Introduction
In Chapter 28, King Solomon continues to clarify the difference between external success and genuine success, and between one who recognizes his shortcomings and one who is overly confident in himself. In the passage before us, we will examine three consecutive verses: the rich man who is wise in his own eyes versus the discerning pauper, the exultation of the righteous versus the rise of the wicked, and one who conceals his transgressions versus one who confesses and forsakes them. We will examine them according to the plain meaning of the text, and then according to Rashi, the Vilna Gaon, the Ralbag, and the Malbim.
A Rich Man Is Wise in His Own Eyes - The Plain Meaning
חָכָם בְּעֵינָיו אִישׁ עָשִׁיר, וְדַל מֵבִין יַחְקְרֶנּוּ׃ (משלי כח, יא) - A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man with understanding probes him. (Mishlei 28:11)
How true this is. Who has ever seen a wealthy person who is not convinced he is the epitome of wisdom? Every rich man is sure he is the height of genius. And if you tell him this contradicts the verse stating that "bread is not to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding" - meaning that wealth itself demonstrates you are not necessarily among the wise - he will answer that he is the exception to the rule. Furthermore, he will explain to you: "Don't you understand where I made all this money? It is all from my wisdom, knowing where to invest, when to buy, and when to sell." He attributes everything to his own intellect.
Yet we know there is no inherent wisdom in this. Reality often proves the exact opposite: people who were never considered clever succeed beyond measure and become tremendously wealthy. How? Mazal came upon them. And what is mazal? Something that descends and flows (nozel) from Heaven. Wealth was decreed upon you, so you bought at just the right time, because the Holy One, blessed be He, placed the idea into your head to buy. As it is written, "For it is He Who gives you strength to acquire wealth," which the Targum renders as "counsel to acquire property." Even the counsel itself - who gave it to you? The Holy One, blessed be He. None of this stems from the rich man's own wisdom, nor does a rich man's wisdom guarantee him wealth.
They tell a story about a teacher who was walking through the market and saw a former student at a stall. In school, this student had not merely been like plywood, but like Formica. What is the difference? Plywood, if you wet it, absorbs something. But this student was completely impervious to learning. The teacher asked how he was doing and saw him standing at his stall. The student said to him, "Baruch Hashem, I lack nothing; I have three stalls in the market, two villas, and a Mercedes in the driveway." The teacher said to him, "I don't understand. I remember you; you couldn't calculate two plus two! How did you make all this money?" He replied, "I'll tell you the truth, it doesn't take much brains. I buy a crate for five shekels, sell it for fifty shekels, and I take my three percent, and that is enough for me." There is no need for complex arithmetic or percentages. One for whom it is decreed - has it.
There is another reason why the rich man is wise in his own eyes: all the flatterers around him are constantly busy paying him compliments and singing his praises. Each one thinks that perhaps something will rub off on him, as the Sages say: "Draw near to one who is anointed with oil, and you will be anointed" - draw close to someone anointing himself, and perhaps a few drops will splash onto you. In their foolishness, some people think, "If I get close to the wealthy man, perhaps a few dollars will come my way," so they flatter him shamelessly. The rich man tells flat, tasteless jokes, and everyone laughs as though he uttered profound wit, showering him with approval. Meanwhile, the poor, destitute man, even if he speaks the greatest words of wisdom - "the wisdom of the poor man is despised," and no one even looks his way.
Rashi: Teacher and Student
Rashi explains that the verse refers to a teacher and a student. The rich man is the rabbi, who is wise in his own eyes: he prepared the sugya thoroughly, arrived at the shiur, master of the material and fully in control. Suddenly, a student asks him, "Rebbe, didn't we learn otherwise in the previous sugya? And what is the reasoning behind Rava's statement here?" The rabbi pauses and says, "Wait, that's true, a good question; I did not notice that, let me look into it." He opens the text and discovers this is the very question of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, or a difficulty raised by Tosafot. This happens in straightforward matters, and even more so in complex ones. More than once, Roshei Yeshivah have delivered a shiur, only for a student to refute their entire line of reasoning, prompting the Rosh Yeshivah to close his Gemara and say, "You are right; that contradicts what I said. I did not account for that point, and it is a correct observation."
