Introduction
In Chapter 8, Wisdom speaks for herself, proclaiming her presence and detailing what she has to offer man. In this section, we examine the stage where Wisdom enumerates her powers: counsel and sound wisdom (tushiyah), understanding and strength; her influence over the leadership of kings and judges; her love for those who love her; and that which she bequeaths to those who love her - wealth, honor, fruit and produce, and ultimately "substance" (yeish) and full treasuries. We will follow the order of the pesukim according to the commentary of the Malbim.
"Counsel and Sound Wisdom Are Mine" - What Is Counsel?
לִי־עֵצָה וְתוּשִׁיָּה אֲנִי בִינָה לִי גְבוּרָה׃ (יד) - Counsel and sound wisdom are mine; I am understanding, strength is mine. (14)
"Counsel" (etza), says the Malbim, is the conclusion a person reaches regarding a matter in which there are several possibilities. A person deliberates within his heart: Should I do this or should I do that? And what he decides in the end - that is the counsel. Counsel is the conclusion that emerges after resolving the dilemma.
And here is the role of wisdom. As we have already explained, wisdom always deals with two states: knowing how to distinguish between good and evil, between what is moral and what is immoral. For this reason, many people resist it, because wisdom comes to determine for me what is moral and what is not, whereas I want to do whatever my heart desires. But one who has acquired wisdom - wisdom provides him with counsel. This is how the holy Zohar describes the Torah: "taryag eitin" - 613 pieces of counsel. The Torah advises me how to choose the upright path.
This also relates to the concept of being "me'ushar" (fortunate and validated) that we explained previously: a fortunate person (me'ushar) is one whose every deed has validation (ishur). The Torah gives him the correct counsel, and that is true happiness.
"Sound Wisdom" (Tushiyah) - Supernatural Actions
What is tushiyah? The Malbim explains: these are the miracles performed by upright individuals through the power of Torah wisdom. Through the power of wisdom, one can affect the natural order, as it is said, "He stores up sound wisdom (tushiyah) for the upright" - the Holy One, blessed be He, prepares wondrous things in every generation so that the upright and righteous can perform signs and wonders. Thus, wisdom grants two things: first, counsel - to decide correctly in times of dilemma; and second, tushiyah - that through the holy Torah, a person can bring about supernatural results.
"I Am Understanding, Strength Is Mine" - Corresponding to Counsel and Sound Wisdom
Corresponding to counsel, it says "I am understanding." To arrive at the right counsel, one must engage in deep contemplation. If you do not reflect carefully, you will not reach the right counsel. Consider someone who comes for advice, and before the advisor even hears both sides or examines the matter at all, he already rules: "I think you should do such-and-such" - that is foolishness. To such a person one immediately says "thank you very much for the advice," and there is a high likelihood that doing the exact opposite of what he suggested will be more successful. The fundamental rule of an advisor is to listen, examine all sides thoroughly, and only then reach a conclusion. That is the meaning of "counsel is mine" - why? Because "I am understanding." Through the Torah you contemplate and analyze matters, and through that you arrive at proper counsel. And in the words of Chazal: "One who increases counsel increases understanding" - one who wishes to increase counsel and reach sound conclusions must increase contemplation.
And corresponding to sound wisdom (tushiyah), it says "strength is mine." To perform wondrous deeds, the miracles that the great sages perform through the power of wisdom, requires strength (gevurah). The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I am the One Who gives the power and strength to the righteous person to alter the laws of nature - to decree upon a river that it dry up, or upon the sun and moon to stand still in their place. From where does this strength come? From Me. I gave it to the wise person, so that through it he could act and achieve tushiyah.
"By Me Kings Reign" - Two Modes of Leadership
בִּי מְלָכִים יִמְלֹכוּ וְרֹזְנִים יְחֹקְקוּ צֶדֶק׃ (טו) בִּי שָׂרִים יָשֹׂרוּ וּנְדִיבִים כׇּל־שֹׁפְטֵי צֶדֶק׃ (טז) - "By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. (15) By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of righteousness. (16)"
At the end of the verse, some texts read "all the judges of righteousness" (kol shoftei tzedek), while others read "all the judges of the earth" (kol shoftei aretz). The Minchat Shai notes that several early works were already divided on this textual variant, and writes that it is impossible to decide between them.
