The final chapter of Sefer Mishlei contains the words of Lemuel's mother, who rebukes her royal son, warns him against wine and the perversion of justice, and places upon him the duty to protect the weak. From there, Shlomo HaMelech moves into the poetic hymn familiar to us all from Friday night, "Eshet Chayil," structured in alphabetical acrostic order, which seals the entire book. In this lesson, we will walk through the pesukim guided by Rashi, the Vilna Gaon (Gra), and the Malbim - the commentators who have accompanied us throughout the book.
אַל לַמְלָכִים לְמוֹאֵל, אַל לַמְלָכִים שְׁתוֹ יָיִן, וּלְרוֹזְנִים אֵי שֵׁכָר׃ - It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for rulers to desire strong drink.
Rashi explains: It is not fitting for kings who are "lemo El" - meaning that they stand before the Holy One, Blessed be He, carrying out His will. The expression "lemo" is like "he placed his hand over his mouth [lemo fiv]," meaning facing or upon his mouth. For such kings, it is unbefitting to drink wine, because wine deprives a person of clear judgment, and kings who belong to Hashem must always possess a clear mind. A king who is not lucid cannot render any judgment.
We all understand this from life itself: how can someone who is somewhat intoxicated lead a nation? How can he make decisions? There was once a prime minister who, when leadership was needed, the people around him took the reins because he was drinking - he realized the dire straits the country was in and drowned his sorrows in alcohol. We also recall the eulogy by President Weizman for Prime Minister Rabin, where he said, "We ate good things together, we drank good things together" - with the emphasis on "we drank." There was also a mayor of Netanya who was known to be quite a drinker; feeling self-conscious about it, he would fill a teacup with whiskey first thing in the morning and place a spoon inside - the color looked like tea, the spoon was in it, and anyone who entered was certain the mayor was sipping a cup of tea. No one realized the man was already fueled up from the morning. Regarding this, the verse says: "It is not for kings to drink wine" - it is unbefitting for anyone in leadership to be dragged after his craving for drink.
"Nor for rulers to desire strong drink" - the Malbim explains that the "roznim" (rulers) are the king's counselors, the advisers standing at his right hand. Although the king himself should not drink even wine, the counselors - who do not make the immediate final decisions and upon whose word not everything is finalized - might be able to drink wine. However, shechar (strong drink), which is a much harder alcohol (like the difference between wine and whiskey or arak), is certainly unfitting for them, as it distracts their minds from their duties and their work.
The Gra explains: "It is not for kings, Lemuel" - even if it were fitting for all other kings to drink wine, for you, Lemuel, it is unfitting to be like the rest of the kings. Not only that, but now I warn even them: "It is not for kings to drink wine" - even for other kings it is improper to drink wine. If so, kal vachomer (all the more so) are these warnings binding upon you sevenfold.
What is the difference between wine and strong drink (shechar)? The Gra, in his commentary on Yeshayahu, explains the verse: "Woe to those who rise early in the morning chasing strong drink, who linger into the night while wine inflames them." In the morning, a person sets out for his work and does not have the leisure to satisfy his craving through wine, for wine takes effect slowly. Wine is not like vodka or whiskey, where the alcohol is highly concentrated and a small amount quickly intoxicates; with wine, one drinks a glass, and another glass, and another, and the effect builds slowly. Therefore, someone heading to work in the morning cannot sit over a bottle of wine waiting for it to warm him up; instead, he drinks shechar - which in the language of Chazal is very old, potent wine - where just a little suffices to inflame him. But "into the night while wine inflames them" - at night he has all the time to indulge properly, so he stays up late and drinks slowly until the wine takes full effect.
From here, says the Gra, the distinction in the verse becomes clear. We have already learned earlier that there is a difference between kings and rulers: "Through Me kings reign, and rulers decree justice." The rulers (roznim) are those who determine the statutes - the legislative body; while the king is the supreme authority, the ultimate overseer who examines whether what they established is truly the law and whether they judged correctly. The king himself sits at ease, not in constant turmoil and haste; he appoints ministers to administer everything under him, and only the difficult matters are brought before him. Thus, the king has leisure - and someone with leisure can afford to indulge in wine, which offers great pleasure but takes effect slowly. In contrast, the ruler is intensely busy: constantly legislating laws, amending ordinances, and making decisions, and he has no time for wine - hence he is drawn to strong drink. Therefore, Scripture warns: "It is not for kings to drink wine" - for the leisurely kings who are drawn to wine; "nor for rulers to desire strong drink" - rulers must not drink strong drink, which inflames rapidly.
