Tel Aviv and I direct you, that is an answer (*aniyah*). But if you say, "So-and-so arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday," and I tell you that is incorrect, that is a response (*hashavah*) - I turn his words back. In colloquial language we do not distinguish between them, but the Holy Scriptures do. Likewise, *nechochim* ("straightforward") is related to the language of disputation (*vikuach*). Therefore, "one who responds with straightforward words" is someone confronted by an opponent whose arguments he refutes. For such a person, "he kisses the lips": everyone kisses him and loves him, because he knows how to answer fittingly and refute his opponents with sound reasoning. This is why people today say of someone who gave a speech that delighted his audience: "*Sefatayim yishak* - It was a masterpiece." And as was said of the craftsmen and smiths (*charash ve-hamasger*), the greatest Torah sages, that when they opened their mouths, everyone else fell silent: When he begins to speak, no one can contradict or argue, because everything he says is precise, true, and substantiated with evidence; therefore, when he opens his mouth, everyone shuts theirs.
"Prepare Your Work Outside" - The Proper Order of Building
הָכֵן בַּחוּץ מְלַאכְתֶּךָ וְעַתְּדָהּ בַּשָּׂדֶה לָךְ אַחַר וּבָנִיתָ בֵיתֶךָ׃ (כז) - "Prepare your work outside, and make it ready for yourself in the field; afterward, build your house."
The Malbim explains: If you wish to build a house - meaning to marry a wife and have children - first prepare the means through which you will be able to sustain your wife and children. How? First, "prepare your work outside" - ensure you have a livelihood, a trade, a profession. Second, "and make it ready for yourself in the field" - have a planted field from which grain will be ready to feed your household. According to the Malbim, ve'atdah ("make it ready") comes from the concept of preparing for the future (atid) - food prepared for your future sustenance. Rashi interprets ve'atdah as related to livestock (atudim) - that you should also have animals. And only afterward, "build your house": get married, take a wife, and raise children. For otherwise, you may come to depend on others, turn to theft, or neglect Torah study.
These principles are codified by the Rambam as halachah: It is the way of fools to first marry and have children and only afterward build a house; but the way of the wise is to first build a house and prepare all that is necessary, and only afterward marry a wife - and this is based directly on the words of Shlomo here.
However, one must qualify this. Nowadays, if a person were to follow this literally, he would only marry around the age of forty or forty-five, and it is hard to see how he could raise a family at such an age. In practice, anyone today who insists on first building a house will simply not succeed; first and foremost, a person should marry, before he falls into sin. As the Gemara says: Praiseworthy is the person who marries off his sons and daughters while they are young, before they fall into sin and before their minds become filled with foolishness. And where will they live? There is no choice; they rent an apartment, as everyone does today. But if you demand that he build a house first, you will suddenly discover that you missed the train - and who will marry, and when will he have children, and how will he raise them? Thus, the Rambam's words applied to his own time. Furthermore, they do not apply to bnei Torah and avreichim, but to working men; for a ben Torah's entire occupation is Torah, and the concept of preparing work outside and a field does not apply to him in that way.
The Deeper Meaning: For Every Goal, Prepare the Means
Surely Shlomo, the wisest of all men, was not acting as a financial advisor; if he offers counsel, it certainly pertains to Torah. The principle that emerges here is: for everything and for every goal, prepare the means in advance. One can see two types of people in this regard. There is the person who lives from moment to moment and builds nothing in advance; he never plans the next move, but rather stumbles into it, and reality is constantly catching him off guard. In contrast, the planning individual knows: in some time I will need such-and-such, so I am already beginning to organize, save, prepare, and speak with the relevant people. Such people are not taken by surprise; they are orderly, know where they are headed, and have everything necessary ready for any eventuality. This is what Shlomo comes to teach: to achieve a goal, first prepare all the means, and then you will attain it properly.
And Chazal apply these words to the study of Torah, as Rashi immediately cites their homily. There are those who pick up a Gemara, and before even understanding what is happening in the sugya, they already open the Maharsha. Why the Maharsha? First study Rashi, then Tosafot, then delve deeply, and only then reach the Maharsha. Therefore, Chazal expounded: "Prepare your work outside" - this is Mikra (Scripture); "and make it ready for yourself in the field" - this is Mishnah; "afterward, build your house" - this is Gemara. Proceed step by step.