It is told of Rabbi Chaim of Brisk that when his father-in-law brought him to Volozhin to deliver a shiur, some argued that he was too young. They asked to test him by having him deliver a shiur before Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan and other leading figures of the generation to see if he was suitable. Rabbi Chaim delivered the shiur, and in the middle of it he paused, thought, and said to them: "What I told you is incorrect; I am stopping the shiur." He had proposed an explanation of the Rambam, and suddenly recalled that there was a Rambam in the Commentary on the Mishnah - he did not recall where, perhaps in Oholot - that contradicted his premise. He closed the Gemara. Everyone was certain the test had failed, but on the contrary, they exclaimed: "He is worthy to give the shiur, a man who possesses such a quality of truth!" Who even knew of that obscure Rambam in the Commentary on the Mishnah? He could easily have finished the shiur, and a week later mentioned that he had seen a Rambam raising a difficulty that requires further study. But he refused to do so. And so they said, "This is a man of truth; we want him to give the shiur in the yeshivah and guide the students in the path of truth."
Thus we find that at times, a scholar is indeed very wise, yet who keeps him on the straight path? The student. As the Sages said: "I have learned much from my teachers, and from my students more than from all of them." The "poor man" (dal) is the young student, and "he probes him" (yechkerenu): he investigates, questions, and challenges, and through his penetrating questions the rabbi's Torah increases and the matters are clarified.
The Vilna Gaon: Who Feels the Need to Investigate
The Vilna Gaon explains that the rich person is wise in his own eyes, and therefore has no desire to pursue wisdom. He does not care to go and seek out the wise, to learn from them and receive from them. Notice that wealthy people rarely attend Torah classes. Does a rich man need a shiur? He can give the lecture himself; he gives university lectures on how to make money. Even if he is observant, it is uncommon for a wealthy man to come sit and listen to a lesson from a wise person. But the impoverished person feels the need to seek out understanding, and therefore the poor man will grow far wiser, while the rich man will remain with what he already has, and sometimes even that is very little.
The Vilna Gaon adds another dimension, echoing Rashi: one who is "rich in Torah" is someone who has studied extensively and has become wise in his own eyes. Often, when a difficult question arises, he does not bother to look into it deeply because he is confident that he already knows the answer, and relying on his general erudition, he pulls out a reply immediately. In contrast, you might see a young kollel student who has written a comprehensive responsa on the very same subject. Why? That is precisely the point: because he is not yet as accomplished as that prominent scholar, he tells himself that he must study the issue thoroughly. He investigates it from start to finish and writes a ten-page analysis examining every angle of the sugya. Meanwhile, the one who is rich in Torah simply recalled a few points from memory and answered on the spot. It turns out that the one who felt poor in Torah attained far more than the rich one, for because the rich one is wise in his own eyes, he refuses to delve in, leaving his answer superficial. But "a person of understanding who is poor will probe him" - he will truly investigate. Even if his general level of wisdom does not match that eminent scholar, he studied this specific topic in depth because he genuinely wanted to know the halachah, and through this approach, he arrives at the truth.
Ralbag: Cross-Examination Like That of Witnesses
Ralbag interprets "rich" literally: a person sees that his ventures succeed and his business flourishes, so he becomes convinced that it is all due to his superior intellect. "Yet a person of understanding who is poor will probe him" - poor in wealth, but possessing wisdom. An insightful, poor person approaches him and begins conversing with him, and in the course of conversation, the rich man's ignorance is exposed and his flaws become apparent. What does "will probe him" (yechakrenu) mean? It is like cross-examining witnesses: one must probe to uncover what lies beneath the surface. The rich man will not be able to hide from the insightful poor man, who in just a few questions will show him that while he imagines himself wise, he actually understands nothing, exposing the flaw in his intellect. Through a few basic, straightforward questions, it becomes obvious that he cannot analyze or comprehend properly. You are rich? Very well, money was poured upon you, and even the inspiration to acquire those assets was granted to you by Hashem.
Ralbag also derives another lesson here for those blessed with wealth who are capable of teaching their wisdom to others: a person endowed with knowledge and insight should teach it to others, sharing and distributing this wealth. He adds that a person who is rich in knowledge often grasps matters easily and therefore does not examine them deeply, similar to what the Vilna Gaon said, whereas a student who struggles more to comprehend is often the one who arrives at the true depth of the subject.