Within the rules of wisdom's guidance, there are two distinct modes of leadership: the leadership of kings and the leadership of judges. As it says elsewhere: "A king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment." There is fixed governance according to standard law - this is the judgment of princes. The princes are the judges, the appointed authorities, and they rule according to the strict letter of Torah law, which is called mishpat (judgment). And there is a form of leadership that does not follow the standard legal code, which is called tzedek (righteousness or equity), and that is the leadership of the king.
The Torah granted a king the authority to judge outside the standard statutory framework. As the Rambam writes, a king may execute many people in a single day, judging at his own discretion according to the urgent need of the hour. He may judge even without witnesses and without prior warning, and without subjecting the matter to an exhaustive battery of interrogations and cross-examinations. This is the distinct power of royalty and sovereign judgment: to issue rulings even when the case does not satisfy standard legal parameters.
We see this even in modern times. Had they been required to try Bin Laden in a court of law, it would have entailed a lengthy judicial process during which he would have been given free rein to make all his proclamations, stirring up the Muslim world and creating a very serious problem. The ruler known as Obama stepped forward and decided to send operatives to put a bullet in his head. Was it legal? Under the rules of sovereign leadership - yes; under the rules of ordinary judicial procedure - no. A king possesses the authority to decree and act even when doing so departs from the standard requirements of formal due process.
"By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice" - a king is accompanied by rulers (roznim), who are his counselors. The king together with his counselors are the ones who administer "justice"; that is, the king can make executive decisions independently, without being bound to the judicial court system.
In contrast to the fixed laws of the Torah, which govern all rabbinical courts and dayanim rather than the king, the verse states: "By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of righteousness." All those who serve as princes and judges derive their authority from supreme wisdom, according to the Torah that is inscribed and established for us. And "nobles, all the judges of righteousness" refers to those who judge according to predetermined righteousness, which is the supreme wisdom set forth in the holy Torah.
"I Love Those Who Love Me" - Wisdom Loves Those Who Love Her
אֲנִי [אֹהֲבַי] אֵהָב וּמְשַׁחֲרַי יִמְצָאֻנְנִי׃ (יז) - "I love those who love me, and those who seek me early shall find me. (17)"
Rashi explains that "ehav" here means "I will love" (eehav), representing an action rather than an imperative command. Rashi further notes: it is written ohavav/ohavaha and read ohavai ("those who love me") - the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: Those who love the holy Torah, I love them. "And those who seek me early" refers to those who search for Me, "shall find me" (yimtza'unani) - it does not use the standard form yimtza'uni, but adds a second nun, teaching that such a person will merit reaching the nun (fifty) gates of understanding; fifty gates of understanding will be made available to him.
The Malbim explains: One who is already attached to wisdom and loves her - wisdom loves him in return. It is as though wisdom herself is a presence that channels to him from her deepest secrets and inner essence. Whoever invests in wisdom, wisdom invests in him. Just as a lover reveals secrets to the beloved, so wisdom reveals her secrets to the one who loves her; and she likewise protects him from all sin, just as a lover watches over the beloved.
"And those who seek me early" - this refers to someone who has not yet acquired wisdom, but strives and seeks it out. "Mishacharai" is related to shachar (dawn): already in the morning he rises to seek the holy Torah. "Shall find me" - he will be privileged to find it, and will receive help from Hashem, may He be blessed, Who will bestow upon him an abundance of His wisdom.
Crying at the Holy Ark - Two Stories
Rav Moshe Feinstein related concerning the Gaon Rav Tzvi Pesach Pruskin that in his youth in yeshivah, he struggled to comprehend and grasp his studies. What another student could learn once and understand, he had to review and memorize multiple times, and still he would forget. Yet he possessed a tremendous desire to learn Torah. Once, several bachurim were discussing the learning; he joined in and voiced his opinion, but the bachurim scoffed at his limited grasp and demonstrated that he had not understood what they were talking about at all. Deeply hurt, he left the yeshivah, went to a nearby synagogue, opened the Aron Kodesh, and wept bitterly: "Why did You not give me understanding? Why did You not grant me discernment to engage in Torah?" He wept like this for about an hour until his strength gave out, and he fell asleep there. In a dream, he was shown from Heaven and told: "We have heard and accepted your prayer. Take Masechet Bava Kamma now and begin learning it, and from now on you will see Heavenly assistance." And so it was: he began to learn Bava Kamma and astonished all his listeners with his depth and comprehension, until he was completely unrecognizable. That very Rav Pesach Pruskin was the rebbe of Rav Moshe Feinstein, the leading halachic authority of the generation in America. See what greatness he achieved - and this is "and those who seek me early shall find me": if you seek early, strive, and truly desire it, you will merit it.
