Chapter 9 of Sefer Mishlei opens with an exalted portrayal of Wisdom as a wise woman who builds herself a house, prepares a feast, and invites guests. Shlomo HaMelech returns here to what he mentioned earlier - that the construction of the entire world was accomplished through Wisdom, which is the holy Torah. In this lesson, we will examine the chapter's opening verses through the approach of the Malbim, and see how the Torah calls to every person - both the simpleton and the one lacking understanding - to come and dine at her table.
חׇכְמוֹת בָּנְתָה בֵיתָהּ חָצְבָה עַמּוּדֶיהָ שִׁבְעָה׃ (א) - Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out her seven pillars. (1)
Here Shlomo returns to what he mentioned earlier: the edifice of the world was built through Wisdom, and Wisdom is essentially the Torah - "Hashem acquired me at the beginning of His way." The Torah was the beginning of the world's path, and through it the world was built. Now he compares the building of the world to the construction of a house, as it is written, "Through wisdom a house is built" - where the reference is to the world - and likewise, "Hashem founded the earth with wisdom." Therefore, "built her house" refers to the creation of the world.
Right from the first day of Creation, the building of the house began. The initial stage was the aspect of creation yesh me'ayin (something from nothing). As explained in previous lessons, the second stage - the second, third, and fourth days - was already the emergence of yesh miyesh (something from something), after the primordial matter (the chomer hayuli, what is known today as the atom) was brought into being; from that point forward, it was already creation of yesh miyesh.
"She has hewn out her seven pillars" - these are the remaining days. The first day was the initial creation of yesh me'ayin, the primordial matter; and afterward, "she has hewn out her seven pillars," bringing this potential into actuality across the seven days, with each day bringing forth an additional creation. "Her seven pillars" are the seven days of Creation, each day bringing about another creation.
Yet, there is an apparent difficulty here: why does it say "seven"? On Shabbat, after all, "He rested from all His work," so seemingly it cannot be counted as part of the building of the world. Why describe the hewing of the world's pillars in a way that includes the day of Shabbat?
The answer is that the world is composed of both the physical and the spiritual. What was created during the six days is the physical dimension of the world, whereas what was created on the seventh day is its spiritual dimension - the wondrous, miraculous providential order, which is also among the pillars of wisdom upon which the Holy One, blessed be He, founded the world. This is the meaning of "built her house, hewed out her seven pillars": the seventh part is also necessary, and that is the supernatural order of providence.
From this, we can also understand why the things created on Friday were created specifically at twilight (bein hashmashot). Shabbat represents the spiritual dimension of the world, the supernatural order; therefore, anything that is on the one hand within nature and on the other hand above nature - such as the mouth of the donkey, which on one level is an ordinary animal within nature, yet on another level speaks, which is supernatural - belongs to bein hashmashot. Twilight is the time between day and night, between Shabbat and the weekday, a time where the mundane and the holy intermingle. So too is the providential order that blends miracle and nature, like the mouth of the donkey, which embodies both nature and miracle combined.
טָבְחָה טִבְחָהּ מָסְכָה יֵינָהּ אַף עָרְכָה שֻׁלְחָנָהּ׃ (ב) - She has slaughtered her meat; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. (2)
Later, when Scripture speaks of the foolish woman, it enumerates three characteristics; therefore, the Malbim explains, here too when it speaks of Wisdom as an intelligent woman, it enumerates three things. The first is that Wisdom built the house and established its pillars - this is the Torah that built the world. The second is the preparation of the feast: "she has slaughtered her meat" - she slaughtered an animal and prepared it; "she has mixed her wine" - she blended and diluted her wine, from the term limsoch, to mix, as their wine was not drinkable without being diluted and blended. And through it all, "she has also set her table" - ensuring that nothing is lacking.
The deeper meaning is this: wisdom is the sustenance of the soul. Just as a person prepares food to sustain the body - making a feast, slaughtering meat, mixing wine - so too the words of wisdom sustain the heart, the spiritual dimension within man. "She has slaughtered her meat" refers to the food of the soul, the teachings of wisdom, through which the heart will not be overwhelmed by all kinds of difficult questions, perplexities, and things that seem contradictory; when the evil inclination comes to confuse him, he possesses wisdom, and that wisdom comes to his aid.
"She has mixed her wine" - wine symbolizes Binah (understanding). Wine gladdens the heart and elevates it, and likewise Binah elevates a person, for Binah is the ability to deduce one thing from another, from the root of hitbonenut (contemplation); the expansion of the broad knowledge of Chochmah takes place through Binah, through logical deductions and drawing conclusions.
