In this part of the chapter, we address several major foundations: a person's attitude toward Hashem's mitzvot and their value, the greatness of the wise person's Torah as a source of life, the power of genuine understanding versus the forced path of the treacherous, the way of the prudent versus the fool, and finally - the faithfulness of the messenger. We will proceed verse by verse, primarily following the Malbim, alongside Rabbeinu Yonah, the Vilna Gaon, and Rashi.
בָּז לְדָבָר יֵחָבֶל לוֹ, וִירֵא מִצְוָה הוּא יְשֻׁלָּם׃ - One who despises a matter will be harmed by it, but one who fears a commandment will be rewarded.
The Malbim explains: The early sages debated whether a person must fulfill all 613 mitzvot, or whether it is sufficient to fulfill just one mitzvah. Indeed, this is a dispute in the Gemara. The Gemara expounds the verse, "She opened her mouth without measure [beli chok]" - who opened its mouth? Gehinnom. And for whom? One sage says: For one who did not learn even a single statute [chok]; which implies that if he learned even one statute, he is saved. The other sage says: For one who failed to fulfill even a single statute; meaning that if he is missing even one statute, Gehinnom has already opened its mouth for him.
These are two truly polar perspectives. According to the first, one statute is enough to prevent Gehinnom from opening its mouth. According to the second, even if he fulfilled the entire Torah but failed to fulfill a single statute, it opens its mouth for him. The question is whether one statute is sufficient, or whether missing even one statute is already decisive.
The Malbim explains: Both views are true. Know that a person must believe in and be prepared to fulfill all of Hashem's commandments. If he disparages even a single mitzvah, regarding him it is said, "For he has despised the word of Hashem," and he is considered as one who denies the entire Torah. This is the meaning of "One who despises a matter will be harmed by it" - if he despises even one commandment, saying: "Forget it, this is not a mitzvah, we do not need to do this, it is not important" - "he will be harmed," enduring suffering and punishments.
However, if a person believes in the entire Torah, does not disparage even a single mitzvah, and accepts upon himself the yoke of all the Torah and mitzvot - but in practice only had the opportunity to fulfill one mitzvah, such as someone in prison who could fulfill only one mitzvah and did so - he receives reward as if he fulfilled the entire Torah. This is the meaning of "but one who fears a commandment will be rewarded": if he possesses the fear of Heaven to fulfill it, even though he performed only one commandment - "commandment" in the singular, not "commandments" - he will be rewarded. For the Holy One, Blessed is He, says: "We are witnesses," I testify regarding him that had he been given the opportunity, he would have fulfilled the entire Torah.
It turns out that the first opinion speaks of someone who fulfilled one statute out of an acceptance of the entire Torah, and Gehinnom will not harm him; while the second opinion speaks of someone who failed to fulfill a single statute out of contempt - not because his evil inclination overpowered him, but because he declared that this mitzvah is unacceptable to him - and such a person, through this contempt alone, already inherits Gehinnom.
תּוֹרַת חָכָם מְקוֹר חַיִּים, לָסוּר מִמֹּקְשֵׁי מָוֶת׃ - The teaching of a wise man is a fountain of life, to turn away from the snares of death.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: A spring [makor] is different from a stream [nachal]. A spring is a source of living water, water that bubbles forth continuously. A stream, by contrast, is a flow of water passing from here to there, from place to place. So too is the wise person: his words of mussar are continually renewed; for every single matter he has counsel, and for every situation he possesses the wisdom of how to perceive it. The teaching of a wise man is a flowing spring, a source of wisdom constantly bubbling up from the source of life. And whoever listens to his voice and accepts his rebuke, and whoever consults the wise person on how to act, will merit "to turn away from the snares of death," from the traps that bring his soul to death.
The Gra explains: through the wisdom of the sages, one can know the path of the entire Torah and the manner of its conduct. Moreover - through his wisdom, a person can know what the Torah instructs even without having studied it directly. An example of this is Avraham Avinu, of whom Chazal said that he observed even eiruvei techumin, and some say even eiruvei tavshilin. How? Through his wisdom: his two kidneys were like flowing springs, and from them he learned Torah. Through his wisdom he attained the Torah.
However, says the Gaon, this is still not enough to turn away from the snares of death. Through your wisdom you might know the Torah, but that does not guarantee that you will not stumble into sin. Therefore it says, "The teaching of a wise man is a fountain of life": specifically the Torah of the sage, the Torah in which the sage engages, is the fountain of life, and from it you will also know how to turn away from the snares of death.
