In this section of Chapter 11, we examine three verses that address the relationship between the tzaddik (righteous person) and the rasha (wicked person) and the community around them: how the tzaddik influences the city, how the rasha destroys it, and what the proper response is to someone who degrades his fellow. We will study these verses in light of the Malbim, Rabbeinu Yonah, the Vilna Gaon, and Rashi.
בְּטוּב צַדִּיקִים תַּעֲלֹץ קִרְיָה וּבַאֲבֹד רְשָׁעִים רִנָּה׃ - When it goes well with the righteous, the city exults; and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: The tzaddik does good to all and does harm to no one. Therefore, when good comes to the tzaddik, everyone rejoices, for the tzaddik always endeavors to benefit everyone, and thus "the city exults."
Another explanation: The verse comes to teach that one is obligated to rejoice in the good of the tzaddik, and likewise, when misfortune befalls the wicked, one is obligated to rejoice - "and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation." This reflects the same principle expressed elsewhere: "The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but a man is tested by his praise." If you wish to know if silver is genuine, you refine it. If you wish to know if gold is pure, you place it into the furnace. And if you wish to know who a person truly is, examine his praise. Listen to whom he praises: if he is enamored with a soccer player, you understand where his head is; and if he praises a tzaddik, you likewise understand where his head is. A person who is captivated by a brilliant Torah novel idea shows that he is immersed in Torah; a person captivated by recent news or trivial vanity shows that this is where he is immersed.
The same applies to the righteous and the wicked. When good comes to the righteous, everyone ought to rejoice, and this reveals your inner character - that you take joy in the welfare of a tzaddik. And when a rasha perishes and you feel sorrow, it shows that you are tied to that wicked person and connected to him. On the contrary, "when the wicked perish," you are commanded to rejoice - jubilation.
And should you ask: Is it not written, "Do not hate your brother in your heart"? Rabbeinu Yonah already answers: It says "your brother," and an unrepentant wicked person is not included in "your brother." The Rambam similarly writes that when wicked people, heretics (apikorsim), and apostates (minim) die, their relatives must dress in white, celebrate a day of rejoicing, and make a festive meal - not a meal of condolence (seudat havra'ah), but a festive meal. Why? "When the wicked perish, there is jubilation."
In his time, Rav Dan Segal went to consult Rav Elyashiv regarding whether he was required to sit shivah for his brother. They discussed the specifics of the situation, and ultimately Rav Elyashiv answered that he did not need to sit shivah: there is no law of sitting shivah for a person who was a brazen heretic and actively fought against Hashem's commandments and against those who fear Hashem.
"When the wicked perish, there is jubilation" - this reflects the extent of your connection to Hashem, blessed is He. But if the death of a wicked person causes you pain and distress, it indicates that you are not truly connected to Hashem; it does not bother you that every single moment the wicked person lived caused pain to the Shechinah, and now, finally, the Shechinah is no longer in pain. Not only that, but one should also rejoice for the sake of the wicked person himself: every moment the wicked person lives, he adds fuel to the fire of his Gehennom. It would have been better for him to have died twenty years earlier, for then his Gehennom would have been smaller. Another twenty years meant another twenty years of sins, of desecrating Shabbat, of transgressions incurring karet and court execution, Heaven spare us. Thus, for the benefit of the wicked person himself, it would have been better had he died sooner.
It is told of Rav Chatzkel Levenstein that when he was informed that a notorious heretic, who had caused much wickedness, had passed away, people noticed that he looked sorrowful. They asked him: "Why is the Rav grieving? Is it not written, 'When the wicked perish, there is jubilation'?" He answered them: "It is true, you are correct: 'When the wicked perish, there is jubilation.' But on the other hand, I imagine the soul of this heretic, who fought his entire life because he was convinced that the truth was with him and that the Torah was false, and now he ascends on high and suddenly his error becomes clear to him. What anguish that soul experiences Above, discovering that all its life it was traveling in the opposite direction, and that instead of gathering mitzvot, it feverishly and devotedly accumulated sins! It is that state of affairs I am thinking about, and when I think about it, I cannot help but feel sorrow. Yet that is certainly mercy for the wicked person who only now Above has gained understanding; but regarding the fact that he is no longer here, we certainly rejoice, for as long as he was here, he continued to drill a hole in the boat in which we all sit."