And do not say that these stories belong only to previous generations. Not long ago, a story was told of a young man who was the most brilliant student in his yeshivah, and every Yeshivah Gedolah where he tested was willing to offer much so that he would come. At the graduation celebration of the Yeshivah Ketanah, as the students were advancing to Yeshivah Gedolah, the Ramim spoke, and among them spoke the housefather who managed the dormitory. He said: "I do not know how many remember how this boy first entered our yeshivah. At first, he was below average; he made great efforts to understand, but everything came with immense difficulty. Yet by the following summer zman, a profound transformation had occurred, and he became number one in the yeshivah. Many attribute this to his dedication and toil, and certainly all of that is very important, but I want to tell you something that not many know: One night I passed by the beit midrash. The lights were already off and all was quiet, but I heard sounds from inside. I quietly opened the door and heard this boy weeping bitterly before the Aron Kodesh, begging Hashem to open his heart to merit understanding the Torah. That was right before leaving for bein hazmanim. We returned for the summer zman - and the boy flourished. It was impossible to believe he was the same boy from the previous term. I know why - because I saw him."
This is "those who seek me early shall find me." When a person seeks - see how much the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows upon him; he only has to ask. "I love those who love me" - one who loves the Torah, the Torah loves him and bestows bounty upon him; and one who has not yet reached that love, because he is still far and has not yet understood, but merely seeks early and searches - he too will merit finding the holy Torah, and he will have supernatural assistance from Hashem.
"Riches and Honor Are with Me" - Enduring Wealth and Righteous Honor
עֹשֶׁר־וְכָבוֹד אִתִּי הוֹן עָתֵק וּצְדָקָה׃ (יח) - "Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness." (18)
Corresponding to "riches," the verse says "enduring wealth" (hon atek). The wealth of this world does not last long, and even if it endures throughout a person's lifetime - which is by no means guaranteed - after a hundred and twenty years it does not accompany its owner; it remains behind. A person is accompanied at the time of his passing from this world by nothing other than mitzvot and good deeds.
By contrast, the wealth of wisdom is "hon atek." The Malbim explains atek as related to atik (ancient) - old, enduring wealth. The Vilna Gaon explains atek from the root meaning removed or transcending, as in "speech was removed (ne'etak) from his mouth" - wealth that cannot be found elsewhere, wealth beyond measure. Others explain it as related to "they speak arrogantly (atek)," an expression of strength - great and mighty wealth. Thus, in contrast to the fleeting riches of this world, there is a wealth beyond measure and description, ancient wealth that preceded the creation of the world. Furthermore, atek can mean transferred: you cannot transfer your earthly wealth from here to the World of Truth unless you performed charity with it; but Torah is wealth that transfers automatically to the World to Come, wealth about which you need never fear that it will be left behind here.
And corresponding to "honor," the verse says "and righteousness" (utzedakah). The honor a person receives in this world is often not betzedakah - meaning, not based on justice and merit. But the honor of wisdom is righteous honor; through the righteousness of his deeds, one merits honor. As our Sages said: Whoever flees from honor, honor pursues him; and whoever learns Torah in secret, his Torah proclaims him in public. This is honor that has substance, foundations, and roots, and those roots are mitzvot and good deeds. But a person who receives honor because an article was written about him in the newspaper - what kind of honor is that? It has no genuine basis and no roots. The honor of Torah and righteousness, however, is honor rooted in truth and justice, and through it one also merits the honor of Hashem: "And your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Hashem shall be your rearguard."
"My Fruit Is Better than Fine Gold" - Fruit and Produce
טוֹב פִּרְיִי מֵחָרוּץ וּמִפָּז וּתְבוּאָתִי מִכֶּסֶף נִבְחָר׃ (יט) - "My fruit is better than fine gold and pure gold, and my produce than choice silver." (19)
"Fruit" (peri) encompasses everything - both fully ripened fruit and fruit that is not yet fully grown. "Produce" (tevuah), in its precise definition, refers to kinds of grain. Although as an inclusive term one can say "the produce of the earth" to refer to everything, tevuah usually denotes grain, and specifically fully ripened grain, not when it is still in its bud. Now, the way of the world is that once grain is harvested and processed, it is traded and exported to other countries, whereas fruit is kept within the local land, since fruit cannot travel from one country to another without spoiling. Grain, by contrast, can be stored and transported by ship from place to place, lasting for many months.
