Introduction
We continue in Chapter 11 of Mishlei. The verses before us deal with two types of servants of Hashem - the wholehearted (tamim) and the upright (yashar) - and what rescues each of them from the potential pitfall in his path; the fate of the wicked at his death; the rescue of the righteous from distress; and the trait of flattery and the immense harm it causes. We will examine the explanations of the Malbim, the Vilna Gaon, and Rabbeinu Yonah, and the moral lessons derived from them.
"The Righteousness of the Upright Rescues Them" - What the Upright Lacks and What the Wholehearted Lacks
צִדְקַת יְשָׁרִים תַּצִּילֵם וּבְהַוַּת בֹּגְדִים יִלָּכֵדוּ׃ (ו) - "The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but through the ruin of the treacherous they will be trapped." (6)
The Vilna Gaon explains: A yashar (upright person) is someone who uses his intellect to walk strictly along the straight path, turning neither right nor left, setting his character traits before him, examining them, and walking uprightly. Yet precisely someone guided by human intellect can easily deviate from the path of Torah, for he relies on his intellect - and human intellect is liable to mislead him. What rescues him? His righteousness. Being cleaved to Hashem rescues a person even where intellect was required.
This dynamic operates on both sides. In the previous verse, it was said of the tamim (wholehearted person): "The righteousness of the wholehearted makes his path straight." The wholehearted person lacks shrewdness - the ability to fight the yetzer hara (evil inclination) with cunning strategies, to be "cunning in fear of God." What will save him? His righteousness before Hashem. And the upright person lacks simplicity: he operates according to logic, so when something makes no intellectual sense to him, questions and misunderstandings about the Torah arise, and he becomes uncertain of his path. The wholehearted person, by contrast, does not engage in sophistry or overthinking: "This is what I was told to do, so this is what I do." At times, this is precisely what is needed - to act with pure simplicity when the intellect attempts to steer you away from the path of Torah. What rescues the upright? "The righteousness of the upright will rescue them" - the fact that he walks with Hashem in righteousness.
In summary: the upright person lacks wholehearted simplicity, while the wholehearted person lacks intellectual uprightness. What rescues both of them from their respective shortcomings is one and the same: if a person walks with Hashem in righteousness, he will succeed in overcoming the vulnerability inherent in his path and be saved from the evil inclination.
"And Through the Ruin of the Treacherous They Will Be Trapped"
The treacherous (bogdim) are the opposite of the upright: the upright walks along the straight path, while the traitor perverts his way. Havat denotes breaking or ruin, as in "Calamity (hovah) upon calamity shall come." One who betrays Hashem is someone who relies on his intellect contrary to the Torah. The upright person is saved by his righteousness, which prevents him from pursuing pure intellect to the extreme in matters that oppose the Torah. The traitor lacks this righteousness and is wicked; therefore, "through the ruin of the treacherous they will be trapped" - a fracture will occur in his deeds and he will suffer harm, for relying on intellect alone will inevitably lead him into error.
Why Does the Wholehearted's Opposite "Fall" While the Treacherous Are "Trapped"?
צִדְקַת תָּמִים תְּיַשֵּׁר דַּרְכּוֹ וּבְרִשְׁעָתוֹ יִפֹּל רָשָׁע׃ (ה) - "The righteousness of the wholehearted makes his path straight, but through his wickedness the wicked one shall fall." (5)
Notice the precise wording: regarding the opposite of the wholehearted, the verse says, "the wicked one shall fall," whereas regarding the opposite of the upright, it says, "they will be trapped." The Vilna Gaon explains: one who walks in wholeheartedness and does not tread where the net of the evil inclination is spread cannot be trapped, but he might stumble and fall inadvertently. Therefore, the wicked person, who is the opposite of the wholehearted, likewise falls unintentionally: he errs due to the underlying wickedness already within him, and this is described as a "fall."