The Vilna Gaon explains: When the Holy One, blessed be He, rescues the Jewish people from their oppressors, He first redeems them and bestows good upon them, and in the second stage He exacts retribution from those who distressed them. First He brings you out of trouble, and afterward He takes vengeance on whoever caused it. In Egypt - first He redeemed us, and afterward He drowned our adversaries in the Red Sea. With Haman - first He brought good upon Mordechai, "Thus shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor" in the city square, and only afterward "So they hanged Haman."
The Gaon makes a precise distinction: When Hashem bestows good upon the righteous, the entire city rejoices - yet they do not yet sing joyful praise to the Holy One, blessed be He. When do they sing and praise? When Hashem takes vengeance on those who rise up against us: when He exacts retribution from Egypt, when He exacts retribution from Haman. And this is "When the righteous prosper, a city rejoices" - for now there is only gladness, as in "and the city of Shushan was cheerful and glad." But afterward, when vengeance was taken upon Haman, and when Hashem drowned our adversaries in the Red Sea - then there is already joyous song (rinah). Rinah is much more: to sing and rejoice aloud. When did we sing Shirat HaYam (the Song of the Sea)? "And when the wicked perish, there is song" - only after the wicked perished did we sing rinah. When it goes well for the righteous, that is joy; the onset of rinah comes when the wicked has also received his blow.
The Gaon brings a further, more inner insight based on Sod (Kabbalah): The Zohar states, "Joy is in the morning, song is in the evening" - in the morning there is joy, in the evening there is song (rinah). "Avraham shall exult, Yitzchak shall sing." Avraham represents the morning, as his attribute is Chessed (lovingkindness) and kindnesses are morning, which is why he instituted the Shacharit (morning) prayer. Yitzchak alludes to the evening, twilight, as his attribute is Gevurah (severity) - therefore "Yitzchak shall sing," and rinah alludes to Gevurah. According to this: "When the righteous prosper, a city rejoices" - this is joy, the aspect of Chessed; "and when the wicked perish, there is song" - the song that stems from Gevurah, like Yitzchak, which is the aspect of strict justice. When the Holy One, blessed be He, executes judgments upon the wicked, that is an aspect of rinah, the aspect of Gevurah.
בְּבִרְכַּת יְשָׁרִים תָּרוּם קָרֶת וּבְפִי רְשָׁעִים תֵּהָרֵס׃ - By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
The Malbim explains the two verses together. What is the difference between "tzaddikim" (the righteous) and "yesharim" (the upright)? Tzaddikim are people who practice justice in actual deed, according to the letter of the law - what is due to you, you receive. The yesharim are people of understanding, whose nature leans toward good and who act beyond the letter of the law, and their stature is greater than that of the tzaddik.
The upright bring blessing upon the city and it is exalted, for blessing stems from the surplus of abundance within the soul of the one who blesses. "He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed" - do not read "shall be blessed" (yevorach) but rather "shall bless" (yevarech): one who has a generous eye can also bless others, for he desires to emanate and bestow. The righteous, by contrast, emanate from the physical good in their possession through deeds of charity; therefore, "When the righteous prosper, a city rejoices" - the city receives good from the righteous person's charitable deeds and rejoices in it.
And with the wicked it is the exact opposite. Corresponding to the city's joy from the deed of the righteous - "and when the wicked perish, there is song": the wicked person actively causes harm and does real damage, and when he perishes there will be song. And corresponding to the spiritual dimension - "By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted": when the upright person, who is naturally good and acts beyond the letter of the law, gives a blessing, there is great blessing and great abundance, and the city is exalted spiritually. On the other hand, "but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down" - this is the curse wrought by the wicked, the evil speech and slander, which tear down the city in its spiritual standing. Thus, the first part of the verses speaks of practical action, while the second part addresses spiritual abundance and blessing.
