Introduction
At the conclusion of Chapter 10 in Mishlei, King Solomon once again contrasts the righteous person (tzaddik) and the wicked person (rasha), but this time the comparison addresses three central areas: stability in life (who falls and who rises), the power of speech (the mouth of the righteous versus the tongue of deceit), and the ability to appease and reconcile. The final three verses of the chapter open a window for us into understanding the true essence of a tzaddik: not a person who never falls, but one who knows how to rise; not merely a person of pleasant speech, but one whose words flow from inner truth.
Verse 30: A Fall That Is Not Forever
צַדִּיק לְעוֹלָם בַּל יִמּוֹט וּרְשָׁעִים לֹא יִשְׁכְּנוּ אָרֶץ׃ - The righteous shall never be moved, but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
The Malbim and the Vilna Gaon explain: when a person collapses, it happens for a reason - either the weakness of the legs upon which he stands, or a slope on which he slips and falls. And here Scripture says: the righteous shall never be moved. This does not mean he will never fall at all, but rather that even if he does fall, his fall is not everlasting. Read the verse this way: the tzaddik will not be moved forever. His fall is only temporary.
Regarding this it is said, "For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again" (Mishlei 24:16). The essential part is "and rises again." Some people remember the "falls seven times" all too well, and are not satisfied with seven but make it seven hundred and seventy-seven, imagining they have support from the verse - it is only the "and rises again" that they forget! Yet the greatness of the tzaddik lies precisely in this: he knows how to endure a fall, and also how to rise up afterward.
Pay attention to the emphasis in the verse: there are situations where a tzaddik falls. A person must know this so that he does not despair. Sometimes a person sees that he experiences falls and declines, and it crushes him. He says: "It is all over; it is a sign you cannot do it, you are not capable, this is not for you" - and this is narrow-mindedness (katnut hamochin). One must understand: even the tzaddik fell. Do not imagine he became a tzaddik overnight. Everything he achieved came through struggle. Seven times a righteous man falls, and ultimately - he rises again.
What one must know is: even though I fell - "though I fall, I shall rise" (Michah 7:8). We do not remain down. "Though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light to me": even when I am in a spiritually low state, struggling, or in crisis - remember that the Holy One, blessed be He, is light. Stand up, pick yourself up! Do not let the referee stand over you counting "one, two, three..." while you lie on the canvas and accept defeat. A tzaddik is not like that. He takes a blow, gets knocked down, stands back up on his feet, and keeps going. There is a second round. The yetzer hara (evil inclination) beat me in this round - I am already waiting for him in the second round, coming back with renewed strength.
The rasha, by contrast: the yetzer hara defeats him in the first round, the second, the third, and the fourth - and it is over. "What good will it do if I go pray Minchah? After what I went through today, this Minchah will not change anything" - and he gives up on Minchah. Then on Maariv as well. Later he has a Torah class: "I did not daven Minchah, I did not daven Maariv, what point is there in going to the shiur?" - and he gives up on the shiur too. In this way, the yetzer hara drags him down and down, all the way to She'ol. Why? Because he forgot this principle: the tzaddik shall never be moved. For the tzaddik, there is no permanent fall; rather, if he falls - seven times a righteous man falls and rises again.
On the other hand: "but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth." The wicked, even when they seem to dwell securely on the earth - meaning they appear stable, standing on level ground without weak legs to cause a collapse - the term "shochen" (inhabit or dwell) implies permanence, an enduring dwelling. Scripture comes and tells you: they shall not inhabit. His dwelling is not permanent, and ultimately he will be shaken out of it. Thus, even if you see a tzaddik falling, know that it is not permanent; and even if you see a rasha standing firm, know that it will not last forever, and he is destined to fall.
Verse 31: A Flowing Mouth versus a Perverse Tongue
פִּי צַדִּיק יָנוּב חׇכְמָה וּלְשׁוֹן תַּהְפֻּכוֹת תִּכָּרֵת׃ - The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue shall be cut off.
The Vilna Gaon explains: the mouth of the tzaddik constantly speaks wisdom, like a bubbling spring. The annotator to the Vilna Gaon's commentary notes that one can explain yanuv as sharing the same root as yinba (flowing or bubbling) - to flow and to produce fruit share, as it were, a single root. The word niv is used for speech, as in niv sefatayim ("fruit of the lips"), and it also connotes a flowing spring. The mouth of the tzaddik constantly flows with wisdom, like an endless spring, and therefore people always go to hear words of wisdom from him.