In contrast, the opposite of the upright - the upright person walks according to sound, straight intellect, whereas here one can easily fall into the net, becoming trapped in the snare of the yetzer hara. And this is already considered akin to an intentional act, since one is leaning on his own intellect. Regarding an intellectual who acted according to his reasoning contrary to the Torah - because he has questions and his own understandings - one cannot say that he merely "fell," for falling happens unwittingly. Rather, what happened? He was trapped. His intellect swayed him and drew him after that opinion, seized him, and convinced him that this was the proper path. Therefore, regarding the treacherous, it is appropriate to say that "they will be trapped," while concerning the upright - in the merit of their righteousness, they will be delivered.
At the Death of a Wicked Person - Hope and Expectation
בְּמוֹת אָדָם רָשָׁע תֹּאבַד תִּקְוָה וְתוֹחֶלֶת אוֹנִים אָבָדָה׃ (ז) - At the death of a wicked person, hope perishes, and the expectation of strengths is lost.
Here we find both "tikvah" (hope) and "tochelet" (expectation). What is the difference between them? The Vilna Gaon explains: hope refers to something expected to happen in the near future, whereas expectation refers to something meant to occur many years later, in the distant future. The wicked person pursues pleasures and desires, expecting immediate gratification - and when he dies, this hope for immediate good is lost. "And the expectation of strengths is lost" - "onim" refers to children and descendants, as in the phrase "the first of my strength" (reishit oni). What he hoped would be good for his children as well - which is a long-term expectation, as it concerns his children's future - also perishes at the time of his death. Even for this there is no hope, and the wicked person will not receive this either.
The Malbim explains differently: one who "yearns with expectation" (meyachel) awaits something that will arrive with certainty, like someone awaiting the morning light - he has a promise regarding a specific thing and is merely waiting for it to arrive. This is "tochelet": something that will certainly come. "Tikvah" (hope), by contrast, relates to something uncertain - I hope it will come. This is why we say, "Be strong and let your heart take courage, all who wait (meyachalim) for Hashem" - we do not merely hope, but expect with certainty. The wicked possess no such certainty, only hope: they do not await the reward stored up for the righteous, but merely hope for success in this world, pleasures, and happiness. And at his death - "hope perishes": everything he hoped to enjoy here is lost in that instant.
"And the expectation of onim is lost" - "onim" here, says the Malbim, is related to the word onenim (mourners); an onen is one whose deceased relative lies before him awaiting burial. His children, mourning over him, harbored an expectation - and this was indeed an expectation of certainty, for they knew their father possessed property and expected that he would leave them an inheritance. Yet even this expectation is lost: strangers will inherit, others will receive his fortune, or the wealth will be lost in some unfortunate circumstance, until the expectation of his sons is also lost.
The Righteous Is Rescued from Trouble - and the Wicked Comes in His Stead
צַדִּיק מִצָּרָה נֶחֱלָץ וַיָּבֹא רָשָׁע תַּחְתָּיו׃ (ח) - The righteous is rescued from trouble, and the wicked comes in his stead.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: Come and see the virtue of the righteous and the disgrace of the wicked. Sometimes a decree hangs over the righteous, and in his place the wicked person is delivered to receive that decree, as it is written, "I have given Egypt as your ransom" - Egypt became the ransom in our stead. "A ransom for the righteous is the wicked": who serves as the ransom for the righteous, and what is the payment of ransom? The wicked person. This is what Shlomo says: the righteous is rescued from trouble, and who comes in his stead? The wicked person, and he is the one who suffers what the righteous was meant to suffer.
We learned an example of this in the Book of Iyov: when the Jewish people left Egypt, the Satan brought an accusation, saying before the Holy One, blessed be He, "These are idolaters and those are idolaters." What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He handed Iyov over to him. It is like a dog coming to bite and someone throws him a bone - take this and occupy yourself with it. Iyov was, as it were, the ransom in place of the Jewish people. And why is he termed wicked? For Iyov was the reincarnation of Terach, and Terach was wicked, which is why he was handed over in place of the Jewish people. The deeper meaning of this was explained there at length.