And the Malbim explains: the path of wisdom is called the path of life, and folly is called the path of death. Why? Because life and death in this world are marginal and negligible; true life and true death are eternal. As the parable says: if he kills me - his killing is not eternal destruction; you have killed me here, depriving me of twenty or thirty years, but I have an eternity without end. Life in this world is temporary. It turns out that true life is wisdom, whereas a life of folly is not called life at all, but death. Therefore, the wicked are called dead even while alive: they have no eternal life, and whatever they have here is temporary and fleeting. Like a plant about which you are told that in two days it will wither - would you call it alive? "They sprout like grass" - you see it blossoming, but it is "to be destroyed forever." That is called death.
And conversely: a plant bulb looks dead, but you are told - plant it in the soil, and it will flourish for many years. What would you call it? Alive, for it possesses the potential for life. So it is with the righteous person and the wise person. Whoever draws from the waters of wisdom will have eternal life; and whoever draws from the waters of folly, from stagnant, foul waters, will experience eternal death.
And how does one know how to conduct oneself along the path of eternal life? By observing the deeds of the righteous person and his conduct. "The mouth of a righteous man is a fountain of life" - through what the mouth of the righteous person teaches, one reaches the fountain of life to drink from it and receive eternal life, provided one subordinates himself to the righteous person and heeds his counsel, or out of fear of Hashem. In contrast, there is the path of death: evil desires and corrupted character traits. How do we distance ourselves from them? By connecting to the wise man, by attaching ourselves to the fountain of life - the teaching of a wise man. From the Torah of the sage, one draws ways to be saved from the evil inclination, from cravings, and from the snares set for us by the forces of impurity.
With the wise person, wisdom is organized. He knows the general principles and the details, what constitutes the path of wisdom and what constitutes the path of folly, and he shows you: do not walk along this path. You think that if you do this it will be good, but he tells you: my son, do not walk in the way with them, for this is a place of deadly snares. At first it appears to you as a paved road, but its end is ruin. The wise person looks far ahead, and therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him far-reaching vision, and the sages are called the eyes of the congregation. What an ordinary person cannot see due to limited vision, the sage sees, and he tells you: know that damage will emerge from this matter and from this advice. For he is the wise one and he is the one who knows.
שֵׂכֶל טוֹב יִתֶּן חֵן, וְדֶרֶךְ בֹּגְדִים אֵיתָן׃ - Good understanding bestows favor, but the way of the faithless is harsh.
Rabbeinu Yonah says: "Good understanding" refers to the intellect of truth, and truth illuminates its own way. When a person speaks words of truth, the words find favor in the eyes of the listeners even without bringing proof, for "the palate tastes food" - when a person chews and tastes, he senses immediately whether the flavor is good. In the same way, good, true, and correct words bestow favor, and people understand and accept them.
"But the way of the faithless is harsh" - those who argue false claims and present supposed proofs for falsehood want to force people to believe their words even though they are untrue, so they resort to force to persuade. And why do they need force? Because had truth been on their side, "good understanding bestows favor" - the moment you heard it, you would see that it is good and true, and it would find favor with you. But the way of the faithless does not ring true, and since one cannot persuade, one is compelled to impose it by force. Therefore, whenever forces arose to tear people away from the faith - in what manner did they do it? Through "eitan", through force: cutting off peyot, forcing people to work on Shabbat. Had that been good understanding and truth, it would have bestowed favor; but since it is the way of the faithless, there is no way to persuade other than by force, coercing the corrupt path by might.
Another explanation in Rabbeinu Yonah: when people see someone who possesses good understanding and walks in the path of truth, they love him, regard him favorably, and respect him. But the treacherous person, how will he attain honor? No one wants to respect him, for he is a deceitful character. Therefore - "the way of the faithless is harsh": by casting fear he makes himself formidable and hard, thereby seizing power and imposing his view, for without this forceful hardness no one would respect him, and only out of dread are they forced to show him deference.
The Vilna Gaon explains: one who possesses good understanding - which is Torah, along with good character traits - "bestows favor," and everyone takes pride in him, as it is said, "Fortunate is he whose teacher taught him Torah," seeing his conduct, his fine traits, and his derech eretz. But regarding the way of the faithless - even if he has a little Torah, he conducts himself with brazenness and force, hiding behind the power of the Torah within him. Then the power of the Torah in him becomes destructive, and it would have been better had he possessed no Torah at all. For if a person walks with the Torah and uses it rightly, engaging in it with all his might and following its path completely - "it bestows favor," people take pride in him, and he finds favor in everyone's eyes. But if he walks in the way of the faithless and does not learn properly, on the contrary: by virtue of the Torah he seeks even more to lord over others, and the Torah becomes for him a lethal potion. Now, because of the little Torah he possesses, he demands authority, insisting, "Accept my view," that all should obey only his voice - and this is "eitan", acting with brazenness and force to seize dominion and rule over others.