In contrast, "and a tongue of perversities will be cut off": one who does not speak the Torah of truth, but rather speaks contradictorily - yesterday he said one thing, the next day he retracted it, and two days later he says that what he said two days ago is incorrect - he contradicts himself, his thoughts are disordered, and he lacks clarity of mind. Everyone comes to listen to him and sees that every day he changes his tune: yesterday it was this way, today another, and tomorrow he rejects what he said the day before yesterday. People see that he is unstable. And what happens to him? "Will be cut off" - people will abandon him, no one will come to hear him, and consequently his tongue is, as it were, cut off from reality, for no one listens to its voice.
The Difference Between a Tzaddik and a Chacham According to the Malbim
The Malbim explains that there is a difference between a tzaddik and a chacham (wise person). With the chacham, all his wisdom is held through tradition (kabbalah); he received it from his teacher. For wisdom is acquired through tradition: a person cannot become wise on his own, because wisdom means knowing what is good and what is bad, and that cannot be determined independently. Wisdom is moral discipline, and if a person were left to himself, one would say this is good, and another would say that something else is good, each with his own definition of "good" and his own subjective understanding. The chacham acquired wisdom from another sage, from a prophet, and thereby it became his portion.
The tzaddik, by contrast, did not acquire the laws of wisdom through systematic tradition, but became habituated to them through his righteousness. The chacham knows the reason and rationale for everything; the tzaddik does not know the reasons and rationales, but he knows how to act. He is accustomed to it: he puts on tefillin, prays, fulfills everything - but if you ask him for reasons and explanations, he will not be able to give them to you. The chacham is proficient in the principles of wisdom, possesses an overarching system, and his wisdom is systematically organized. The tzaddik behaves in all matters just like the chacham, except that he lacks a systematic framework; what he has is practical observance based on what he has been habituated to do.
A Parable for This: The Reading of the Torah Among Yemenite Jews
The scholar and traveler Rabbi Yaakov Sapir, author of Even Sapir, visited Yemen about one hundred and fifty to two hundred years ago. Most of the clear knowledge we have about Jewish life in Yemen during that period comes from what he wrote. He authored a book describing the life of the Jews in Yemen, as well as in other places he visited, such as India and Bombay.
One of the things he describes is the Yemenite Jews' immense proficiency in reading the Torah. He recounts that he was in a synagogue and a translator was needed - for among the Yemenites, every verse is followed by a translation into Aramaic. They had no printed book; poverty was extreme, and not everyone possessed books. A young man stood up and translated the entire parashah by heart, complete with all the vocalizations and nuances. "Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe leimor" translated as "Mallel Hashem im Moshe lemeimar" - everyone knows that verse, but he continued and translated the entire portion by heart.
And so it was with the reading itself: ask him how to read this word or how to read that verse, and he will tell you precisely. He will tell you that here it is read Far'oh (with a soft feh) and here Par'oh (with a dagesh). But if you ask him why it is one way here and another way there - ninety percent would not be able to explain it to you. The overwhelming majority did not know the grammatical rules, yet they read with absolute accuracy without a single mistake, and if the reader made an error, everyone in the congregation would correct him.
Take, for example, the word ba'alei: is the sheva under the ayin quiescent (nach) or vocal (na)? A Baladi Yemenite will immediately tell you how to pronounce it. Ask him why, and he will say: "That is how my father read it, that is how my grandfather read it, and that is how my Mori (teacher) read it." He knows it perfectly, but he has no grammatical explanation for it. You could explain to him: this is a sheva, and a sheva is sometimes quiescent and sometimes vocal; what determines this is whether the preceding letter has a long vowel or a short vowel - after a long vowel the sheva is vocal, and after a short vowel the sheva is quiescent; under the beit there is a patach, which is a short vowel, and therefore the subsequent sheva is quiescent. He might not understand what you said, but he will certainly continue to read it correctly, as he has been habituated. The difference is only this: his practice is completely proper and correct, but he does not know the underlying reason.
This serves as a parable for the difference between a tzaddik and a chacham according to the Malbim - not to classify anyone specifically, but to illustrate the concept. The point is: there is one who conducts himself in all the ways of wisdom out of systematic knowledge and methodology - he is in the category of a chacham in the performance of mitzvot. The tzaddik, on the other hand, fulfills all the mitzvot, but if you ask him why he did one thing here and another there, he will say: "This is what I received from my father." He did everything excellently, but he does not have an organized system of wisdom behind it; in his conduct, however, he certainly behaves with righteousness.
What, Then, Is the Advantage of the Tzaddik?