And what is the meaning of "ei shechar"? The Gra and the Malbim explain that "ei" is like "ein" (there is none): and for princes there is no strong drink - they must not drink strong drink.
פֶּן יִשְׁתֶּה וְיִשְׁכַּח מְחֻקָּק, וִישַׁנֶּה דִּין כָּל בְּנֵי עֹנִי׃ - Lest he drink and forget what is decreed, and pervert the judgment of all the afflicted.
The Gra explains that the verse fits precisely with what we explained earlier. Why must princes not drink even strong drink? "Lest he drink and forget what is decreed" - that he will forget his task, for "and princes decree justice," and his role is to establish fixed statutes; if he becomes drunk, how can he enact laws? Then the verse turns back to the king: "And pervert the judgment of all the afflicted" - if the king drinks wine, and the ministers pervert someone's judgment and wrong him, the king, who serves as the supreme authority and overseer (like a legal counsel in a government ministry, whose job is to ensure everything adheres to protocol), will fail to vindicate the "afflicted" - those whose judgment the ministers have distorted and abused.
The Malbim explains: "And forget what is decreed" - he will forget the laws and statutes, matching Rashi's explanation that "what is decreed" refers to what is written in the Torah; consequently, "and pervert the judgment of all the afflicted" - all those who come before him for judgment. The laws must be kept clear in his heart so that he can judge and render true justice in accordance with them.
תְּנוּ שֵׁכָר לְאוֹבֵד, וְיַיִן לְמָרֵי נָפֶשׁ׃ - Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those of bitter soul.
יִשְׁתֶּה וְיִשְׁכַּח רִישׁוֹ, וַעֲמָלוֹ לֹא יִזְכָּר עוֹד׃ - Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
For whom is it appropriate to drink strong drink? Rashi explains "to him who is perishing" - to one whose end is to perish, namely the wicked; for them, let there be strong drink. "And wine to those of bitter soul" - as the Targum renders, people who grieve over their poverty and their bereavement, meaning that a mourner should drink wine. Indeed, strictly speaking, a mourner is permitted to drink wine; it was said that an onein (one in immediate mourning before burial) may not drink wine, but an avel (mourner after burial) is permitted. Today, many mourners have the custom not to drink wine and not to eat meat, particularly among Moroccan Jews; but among Yemenite Jews, for example, this was not the custom, and both meat and wine are permitted - on the contrary, the wine is meant to ease his mourning and bring him comfort in his grief.
The Gra explains: "He who is perishing" is a person burdened with terrible misfortune, someone enduring countless troubles; while "those of bitter soul" refers to the pauper. When a poor person drinks - even if he does not become as drunk as Lot, but merely pleasantly tipsy - he feels cheerful and wealthy. This is the meaning of "let him drink and forget his poverty": he forgets his destitution, for when someone gets even slightly inebriated, he imagines himself wealthy; one cup and he feels rich, another cup and he feels like Bill Gates. In contrast, for the person who is perishing, who suffers endless distress, mild tipsiness is not enough. He requires total intoxication, literally as drunk as Lot, so that he can forget all his troubles - a complete "reset" of the memory, a total erasure. Therefore, "give strong drink to him who is perishing," for strong drink is potent, "and wine to those of bitter soul" - that is the pauper.
Based on this, the Gra explains the conclusion of the verse: "Let him drink and forget his poverty" refers to the pauper, for whom wine is sufficient to forget his poverty; while "and remember his misery no more" refers to the one who is perishing, for whom only strong drink can completely liberate him from all the toil and anguish engulfing him. For as long as the suffering person still remembers, he cannot be happy; on the contrary, he will weep while drinking. Indeed, we often observe this in reality: an intoxicated person frequently begins to cry. How can he be pulled out of that state? By becoming thoroughly drunk and completely forgetting his predicament. This is "give strong drink to him who is perishing," for only through this will he "remember his misery no more."
Incidentally, there is a Yiddish expression used to describe an idler: "oiver bottel" - someone wandering the streets, turning his head this way and that, gazing here and wandering there. Someone once quipped that this fits a heavy drinker: "bottle" in English means a flask or bottle, and there he goes, bottle in hand, looking for ways to pass the time.