Another explanation from the Vilna Gaon: As it is said, "And find favor and good understanding in the eyes of God and man" - "favor" in the eyes of people, and "good understanding" in the eyes of God. Man looks at the outward appearance, noticing whether a person has charm and favor; but the Holy One, blessed be He, examines whether the intellect is also good - whether his thoughts are upright, and whether his mind is free of crookedness, malicious schemes, and ill thoughts toward others. In the eyes of people, external grace is enough, but before the Holy One, blessed be He, external charm is of no avail, for He examines the mind as well and sees what passes through your head. And if a person possesses good understanding in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He, through this He "will grant favor" - he will merit favor in the eyes of mankind as well.
This is also what Chazal say, that whoever makes peace with the Holy One, blessed be He, even his enemies will make peace with him: "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." And who are "his enemies"? Chazal say: his wife, as it is said, "A man's enemies are the people of his own house." That is to say: when Hashem is pleased with a man's ways, even his wife will make peace with him. According to this, if a person has not yet reached the point where his enemy makes peace with him, it is a sign that he must exert himself more in "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways": exert yourself more to do the will of Hashem, and you will reach the point where your wife will also be at peace with you, and you will enjoy shalom bayis.
All this applies to one who has good understanding in the eyes of God, who merits favor in the eyes of people. But "the way of the treacherous is hard (eitan)" - he does not wish to draw himself closer to Hashem, blessed be He. This is the traitor, who is stiff-necked. What is the origin of this expression? When you call someone, he turns his head and neck and says: "Yes, what did you want?" "I wanted to correct you, to warn you that there is a pit ahead of you." But one who is stiff-necked - his neck does not turn, as if it were cast in stone. He walks on his own way and listens to no one. This is "the way of the treacherous is hard": he is unyielding in his path; people want to correct him, but nothing interests him, and therefore his end is to fall, since he refuses to accept rebuke.
כׇּל עָרוּם יַעֲשֶׂה בְדָעַת, וּכְסִיל יִפְרֹשׂ אִוֶּלֶת׃ - Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays folly.
Take, for example, a father who has sons: one is financially settled and one is needy. If he helps the needy son openly, the others will see and say, "Look how he conducts himself," criticizing him, and you end up creating jealousy among the brothers. On the other hand, should he give to both equally? That is also neither fair nor just: this one has enough and is settled, while the other is struggling. Shall I give to both equally merely for the sake of some sanctified ideal of equality, when one is in need and the other is not? What is the answer? "Every prudent man acts with knowledge." A wise and astute person gives to the needy child quietly, in secret, without the other knowing, and consequently there is no jealousy and no feeling that one brother is taking the other's share of the inheritance. But if he is a fool (kesil), he announces: "He is in need, and I am giving to him." With that, he stirs up unrest among the brothers, along with mutual hatred and envy. And even if the brothers themselves might not envy one another, do not forget that they also have wives, and a wife might say to her husband: "Why are your parents giving to him and not giving to us?" That alone is cause for strife. What the prudent person does with knowledge, the fool spreads out - making noise and publicizing it - and all of this stems from folly.
The Vilna Gaon explains: An *arum* (prudent person) is one who understands cunning and perceives the scheming of others. That is, he is a reflective and discerning person who does nothing without *da'as*, without careful deliberation. A wise, astute person does not shoot from the hip. Anyone familiar with Gedolei Yisrael knows that this was always their way: when they wanted to do something or were asked a question, they did not answer immediately. You ask a gadol a question; he thinks for several seconds and only then answers. He weighs everything on a delicate balance. But "a fool displays folly": the *kesil* lacks sound judgment, so he acts on his very first impulse, whatever seems right to him in the heat of the moment. And that is folly. Not only does he act foolishly, but he also advertises it: if you committed folly, at least keep quiet! But no, he spreads it out and broadcasts it to everyone. Thus he suffers from two flaws: he makes rash decisions without deep thought, and then he publicizes them for all to see.
The Malbim explains: It is the way of the prudent man to conceal his conduct, never revealing to strangers what he knows. "Every prudent man acts with knowledge" - he does not do anything while in doubt, until he possesses clear knowledge of whether his action is correct and whether it will lead to the proper purpose. By the nature of prudence, such a person does not walk in the dark nor proceed amid doubts, as the verse says, "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way." He clarifies whether this is a proper and worthy path, and whether any harm or negative outcome might result from it - and only then does he act.
