Introduction
In chapter 15 before us, Shlomo HaMelech arrives at two verses that are essentially a single statement: one verse establishes a principle, and the second provides a parable for it. The principle is that the essential thing in a person's life is not the quantity in his possession, but the inner wholeness in which he lives; and the parable illustrates this from the simplest realm of life - from the table and the meal. We will examine the two verses in order, with the explanations of Rabbeinu Yonah, the Vilna Gaon, Rashi, and the Malbim, and conclude with a wonderful Midrash about Shlomo HaMelech himself.
Better Is a Little with the Fear of Hashem
טוֹב־מְעַט בְּיִרְאַת יְהֹוָה מֵאוֹצָר רָב וּמְהוּמָה בוֹ׃ (טז) - Better is a little with the fear of Hashem than great treasure and turmoil with it.
The straightforward meaning is: it is better for a person to have a little accompanied by fear of Hashem than to store up great wealth fraught with turmoil. And what is this turmoil? That people cry out and say: this wealth you accumulated - everything you gathered is stolen, it is robbery, there are oppressed people here, there are people who were defrauded by you. It is better to have a little with no detractors, than to have much surrounded by detractors saying: this is not yours, you did not acquire it honestly.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: one who loves Hashem rejoices in his portion even with the little he possesses. One who fears Hashem is joyful even with little. And even if he is poor - as Scripture previously stated, "and a cheerful heart has a continual feast." And if you will say: but was it not also said, "All the days of the poor are evil"? Scripture tells you: believe that it is better to have a little with fear of Heaven, even though all the days of the poor are evil. And if you ask: is a person destined to suffer in this world? The answer is that the essential thing is not wealth, but "a cheerful heart has a continual feast" - if a person is contented in his heart and good to others, he is considered as one who is constantly at a feast. Therefore, do not be shaken by the fact that the days of the poor are evil, for truly a little with fear of Heaven is better than great wealth gained without righteousness and integrity.
The Vilna Gaon accepts the literal meaning - that a little with fear of Heaven is better than much gained through theft - and adds a deeper insight regarding Torah study. Sometimes a person studies a great deal and achieves much, but this study is accompanied by ulterior motives: for pride, for honor, for spite, to impress others, and similar motivations foreign to the true engagement in Torah. Scripture says to him: such an accumulation is "great treasure and turmoil with it." It would have been better to have "a little with the fear of Hashem" - even if you had learned only a tenth of that amount, provided the study was rooted in fear of Heaven, in a desire to fulfill Hashem's will, with pure intent (lishmah). That is far better than boasting, "I have achieved much," when that abundance is not lishmah and not done with pure intent. Therefore: better is a little with the fear of Hashem than great treasure and turmoil with it - even in Torah study.
What Is a Truly Fortunate Person
The Malbim explains: the little that the poor man possesses, since he occupies himself with the fear of Hashem and walks within the realm of wholeness - that is, continuously perfecting his soul - is better than one who has great treasure and turmoil with it. When a person serves Hashem, the primary thing he gains is true happiness (osher). As noted previously regarding the Hebrew term me'ushar (happy/fortunate): it shares the root of an official stamp of approval (me'ushar). Who is the person eligible to receive the stamp of approval? One whose deeds have all received approval. And who is the one whose actions are approved? One who fulfills the word of Hashem. But an action that does not conform to Halachah cannot be called "approved"; that action is not certified. And what makes a person truly fortunate? When his deeds are approved.
It emerges that true happiness means inner wholeness, and inner wholeness stems from being on the right path and doing the right thing. One who does not do the right thing often sees disastrous consequences; and even if he does not see them immediately, it is clear that he has no satisfaction, no inner wholeness, and no peace of mind. A person who walks in the fear of Hashem is better off than one who has great treasure and turmoil with it. The former is poor, but he is engaged in the fear of Hashem and advances on the path of spiritual wholeness; the latter possesses great treasure, but does not walk on the path of wholeness, and therefore will never attain true happiness, but will instead be plagued by turmoil. And what is turmoil? A lack of tranquility, restlessness - his wealth is constantly agitated. He will lack the quiet and peace of mind that are the very essence of what makes a person truly fortunate.