The Malbim explains differently: intoxicating drink is fitting only for "one who is perishing" - those who are being led out to execution. Our Sages say that they would bring them an intoxicating drink, adding a grain of frankincense to it, in order to ease them out of the horrific ordeal they were about to experience, so that their minds would not be overwhelmed and they would not comprehend where they were going - for if they understood, their sanity would shatter. This is the meaning of "Give strong drink to one who is perishing." From this we can also understand why it is customary to say "L'chaim" ("To life") when clinking wine glasses: to emphasize that this is not like that "strong drink to one who is perishing," where the wine he drinks is the wine given right before he is beheaded; rather, we say - may this wine that we drink together be for life, bringing us life together and not, Heaven forbid, the opposite. "And wine to the bitter of soul" - to people whose hearts are bitter, one gives wine that gladdens the heart, so that their misery will be remembered no more. And why specifically wine? Because "wine gladdens the heart of man," and its virtue is joy; therefore, it is specifically one who is bitter of soul who ought to drink wine.
פְּתַח פִּיךָ לְאִלֵּם, אֶל דִּין כָּל בְּנֵי חֲלוֹף׃ - Open your mouth for the mute, for the judgment of all who are defenseless.
The Metzudat David explains that this is a continuation of the warning above: "Lest he drink and forget what is decreed." Scripture tells him: do not drink wine, which unsettles your composure; for when you are clear-headed, you can "open your mouth for the mute." And what does this mean? This verse is the source from which the Gemara derives a halachah: when a person comes before the Beit Din, and the judges see that he does not know how to state his arguments properly and is liable to lose his case - not because he is in the wrong, but because he lacks the ability to articulate himself - in such a situation, "open your mouth for the mute." The judge endeavors to assist him, asking him guiding questions so that he understands what to present. This applies, of course, only when his underlying claims are genuine; otherwise, the judge would not know what legitimate arguments could exonerate him. Thus: if someone comes before you for judgment and is like a mute, unable to organize his arguments, open your mouth on his behalf so that he may present his case properly.
"For the judgment of all *bnei chalof*" - likewise, open your mouth for those who are foolish and confuse (*machlifim*, switch) their words and claims. There is a person who cannot argue at all, and there is one who does make claims, but fails to realize that he is stating contradictory and self-damaging arguments that do not advance his case, continually shifting his words. For him as well, when it is clear that he is fundamentally in the right and merely lacks the skill to arrange his arguments, open your mouth to ensure that the true judgment emerges.
The Malbim explains "the judgment of all *bnei chalof*" as referring to those whose fortune has changed (*hitchalef*), who have lost their wealth and now have a legal dispute with those who oppress them. One must care for them as well; they too need representation. When someone's status has shifted from wealth to poverty, you must step forward to assist and support him.
פְּתַח פִּיךָ שְׁפָט צֶדֶק, וְדִין עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן׃ - Open your mouth, judge righteously, and champion the cause of the poor and destitute.
The Malbim explains: you must open your mouth to judge righteously, ensuring that the verdict is just - not only in the case of a wealthy person, but also in the cause of the poor and destitute. People naturally tend to deliberate over a wealthy person's case at greater length; one is easily impressed by his wealth and inclined to vindicate him. The Torah warns that this is strictly forbidden. Furthermore, if a poor person and a rich person appear before you in court, you must tell the rich man either to dress in clothes like the poor man's or to clothe the poor man like himself - because human nature is influenced by mere sight. Naturally, there is an inclination to pervert the justice due to the poor and destitute: what will I ever gain from him? But the wealthy man - who knows? Tomorrow my daughter might need a job, and he owns factories and properties; tomorrow I might need a loan, and he will be able to help me. People look to the rich for future benefits, but what can one expect from the poor? Thus, there is a grave risk that his judgment will be perverted, and concerning this Scripture says: "Open your mouth, judge righteously" - even in the cause of the poor and destitute.
In his time, there was a major dispute between the Romm Widow and Brothers printing house and the Vilna printing house over the printing of the Shas. One side had obtained the rights, while the other claimed those rights had largely expired. It was a massive controversy, and all the leading Torah sages across the world were consulted, offering their opinions and penning responsa on the matter. Rabbi Yisrael Salanter remarked with dismay: Why all this great uproar - simply because hundreds of thousands of rubles are at stake? Is a dispute between two ordinary people over a single ruble not worthy of a written responsum and careful legal analysis? After all, the law of a single *perutah* is the same as the law of a hundred pieces of silver. Thus we see that when substantial sums are involved, people are eager to voice opinions and render judgment - and regarding this Scripture declares: Open your mouth and judge righteously, even when it is the cause of the poor and destitute.