Rashi explains: "A city (karet) is exalted" - the ceiling (tikrat) of the house will be exalted and stand tall without falling, when there were upright kings. And which house? The Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple). And which upright ones? The kings of Yehudah. "Karet" is related to the word for roofing (keirui), as in "You shall designate (ve-hikreitem) cities for yourselves." The Malbim explains that an "ir" (city) is not surrounded by a wall, whereas a "karet" is walled, and "you shall designate cities" means you shall turn them into walled cities - related to the word for wall (kir), and also ceiling (tikrah). When there were upright and righteous kings, the karet was exalted, and the Beit HaMikdash stood firm in its place upon the heights of the city. "But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down" - through baseless hatred and through the wicked, in the days of evil kings, the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: When the upright achieve success in wealth and honor, a city is exalted - the city and the state rise. Why? Because when the upright are at the top, they sweep the people along after them toward acts of righteousness and integrity; and when the wicked are at the top, they sweep the people toward acts of wickedness. As we see: who dominates the media today - all the refuse and reviled elements, the mixed multitude, and they have succeeded in pulling the populace toward wickedness. And in the past, prime ministers and their cohorts led the people away from their faith. But when there is a righteous king - on the contrary, everyone is drawn after him. "But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down" - through talebearing, disputes, and strife between people, and because falsehood reigns supreme rather than truth, the city is ruined and corrupted.
Rabbeinu Yonah brings another explanation, according to the plain meaning: "By the blessing of the upright" - blessing and prayer. When the upright person blesses or prays, "a city is exalted," for their prayer is accepted - "and the prayer of the upright is His delight." The righteous uphold the city through prayer and blessing, while against them the wicked ruin it through cursing, slander, talebearing, and flattery - all those evil, corrupt things that emerge from a person's mouth.
The Vilna Gaon likewise explains that when Hashem blesses the upright, the city is exalted because they guide the people on an upright path, and when the wicked rule, they guide the people on a corrupt path and corrupt them. However, he notes the variation in phrasing: regarding the upright it says "By the blessing of the upright," while regarding the wicked it says "and by the mouth of the wicked" - why does it not say "by the mouth of the upright"? Rather, a good thought the Holy One, blessed be He, joins to deed, whereas an evil thought the Holy One, blessed be He, does not join to deed. Therefore, with the upright, already in the blessing - that is, in what they intend to bless - the city begins to be exalted and abundance flows, even while the blessing is still in thought. But the thought of the wicked accomplishes nothing, so for destruction and ruin to occur, actual speech is required: "and by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down" - until he actually utters the words with his mouth, the city will not be torn down.
בָּז לְרֵעֵהוּ חֲסַר לֵב וְאִישׁ תְּבוּנוֹת יַחֲרִישׁ׃ - He who despises his fellow lacks heart, but a man of understanding holds his peace.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: A person who despises his fellow lacks heart, which indicates a deficiency of mind and a deficiency of character, as the Tanna says in Avos: "Do not despise any man, and do not dismiss anything as impossible." "Lacking heart" (chaser lev) indicates a lack of proper character traits and morality, as in "one who commits adultery with a woman lacks heart" (Mishlei 6:32), and "to buy wisdom when there is no heart" (Mishlei 17:16), and along the lines of "he who heeds reproof acquires heart" (Mishlei 15:32). Likewise, "lacking heart" denotes one who lacks understanding, as in "like a silly dove without a heart" (Hoshea 7:11) - the dove is easily duped because it has no heart, meaning it has no sense. Thus, one who despises his fellow lacks understanding, proper character, and moral sensitivity.
"But a man of understanding holds his peace" - when a man of understanding hears someone insulting him, it is beneath his dignity to answer back, so he remains silent. Why? Lest he lower himself to that person's level: when you reply to someone who insults you, you place yourself on his footing and engage in petty strife with him. Moreover, the man of understanding says: the mere fact that this person insulted me is enough to show that he lacks heart. He has already testified to his own baseness and lack of character; everyone heard how he spoke and saw how he behaved, and that is sufficient. He has ruined his own reputation well enough, so I have no need to respond to vindicate myself. This is the meaning of "he who despises his fellow lacks heart" - and therefore, "a man of understanding holds his peace."