The Parable: Better a Meal of Herbs
טוֹב אֲרֻחַת יָרָק וְאַהֲבָה־שָׁם מִשּׁוֹר אָבוּס וְשִׂנְאָה־בוֹ׃ (יז) - Better is a meal of herbs where love is, than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
Rashi explains: A "fatted ox" (shor avus) is an ox that is force-fed, meaning food is stuffed forcefully into its mouth, like the phrase "fatted fowl" (barburim avusim) - a fat ox that has been fed and fattened up. And to what does the parable refer? To the meager handful (kometz) of the poor man's meal offering, which is dearer before the Omnipresent than the ox brought by a wicked person as a sin offering. Both a poor man and a rich man sinned, and both must bring a sacrifice: the poor man's meal offering is fine flour, and the rich man's sin offering is a fatted ox. When both arrive at the Beit HaMikdash, the poor man looks and says: "Look at what this one brought - an ox! It stayed on the altar for two hours until the fire consumed it entirely. Whereas with me, the kohen took a handful, placed it on the altar, and not three seconds passed before the handful was consumed." The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: "A meal of herbs is better to Me - the poor man's handful, which is produce of the ground and meager, yet love is there - than the fat ox brought by the rich man, with hatred in it." And what is the hatred? It is that he does not come to repent out of a desire to mend his ways and draw near to Hashem, but out of haughtiness, merely to ensure he will not be punished. Regarding this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "Hatred is there; his offering brings Me no satisfaction."
Rashi brings another explanation: "Better is a meal of herbs" - that you give a poor person a meal of herbs with love there, than to feed him a fatted ox. You serve the poor man a generous, proper portion, you honored him - but you treated him with condescension, making him feel pitiful, dependent, that it is only thanks to you that he has food to eat. What kind of feeling did you give this unfortunate pauper? Solomon, the wisest of all men, says: It would have been better had you served him a meal of herbs - saying, "I have a bit of cucumber and some peppers, here, take it" - but gave him a good feeling: "What a privilege, what a mitzvah I had today, that Hashem granted me the merit to sustain someone like you, to give you satisfaction!" You give him the feeling that he did you a favor by coming to you today. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: "This is precious in My eyes - even if you only brought a cucumber." Whereas one who fed a fatted ox but made the recipient feel like a beggar - what the first one did is far better.
Rabbeinu Yonah: A Parable from Human Nature
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that the verse draws a parable from human nature: people prefer a little in good company over abundance in the company of those they despise. Here is an example everyone can understand: someone at work makes a simcha in one of the most lavish halls, and suppose there is a generous, first-rate meal served there. On the other hand, you have a childhood friend making a wedding in a simple venue, and you know all your friends will be there - people you have wanted to see for a long time. Where would you prefer to go? To your friend's wedding. And do not compare the catering; suppose you leave the same check at both places. A person will go where he feels good. There - what an evening it was, we sat for three hours, we enjoyed it so much! While at the other place - "I cannot stand the guy, I have fights with him at work, his whole crowd is not my crowd, I was sitting on pins and needles. And if you ask me what dish I ate - forget the food, who cares about the food, I went only out of compulsion." This is "Better is a meal of herbs and love is there": it is better for a person to eat a meager meal in the company of those who love him, than to eat rich delicacies in the company of those he despises.
And what is the moral? Rabbeinu Yonah says: All the more so should your mind be content with little, in the love and fear of Hashem, blessed and exalted be He, for the love of Hashem is better for you than the company of all lovers. Do not crave the tranquility of the wicked, for there is the hatred of Hashem - Hashem hates them. If so, what is good for you? To be in the company of those who love Hashem. Even if you argue, "But the wicked know how to dine, they know how to enjoy themselves, with them it is on a different level" - Rabbeinu Yonah tells you: True, but if you go there, in their company you become hated by Hashem. Is it worth it to you? That is a fatted ox with hatred in it. It is better for you to go to a place that is the company of those who love Hashem, whose people are beloved before Him.