The Vilna Gaon explains: although trouble may come upon the righteous - something unnatural for the righteous - he will nevertheless be extricated from it. However, the trouble does not return empty-handed; since it was decreed, it must fall upon someone, and therefore "the wicked comes in his stead" - the trouble strikes him instead of the righteous person. And why is the word "nechelats" used? Because it means not only that the righteous is rescued from trouble, but also in the sense of "and strengthen (yachalits) your bones" in the verse, "and you shall be like a watered garden, and He shall invigorate your bones" - that his bones will be robust and flourishing. "The righteous is rescued (nechelats) from trouble" in a dual sense: he is extracted from it, and moreover he will experience good in its place.
Where do we see this? In the story of Haman. Trouble confronted Mordechai - "the righteous is rescued from trouble," Mordechai was saved; "and the wicked comes in his stead" - they hanged Haman. And not only was Mordechai saved, but he was strengthened ("yachalits"): he received Haman's estate, and they appointed him and elevated him to greatness. Another example: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were denounced, and Nevuchadnezzar decided to cast them into the fiery furnace. "The righteous is rescued from trouble" - the fire did not harm them; "and the wicked comes in his stead" - the wicked were the ones who took the blow. And so it is stated there: "Because the king's command was urgent" - since the king's decree was pressed with haste, "and the furnace was heated exceedingly" - the furnace was stoked with tremendous heat, "those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego" - the men who took Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to cast them into the furnace, "the flame of the fire killed them" - the sparks of fire leaping from the burning furnace killed them. The sparks reached far outside, yet when the three entered inside, they were not harmed at all.
With His Mouth, the Flatterer Destroys His Fellow
בְּפֶה חָנֵף יַשְׁחִת רֵעֵהוּ וּבְדַעַת צַדִּיקִים יֵחָלֵצוּ׃ (ט) - With his mouth, the flatterer destroys his fellow, but through the knowledge of the righteous they are delivered. (9)
The wicked person entices the tzaddik through flattery, using smooth talk and deceptive speech, in order to destroy his fellow. "And through the knowledge of the righteous they are delivered" - the tzaddik is rescued from that flatterer and destroyer by means of knowledge, through his inner wisdom and righteousness. Moreover, they are not merely delivered; rather, as we saw in the preceding verse, the flatterer himself falls into the very misfortune he prepared for the tzaddik. As the Malbim explains: the evil recoils upon the one who slandered him.
The Malbim offers another explanation: a person flatters and does not rebuke the wicked person because he wishes to fawn over him. "Why should I tell him he is wicked? I will tell him: You are wonderful, you are righteous, you are perfectly fine, if only everyone were like you!" This is flattery, and through this he destroys his fellow. For had you rebuked him, you would have rectified him and brought him to the life of the World to Come; but by continually broadcasting to him that he is decent, upright, and righteous, you have caused his destruction. He will pursue his path with even greater intensity, because so-and-so told him that he is fine. Through this, he ensures that the wicked person will merely incur his punishment rather than repent.
Rabbeinu Yonah: Untrue Praise Leads to Pride
Rabbeinu Yonah mentions the trait of flattery here: the flatterer destroys his fellow and causes him harm, for when you praise someone for a virtue he does not truly possess, you lead him into arrogance and place him in the category of an abomination to Hashem, as it says, "An abomination to Hashem is every proud heart." This seems puzzling at first: if I praise someone for a virtue he actually possesses and he becomes proud, does that not also constitute "an abomination to Hashem is every proud heart"? Why does Rabbeinu Yonah specify praising him for a virtue he does not have? From the language of the verse it is understandable, as it writes "flatterer" (chaneif), and flattery strictly refers to saying something untruthful; yet from the standpoint of the concern that I am causing you to stumble into arrogance, that concern exists even when speaking the truth.
The answer, according to its simple understanding, aligns with the view of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, who held that the prohibition of lifnei iveir ("do not place a stumbling block before the blind") does not apply to character traits. There are those who disagree with him, but here we seemingly find support for his approach. For one might argue: I am commanded to encourage my friend, to speak to him words softer than oil, to crown him over me with pleasantness - which is one of the very things a person is asked on the Day of Judgment: Did you crown your fellow over yourself with pleasantness? But if I praise him, his spirit might soar and he may become haughty, and the Torah says, "Do not place a stumbling block before the blind!" Because of this, some people are excessively cautious and will never utter a good word to anyone, Heaven forbid, lest they cause him to stumble - they are so scrupulous in mitzvot...