And the Vilna Gaon follows this same approach: "Prepare your work outside" - these are the mitzvot, which a child begins to observe from a very young age; "and make it ready for yourself in the field" - this is the Torah; "and build your house" - these are the secrets of the Torah (sod), as it is said, "By wisdom a house is built," for through the wisdom of Torah, which refers to the secrets of Torah, the house is built.
In Torah study as well, a person must have an orderly system, learning with set quotas, and in this way he will gradually achieve. But a person who learns haphazardly, a little of this and a little of that, ends up with a complete jumble. He picks up a tractate, studies two or three pages, gets tired; picks up Mishnayot, starts a chapter, gets tired; then Mishnah Berurah, then Chumash. Take one specific subject - Mishnah, Gemara, Halachah, Mishnah Berurah, it does not matter what - and study it in an orderly manner. When a person learns systematically, his knowledge is organized; but when he learns haphazardly, he neither understands nor remembers. And there is another problem: when he tries to recall, he remembers that he learned something a week ago, but where? In Mishnah Berurah? In the Gemara? In the Mishnah? In contrast, one who knows, "I am currently learning Masechet Yevamot," even if he encounters other material, knows where he stands, and can say: "I saw this on daf 114, I believe." One who does not learn systematically cannot remember where he saw anything he learned, resulting in complete confusion in his Torah study.
"Do Not Be an Unwarranted Witness Against Your Fellow"
אַל תְּהִי עֵד חִנָּם בְּרֵעֶךָ וַהֲפִתִּיתָ בִּשְׂפָתֶיךָ׃ (כח) - "Do not be an unwarranted witness against your fellow, and do not deceive with your lips."
A witness whose testimony cannot be used falls under the category of a gratuitous witness, a witness who testifies unnecessarily, since through him you cannot apply any legal ruling; and if so, what practical difference does it make? This testimony is completely superfluous.
Rabbeinu Yonah reminds us here of the broader halachic picture. Our Sages say that a student is permitted to reveal to his rebbe a sin he saw a fellow student commit. That is, a student who sees another student sin is permitted to tell his rebbe - but on what condition? That the student is believed by his rebbe like two witnesses, meaning that the rebbe knows his words are true. In such a situation, it is permitted, for it is as though two witnesses testified, and through this the rebbe can separate the sinner from sin. But this was not permitted, Rabbeinu Yonah says, when one sees a Torah scholar sin, for if you see a Torah scholar sin by day, do not entertain doubts about him by night, for he has surely repented.
Our Sages say, "cover it like the night": there is a mandate not to publicize the matter. When a God-fearing person happens to stumble once in sin, publicizing it causes, first of all, a chillul Hashem, a desecration of God's Name, as people will say: look, so-and-so stumbled in such-and-such. Second, someone might take license from this: if he stumbled, and I am not as righteous as he is, then I can as well. Third, the person himself, who happened to stumble once, might, due to the disgrace and the collapse of his standing, leave Judaism altogether, and you end up causing his complete ruin because of a single sin. Therefore, regarding someone established as God-fearing, who worries, mourns, and repents over his sin, one must certainly be careful not to publicize it.
However, if he is a wicked person whose wickedness is unknown to people, and he presents himself as a tzaddik before them, appearing to them like some "baba," constantly being photographed draped in a tallis and giving the impression of someone dwelling in the upper worlds while most of the time he is in the lowest worlds - and there is no need to elaborate - it is a mitzvah to expose such a person until the evil of his deeds becomes known to the public. Rabbeinu Yonah explains: because great harm comes from honoring the wicked, for they lead many astray from the good path, demean the honor of the righteous, and draw sinners close.
And unfortunately, this is a real situation: there are all kinds of "babas" and charlatans, and these people cause real, tangible harm to the men, women, and youths who come to them, may Hashem protect us. Here, one must not remain silent, and do not play the "pious one" who says: I do not want to harm him. For if you remain silent, whom are you harming? Those who go to him, who believe he is a tzaddik and end up hurt and damaged by him. At times, people have left religion and drifted away because of a certain "rabbi." This is an outcry that must be publicized; such things must not be covered up, and people need to know that there are unscrupulous individuals from whom one must keep away.