The Malbim: One Who Is Wise in His Own Eyes Is Worse than a Fool
The Malbim connects this verse to the one that follows. First, he recalls what we have seen previously: that one who is wise in his own eyes is worse off than a fool (a kesil). The kesil pursues his heart's desires, and deep down he knows that his ways are crooked, yet his passions overpower him. There remains a chance that at some point he will come to his senses, for he knows the truth and possesses intellect. As we have discussed, when Mishlei refers to a kesil, it does not mean someone with low intelligence; he may be exceptionally sharp, yet he follows his base desires, meaning it remains possible for him to eventually mend his ways.
In contrast, a person who is wise in his own eyes is convinced that all his actions rest upon the foundations of reason and logic. When told that there is higher wisdom, an authentic path, or the Torah, he refuses to accept it: "Wisdom resides with me; I am the very embodiment of intellect." Such a person will never recognize his error and cannot be corrected, for he believes that he holds a monopoly on wisdom. The kesil knows he is wrong and is merely dragged along by his desires, but as for the one who is wise in his own eyes - who can ever show him that he is mistaken? In his view, everyone else is wrong and he alone is right.
You likely know the story of the man driving down the highway against the flow of traffic. He saw cars coming toward him, honking their horns, one after another. He called his daughter and said, "You won't believe what is happening here! I am driving on the highway and there are dozens of cars driving against traffic!" She replied, "Oh yes, I just heard on the radio that there is some lunatic driving the wrong way on Highway 4." He is utterly convinced that he is driving in the right direction and that a hundred other drivers are mistaken, so do not try to tell him otherwise. That is precisely the problem with the one who is wise in his own eyes.
The Malbim explains that one who is wise in his own eyes believes that his corrupt ways are actually paths of wisdom, and one of the main causes of this delusion is wealth and worldly success. He sees that he prospers, a wealthy man whose path is paved with success, and therefore he is convinced that his deeds are pleasing before Hashem: "Don't you see how much bounty He has given me? He made me a vessel of blessing, which only proves that my path is correct!"
However, the poor person, if he possesses understanding - meaning he has binah, the ability to deduce one thing from another, clarify mysteries, contemplate, and probe deeply - will examine him. He will clarify the matter with him and demonstrate to him that his success is not genuine success. Even if you are a multi-billionaire, has anyone ever taken anything with him? It is merely temporary, fleeting success, and nothing of it will remain with you. Worldly wealth and physical pleasures, says the Malbim, are successes only for the animalistic body, which is not the true human being. It is merely a human being disguised and clad in the form of a beast, resembling all other animals that find all their physical needs in abundance. "Veled atir mechazirei" - the Gemara states that no one is richer than a pig (Shabbos 152a). Why? A pig looks well fed and never suffers from hunger; it roots through the garbage, the garbage never runs out, and it is always content and never hungry.
When the Righteous Exult, There Is Great Glory
בַּעֲלֹץ צַדִּיקִים רַבָּה תִפְאָרֶת, וּבְקוּם רְשָׁעִים יְחֻפַּשׂ אָדָם׃ (משלי כח, יב) - "When the righteous exult, there is great glory; but when the wicked rise, a person is sought out" (Mishlei 28:12).
If so, when you possess material abundance, what does that say about you? That is not a person's true glory. True glory does not lie in earthly fortune, for that is here today and gone tomorrow. Rather, "when the righteous exult": exultation (alitzut), the Malbim explains, always denotes the joy of the soul - not an external, bodily joy, but one rooted in spiritual matters. The righteous exult before God with spiritual joy born of their righteousness, and through this, "there is great glory." Their glory is unlike the happiness of ordinary people, who rejoice over material things - another increase in income, more food, another indulgence. True glory is found when "the righteous exult, there is great glory."
"But when the wicked rise, a person is sought out (yechupas adam)" - this can also be understood in the sense of disguise (tachposet), when a person is disguised and alters his attire. In other words, his entire success is merely external, confined to outward trappings: he dresses better, drives a nicer car, and lives in a finer mansion. What is all of this if not superficiality? It turns out to be nothing more than a costume. For what is your true personal success, what actually remains with you? Only spirituality. When the soul departs from this world, every acquisition gained for the soul is eternal, while every acquisition gained for the body decays, withers, and remains behind. Yechupas relates to disguise: an external, bodily success of which nothing endures. But when the righteous exult, there is great glory, for that glory is an eternal joy and delight that remains forever. The rich man is certain he possesses everything good and is wise in his own eyes, but the discerning poor man comes along and shows him that all he possesses is temporary and fleeting.