Incidentally, one can also explain through the inner dimensions of the Torah why wine corresponds to Binah. Wine represents the aspect of judgment (dinim) - wine is red - and the root of judgments stems from Binah, which is the side of Gevurah; Chochmah is the side of Chesed, and Binah is the side of Gevurah. One should not say that Binah itself is judgment, for Binah itself is immensely exalted and contains only loving-kindness (chassadim); rather, it is the root of judgments, and the entire chain of descent of Gevurah aligns with the side of Binah, whereas the descent of Chesed throughout the Sefirot aligns with the side of Chochmah. So it is within man: "Chesed is the right arm, Gevurah is the left arm," and "the heart understands" - and the heart is located on the left side, which is the domain of Gevurah. Likewise within the faculties of the mind: Binah is on the left, Chochmah on the right, and Keter and Da'at are in the middle. Thus you see that the mixing of wine alludes to the workings of Binah.
One can also explain why this is linked specifically to mixing (mezigah): mixing involves combining two different elements, just as people speak today of two companies "merging" (hitmazgu), meaning blending together. Binah functions the same way - it is not an entirely new invention, but rather drawing one conclusion from another: if we asserted one premise there, and asserted another premise here, the logical deduction leads to such-and-such conclusion. I combined two things and reached a conclusion - this is the power of Binah, and this is "she has mixed her wine," blending two elements together in order to draw conclusions.
The third element is "she has also set her table," meaning she prepares every detail of the feast so that nothing is lacking. These are the matters of Da'at (knowledge). Da'at, as we have explained several times, consists of general knowledge regarding the world, self-evident axioms, and accepted facts. Water boiling at one hundred degrees - which intellectual faculty does this belong to? This belongs to Da'at. No scientist needs to take water and put it into a kettle to conduct a study, for this is among clear, established facts, and all clear facts fall under the category of Da'at. Binah, on the other hand, is not Da'at, because Binah is the process of deduction - one must contemplate, investigate, analyze, and from that draw a conclusion.
שָׁלְחָה נַעֲרֹתֶיהָ תִקְרָא עַל גַּפֵּי מְרֹמֵי קָרֶת׃ (ג) - She has sent out her maidens; she calls upon the highest places of the city. (3)
The first thing we saw was that she built her house; the second was that she prepared all the provisions for the feast; and the third is "she sent out her maidens; she calls." The plain meaning of the verse is that "her maidens" are her servants and messengers, and she calls and invites all the guests "upon the highest places of the city" - gapei means wings or heights, and meromei karet means the highest points of the town, as karet means a city.
Notice carefully: Wisdom does not call out to the guests herself, in contrast to Folly, who, as we will see later, calls out in person. Wisdom sends her maidens, which means that man cannot grasp wisdom through direct, unassisted perception. How do we attain wisdom? Through the Sages, through the Prophets, through received tradition. A person cannot arrive at the conclusions of wisdom on his own, for wisdom entails discerning between good and evil - the moral dimension - and this a person cannot deduce purely from his own intellect; one person might decide one way, while another decides the exact opposite, claiming that this is evil and that is good. The moral sphere is far harder to prove definitively, and to receive it one requires the Sages, the Prophets, and teachers. This is "she sent out her maidens" - her servants, who are the disseminators of wisdom, and through them "she calls upon the highest places of the city." Through them she extends the invitation to the feast, as it were, saying: come and learn what I have to teach you - through her maidens, the Sages and Prophets of every generation.
מִי פֶתִי יָסֻר הֵנָּה חֲסַר לֵב אָמְרָה לּוֹ׃ (ד) - Whoever is simple, let him turn in here; as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him: (4)
Wisdom's maidens invite both the simpleton (peti) and the one who lacks understanding (chassar lev). What is the difference between them? The Malbim explains: a peti is what we would call gullible - one who believes anything, an undiscriminating person easily seduced by anything, which is why he is called peti; he lacks the tools to analyze, examine, and contemplate. Yet Wisdom calls out to the simpleton as well: come, you too have the opportunity to grasp the laws of wisdom.
Wisdom also calls to the one who lacks heart (chasar lev). "Heart," as explained several times based on the Malbim, refers to the governing faculty - a person's power of self-mastery over what happens within and around him, for the heart is the ruler of the body. Consequently, when a person lacks heart, it means he lacks this governing power. Note well: he is not like the simpleton - he can be very clever, highly educated, even a professor; but he lacks heart, meaning that his desires overpower him, and his impulses are stronger than what his intellect dictates.