In such a case, there is a mitzvah to expose him, because great harm comes from honoring the wicked, and they corrupt many through their actions. Rabbeinu Yonah adds: even though there is a chillul Hashem in tarnishing their honor, doing so has the power to neutralize their evil deeds. This is what our Sages meant by, "We publicize hypocrites because of chillul Hashem": it is permitted to expose a wicked person, for when the matter is eventually uncovered with great uproar, it will cause a terrible desecration of Hashem's Name; therefore, one must proactively prevent such a person from having access to the public, to youths, and to situations where he might commit transgressions.
What if the Exposer Himself Is Not Decent?
And what if a person has a companion who sins, and his own deeds mirror those of his friend? This is the dilemma: that person is not decent, but neither am I. Am I permitted to publicize the evil deeds of so-and-so, who is among the hypocrites and a wicked person masquerading as a tzaddik? Rabbeinu Yonah explains: it is not fitting for him to publicize his peer's sins; if they are publicized by others, then he may condemn him. How can you go and condemn someone for something in which you yourself are immersed? It is not fitting for you to expose him. We previously discussed this point at length, and we see it also regarding Lot's wife, who was forbidden to look behind her, for by looking back she would gaze upon the downfall of the people of Sodom - and you have no right to look upon their downfall, since you yourself deserved to perish in their sin. So too here: you have no permission to speak of his evil deeds, for you yourself commit those very deeds; let others publicize it, but not you.
Regarding this, Rabbeinu Yonah explains, it is said: "Do not be a gratuitous witness against your fellow, and do not crush with your lips" - he is your fellow (re'acha), he is like you, you act as he does, so how can you go and publicize his deeds and publicly shame him? And regarding ve-hiftita ("and crush"), he brings that it is akin to the phrase "and grind the faces of the poor," from the root of patot otah pitim ("break it into pieces"). When describing someone who humiliated his fellow, we say he crushed him, broke him into crumbs - and this is ve-hiftita bi-sfatecha, that you grind him and reduce him to crumbs with your lips. Rashi, however, explains ve-hiftita bi-sfatecha as being enticed by your fellow through your speech: someone asks you to testify against so-and-so, and you, being a gratuitous witness, agree and go speak falsehoods against that person.
The Vilna Gaon's Explanation: The Testimony of Keriat Shema
The Vilna Gaon explains this homiletically (remez). In Keriat Shema, we testify that the Holy One, Blessed is He, is One and unique in His world, as cited in Zohar Chadash on Ruth, that "Hashem our God, Hashem is One" means that Hashem is One in the seven heavens and the four directions of the earth, above and below. This is the testimony we bear in Keriat Shema. One who recites Keriat Shema without intention (kavanah) is considered as giving false and gratuitous testimony: you paid no attention to what came out of your mouth; you merely recited words by rote. Such a person is considered a false witness, and this is the meaning of "Do not be a gratuitous witness against your Friend (re'acha)." And who is "your Friend"? The Holy One, Blessed is He, as it says, "Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend," which the Gemara interprets as referring to the Holy One, Blessed is He.
Incidentally, our Sages also interpreted "Make your foot scarce in the house of your friend" as referring to the Holy One, Blessed is He: that a person should not frequent the Beit HaMikdash excessively - bringing sacrifice after sacrifice, stumbling here and stumbling there, and thank God having a new sacrifice every day. "Make your foot scarce in the house of your Friend," the house of the Holy One, Blessed is He, "lest He become sated with you and hate you" - meaning He will have had His fill of your sacrifices; stop sinning and stop bringing sacrifices! Thus, "your friend" (re'acha) is a recurring expression referring to the Holy One, Blessed is He. And this is the meaning: Do not be a gratuitous witness against your Friend, against the Holy One, Blessed is He, testifying that He is One while paying no mind to what comes out of your mouth, reciting Keriat Shema without intention.
And what is "and would you deceive with your lips" (ve-hiftita bi-sfatecha)? The Vilna Gaon explains: just as we say in the prayers, "He is appeased through mercy and conciliated through supplications." Regarding one who prays without kavanah (intention), it is said, "They flattered Him with their mouth, and lied to Him with their tongue." This is the meaning of "and would you deceive with your lips": with your lips you ostensibly try to entice the Holy One, blessed be He, while with your tongue you lie to Him, for your inner intention is not there at all. Rather, says the Gra, pray with kavanah: do not be a witness without cause against your fellow by reciting Krias Shema without intention, for would you deceive Him with your lips? Pray with kavanah, and then your testimony will be worthy.