According to this, the Malbim explains, you can understand "the mouth of the righteous yields wisdom." The mouth of the righteous produces yield; yanuv comes from the root of tenuvah (produce, yield). When someone asks him about anything, his mouth brings forth produce - an orderly answer to each and every question, offering more and more explanations, arguments, and learned insights. Although the tzaddik will speak to you about anything, he does not have a comprehensive, systematic philosophical system for it, because everything with him comes from received tradition: this is how his father acts, and this is how he sees his teachers acting.
Here the Malbim explains the advantage the tzaddik holds over the chacham, based on the continuation of the verse: "but the tongue of perversity will be cut off." The tongue always symbolizes binah (understanding). If a heretic or skeptic comes with a tongue of perversity - that is, bringing proofs from research, rational philosophy, and all kinds of concepts he investigated, arguing contrary to the ways of wisdom and against the holy Torah - the chacham cannot withstand him on his own terms. The chacham says: This is what I received from my teachers and my ancestors regarding the ways of wisdom, and he does not know how to clarify and prove it with philosophical proofs and demonstrations against someone who investigates and denies the very foundations he received.
Verse 32: The Lips of the Righteous Know Goodwill
שִׂפְתֵי צַדִּיק יֵדְעוּן רָצוֹן וּפִי רְשָׁעִים תַּהְפֻּכוֹת׃ - The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
Rashi explains: The righteous know how to conciliate and appease their Creator, like Moshe Rabbeinu, to whom the Holy One, blessed is He, said, "Leave Me alone, that I may destroy them," yet he knew how to appease and reconcile with his Creator. They also know how to appease people and foster peace among them: even when two people argue and feud, the tzaddik knows how to make peace between them and bring them to a place where they abandon strife.
Rabbeinu Yonah: Altering the Truth for the Sake of Peace
Rabbeinu Yonah explains this according to the context: earlier it was said, "The mouth of the righteous yields wisdom," and afterward the verse cursed the tongue of perversity. The verse now comes to teach: know that even though the words of the righteous are always words of truth and wisdom, nevertheless it is the way of the tzaddik to alter his words for the sake of peace. "The lips of the righteous know goodwill" - he knows how to appease his fellow, as it is said, "A soft answer turns away wrath."
A prime example of this is Aharon HaKohen. Aharon was undoubtedly a man of absolute truth, yet he would meet one person in the marketplace and say to him: "Do you know how distressed your friend is that he is not speaking to you? How much he regrets the fight between you? He is in such anguish; I see he does not even have an appetite to eat." Then he would meet the second friend and tell him how deeply the first friend regrets the quarrel and how sorry he is. In reality, neither one had expressed regret at all, but when they saw each other, they would embrace. "May He Who makes peace in His high places make peace upon us."
We find, then, that although the tzaddik is not a deceiver and there is no duplicity in his mouth - that is the way of the wicked, who twists his words - nevertheless, the tzaddik does not bang his head against the wall out of rigid truth, insisting, "I only speak the truth." Woe to a person who acts this way! While the Torah says, "You shall surely rebuke," it also says, "and do not bear sin on his account." You do not always have to say everything, nor should you say, "This is the truth, and I will throw it in his face so he knows." What foolishness: you shamed him publicly, you hurt him, he was insulted by you - all because "I had to tell him the truth." Who said you had to? There are times when one must alter the truth for the sake of peace.
If a person knows something will cause strife, quarreling, or lashon hara, it must not be spoken. Suppose a friend asks you: "I saw Yaakov whispering with you, and when I walked over he changed the subject - what did he say about me?" And you answer: "He said you are stingy and unpleasant... I am telling you the truth because I am not one to lie." What kind of conduct is that? The Chafetz Chaim rules: you are permitted to lie. If he asks you, "Did he speak about me?" you are permitted to say, "No, he didn't say anything about you." Even an outright falsehood is permitted here, as it falls under the category of altering the truth for the sake of peace.
Certainly, it is always preferable to divert the matter in a way that is not an explicit lie, phrasing it so the listener understands it that way without an untruth passing one's lips. "I think Yaakov was talking about me; weren't you talking about me?" - "What are you thinking, do we have nobody else to talk about besides you? Are you the only thing on his mind?" You did not state that you did not speak about him, nor did you say Yaakov did not mention him, yet he will understand that they were not talking about him. That is better than saying, "He didn't speak about you." In any case, if he corners you and asks point-blank, "Tell me, he spoke about me, right?" - you are permitted to tell him explicitly: "He did not speak about you," so as not to stumble into lashon hara, hatred, and strife.
This is what the verse means: the tzaddik contemplates wisdom, there is no falsehood or iniquity in his mouth, and his mouth is not perverse. Even so, "the lips of the righteous know goodwill" - the righteous know when words will conciliate their fellow, when a soft answer turns away wrath, and as Chazal taught, that one is permitted to alter the truth for the sake of peace. Through this, he conducts himself in a manner that dispels feuds and controversy.