Another example: someone is offered a villa in a moshav. He asks, "What is the spiritual state of the moshav?" They tell him, "Honestly, they are not very religious there." "What about minyanim?" "Not always." "What about Torah shiurim?" "They once wanted to start one, but there was opposition. But look at this villa! What quality of life, three levels, for the price of an apartment in Bnei Brak!" Well, how can you compare - living in crowded conditions, where between one building and the next there is yet another building, where you sneeze and your neighbor across the way sticks his head out the window to say "gesundheit"; whereas there, wide open spaces! Regarding this it is said, "Better is a meal of herbs" - to be content with little, but in a place where love is there, where Hashem loves you; rather than going to a place of a fatted ox - a three-story villa - but hatred is in it, where Hashem hates the people of the place, people to whose inner thoughts Hashem is not close.
And the classic example of this is Lot. How can one compare - living with Avraham in a tent with four entrances, or going to a place of wealth and well-watered land, a prime location? Indeed, that was a fatted ox - but hatred was in it. And we saw what that hatred caused: he lost everything, absolutely everything. Only he and his two daughters remained, and we all know what became of them. He lost everything because there was a fatted ox there with hatred in it. It would have been far better for him to live in a place where the material situation was vastly inferior, but love was there, where Hashem loved the people.
The Vilna Gaon: A Little Torah with Love
The Vilna Gaon explains: "A meal" (aruchah) means sustenance, as in the phrase "his allowance was a continual allowance" (aruchato aruchat tamid). It is good for a person to have sustenance just enough for his needs, even if it is only herbs - provided love is there - rather than having an entire ox with hatred in it. And this is a parable for what was stated previously. For the Gra explained "Better is a little with the fear of Hashem" as referring to the study of Torah: it is better to learn a little out of fear of Heaven and a desire to fulfill, than to amass a great storehouse of vast study done for the sake of provocation, out of pride and honor. And if you ask: Why is this better, isn't it only a little? To this the verse responds, "Better is a meal of herbs and love is there" - a little that contains love of Hashem is better than a fatted ox: where you studied a massive amount, but hatred is in it, containing defiance against Hashem, blessed be He, His Torah, and His mitzvot, through arrogance and provocation. This does not mean it is better not to study; rather, even if you studied only a little, it is still far better when love is there, out of fear of Heaven and love of Hashem, than studying extensively with turmoil and hatred toward the Holy One, blessed be He, Heaven forbid.
The Malbim: Love Sweetens
The Malbim explains: A small meal is good for a person if love is there, because love sweetens even a meal of herbs, whereas hatred embitters the food even of a fatted ox. Here is an example from married life to which anyone can testify: a husband comes home, brings his wife a rose, and says, "My dear, I was thinking of you and bought this for you" - she will rejoice greatly. But a wife who knows that her husband does not respect her, and between them are hatred and constant quarrels - even if he comes home with a gold set, a necklace, bracelet, and ring, what will she ask him immediately? "What did you do this time? What do you need to atone for that you brought me such a gift?" The first received a flower with love and affection, while the second receives a gift worth fifteen thousand shekels in hatred. Love sweetens even a meal of herbs, and hatred embitters even a fatted ox.
And what is the conclusion? The Malbim says: External happiness and illusory pleasure are not what truly matter; only inner tranquility, love, and trust in Hashem matter, for in Him one's soul shall delight in richness. This is the parable for what was stated earlier: "Better is a little with the fear of Hashem than great treasure and turmoil with it." You look at the poor man and say, "Poor fellow, he has so little." They tell you: True, but he has the most precious thing there can be - wholeness of soul. Because he does what is right, he serves Hashem, there is fear of Heaven here, and he is spiritually and inwardly complete. Whereas by contrast, the one who has more and more, who is wealthy and achieved everything - turmoil is within him; he lacks what matters most.
Such a person possesses neither love of Hashem nor trust in Hashem. Thus, one can observe that even though he possesses so much, he lives constantly under pressure: What will become of me? Am I healthy? Constant tests, constant anxieties. And why? Trust in Hashem - He Who gives livelihood will give life. Winds of war are heard, this side is arming and that side is arming - and he lives in anxiety. "They will steal my money! So-and-so was burglarized; the tax authorities went after so-and-so!" - and he lives in dread. In contrast, one who has trust in Hashem is calm, tranquil, and serene. Beyond that, the children of the latter are "seed blessed by Hashem," while the children of the former - may Hashem have mercy, for they live just as their father lives, and the children turn out accordingly. In short, he lacks what is essential: the inner happiness, that "his soul shall delight in richness." You may indeed have great treasure, but turmoil is within it. Whereas one who has a little out of fear of Hashem has a home where living with frugality is evident, yet it is a home of completeness, joy, and love. This is "Better a meal of greens where love is, than a fattened ox and hatred within it."