The Malbim's Explanation: Out of Greed or Out of Revenge
The Malbim explains: Do not testify against your fellow to hold him liable for something he did not do, which is termed "without cause" (chinam). And why would a person do such a thing? Either because he was paid - someone offered him kickbacks and a percentage; and about this it says, "and would you deceive" (ve-hiftita) - you want to gain a piece of bread (pas lechem), you want bread (pas). Or, not for financial gain, but out of hatred: he once informed on me, damaged my property, took my parking spot - and now I will take revenge on him. It is regarding this that the next verse comes.
אַל תֹּאמַר כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לִי כֵּן אֶעֱשֶׂה לּוֹ אָשִׁיב לָאִישׁ כְּפׇעֳלוֹ׃ (כט) - Do not say, "As he did to me, so I will do to him; I will render to the man according to his deed." (29)
Do not say: He harmed me, I will wait around the corner for him, I will show him - as he did to me, so I will do to him, I paid him back. The Torah tells you: this is forbidden. Children call this being "even": he did something to me, I paid him back, now we are even, and that is that. But "and would you deceive with your lips" - do not think that you are "even"; it does not work that way. What you are doing is a Torah prohibition, and even though he wronged you, that does not permit you to retaliate against him, as Rabbeinu Yonah writes, even if your fellow breached ethical standards.
According to Rabbeinu Yonah, who explained this passage as addressing the prohibition of publicizing another person's sins, this verse does not refer to false testimony, but rather to one who publicizes his fellow's sins: Do not say, "He publicized my sins, so now I will tell everyone that he is no great tzaddik either, and I will reveal what deeds he does" - you have no permission to do so. And as the Gemara states in Avodah Zarah (55a): Because of one fool who acted improperly, shall we lose our faith? Just because he acted improperly, should I now become a transgressor and act unlawfully? He will answer for his deeds, and I will continue to act lawfully and properly, and not follow the forbidden path.
The Vilna Gaon's Explanation: "The Holy One, Blessed Be He, Created an Evil Inclination Within Me"
According to the Vilna Gaon, who interpreted the previous verse as referring to intention during the recitation of Shema, the theme continues here as well. Do not say: "As He did to me, so I will do to Him" - the Holy One, blessed be He, created an evil inclination within me, and why did I not concentrate? Because the evil inclination distracted me. In other words: Master of the Universe, as people say today, "That is Your problem" - why did You create such an evil inclination in me? He is the one who prevented me from concentrating during the Shema I recited in Your honor; "as He did to me, so I will do to Him" - as a result of what He did to me, I did the same to Him and recited the Shema without intention.
And what is "I will render to the man according to his deed (kefo'olo)"? The Vilna Gaon explains that there is a distinction between asiyah (action) and pe'ulah (hidden working): a po'al is always something done in secret, as it is said in Yeshayahu, "and they do not look at the deed (po'al) of Hashem." The meaning is: do not say, "Hashem formed me and fashioned me with a lack of understanding, He created me an ignorant person (am ha'aretz), and therefore what He receives from me corresponds to how He created me." The Gra says: that is not so; rather, a person must exert himself in Torah, and that is the purpose. Hashem creating you as a "wild donkey's colt" was not so that you remain that way, or that a small colt should simply grow into a large donkey. Rather, "A wild donkey's colt is born a man" - from this raw state you must give birth to the form and character of a true human being. Therefore, do not say that you were created without knowledge and will therefore remain without knowledge - Heaven forbid; exert yourself in Torah and Hashem will help you, as it is said, "If you labored and found - believe it."
In Summary:
The verses before us set forth a clear order in a person's life: One who rebukes, who does not flatter the wicked, merits inner pleasantness and a good blessing, for the path of goodness is pleasant to the soul, and one who lives according to the "Manufacturer's instructions" is truly happy. Rebuke itself is carried out in two stages: first, sharpening the contradiction and refuting the mistaken person's approach, and only then showing him the correct path; and one who knows how to answer with proper words kisses the lips. In building one's life and in building Torah alike, order is required: prepare the means first, study Scripture and Mishnah before Gemara, the mitzvos and Torah before its secrets, and study consistently and methodically rather than haphazardly. Finally, guard your mouth: do not bear witness without cause, neither out of greed nor out of revenge; do not publicize the sin of a God-fearing person who stumbled, yet do not remain silent before an evildoer pretending to be righteous; and do not excuse your shortcomings with the claim "this is how I was created" - rather, exert yourself in Torah, for if you labored and found, believe it.