In Chapter 15, King Solomon continues to interweave wisdom and folly, the refinement of character traits and the pursuit of desire. In this lesson, we will examine three adjacent verses: a son's attitude toward his father and his mother, the joy of the destitute of heart versus the upright path of the person of understanding, and the secret to successful planning - keeping counsel confidential and consulting many advisors.
בֵּן חָכָם יְשַׂמַּח אָב וּכְסִיל אָדָם בּוֹזֶה אִמּוֹ׃ (כ) - A wise son gladdens a father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
The plain meaning of the verse: a father rejoices when he has a wise son. But why does the second half specifically say "despises his mother"? Rabbeinu Yonah explains: a fool despises anyone he does not fear. Whom does the fool respect? Only someone he is afraid of. And whomever he does not fear - that person he despises. There is fear of the father; he will not step out of line with him, lest he receive two slaps. But the mother is less forceful with him, and he has no fear of her. To a fool, only fear, a rod, and a stick speak - and since there is no stick from the mother, he despises his mother and not his father.
And what is the meaning of "a fool of a man" (kesil adam)? Rabbeinu Yonah says: even in the eyes of mankind - that is, even among the lower stratum, among the common masses - whoever despises his mother is called a fool. Even the nations of the world look askance at one who despises his mother, for this is something expected of a person naturally, out of the gratitude one owes to his parents.
Rabbeinu Yonah brings many examples where "adam" refers to the masses: "adam" as a general collective, "the soul of man" (nefesh adam), "man is born to toil" (adam le'amal yulad), "and upon a nation and upon man alike" (ve'al goy ve'al adam yachad) - referring to all nations. Frequently, the designation "adam" serves to describe the common masses, who tend in their desires and actions toward the products of the earth. Why are they called "adam"? Because they are close to the earth (adamah), more earthly and materialistic, lacking a soul of wisdom and possessing only an intellect drawn from the dust. This is also evident in verses such as "Both common folk (bnei adam) and people of rank (bnei ish)," "Men of low degree (bnei adam) are vanity, and men of high degree (bnei ish) are a delusion," "Placed on the scales... they are all lighter than vanity." Notice the distinction: "ish" refers to distinguished individuals, men of stature; "adam" refers to people of a lower standing. Therefore, "a foolish man (kesil adam) despises his mother": one who despises his mother is considered a fool even in the eyes of the common masses, and all the more so in the eyes of people of distinction.
The Vilna Gaon, and along similar lines the Malbim, explain the contrast differently. Why does the verse not say "a wise son gladdens a father, and a foolish son despises his mother"? Because "son" refers to youth, whereas "man" (adam) refers to an adult. The wise son - already in his youth he gladdens his father. Not only when he reaches twenty, but even at age five he brings joy to his father. Why does it say "gladdens a father"? Because he accompanies his father from the beit midrash and the father teaches him, and the father takes great joy in the son's learning. In contrast, the fool - even in his adulthood, when he is already called a "man" (adam), still despises his mother.
And what is the meaning of "despises his mother"? Some explain this in the sense of the expression, "Cursed is the one who gave birth to this one, cursed is the one who raised this one": through your conduct, you cause others to despise your mother. The wise son, even in his youth, brings joy to his parents; whereas the fool, even in his adulthood, causes his mother to be disgraced by the world, as people curse and say, "Woe to the woman who raised such a person!"
The Vilna Gaon notes another distinction: here it is written, "and a foolish man despises his mother," whereas earlier (10:1) it says, "and a foolish son is the sorrow of his mother." What is the difference? There it says "a foolish son," referring to a young child who stays by his mother; the mother sees him before her all day with his foolish antics, and therefore she feels constant grief from him - that is "the sorrow of his mother." But "adam" indicates an adult, who is no longer constantly around his mother and tied to her apron strings; he has long been out with his crowd, and she does not see him. What happens instead? He brings disgrace upon his mother even without her seeing him. This can be understood in two ways: either she receives "reports" - your son caused damage, your son did such-and-such, or she reads about him in the crime section of the newspaper, Heaven have mercy, and that itself dishonors her name; or he himself, in his heart and through his conduct, actively despises her - since he no longer has any immediate need for her.
The Malbim explains that the "fool" (kesil) here, as consistently defined, is one who is drawn after his desires, and he actively despises his mother - not merely causing her grief and sorrow, but actually shaming her. And this is folly: to despise his mother because she reproves him. The mother rebukes him for the improper things he does, for conduct that is unfitting, and in turn he despises her - this reaction itself is a humiliation to her, and it demonstrates his sheer folly.