Therefore she says, "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here" - a person who lacks knowledge should "turn in here"; and likewise to the one "lacking heart," she also appeals to him. The Malbim connects "she said to him" to the simpleton, meaning that this is already part of the next verse: "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here; and as for him who lacks heart" - and then, "she said to him." To whom? To the simpleton:
לְכוּ לַחֲמוּ בְלַחֲמִי וּשְׁתוּ בְּיַיִן מָסָכְתִּי׃ (ה) - "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine I have mixed." (5)
The intent of these words to the simpleton is: abandon the path of naivety and lack of discernment, and come accept the principles of wisdom. For as we learned earlier, "To give prudence to the simple" - wisdom helps the simpleton acquire shrewd insight, to become wise in areas he previously lacked. The Torah comes and tells him: by gaining wisdom in the Torah, you will attain astuteness. As seen earlier, one who engages in Torah study acquires through it prudence, the wisdom of deep observation in all matters. One who does not engage in Torah study often possesses a superficial perspective; but when a person engages in Torah study, his perspective deepens, for the ABCs of Torah study are to investigate: Who said this? From where do we know it? What is the reason? What is your basis? What is the proof? Everything is observation, probing, and analytical depth.
Once, a prominent left-wing figure, who was also a broadcast journalist and television host, recounted that he produced a program where they brought on several young men from an organization that helps youths leave yeshivot, alongside several secular high school students, and conducted a discussion and Q&A between them. That interviewer said: To tell you the truth, I was deeply embarrassed. Every question I asked - these former yeshiva students answered with depth and sophistication, whereas the answers of the others were shallow, devoid of substance and analytical depth. It was entirely night and day. And understand: those who came on the show were dropouts from the yeshiva world, meaning not those who had been capable of truly sitting and learning with sustained depth - and even so, when you converse with them it is something entirely different: depth and critical thinking versus shallowness.
And why? Because the Torah grants astuteness to a person. When someone learns - Rashi says something; and what if Rashi said it? Immediately Tosafot raises an objection: From where does Rashi know such a thing? How could he say that? And rejects it. One learns Tosafot, and the Maharsha comes along and challenges Tosafot: How could they say such a thing, when seemingly Rashi was correct? Then one learns the Chatam Sofer, who challenges the Maharsha. In short, nothing is accepted at face value - you said it, it was stated, it was handed down, that is it, just accept it? No! Everything that is written - who said it? One must analyze it, scrutinize it, and delve into it. This is what Wisdom says: "Come, eat of my bread" - accept the principles of wisdom, and through this astuteness will enter your heart, "to give prudence to the simple." And these are the preparations of "she has prepared her meat, she has mixed her wine, she has set her table" - the disciplines of wisdom.
Afterward, she turns to the one lacking heart. The one who lacks heart has neither a talent problem nor an intellectual problem; his issue is emotional, as he is drawn after the desires of his heart. To him she says, "and drink of the wine I have mixed" - he must understand and delve into the words of wisdom through the power of Binah (understanding), which is likened to wine, and through deep contemplation he will turn away from the path of lust.
עִזְבוּ פְתָאיִם וִחְיוּ וְאִשְׁרוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ בִּינָה׃ (ו) - "Forsake simplicity and live, and walk forward in the path of understanding." (6)
Here she returns to both categories in their proper order. To the simple ones she says, "Forsake simplicity and live" - through wisdom, abandon naivety, become shrewd and astute, acquire intellect, wisdom, and prudence, and do not be led astray by your heart out of ignorance. And to the one lacking heart, to whom she said, "and drink of the wine I have mixed," she says, "and walk forward (ve'ishru) in the path of understanding": by drinking from the wine of Binah, you will contemplate the depths of wisdom's teachings, and then you will discover genuine spiritual joy - ishru being related to osher, true happiness.
For why does a person gravitate toward the desires of his heart? Because he believes that this will make him happy. The Torah comes and declares: There is something far more intoxicating than the wine of lust, and that is the wine of wisdom. The holy Or HaChaim wrote that if people only knew the sweetness of the holy Torah, they would be inflamed and passionately driven after it - like the sweetest thing in the world. This is what Wisdom tells him: Come and drink this wine, and naturally you will abandon the corrupted wines toward which you gravitate, all matters of physical indulgence. Especially so because with worldly pleasures, a person's desire dissipates as soon as it is fulfilled; in contrast, with engagement in Torah, "and find happiness" - this is a passion that makes a person truly happy, for one is constantly achieving more and more and more, and there is never a point where one can say, "It is finished and done."
A talmid chacham who had authored a book once went to ask Rav Elyashiv questions and speak with him in learning. He began asking, Rav Elyashiv answered, and they began debating back and forth. At a certain point, Rav Elyashiv said to him: "It is Torah, yet I must learn." In other words: What you are discussing with me is true, it is indeed Torah - but what can I do, I have a daily quota, I have Gemara to cover, I must learn. His minutes were scheduled - not merely his hours, but his minutes. His son-in-law, Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein, recounts that even when he would come to visit, he had to schedule an appointed time; there was no such thing as "dropping by for a visit." And if he missed the appointed time - nothing could help, I would take a bus and return to Bnei Brak. There were set hours and set times, precise to the minute.