"And the mouth of the wicked, perversity" - Habituation to Falsehood
The wicked have mouths trained and accustomed always to the opposite of truth. Rabbeinu Yonah explains: when a dispute arises between people, even if they have no connection to the matter and gain nothing from it, they will always find support and arguments for the side of falsehood and injustice. Consider those who trouble Israel from within, who are not satisfied with our external enemies, but go and assist them, accepting money from them to inform on their fellow Jews. Whatever you say - they will find the opposite rationale: why we are supposedly the wicked ones, why we are the abusers, why we, whose only wish is simply not to be blown up here, are in the wrong. This is the contrarian type: whatever you say, he tells you the opposite is true, always pursuing the crooked side. This is "the mouth of the wicked is perverse" - overturning the matter rather than following straightforward truth.
And how did they become so accustomed to lying? Rabbeinu Yonah explains: because they routinely engaged in acts of oppression, robbery, injustice, and falsehood, and consequently, when one interacts with others, he continues this ingrained habit. His lips have become conditioned to speak falsehood and to lean toward deception, so wherever false claims arise, he finds himself drawn to them rather than to the truth. The example is precise: such people consistently walk the path of falsehood; their entire life is lived in a lie rather than according to the truth of the holy Torah, and consequently they love the way of deceit and justify the wicked, the criminals, and the terrorists. Why? Because this is his way. In his personal life as well, he lives a lie - there is a Torah and there are mitzvos, yet he does not live by them - so do not be surprised that he naturally tilts toward falsehood.
The Vilna Gaon: Genuine Appeasement
The Vilna Gaon explains the concept of ratzon (appeasement) somewhat differently. "The lips of the righteous know appeasement": even if the tzaddik happened to sin against his fellow, stumbling and angering him, he knows how to appease him when he has acted improperly. As Chazal taught, he should bring three people and ask forgiveness before them, so that it will be a genuine, wholehearted request for pardon. And when his fellow sees that he is truly remorseful and that it is sincere - he forgives him immediately.
"And the mouth of the wicked, perversity": the wicked person, even when he must appease his fellow, speaks duplicitously - one thing in his mouth and another in his heart. He comes to apologize only because he has no choice, because the situation might cause him problems and he needs you. Were he to have a choice, what does he care that you were hurt? "Listen, about what happened yesterday, I thought about it and I am very sorry" - yet you know he is not sorry and thought nothing of it, but simply needs you right now and has come to flatter you. This is "the mouth of the wicked is perverse": his heart and mouth are not aligned, and consequently, people will not forgive him.
Why "Lips" for the Tzaddik and "Mouth" for the Wicked?
The Vilna Gaon further notes the difference in phrasing: by the tzaddik it says "the lips of" (siftei), whereas by the wicked it says "the mouth of" (pi). In the Gra's view (unlike the approach of the Malbim), lips symbolize superficial speech - "from the lip outward," insincere speech where one thing is said and another felt in the heart, words in which one is not wholehearted. Therefore, regarding the tzaddik it says "the lips of": even in situations where people typically speak insincerely, the tzaddik does not do so; rather, "they know favor" - he knows how to appease and does so genuinely. Even where others would not appease sincerely, the tzaddik appeases from the heart.
By contrast, regarding the wicked: "the mouth of" - even where there is no need to speak deceitfully, and one could easily state matters as they are, with mouth and heart aligned, he nevertheless speaks in crooked, duplicitous ways. This is a reality we observe in people far removed from truth: their habitual inclination is always to lie, and even when unnecessary, they will find an opening to inject falsehood. Why was a lie needed here? What did it achieve or accomplish? The tzaddik is the exact opposite: even where many would lie - he speaks the truth. And this does not refer to circumstances where one must alter the truth for the sake of peace, where certainly the tzaddik too would alter the facts.
Why "Tzaddik" in Singular and "Wicked" in Plural?
The Gra also addresses another shift: "the lips of the righteous" (tzaddik) is singular, whereas instead of "the mouth of the wicked one" (rasha), the verse says "the mouth of the wicked" (resha'im) in the plural. He explains: even when the tzaddik is the only one in the right and his counterpart is the wicked one - meaning, superficially it seems I wronged you, but in truth it was not a sin, for I am the righteous one in this scenario; I yelled at you, but I am the tzaddik and you are the rasha - nevertheless, "the lips of the righteous know appeasement," and he goes to appease him and ask his forgiveness.