אִוֶּלֶת שִׂמְחָה לַחֲסַר לֵב וְאִישׁ תְּבוּנָה יְיַשֶּׁר לָכֶת׃ (כא) - Folly is joy to one lacking heart, but a man of understanding walks straight. (21)
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: Joy is awakened from the heart, and for one who lacks heart, what does such joy accomplish? What reason does he have to rejoice? A person who rejoices in spiritual, sublime matters experiences true joy; this is one who rejoices in his heart. But one who lacks heart, whose joy is in material matters, finds that this joy is nothing other than folly.
"But a man of understanding walks straight" - the man of understanding is the exact opposite of the one lacking heart. Rabbeinu Yonah holds a guiding rule: whenever Shlomo places two things in the same verse, they are opposites. However, Rabbeinu Yonah notes, not all discerning people rejoice in Hashem's mitzvos, and therefore it cannot be said of the man of understanding that he possesses joy. What, then, is said of him? "Walks straight." One who reaches the level of the righteous without doubt possesses true joy, as it is written: "Rejoice in Hashem and be glad, O righteous," and "It is joy to the righteous to do justice." But what is the way to reach that? "And a man of understanding walks straight" - day by day he straightens his path, his character traits, and his conduct, and ultimately he will arrive at the level of the righteous and the level of joy. We find, then, that the man of understanding represents the stage leading toward the righteous person, in order that he may merit the level of joy.
And now, says Rabbeinu Yonah, let us observe the distance between the man of understanding and the one lacking heart: The one lacking heart not only fails to guard himself from sins and folly, but he actually rejoices in them. You stumbled - at least feel remorse! Yet he says: No, my folly is just another reason to rejoice. The very failure in which he stumbled is a source of joy to him. In contrast, the man of understanding straightens his path and does not come to commit a transgression, and ultimately he will attain the level of the righteous who rejoices in Hashem's mitzvos.
The Vilna Gaon follows the same path: The wise man, even if he stumbles, his soul mourns within him. He grieves, and in the words of Rabbeinu Yonah, "he loathes himself." He carries a constant sorrow; deep inside he says to himself: How did I come to such an obstacle? How did I succumb to such an iniquity? And this very sorrow is the rectification, it is the remorse, it is the process of teshuvah. But the one lacking heart rejoices in his folly: he did something wrong, something improper occurred, and he is glad, because he feels that things went his way and what he wanted succeeded. He perceives nothing bad in it, for he lacks heart. The man of understanding, on the other hand, finds his joy when he discovers a straight path in which to walk.
The Malbim continues along the line he traces through many verses: The heart is the power of governance. A person's capacity to rule over his desires, his natural inclinations, and his lusts - that is the heart, the center of the body and the governing power. One who lacks heart is one who lacks this governing power: a person tossed like a driven leaf before his cravings, unable to delay gratification, melting away the moment any desire arises. As it is written: "Even on the road, as the fool walks, his heart is lacking" - this is the foolish and senseless person who pursues the desires of his heart without contemplating his ways. The opposite is the discerning person, of whom it is said: "On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found," because wisdom is what guides him.
And what does the one lacking heart find? Folly. As the Malbim has already clarified the distinction between an evil (a skeptic) and a kesil (a senseless fool): the kesil knows everything and simply runs after the desires of his heart, whereas the evil is the doubter, the skeptic who asks, "Maybe not?" "Who says?". And this is the point: for one who does not want to govern the powers of his soul, to restrain himself, and to curb his cravings, folly is joy. Every doubt, every "who says it is obligatory," every "there is no compelling proof" gladdens his heart, because it gives him legitimacy to continue following the stubbornness and lusts of his heart.
We have already mentioned the words of Aldous Huxley, one of the popularizers of Darwin's theory, who admitted that we wanted to believe the world had no meaning in order to grant ourselves license to pursue our desires, particularly in matters where modesty is appropriate (he phrased it far more crudely). This is the essence: if there is truth, it compels; if there is morality, it makes demands. But if there is no Creator to the world, and we simply emerged from an amoeba, a living cell, or some explosion - wonderful, enjoy life, do whatever you please.
The man of discernment, however, knows the upright path through binah, for binah means deep contemplation. He contemplates and sees: there is a Creator of the world, man is obligated to conduct himself in a specific way, and demands are placed upon him. It is this very contemplation that straightens him to walk the upright path of his own accord. He does not err like the one lacking heart, who is swept away by folly and chronic skepticism; rather, he says: I have contemplated and concluded that there is a Creator, there is a Torah, and the Torah is binding. It is contemplation that has made his path straight.