Charutz and paz are types of exceptionally precious gold, which people store away in treasuries. And the verse states: the fruit of wisdom is better than fine gold and pure gold - more important, more precious, and more unique than the treasures kept safely at home.
Silver (or currency), on the other hand, is meant to be spent, and in this respect it resembles grain, which is traded and exported abroad. Corresponding to this is binah (understanding). Binah, too, is not merely a fixed, static matter; rather, it deduces one concept from another - understanding one thing from another (meivin davar mitoch davar). Just as money is meant for expenditure, used to acquire other things, so too is binah. One whose "fruits" of wisdom have matured in his mind until they reach the status of "grain" - whereas initially it was an unripened fruit and now its growth is complete and it is fully understood - contemplates it, delves into it, and draws out one insight from another. For him, this becomes like currency available for expenditure.
Regarding this, the verse says: "and my produce better than choice silver." Why is my produce choicer than silver? Because with silver you purchase physical, earthly things, whereas with my produce - with the binah that deduces one insight from another - you acquire eternal life. Thus: my fruit, which represents the initial stage of growth, is better than fine gold and pure gold that are kept at home; and my produce, which is the understanding of one thing from another, is better than choice silver that is circulated abroad.
"I walk in the way of righteousness" - Justice and Righteousness, Orach and Nativ
בְּאֹרַח־צְדָקָה אֲהַלֵּךְ בְּתוֹךְ נְתִיבוֹת מִשְׁפָּט׃ (כ) - "I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice." (20)
The Holy One, blessed be He, interacts with His creations through two attributes: the attribute of justice (mishpat) and the attribute of righteousness (tzedakah). Justice is precisely what its name implies - strict law: if it is due to you, you receive it; if it is not due to you, you do not receive it. But charity - what is actually owed to the poor person to whom I give a coin? Nothing is legally owed to him; rather, I take pity on him and give. A person who worked is owed a wage; a person who extends his hand is receiving charity, which is not based on a calculation of merits and obligations.
The conduct through which Hashem deals with the righteous according to their merit and deeds is called justice (mishpat), which follows the strict law. But what the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows upon the righteous beyond what they have earned and beyond what they deserve - this stems from the power of supreme righteousness (tzedakah), without looking at merits at all.
Now, we have already explained several times that there is a distinction between an orach (broad way) and a nativ (narrow path): an orach is a thoroughfare traveled by the many, whereas a nativ is an individual's personal path. Therefore, it is said: "along the paths (netivot) of justice." The attribute of justice travels along the path of the individual, weighing for each person exactly how much reward he deserves according to his own path and deeds. For in order to judge someone, one must delve into the finest details; otherwise, it is neither judgment nor justice.
In contrast, with the attribute of tzedakah, there is no examination of parameters of merit and fault at all, nor is there any need to scrutinize an individual's specific details; rather, in a general manner, He decides to bestow goodness upon him. Therefore, the verse says: "In the way (orach) of righteousness" - an orach is the public way, representing a comprehensive, general perspective. Through this general perspective, the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows bounty upon the righteous in a miraculous and wondrous manner, without examining every single merit and every single deed.
"To endow those who love me with substance" - Reward as an Enduring Reality
לְהַנְחִיל אֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ וְאֹצְרֹתֵיהֶם אֲמַלֵּא׃ (כא) - "To endow those who love me with substance, and I will fill their treasuries." (21)
After speaking about the righteous and the bounty bestowed upon them, the verse specifies what He bestows: the fruit of their righteousness. We should not think that the mitzvah one fulfills and the reward received for it are two separate things - that is an error. When a person performs a mitzvah, he creates an actual reality Above, and this reality waits for him until he arrives to receive his reward. This is why we say that man goes to his eternal home (*beit olamo*) - where is his "world" (*olamo*)? With every action you perform, you add another layer and another brick to your world Above. It is like the well-known parable: "Why am I in a shack while Goldstein is in a villa?" They told him: "My friend, he brought forty workers with him."