His wife used to recount that when he went to the beit midrash to learn, he would lock the door and sit with his back to the window; even if you broke the window, even if a bulldozer showed up - nothing would move him. He would sit and learn with tremendous diligence. This embodies the reality of "and walk happily in the way of understanding": what makes a person truly happy - immersion in Torah, and without it, what life is there? And when she would ask something of him, he would tell her: I must learn, for if not, people come to ask me halachic questions - what will I answer them?
Regarding his greatness, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu related that when they sat together on the same panel in the rabbinical court, everyone else had to open sefarim and look things up - where the Shach says this, in which subsection, in order to cite the exact wording; yet Rav Elyashiv would sit and write for fifteen minutes, composing a complete responsa with all the sources in his head, without opening a single book: the Shulchan Aruch in siman such-and-such, se'if such-and-such, and in another siman it states this, and in the Shach in this subsection, and in the notes of the Vilna Gaon in that subsection it states that, whereas the Pitchei Teshuvah writes so, and the Machaneh Ephraim in such-and-such siman responded on such-and-such page. Everything was in his head, and we had no need to open books and search. When Torah study is a person's bread and wine, pursued with burning passion, he does not seek vacations - it is the greatest pleasure there is. "And walk straight in the way of understanding" - the path of understanding is what will make you truly happy.
Therefore, the Rambam states: thoughts of desire or illicit relations are found only in a heart devoid of wisdom. Thoughts of forbidden relationships possess a natural pull on a person's heart, and consequently you must have something else of comparable force to draw you, something that captivates the heart - and that is immersion in Torah. Without it, there is certainly no other way; as the verse states, "The pit was empty, there was no water in it" - snakes and scorpions were in it. No one needs to put them there; they enter on their own. Thus, immersion in Torah is what grants you true happiness, "and walk straight in the way of understanding," a happiness that replaces counterfeit pleasure.
It is written in the holy Zohar that when the Men of the Great Assembly nullified the evil inclination for idolatry, they also sought to nullify the evil inclination for illicit relations. The Gemara recounts that fresh eggs could not be found anywhere, and they realized that the world requires this drive to survive, so they merely weakened it - blinding its eyes so that a person is not naturally tempted by close relatives; but they did not eliminate it entirely. And the Gemara notes that while the evil inclination for illicit relations was suppressed, the joy of Torah study - the *chedvata dishmata* - was also extinguished. They mirror one another: one who possesses the joy of Torah naturally neutralizes the evil inclination for illicit desire.
If not through Torah, the verse explicitly teaches: "I created the evil inclination, and I created the Torah as its antidote." It does not say, "I created mitzvot as an antidote." The Nefesh HaChaim explains: a mitzvah is not an antidote to the evil inclination. The only thing that can rescue a person from the yetzer hara is Torah alone; without Torah, he has no defense or deliverance from it. This is why the Gemara explains that a mitzvah, even while one is performing it, protects from suffering but does not save from sin - it protects you from harm while engaged in the mitzvah, but does not rescue you from sinning, even while performing it. Torah, by contrast, while one is immersed in it, also rescues him from sin. Deliverance from sin comes solely through Torah.
Therefore, if someone tells you: "So-and-so is holy; he does not learn Torah, but he is a saint" - do not buy into such tales. Where did he acquire holiness? Why would the yetzer hara leave him alone? Did it fail to notice a prospective client? Where did his evil inclination go? If there is Torah, holiness is understandable; but without Torah, how could anyone become holy? "And walk straight in the way of understanding" - the path of understanding is what will bring you true fulfillment and happiness.
The opening of the chapter portrays Wisdom - the Torah - as a wise woman building the house of the universe: "She has built her house" on the first day through creation *ex nihilo*, and "she has hewn her seven pillars" over the seven days of Creation, the seventh being the pillar of supernatural divine providence. She then prepares three courses to nourish the soul: the bread of chochmah, the wine of binah, and the table of da'at. She sends her summons to the banquet through "her maidens" - the sages and prophets of every generation, for human beings cannot attain the laws of wisdom and ethical guidance on their own. Two types are invited to the banquet: the simpleton (*peti*), who lacks knowledge, to whom the Torah imparts prudence and depth of vision; and the one devoid of heart (*chaser lev*), whose desires overpower his intellect, to whom the wine of binah is served - so that through contemplating the depths of Torah he will discover true happiness, "and walk straight in the way of understanding," thereby dispelling the counterfeit happiness of desire. For man has no other antidote to the evil inclination than the Torah alone.