From here, King Solomon transitions to the famous hymn familiar to all of us from Friday night, structured as an alphabetical acrostic, which concludes the Book of Mishlei.
אֵשֶׁת חַיִל מִי יִמְצָא, וְרָחֹק מִפְּנִינִים מִכְרָהּ׃ - Who can find a woman of valor? Her worth is far beyond pearls.
These verses have several avenues of explanation, and the Malbim, in his characteristic way, chose two paths: the literal path and the allegorical path. One can speak of an "Eshet Chayil" literally - a woman, a match and marriage; or one can speak of the holy Torah, which is the approach of the Gra and Rashi; or one can speak of the soul, which represents that same aspect of an Eshet Chayil. Surely, one could expand endlessly on Eshet Chayil, as so many interpretations have been given, but we will follow the classic commentators with whom we have studied this book: Rashi, the Gra, the Malbim, and occasionally the Ralbag.
Rashi (and the wording appears in variant versions, and it is possible that this explanation did not appear in all early manuscripts of Rashi, as it is known that additions were made to Rashi's text; though the versions may well be accurate, without exhaustive research having been conducted on the matter) explains: "A woman of valor" - this refers to the Torah. "Who can find" - fortunate is the one who merits finding the Torah. "Her worth is far beyond pearls" - far beyond the place where pearls and gems are gathered and drawn out lies the source from which one can acquire that holy Torah.
The Gra also follows this direction, that an Eshet Chayil is the Torah, but adds a rationale: Why is it called "chayil"? The numerical value of "chayil" (חיל) is forty-eight, corresponding to the forty-eight ways through which the Torah is acquired. An "Eshet Chayil" - this woman, meaning the holy Torah, is acquired through "chayil" acquisitions, the forty-eight acquisitions of Torah.
The Malbim prefaces by noting that the commentators have already agreed that this passage is a parable and an allegory. Every parable must correspond to its subject: we do not, Heaven forbid, liken the Torah to an animal, but rather to something that truly resembles it - which is why it was compared to a woman of valor. Indeed, in the Sefirot as well, when speaking of the Oral Torah, it is said that "Malchut is the mouth," as cited in Patach Eliyahu, and woman corresponds to the aspect of Malchut; thus the Oral Torah is an aspect of that Eshet Chayil. We likewise find that the Torah is viewed as a betrothed bride: when the Holy One, blessed is He, descended upon Mount Sinai, it was like a beloved groom coming to marry His bride - and even though Knesset Yisrael is the female aspect, the bride, while the Holy One, blessed is He, is the male aspect, we nevertheless see that the connection between the Holy One, blessed is He, and the Jewish people, and between the Torah and the Jewish people, is likened to the union of male and female. Even in our language, the Torah is spoken of in the feminine: a holy Torah, an exalted Torah, a wondrous Torah.
Thus far the approach of Rashi and the Gra, that Eshet Chayil refers to the Torah. The Malbim explains that most commentators interpreted it as referring to the soul (nefesh) - who can find that rare, elevated soul; and he agrees, though in his view, it refers specifically to the hylic soul (the Nefesh HaHyulanit, the primordial, material vitality). After all, we speak of the three levels of the soul: Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah. The Nefesh is the more material aspect that imparts vitality to man, and animals also possess a nefesh - an animalistic soul - for "the blood is the nefesh"; even a dog has blood and has a nefesh. The Ruach is an intermediate, higher level between the Nefesh and the Neshamah, and the Neshamah is the lofty part rooted in the supernal realms. Here, the reference is to that part connected and bound to the body - not the transcendent, eternal Neshamah from on high, but the lower dimension, what we refer to as the Nefesh.
The Malbim points to Tehillim chapter 45, where the intellect is portrayed as a king ruling over the body, and the hylic soul is likened there to a woman called "Bat Tzor" (daughter of Tyre), whom the king has betrothed. The king, representing the intellect, must exert rule over her, because the lower soul has physical desires, will, and material ambitions - the phrase "im yesh et nafshechem" expresses desire and will. It is bound inside the body, for "the blood is the nefesh," which is the source of the expression that a person has boiling or hot blood: his soul seethes within him and is drawn toward desires. Therefore, it is considered bound to the lower realms and is called "Bat Tzor," from the word tzor (rock), denoting something coarse and material. When the intellect governs it, this is referred to as having betrothed her as a wife: it holds dominion over her and directs her, not permitting the soul and its desires to break out unchecked.