And if this is an existing reality, it is not merely something in the distant future. It is like a person buying with cash: for everything he takes, he puts down payment. In contrast, someone buying on credit - that feels like thin air. People do not like credit; they prefer cash. And why is the *yetzer hara* so successful? Because it works with cash, whereas the *yetzer hatov*, poor thing, works on credit - net plus sixty years. Waiting sixty, seventy, or eighty years is not easy. "There is no friend as faithful as cash in hand." Ask any beginner merchant: "Give me cash, no credit cards and no checks."
Regarding this, the verse states: Know that the reward the Holy One, blessed be He, will grant you is not some vague future promise - "To endow those who love Me with substance (*yesh*)" - tangible reality. "They shall eat the fruit of their deeds" - what you do now, you plant, and this fruit already exists and possesses real, substantial reality.
See how confused people are. When the *yetzer hara* tempts a person here, what does it offer? "Come eat ice cream - it is not kosher, but it is delicious." And what does one imagine? "The World to Come is not here yet, but the ice cream is here right now." Yet the truth is completely the opposite: the ice cream is a mirage, an illusion; the *yetzer hara* flashes blinking neon lights and leads you astray. What truly exists and has real substance? Eternity, the World to Come - that is what truly exists. This is why we say: How could I trade an enduring world for a fleeting world? After all, what remains of yesterday's ice cream? But the mitzvah fulfilled yesterday, and the triumph over temptation achieved yesterday - that remains for all eternity; "they shall eat the fruit of their deeds" - it is real fruit, it exists.
People see things in reverse, and that is part of the test of the *yetzer hara*. Rav Leib Chasman once related: A villager went to a movie theater for the first time in his life. He was awestruck - flickering lights on a screen, wagons, horses, absolute wonders. He was not sure whether what he saw was real, so he took a flashlight out of his pocket and switched it on to see. What happened? Everything vanished. They said to him: "Turn off the flashlight!" Such is the reality of this world: everything you see is a movie, and people live inside a movie, imagining that real substance exists here - I go, I do, I succeed. What remains of all this? Nothing; it is just a movie. Shine a little light, ignite the light of Torah, and you will see that all is vanity of vanities. Kohelet enumerates seven vanities. And who says this? Neither you nor I - what do we understand of worldly pleasures? King Solomon says: "I acquired for myself..." male and female singers, and possessions, and wisdom, and everything - yet with all of that, I tell you: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."
Thus, there is a dimension of "substance" (*yesh*), and this substance is eternity. "To endow those who love Me with substance" - this is the fruit of their deeds, and this dimension reflects justice (*mishpat*): I fulfilled, I performed, I earned it. Yet earlier, the verse mentioned "in the pathway of righteousness (*tzedakah*)," meaning that the righteous also merit undeserved grace - therefore it adds, "and their treasuries I will fill." *Tzedakah* means giving without scrutinizing merit, giving far beyond what is earned. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I have vast additional treasuries to fill for you, far beyond what you deserve. But for whom? For the righteous. One who genuinely strives possesses the true "substance" that is the fruit of his deeds, and he also receives the treasuries that Hashem will fill for him, which stem from the supreme heavenly grace.
In summary:
Wisdom proclaims what it has to offer: counsel - the right decision in every dilemma, born of understanding and deep contemplation; and resourceful power (*tushiyah*) - the strength to act above the natural order, born of the inner might granted by the Creator. Through it kings reign and rulers decree justice, via two modes of governance: the king's equity (*tzedek*) and the ministers' legal justice (*mishpat*). Whoever loves Wisdom - it loves him in return, reveals its secrets to him, and shields him from sin; and one who is still merely seeking it diligently, like those who wept before the Holy Ark, merits to find it through supernatural assistance. The wealth of Torah is enduring wealth (*hon atek*) that is transferred with us to the World to Come, and its honor is rooted in righteousness; its fruit is better than fine gold, and its produce - deducing one concept from another - is chosen over silver, for with money one purchases worldly matters, whereas with Torah one acquires eternity. And Hashem deals with the righteous in the paths of justice according to their deeds, and in the pathway of benevolence beyond what they deserve: "To endow those who love Me with substance" - reward that is an already existing reality rather than an ethereal future promise - "and their treasuries I will fill" from the supreme heavenly grace.