The fool (*kesil*), however - and we have already explained many times that a *kesil* is not an unintelligent person or lacking in intellect; he may be very clever, even a doctor or a professor, yet in his personal life he lives contrary to the Torah and in an improper manner. Not only does he live improperly, but he follows the desires of his heart, and to justify himself he tells you: "There is no certainty that one must live this way; there is no certainty that the Torah is true; there is no certainty that the words of Moshe are true." He spreads out and airs all kinds of claims designed to cast doubt on the truth of the Torah and the truth of wisdom, so that he will not have to live by it. This is the meaning of "the heart of fools proclaims folly."
Furthermore, *yifros* ("displays" or "spreads out") is related to the phrase, "and they shall spread out (*uferasu*) the cloth." When a person is in doubt and sees arguments on both sides, he is caught in a dilemma, spreading out his doubts without knowing how to decide. And why? Because all his decisions are tainted with folly (*iveles*). And what is *iveles*? It is related to *evil* (a fool), and *evil* is related to *ulai* ("perhaps"). Because the *kesil* desires to follow his heart's desires, which does not conform to the rules of wisdom, he says, "It is not necessarily true." He manufactures folly, spreading out every possible doubt and creating a state of "perhaps" - who says this is true? - adopting a skeptical mindset that questions everything. By raising doubts and asking questions in this manner, he imagines he can exempt himself from submitting to the laws of wisdom.
מַלְאָךְ רָשָׁע יִפֹּל בְּרָע, וְצִיר אֱמוּנִים מַרְפֵּא׃ - A wicked messenger falls into evil, but a faithful envoy brings healing.
One must know that malach here does not refer to a heavenly angel, but to an emissary, an envoy; and likewise tzir is an emissary, as in "and an envoy is sent among the nations." Rashi explains: "A wicked emissary falls into evil" - like Bil'am. The Holy One, blessed be He, told him, "Go with the men"; thus he was a malach, an emissary, yet he went to give Balak wicked counsel, and therefore he fell into evil: they killed Bil'am son of Be'or with the sword; he fell by the sword. "And a faithful envoy brings healing" - an envoy who is a faithful messenger, as it is written, "and sent an envoy to deliver from the hand of an enemy" - who is the envoy the Holy One, blessed be He, sent to deliver Israel from the hand of Pharaoh? Moshe Rabbeinu, who is called an envoy sent from Hashem: "a faithful servant You called him." Emunim derives from faithfulness and truth, bringing blessing and success; whereas Bil'am was a wicked emissary, an evil messenger, and he fell into evil.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: after Scripture spoke of the fool who advertises all his actions in his abundant folly, even matters that people normally conceal and respectable individuals do not publicize - it now speaks of those who reveal secrets and harm others as well. And who is the most harmful revealer of secrets? An emissary who reveals the secret of the one who sent him. I send you discreetly to carry out a task, and you, out of malice of heart, go and publicize the matter.
An example of this is Yoav ben Tzeruyah. When King David sent the letter in his hand, that dispatch in which he wrote to Yoav to place Uriah the Hittite at the front of the fiercest battle - Yoav publicized the matter and said to the soldiers: Here, you see, King David sent instructions to me to kill Uriah the Hittite. He publicized it, and in this lay a grave sin: you are revealing the king's secrets; the king sent you on a confidential mission and you give it publicity - this is rebellion against the king.
Another example we discussed: Achashverosh wondered how Esther knew about the sale, for the transaction was a secret between him and Haman. He had told Haman: Do not reveal that there was a financial sale here, because if they find out that a sale took place, a rebellion might erupt - what, are you selling off part of your own people, who are your subjects? Therefore, say that this is an ideological matter. Esther comes and says, "For we have been sold, I and my people." How does she know? He did not know that the matter was revealed to Mordechai by an angel, and that Mordechai knew all that had happened. And then he asks: "Who is he and where is he, who dared to do so" - to publicize that there was a sale here? And she says: "An adversary and enemy, this wicked Haman!" What was she actually telling him? Haman publicized it. Do you think Haman is an emissary who keeps a secret, whom you can trust with confidences between you? He is going to bring you down; he is revealing your private affairs and informing everyone that you sold out your people. This was part of the stratagem she employed against him to bring him down, and it was the most devastating part.