Yet this concern, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter explains, need not worry you at all, for lifnei iveir does not apply to character traits. Lifnei iveir applies to food and explicit transgressions: if I serve you non-kosher food, or cause you to stumble into theft or another prohibition, I have violated "do not place a stumbling block before the blind." But if I cause you to stumble into pride, or anything relating to character traits - for instance, if I said something that upset you, and as a result of my words you became angry - I have not violated lifnei iveir. The same applies here: Rabbeinu Yonah is addressing a situation where you tell him something that is completely untrue, where the question arises of what permission you had to say such a thing in the first place, and if he becomes proud because of it, guilt attaches to you, since he became haughty as a direct result of your false words. But when I tell you the truth, the obligation rests upon you not to "buy" what I said and not to become arrogant because of it. Likewise, if I am commanded to rebuke you and I know you will become angry, the Torah tells me not to fear lifnei iveir; the obligation is upon you not to lose your temper. I do not need to worry whether you will become angry or proud; the commandment not to be angry or arrogant falls on you. This is the meaning of "and through the knowledge of the righteous they are delivered": the tzaddik is rescued from the flatterer; he does not buy what the flatterer sells him, and through his inner knowledge he is saved from his words.
"And Even If the Whole World Tells You That You Are a Tzaddik"
This is also what Chazal teach: Be a tzaddik and do not be a rasha, and even if the entire world tells you, "You are a tzaddik," be in your own eyes as a rasha. A person hears everyone saying that he is a tzaddik and thinks to himself: who knows, maybe it is true. To this they say: be in your own eyes as a rasha. For if you regard yourself as a tzaddik, you will never correct or improve yourself.
On the other hand, one must exercise great caution in this, as Rabbeinu Yeruchem of Mir said: if a person always regards himself as a rasha, he will say, "Why should I make an effort? Why should I exert myself? I am a rasha anyway." Rather, a person must thoroughly recognize his strengths, his capabilities, and the tools that Hashem has granted him - he must simply avoid becoming proud on account of them. After all, the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, placed within me great capacities to invest - is that any reason for pride? On the contrary, it means that more will be demanded and expected of me, for I have been given what someone off the street does not possess. This is no reason to feel superior to him, but rather to feel that a greater task and a heavier responsibility have been placed upon me. On one hand, Chazal say, "Be in your own eyes as a rasha," meaning do not believe the flattering things people say about you; on the contrary, strengthen yourself and do not accept the accolades. On the other hand, a person should not break his own spirit and say, "I am wicked." The general rule is as Chazal taught, that a person should view himself as balanced equally (a beinoni) and the world as balanced equally, and as the Rambam rules: if he performs a single mitzvah, he tips himself and the entire world to the side of merit; and if a single transgression, Heaven forbid, the opposite.
The Tzaddik Rebukes and the Flatterer Smooths Things Over - Whom to Choose as a Friend
Rabbeinu Yonah offers another explanation: "And through the knowledge of the righteous they shall be delivered" - they deliver their fellow men. Why? Because the righteous person rebukes people, which is the exact opposite of the flatterer. The flatterer goes around praising everyone for virtues they do not possess, thereby corrupting them, breeding arrogance, and preventing them from rectifying themselves. The righteous person does the exact opposite: he goes and rebukes his friend, pointing out what needs correction - and his friend is delivered, because the righteous person helps him mend his ways. Simply put: when choosing a friend, choose a righteous friend who will point out your shortcomings, not a charming friend who constantly tells you how good, upright, and decent you are. For "through the knowledge of the righteous they shall be delivered" - from this you will be saved: from the evil inclination, from arrogance, and from Gehinom; whereas through the mouth of the flatterer, one is ruined.
Indeed, there were righteous individuals who actively sought people to rebuke them. Rabbi Akiva said: I call Heaven and earth to witness that many times Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri complained about me - and this was before Rabban Gamliel, and he spoke harsh words about me - yet I testify about myself that not only did I not hate him, but every time he said something critical of me, my love for him only increased. Why? Because I knew his intentions were pure, that Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri wanted to help me improve and was not merely looking to find fault. This is the mindset a person needs when receiving rebuke: even if the other person did not have pure intentions, will it help you? Will it make you better? If he said something constructive, listen to what was said and accept the message.