This is like the incident involving Rav and the butcher who sinned against him, where Rav went on Erev Yom Kippur to present himself before the butcher so the man could ask him for forgiveness. A certain sage observed: Rav has gone to take a life - for he knew that this wicked man would not be appeased, and ultimately strict judgment would fall upon him and he would die, and so it happened. We see that the tzaddik, even when he himself is entirely in the right against his wicked counterpart, nevertheless swallows his pride. Likewise in the weekly Torah portion: Moshe Rabbeinu goes to Dathan and Abiram, goes to Korach - he personally approaches them so as not to perpetuate strife, even though "I am the righteous one and you are the wicked."
In contrast, the wicked person: even when he is clearly in the wrong in this instance - meaning he knows he did not act properly and that the other side is right - does not know how to appease and does not go to make peace. "You were the one out of line; you are the one who needs to say I have sinned, committed iniquity, and transgressed!" That is the feeling he walks away with: I am in the right and you are not, so will he come ask my forgiveness before I ask his? Therefore it says "and the mouth of the wicked" in the plural: even when both of them are wicked - you are the wrongdoer here and your fellow is also a wrongdoer, and you have no advantage over him - nevertheless he speaks perversity in his heart and does not tell the truth.
The Malbim: Pleasing Heaven and Pleasing People
The Malbim explains: "The lips of the righteous know goodwill [ratzon]" - the righteous person has advanced through wisdom to the level of da'at, and da'at signifies clear, definite knowledge. He grew in wisdom and reached a clarity of understanding, such that everything he does is done with certainty, free of doubts and hesitations. And this is the definition of "lip" [safah], as explained previously: something that a person draws upon immediately, which rests readily on his lips.
And ratzon carries two meanings: that which is pleasing and desirable to Hashem, and also the concept of conciliation [hitratzut] - as when someone angers me and I am subsequently appeased, in the manner of "hard to anger and easy to appease." The righteous person knows how to articulate what is the will of Hashem - "any path that is an honor to the one who chooses it" - and also what pleases human beings, "and brings him honor from mankind." He finds the way to act in a manner that pleases both the Holy One, blessed be He, and other people. He does not act in a way where he says, "I am fulfilling the will of Hashem," while infuriating everyone around him, nor the reverse: doing the will of people and avoiding anything contrary to their wishes, thereby angering the Holy One, blessed be He. Rather, "the lips of the righteous know goodwill" - with clear certainty, he can tell you what fulfills both the will of Hashem and the goodwill of people, for he has attained true da'at.
"And the mouth of the wicked is duplicity": the mouth alludes to wisdom, which is something more internal, the organ with which a person chews. And the mouth of the wicked, with which they utter things contrary to wisdom, is perverse - they have rules and principles that run counter to the ways of wisdom. The righteous person knows how to state the proper principles according to the ways of wisdom, knowing how to act so as to bring satisfaction to Hashem, may He be blessed, as well as favor in the eyes of people; but as for the wicked person, the things he does are the opposite of the ways of wisdom, and therefore it is said of him, "and the mouth of the wicked is duplicity."
The Ben Ish Chai's Parable: "I'm Just Blunt"
The Ben Ish Chai has a book of parables, and in one of them he cites an entire story he saw in a periodical about a man who resolved on Rosh Hashanah to walk only in the path of truth and tell people the plain truth to their faces. He describes there how many troubles befell him in a single day. It began with his wife, to whom he bluntly said what he thought of her, and so on and so forth.
From this one can understand: a person who says, "I'm just blunt" - what is this "bluntness"? Hashem gave you an intellect, and the purpose of the intellect is for a person to have tact: to know what to say, how to say it, and where to say it. Just as there is a mitzvah to speak, so too are there times when it is a mitzvah not to speak. Sometimes a person thinks this frankness is a virtue, but it is not so. If in that situation your obligation was to remain silent, you should have kept quiet.
In summary:
The last three verses of the chapter teach us three truths. First, "the righteous will never falter" - the righteous person falls, but his fall is temporary, and his virtue is that he rises; whereas the wicked person, even when appearing stable, has no permanent dwelling. Second, "the mouth of the righteous flourishes with wisdom" - his mouth flows like a spring, producing an answer for everything, while the perverse tongue, which contradicts itself, is cut off on its own because no one listens to it. And third, "the lips of the righteous know goodwill" - the righteous person knows how to appease his Creator and his fellow creatures, pleases sincerely and wholeheartedly, and even knows when to deviate from the strict truth for the sake of peace; whereas the wicked person's mouth and heart are not aligned, and he is always drawn toward crookedness. The lesson for each of us: never despair over falls, speak words that are measured and stable, and know when to speak and when to remain silent - that we may merit both to do the will of our Creator and to find favor in the eyes of mankind.