At times, the Malbim explains, she is a good wife - when she is primed by nature or through effort to receive the impressions of wisdom and goodness, and to walk in the paths of wisdom and true happiness. There are those who merit a soul that is not drawn after excessive desires, a soul that is refined and rectified in its own right, and this is what is called an Eshet Chayil: the intellect is blessed with a soul with which it does not have to wage constant war, for by its very nature it is drawn to Torah and sanctity, and keeps distant from coarse desires. In this respect, the Torah is also compared to that aspect of an Eshet Chayil, to that elevated soul.
Yet sometimes the soul is likened to a bad wife: inclined toward every negative trait and corrupting her ways, in which case the intellect must wage an unending war with her. The intellect understands that one must perform mitzvot, fulfill the will of Hashem, and pursue positive deeds, while the soul continually pulls toward desire, materiality, and physical pleasures. In such a state, in the allegorical phrasing of the Malbim, "the two of them quarrel and murmur in their tents" - the person is conflicted within himself, as she corrupts her ways according to her base nature despite the dignity of the intellect and its counsel; the intellect and its counsel seek to guide her onto the straight path, while the soul is drawn to desire, leaving the person in constant struggle and strife.
There is a person whose soul is predisposed to good character traits from birth, possessing an innate inclination toward virtues and proper conduct from the very beginning. Then there is a person who acquires good character traits through study and habituation - whose soul by nature is drawn toward the physical, and the intellect gradually trains it to be drawn toward spirituality, guiding it toward Torah. Concerning the former it is said, "A woman of valor, who can find?" - this is indeed a great find.
It is told that Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer once remarked about one of the great Torah leaders who was born with an exceptionally noble character: "I will receive a much greater reward than he for breaking my bad traits, for I was not born with character like his; and yet," he added, "I would still have preferred to be born with character traits like his." In other words, even though in terms of reward one would receive more, it is preferable that goodness of heart stem from within oneself, that one be granted it from Heaven. This is the aspect of the soul that we explained: a person who is naturally drawn toward good and is inherently kindhearted - a nature that can even be observed in a non-Jew, reflecting that innate level of the soul within him.
This is the meaning of "A woman of valor, who can find?": that soul which is inherently refined, which is not drawn after physical lusts and is purified in its traits - fortunate is the one who has found it! The word "find" (yimtza) is precise, for this is not something one worked for, but rather something received and found without strenuous toil.
In contrast, regarding one whose soul is not naturally refined, who must work hard to achieve its refinement, where the intellect must make great efforts to gain mastery over it - with much Torah, much Mussar, many ethical discourses, and many practices by which to train the soul to distance itself from desires and connect to spirituality - of him it is said, "and her price is far beyond pearls." Know that this is a difficult task: extracting pearls is exceedingly hard, requiring one to dig deep into the earth, and this is not a nearby mine, but one even farther than typical pearl-yielding sites. A person requires a great deal of time, many actions, and immense effort to change nature. Indeed, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter said that it is easier for a person to master the entire Shas in depth than to change a single character trait, to uproot and break a single flaw. It is a more complex endeavor, but it is achievable. Fortunate is the one who merited a soul that is inherently refined from the start; and one who did not merit this must travel far to extract those pearls of the soul, and through strenuous toil and effort, he will merit to attain it.
The mother of Lemuel admonishes her son: a king and a ruler, upon whose decisions the fate of the public depends, must not drink wine or strong drink, lest they forget the laws and pervert the judgment of the afflicted. Wine and strong drink are meant for those who need to forget - for the destitute in their troubles and the bitter of soul in their poverty and mourning - and not for those who need to remember and decide. From a clear mind is born the obligation: "Open your mouth for the mute" - to assist one who cannot articulate his claims, and "judge righteously" even in the case of the poor and destitute, for the judgment of a perutah is like the judgment of a hundred maneh. At the conclusion of the book comes the poem of Eshet Chayil: the woman of valor is the Torah, acquired through the forty-eight acquisitions, and it is also the refined soul. Fortunate is the one who finds a soul that is refined from the outset; and one who did not merit this - its price is far beyond pearls, yet through toil and exertion, he too will merit to conquer his soul and draw it after Torah and holiness.