The Vilna Gaon: The City's Glory and the Search for a Worthy Person
The Vilna Gaon explains: when the righteous rejoice and exult, when there is joy in their dwellings and tranquility in their palaces, and they lead the city - then the glory of the city flourishes through their influence. The city conducts itself with justice, integrity, refined character traits, and upright practices, bringing immense glory to a community led by them. As Scripture says, "And Mordechai went forth..." and "the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad": when the righteous exult, the glory of the entire city multiplies.
"But when the wicked rise, a person is sought out" - when a wicked ruler takes power, woe to all. Those few righteous people go into hiding and remain concealed, and one must search to find anyone who is truly human. What fills the streets? Wicked people. Where is the true human being? Those who embody the stature of "man" are hiding, for who rules here? Gangsters and villains; consequently, decent people retreat into hiding. One must search for a true person, as the prophet said: "Roam through the streets of Jerusalem, look and seek, see if you can find a man, if there is anyone who seeks faith." Where is there an authentic human being, one who bears the true form of man? The Masters of Mussar noted on the phrase, "A person should always fear Heaven in secret and in the open": first of all, one must be an adam, a human being - what is called a mentch - and only then can one "fear Heaven in secret and in the open." The fundamental prerequisite is to be a decent human being. Thus, when the wicked rise, people must search for someone who maintains the stature of a true human being, because the upright and worthy have gone into hiding.
Ralbag: Why the Wicked Search for the Flaws of the Righteous
Ralbag explains: when the righteous succeed, glory abounds in the world, for they lead with upright and noble conduct, just as the Vilna Gaon explained. But when the wicked rise, disgrace increases in the world, because they are well versed in wrongdoing. And notice what he adds: when someone does wrong, what always bothers him? The fact that others are doing good, because it casts him in a negative light. If the entire classroom is disruptive, he blends in; but if part of the class is well behaved, people immediately challenge him: "Why can't you be like so-and-so? Look how nicely he studies and behaves!" Feeling the pressure of criticism, what does he try to do? "Mom, you won't believe it, do you know what he did in class?" He tries to prove that those perceived as upright are wicked too, so that people will stop stinging him with reproof.
From here we also find the answer to why people so often attempt to sling mud at religious Jews and malign the observant. After all, certain realities can be examined statistically: the place with the lowest crime rate year after year is Bnei Brak. Even with the foreign workers in Pardes Katz, and with all the challenges, there is not even a full police station there, only a local municipal policing post. Many problems that must be dealt with outside Bnei Brak do not exist there at all. This is not to suggest that there are no problems at all, but the statistics show crime rates that are tens of percent lower. Why, then, do people persist in leveling accusations against religious Jews? It stems from this exact dynamic: when a person is told that one ought to observe Shabbat, act honestly, be a decent human being, serve Hashem, and fulfill the mitzvot, he replies, "Who are these religious people anyway? I am much better than many of them; I once saw an observant man steal." What does this do for him? The moment he finds an observant Jew to whom he can attach a fault, he feels exonerated: "Leave me alone; where I am is just fine." But when presented with something genuinely noble and elevated, it immediately pricks his conscience.
This is the language of the Ralbag: when the wicked rise to power and prominence, disgrace abounds in the world, for because they know how evil is done, they strive to search out and show that the good people commit those very same acts. The wicked person will make every effort to prove that the righteous are not truly righteous either, and that behind closed doors they commit every transgression. Why? Because they assume everyone else's conduct mirrors their own, as it is said, "One who reproaches the wicked finds his own blemish in them" - a person criticizes another for the very fault he himself possesses; a thief suspects another of theft. He does not deny his own wrongdoing; rather, he claims that everyone is corrupt, but that he is simply more candid while others hide it. Therefore, "when the wicked rise, a person is sought out": when the wicked rise to power, they begin to dig into and search after every decent and righteous individual to smear him and prove that no one is truly righteous, thereby putting their own conscience at ease.
The Ralbag offers an additional explanation: "A person is sought out" means that when the wicked rise, people hide and flee. When a wicked figure takes the reins of power, as so often happened throughout our exile, Jews knew that if an oppressor and tyrant arose, they had to keep a low profile: "Go, my people, enter your chambers." It is impossible to walk about freely now; a cruel tyrant governs, and merely being seen invites danger. Therefore, one must search for a person, because people go into hiding out of fear of the wicked.