We find, then: the fool who reveals his own private matters - well, he only harms himself. But a "wicked emissary," an envoy sent on a secret mission who goes and publicizes it to everyone - this is the worst of all, and he will not be acquitted; his end is that "he falls into evil," evil will befall him for the magnitude of his wickedness. In contrast, "a faithful envoy" is a messenger who keeps a secret, a trustworthy person in whom one can place full trust, revealing confidential matters and relying upon him one hundred percent. "Brings healing" - not only will he carry out his mission meticulously and with proper excellence, but he will also rectify any damages or mishaps that might arise from the mission. One can rely on him to act in the best possible way, and if unfavorable situations arise, he will heal them as well, for he is loyal to those who sent him.
The Vilna Gaon explains: when a wicked emissary is sent, and he encounters something wherein an error can be made - he will fall into evil. But who is a "faithful envoy"? One who has already been dispatched multiple times and is recognized as someone trustworthy, who has already served as a messenger and proven faithful in his mission. Such a person "brings healing" - and what will he heal? That in which the wicked emissary erred. According to this, it does not necessarily refer to someone who ruins things intentionally, which is why it says "he falls into evil": if you are a wicked emissary, wherever it is easy to err, you will err. But if you are an established, faithful envoy whom they always send and you remain loyal to your senders - this brings healing, even rectifying what the wicked emissary damaged.
A wonderful example of this is found with the Spies: those spies brought forth an evil report of the Land, yet Kalev ben Yefuneh and Yehoshua bin Nun were there, both scouting the land and serving as faithful emissaries. And what was the rectification for that corrupted mission of the ten spies? The subsequent mission - when Kalev and Pinchas went to spy out Eretz Yisrael on Yehoshua's mission. Then, "a faithful envoy brings healing," and this repaired what the spies had ruined. And why are they called emunim ("proven / faithful")? Because they were already proven and experienced: Kalev had already proven faithful in his previous mission, and one could rely upon him.
The Malbim notes precisely: Scripture is speaking here of two types of messengers, for it refers to one as a malach and the other as a tzir. It is well known that Scripture does not employ different terms unless there is a distinction between them. And what is the difference? The tzir is required to report back to his senders, whereas the malach is not required to report back, but is simply sent to execute an action, and that is all. If I say to you: "Go deliver this letter to Reuven" - you are a malach, an agent sent to deliver the letter, and you are not expected to return and report that you delivered it. But if you are a tzir, you deliver the letter and return to me, saying: "I have delivered it." And see how marvelous this is: tzir also means the hinge of a door, upon which the door pivots - the tzir turns, going back and forth, returning to announce that he has fulfilled his mission, unlike the malach who is sent without having to report back that he fulfilled it.
Accordingly: the wicked emissary does not execute his mission as he was instructed; he ruins it and does not bring back a proper report, like the spies, and his end is that "he falls into evil" - just as the spies died in the plague. And "a faithful envoy" - one who goes in faithfulness will also bring back a report in faithfulness, and he heals what the wicked emissary corrupted, just as the Vilna Gaon explained regarding Kalev and Yehoshua.
The Malbim adds that there is profound depth here by way of allegory regarding man's spiritual soul. The elevated soul is dispatched here, and each one of us is in the category of an emissary sent into this world, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, sent here with the charge: You have a role; you have a mission. We were sent from the upper world down to this lowly earth in order to report back to our Sender - that is, after one hundred and twenty years, to return and say, "I have done all that You commanded me," to render an accounting. The wicked emissary does not perform his mission; he corrupts it and is unwilling to report back to his Sender - "he falls into evil," into the punishments of Gehinom. In contrast, "a faithful envoy" is the upright person who walks in truth and faithfulness; he is like an envoy who returns to his Master and says: "I have done all that You commanded me." "A faithful envoy brings healing" - "And the sun of righteousness shall shine upon you, with healing in its wings"; this refers to the soul that returns Above and gives a proper and worthy accounting.
We have learned a great foundation in these verses: the primary principle is the complete acceptance of the yoke of Torah and mitzvos - one who accepts everything upon himself, even if he happens upon only a single mitzvah, his reward is like one who fulfills the entire Torah; whereas one who scorns even a single mitzvah is considered as having scorned it all. And from where do we know the path of life? From the teaching of the wise, which is a springing source of living water, revealing to us the snares that our limited vision cannot see. Truth itself finds favor, whereas falsehood requires force and intimidation; the prudent man weighs all his actions with discernment and acts with modesty, while the fool airs and publicizes his folly. And finally - we are all emissaries in this world: there is a wicked emissary who causes ruin, brings back no report to his Sender, and ends by falling into evil; and there is a faithful envoy who remains loyal to his senders, rectifies even the damage done by others, and returns at the end of the road to declare: I have done all that You commanded me.