הָפֵר מַחֲשָׁבוֹת בְּאֵין סוֹד וּבְרֹב יוֹעֲצִים תָּקוּם׃ (כב) - Plans are foiled for lack of secrecy, but through many counselors they are established. (22)
Rashi explains simply: without counsel, a plan will not stand. If you want to plan something, seek counsel; without advice, the idea will not come to fruition.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains differently: how do a person's plans get foiled? Because there is no secrecy. When someone has a plan and goes around telling this person and reporting to that person, what happens? There are people who do not like the plan, and they will trip him up and hinder him. Had he not spoken, the matter would not have been delayed. It turns out that "plans are foiled" - what caused you to be unable to carry out your plan? "For lack of secrecy," because you did not keep it confidential.
This phenomenon is familiar from countless examples. A person who wants to open a business usually keeps it strictly secret until everything is planned and ready to be launched. Why? Because if he talks about it six months in advance and makes a fuss, there will be those who dislike the idea, or those who see him as a competitor, and they will try to sabotage him. Therefore, he reveals the idea only at the very last moment, in the final stages. Another example is shidduchim (matchmaking): usually, at noon you do not know who is going to get engaged that evening, and nothing is disclosed. Why? For the same reason: there might be someone with a grudge against him or her, someone displeased by the match who wants to hinder it, coming to drive a wedge and speak negatively to prevent the shidduch - and then, "for lack of secrecy," the plans are foiled. People therefore take great care to maintain a heavy veil of confidentiality until the moment of the announcement. Once a vort is concluded, in most cases no one comes to ruin it, unless there is a genuine reason to break it off, such as an unknown illness on one side or severe character flaws that were not disclosed. But under normal circumstances, once the matter is finalized, people do not come to ruin it.
"But through many counselors they are established" - when you have many counselors who assist you and give you good advice on how to conduct yourself properly, the matter will stand firm. And note, says Rabbeinu Yonah: the verse says "for lack of secrecy (sod)" and not "for lack of counsel (eitzah)." This teaches that if you reveal your secret to just anyone, your plans will be foiled. You must have confidants, and if you lack trustworthy confidants, your plans will be thwarted. Having too many advisors is not a good thing, but having people who know how to keep the matter confidential and advise you properly is indeed beneficial.
The Malbim explains that in Lashon HaKodesh there is a distinction between thought (machshavah), counsel (eitzah), and strategy (tachbulah), and they represent three stages in a person's planning. The first stage is "thoughts" (machshavot): when one considers all the options and possibilities. The second stage is "counsel" (eitzah): after seeking advice, one selects the recommended plan from among all the thoughts. The third stage: the chosen counsel might fail to materialize, so one prepares a contingency plan: what happens if the first plan fails? There will be a second plan, and if that too fails, a third plan. This is the definition of "tachbulot" (strategies).
This is the familiar wisdom of military strategy: when planning an assault on an enemy army, one plans an attack from one direction; if an ambush awaits there, a second force flanks from the other side; and if that too fails to achieve the objective, the air force is called in to soften the target from above. Concerning this it is said, "By wise strategy you shall wage war," for in warfare one does not rely on a single plan. Counsel is selecting one option out of all the ideas, but that alone is insufficient: if that option does not work, or if the plan is discovered and undermined, additional plans are needed. This is the definition of tachbulot: a multiplicity of plans that serve as alternative options.
According to this, the verse is interpreted: "Plans are foiled for lack of secrecy" - when secrecy is absent, plans will be foiled, and even if you have adopted a specific course of action, others can thwart it because you failed to keep it confidential. What then can you do to succeed even if your initial plan is disrupted? "But through many counselors they are established" - maintain a multiplicity of plans, which are tachbulot. If one way does not succeed, there is another plan to take a different route, and if not that way, a third route. Through this multiplicity of strategies, your overarching purpose will ultimately be accomplished.
These three verses teach three foundational principles: The fool respects only those he fears, which is why he despises his mother - a folly recognized even by ordinary people; even in adulthood he continues to degrade himself and humiliate his parents, whereas the wise son gladdens his father from his youth. One who lacks heart, possessing no self-mastery over his desires, rejoices in foolishness and skepticism that grant him permission to continue along his path, while the man of understanding reflects, straightens his path day by day, and ultimately attains the true joy of the righteous. And in planning one's endeavors: a person should guard his secrets so that his plans are not foiled, surrounding himself with trustworthy confidants and an abundance of strategies and alternatives - and then, "through many counselors they are established."