He Who Conceals His Sins Will Not Prosper
מְכַסֶּה פְשָׁעָיו לֹא יַצְלִיחַ, וּמוֹדֶה וְעֹזֵב יְרֻחָם׃ (משלי כח, יג) - "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Mishlei 28:13).
The Vilna Gaon explains: A person who wrongs his fellow and claims, "I did nothing wrong, I did nothing to him, I do not know what he wants from me" - will not prosper. It will not help him; his friend will wait for him around the corner and pay him back. You will pay for it, as he bides his time. But "whoever confesses and forsakes" - one who admits the truth and tells his friend, "I wronged you, I apologize, I ask for your forgiveness, I regret it and will not do it again" - his fellow will truly pardon and forgive him. However, if he conceals his offenses and says, "It was not me," tomorrow he will discover he suffered double damage, and his friend will say, "It was not me." You harmed him and denied it, so he will harm you in secret and deny it as well. Therefore, the proper path is for a person to confess and forsake, and through this he will obtain mercy.
The Vilna Gaon notes that the same principle applies toward the Holy One, blessed be He. There are those who conceal their sins: "I did nothing wrong; believe me, I am righteous. If only many religious people were as righteous as I am! I have a clean conscience." Of course it is clean - anything that is never used stays clean! Such people conceal their transgressions, protesting, "Did I rob a bank?" He may not have robbed a bank, but aside from that, he has done virtually everything. Such a person will not succeed. But one who confesses and forsakes - a ba'al teshuvah who abandons the sin, confesses, feels remorse, and resolves for the future - will find mercy, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will have compassion on him. Provided, of course, that he genuinely confesses and forsakes, sincerely regretting his deeds; then Heaven will show him mercy.
The Malbim: Denial Is What Causes the Downfall
The Malbim explains: A person who engages in covering up his transgressions will not succeed, because his wickedness will ultimately be exposed in public, and then people will have no mercy on him, seeing that he is not truly remorseful. Had he shown genuine regret, the public would have reacted with understanding: human beings can stumble, and when people see sincere remorse, they are willing to forgive.
This dynamic is well known in America. A president can do almost anything, provided he does not lie to the nation. If he steps forward and says: "Yes, I did it; conduct the investigation; I failed; I confess and apologize" - people will be willing to forgive him. But if he lies, and if he is caught trying to cover it up and deny it, and the truth then comes to light, the average American - not that they are paragons of absolute truth, but still - will not tolerate his president lying to him, and that is what brings him down. Watergate and other historical scandals prove the point.
The same has played out closer to home. Had Katsav confessed at the time, the matter would have ended quietly and simply. His entire undoing stemmed from setting out aggressively to prove his innocence, which gave everyone the fuel and motivation to prove his guilt. They dug to the ends of the earth into his history, pulled things out of drawers and archives, convinced women who no longer wanted to dredge up the past, and offered money just so they would come forward and testify. Why? Because he denied it. When you deny, you ignite people's determination to prove you guilty. Had he instead admitted, "I erred, I stumbled, I apologize," the matter would have ended; he might have received some consequence, but not on that scale.
This is what the Malbim means: his wrongdoing will be uncovered in public and then no one will pity him, because they saw that he harbored no remorse for his misdeed; his only concern was to conceal the truth rather than genuinely repent for his actions. But one who confesses his transgressions and undertakes to abandon his corrupt path shows that he is genuinely remorseful: "I was wrong, I am not perfect, I ask for forgiveness, I will not return to this, I have sinned." Therefore, he will obtain mercy.
In Summary:
These three verses teach a single foundational principle: truth is not measured by outward appearances. The rich man who is wise in his own eyes is convinced that his success testifies to his wisdom, but the insightful poor man probes and reveals that the wealthy man possesses nothing more than the fleeting success of the animal body, whereas the poor man, who does not rely on his own presumptions, merits searching out and discovering the truth. Facing this stands the jubilation of the righteous, which is the joy of the soul, from which glory abounds in the city and the world, whereas the triumph of the wicked is merely an external masquerade, during whose reign decent people must hide and be sought out. Finally, he who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, neither toward his fellow man nor toward Heaven, for the denial itself ultimately brings his wickedness to light; but he who confesses and forsakes, who is genuinely remorseful and accepts upon himself a better path for the future - he is the one who will find mercy.