The Vilna Gaon explains: The heart is the seat of comprehension, and one who does not understand a matter through to its ultimate outcome is called "lacking heart" - he is incapable of grasping what the future will bring. He registers what he sees right now, but cannot grasp what will happen down the line. Now, the term "his fellow" (re'ehu) implies that the other person is well-disposed toward you, things between you are peaceful, he is your friend - yet you still disparage him. This shows you lack heart and do not foresee the outcome, for there is no person who does not have his hour. He might suddenly rise to prominence, and you will find yourself needing him; and he will say: "We were friends, yet you humiliated me, and now suddenly you need me?" Had you possessed understanding, you would have realized there is no sense in humiliating him, especially since he is your friend. Even beyond that - you never know. The very person you disparaged might turn out to be the employer at a workplace you wish to join; and that person you quarreled with over a parking space and spoke inappropriately to might suddenly turn out to sit on the admissions committee of the school where you want to enroll your child. Why despise anyone?
"A man of understanding" - a person of insight who possesses a heart not only refrains from despising his fellow, but even if someone else insults him, and even if that person is not his friend but a stranger, he nevertheless holds his peace and does not react. This highlights the vast contrast: the one lacking heart goes out of his way to despise even his friend, whereas the man of understanding does not respond even to a stranger who insulted him. Why does the verse say ish tevunos (in the plural) rather than ish tevunah? The Malbim explains that an ish tevunos is one endowed with multifaceted insights, and tevunah is wisdom - meaning he is a person of profound wisdom. Such an individual holds his peace and keeps silent.
The Malbim explains: Later, in chapter 14, the verse states, "He who despises his fellow sins" (Mishlei 14:21), and each verse must be understood in its specific context. There, it speaks of someone who humiliates his friend without cause; such a person sins against the laws of wisdom - that is, against morality - for why humiliate someone for no reason when he has done nothing to you? Here, however, the verse speaks of someone who was insulted first and retaliated in kind, insult for insult. Therefore the other is called "his fellow" (re'ehu) - in the sense that he treats him in the exact same manner: "He insulted me, so I will insult him back."
If his fellow insulted him first, he is not branded a sinner. The Gemara indicates that it is permitted to retort to someone who insulted you - provided it is strictly in kind, without paying him back double, which would carry a semblance of "usury." If he made a specific disparaging remark, one may respond on that same level, but one is forbidden to say, "Now I am going to reveal everything about you to everyone." Of course, even from that which is technically permitted, it is certainly best to refrain, and one who restrains his mouth in the heat of a dispute attains immense spiritual stature - but strictly from the perspective of Halachah, he is not deemed a sinner.
What, then, is the problem? The Malbim explains that this violates the laws of understanding (binah). One who exercises foresight and considers the ultimate outcome realizes that he should not retaliate, even against someone who insulted him first. As the verse states, "He who is slow to anger possesses great understanding, but he who is short-tempered exalts folly" (Mishlei 14:29). Fools are devoid of heart, as it says, "and fools die for lack of heart" (Mishlei 10:21), and a fool lacks the inner strength to master his spirit - having what we might call a "short fuse": someone says something to him, and he instantly reacts. Such people have no self-control; they do not act on understanding, but rather on instinct and fleeting emotion. Thus, "a man of understanding holds his peace" - even when he would technically be permitted to respond, having been wronged and having grounds to defend himself, he recognizes that in such a situation, silence is far superior.
The Malbim adds a precise linguistic distinction: What is the difference between lehacharish (holding one's peace) and lishtok (being quiet)? Hachrashah always occurs in response to a question or a statement - someone spoke to me, and I hold my peace, as in "And the people held their peace and answered him not a word" (Yeshayahu 36:21). Shtikah, on the other hand, can occur even when no one has spoken, simply remaining silent from the outset. This is why the verse specifies, "a man of understanding holds his peace (yacharish)" - even when provoked and insulted, because he is a man of understanding, he holds his peace, refusing to reply or utter a single word to his antagonist.