We find a story about the Chazon Ish walking along the street when someone rebuked him. The person did not recognize him; he just saw an elderly Jew and said, "Instead of strolling around taking walks, recite some Tehillim." Now, the Chazon Ish was required to walk for health reasons. When he walked past again, the man said to him, "Didn't you understand? I told you to sit and recite some Tehillim instead of walking back and forth all day." The Chazon Ish thanked him, and from then on avoided walking past there. Later, that man's son fell ill, and people told him, "There is a great rabbi who recently arrived from abroad; go to him" - this was before the Chazon Ish became widely known. He arrived, saw that very same Jew, and nearly fainted on the spot. He pleaded for forgiveness, but the Chazon Ish said to him, "Nothing happened! What did you tell me, after all? To recite Tehillim! Ever since then, I make sure to recite a bit of Tehillim every day, because a fellow Jew rebuked me and told me to say Tehillim." That is the mark of a truly great person: a great person knows that if someone comes to rebuke him, look at what you can take from it, look at what you can fix. Perhaps he was sent from Heaven for a reason.
The Vilna Gaon's Explanation: Why Heretics Appear Pleasant
The Vilna Gaon explains: a "corrupter" (mashchit) refers to someone who leads another astray in sins between man and God, as it is written, "for all flesh had corrupted (hishchit) its way." One who comes to subvert and ruin his fellow does so "with a flatterer's mouth," through flattery and words smoother than oil. After all, one cannot persuade another to do something unless he approaches him in a pleasant, gentle manner.
Notice the Gaon's striking observation: this is why most heretics are naturally pleasant, in order to steal the heart of their fellow and corrupt him. Heretics - and apparently in earlier times this was even more noticeable than today - appear very amiable, sympathetic, good-natured, and possessing fine character traits. Why? Because that is the only way to entice someone and ensnare him in a net; if he appeared unscrupulous or negative in your eyes, you would never approach him. This is why Christianity presents itself as smoother than oil - presenting such kind and gentle people, preaching a "religion of love." Yet we all know how many souls that "religion of love" burned at the stake, how many it murdered, how many pogroms and tortures it inflicted - horrors wrought by the Catholic Church. Outwardly, however, they appear so gracious, and their words are smoother than oil.
This is what the Gra explains: whoever seeks to lead his fellow astray requires a flattering mouth, smooth speech, and gentle words, and through this, "with a flatterer's mouth he ruins his fellow" - he succeeds in corrupting him. "And through the knowledge of the righteous they shall be delivered" - only the righteous, who are constantly engaged in Hashem's mitzvos and understand the ways of Hashem, perceive that the flatterer is trying to distance them from the service of Hashem, and that the heretic is leading them to the brink of the abyss. They recognize that his words, sweet as honey though they may sound, are nothing but a honey trap, nothing but a snare. Because of this insight, they are delivered, and they do not fall into the trap the flatterer sets with his flattery.
In summary:
The verses before us teach several foundational principles. Righteousness saves the upright person (yashar) from the pitfalls of intellect, and it saves the simple person (tamim) from the vulnerability of lacking wariness in his fear of Heaven; whereas the treacherous person, who relies on his intellect against the Torah, does not merely "fall," but is "trapped" in the snare of his own intellect. The wicked person places all his hope in this world, and upon his death, his hope perishes along with the expectations of his sons. The righteous person is delivered from distress and even blessed in its stead, while the wicked person takes his place - like Mordechai and Haman, and like Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah. And in contrast to the flatterer, who ruins his fellow with words smoother than oil, inflating him with pride and preventing him from repenting, stands the righteous person who offers rebuke and rectification. From here we draw practical guidance: choose a friend who will tell you the truth, welcome rebuke with joy like Rabbi Akiva, do not buy into praise showered upon you - and at the same time, recognize the abilities the Holy One, blessed be He, has granted you, not as a reason for pride, but as a call for higher demands and greater responsibility.