Midrash Mishlei: King Solomon and the Greens
The Midrash (Midrash Mishlei 15:17) states regarding this verse: Rabbi Levi said, concerning whom did Shlomo state this verse? Concerning two people who encountered him - that is, met him - when he had been deposed from his throne and was begging from door to door for sustenance, after Ashmedai expelled him from his kingdom. Shlomo would say to people, "I am Shlomo, I was king," and they would say to him, "Sir, come with us to the mental hospital." One says he is Napoleon, another says he is prime minister, and a third claims to be president of the United States; and here is yet another who thinks he is who-knows-what. Most treated him as someone who was insane, but there were also those who believed him.
Two men who recognized him encountered him. One of them came, fell prostrate before him, and said, "My lord the king, if it pleases you, dwell with me today" - meaning, stay at my home and I will feed you. He went with him at once - finally, someone was offering him food! The man brought him up to the upper chamber, an honorable place, set before him many delicacies, and began speaking to him of his royal reign: "Do you remember that you did such-and-such on a certain day? Do you remember the massive parade you had? Do you remember what a grand banquet you made when you married off your son?" Because he reminded him of the days of his kingship, Shlomo began to weep and wail, reminiscing over the good days. And so it continued throughout the entire meal, until he stood up sated - sated from his weeping, sated from an abundance of tears.
The next day, his companion encountered him, and he too fell prostrate before him, saying, "My lord the king, does it please you to dwell with me today?" Shlomo thought that troubles come in pairs, and that both of them would do the same thing to him, so he said, "Do you seek to do to me as your friend did yesterday?" The man apparently assumed he was being asked whether he had lavish dishes and fattened birds like yesterday, and said, "My lord the king, I am a poor man; I am not a person of stature. If it pleases you, dwell with me today over the few greens I have." Shlomo went to his house; the man washed his hands and feet, and served him a modest portion of greens. Then the man began comforting him, saying, "My lord the king, the Holy One, blessed be He, swore an oath to your father that kingship would never depart from his descendants, as it is said, 'Hashem swore to David in truth, He will not turn back from it: Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.' If so, why are you not on the throne right now? Because such is the way of the Holy One, blessed be He: He rebukes and rebukes again, as it is said, 'For whom Hashem loves He rebukes, and like a father placates a son' - and the Holy One, blessed be He, will restore you to your kingship." When Shlomo heard this, his mind was immediately set at ease. He rejoiced over that meal of greens and arose from there sated - sated from the greens.
Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Avon bar Binyamin said in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra: When Shlomo was restored to his kingdom, he wrote in his wisdom, "Better a meal of greens where love is" - which I ate at the poor man's house, "than a fattened ox and hatred within it" - which was fed to me by that wealthy man who reminded me of my grief. And this is precisely what we are saying: it is far better for a person to be in the company of those who love him, in a place that is pleasant and good for him, than to be in a place where they serve him lavishly, yet he feels no joy or satisfaction in being in the company of those people.
In summary:
These two verses represent a general principle and a parable. The principle: "Better a little with the fear of Hashem than great treasure and turmoil with it" - whether in material wealth or in Torah, a little done out of fear of Heaven and lishmah (for its own sake) is preferable to a great deal that comes through dishonesty, or through pride and contention. For happiness is nothing other than a stamp of validation upon a person's deeds, and only one who does what is right merits inner wholeness, quietude, and serenity. And the parable: "Better a meal of greens where love is, than a fattened ox and hatred within it" - the handful of the poor man's meal-offering is more beloved before the Omnipresent than the sin-offering bull of a wicked person; one who gives a pauper a little with a pleasant countenance is preferable to one who gives generously with disdain; a person prefers a meager table in the company of those who love him over a lavish table in the company of those he detests - and all the more so, one should prefer a place where love of Hashem dwells over a place filled with hatred of Hashem, as we learned from Lot. Love sweetens even a meal of greens, and hatred embitters even a fattened ox. External pleasure is not the essence, but rather inner peace, love, and trust in Hashem. King Solomon himself, having tasted from both tables, wrote this in his wisdom after returning to his throne.