Introduction: One Verse, Three Explanations
In our study of Chapter 16, we focus this time on a single verse from which several major teachings branch out. The verse appears straightforward, yet Rabbenu Yonah offers three distinct interpretations of it, and the Vilna Gaon adds a fourth. Let us examine them one by one, discovering the tremendous depth concealed within a few brief words.
בִּרְצוֹת יְהֹוָה דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ גַּם־אוֹיְבָיו יַשְׁלִם אִתּוֹ׃ (ז) - "When Hashem favors a man's ways, He causes even his enemies to make peace with him." (7)
Beloved Below - Beloved Above
Rabbenu Yonah connects this verse to the Mishnah in Avos: "Anyone with whom the spirit of his fellow creatures is pleased, the spirit of the Omnipresent is pleased with him; and anyone with whom the spirit of his fellow creatures is not pleased, the spirit of the Omnipresent is not pleased with him." One who has lovers below certainly has lovers Above. A person who conducts himself toward others with pleasantness, patience, lowliness, and humility will be loved by everyone. Whoever wishes to examine who has the most friends should search for the secret of their charm, and will discover that it is humility. This is reality: the person to whom many are drawn is a humble person. This is the meaning of "When Hashem favors a man's ways" - and consequently, "He causes even his enemies to make peace with him," for one who is beloved Above becomes beloved below as well.
A Qualification: When Popularity Is a Mark of Flaw
However, Rabbenu Yonah qualifies this and explains that it is not an absolute rule. There are individuals who are loved below precisely because they lack necessary virtues. The Gemara remarks regarding a Torah scholar who is beloved by the people of his town that this is a mark of flaw for him, rather than a badge of honor. Why? Because evidently, he accommodates himself to each person's mindset, praising everyone for whatever they do. As the saying goes: he dances at every wedding. He visits one group and tells them what they want to hear, and then goes to an opposing group, who act in the exact opposite manner, and assures them as well that the world stands upon them. Instead of a sage, he has become a politician, a demagogue, currying favor with everyone. For such a person, having universal popularity is a mark of disgrace. Why do they love you? Because you flatter everyone. You should have offered rebuke; even if that rebuke might have caused resentment toward you, such unpleasantness is necessary and noble.
"In Our Generation, Harshness Fails, Only Gentleness Succeeds"
We have previously mentioned the words of Rav Chaim of Volozhin: in our generation, approaching things with "harshness" does not work; only "gentleness" succeeds. And he said this two hundred years ago - what can we say in our own generation? Who can even open his mouth and chirp? Do you expect the city's rabbi to stand at the central bus station and shout "Shabbos!"? In our generation, that does not work. The proper approach is to make the Name of Heaven beloved.
Anyone who doubts this should ask Rav Peretz, may Hashem grant him long life, the rabbi of Ra'anana - one of the most righteous individuals ever to enter politics. And not without reason did politics spit him out: politics is so callous that when a righteous person arrives there, it expels him quickly. Rav Yaakov Yosef was also in politics for a very brief time, and politics immediately vomited him out. Politics cannot tolerate upright people. In fact, what is an acronym for "politika"? "Poh lo tehei ka'ei" - do not stand here; flee from here. If you see politics, do not get involved.
That righteous and wholesome Jew, in both senses of the word, once took the podium in the Knesset to offer rebuke after the HaBonim disaster - the collision between the school bus and the train. He said that there is desecration of Shabbos in Israel, and when there is desecration of Shabbos, road accidents occur. Every word was solid truth. But what did they do to him afterward? What a tongue-lashing he received, what an uproar erupted against him! And he indeed never repeated such remarks there again. Apparently, for a moment he felt as though he were standing in a synagogue or a yeshivah delivering an ethical address, but he quickly realized that this was not the place. Rav Ravitz of blessed memory once defined the Knesset, saying it is not a "Knesset" (assembly) but a latrine. They asked him: "If so, what are you doing there?" He replied: "So that they do not press me." And in a latrine, one does not speak words of holiness. Be careful, keep your distance; that is not a place to utter sacred words. From this we learn that there is also an imperative not to say something that will not be heeded - there are words worthy of being said, but the question is whether there are attentive ears. If there are not, it is better not to say them.
Who Is Permitted - and When One Is Obligated to Protest
Therefore, in our generation, not every sage is required to be a rebuker and stand in the breach. The leading luminaries of the generation, such as Rav Ovadia Yosef, Rav Shteinman, and Rav Ben Zion Abba Shaul - there are situations where they must stand up and protest, enacting decrees against the internet, which consumes soul and flesh and destroys every good portion. One cannot say, "I will sit on the side"; there is an obligation to rise and cry out. But to think that rebuking the general public serves any purpose - there is no purpose. What is needed is to make the Name of Heaven beloved. When people see a sage whose ways are majestic in holiness, who is truly God-fearing and acts with derech eretz toward every person - through this they will cling to him. Not through rebuke, for they do not understand it at all; you are speaking a different language.
Yet it must be emphasized: for a sage living within a community that can be rebuked, a public of God-fearing people who accept reproof - the fact that everyone loves him is a badge of shame, and he will be held accountable for it. To summarize this matter: not in every situation is it true that "whoever the spirit of people is pleased with, the Spirit of the Omnipresent is pleased with him." It is possible that people are pleased with him because he flatters them, in which case the Spirit of the Omnipresent is certainly not pleased with him.
The Second Explanation: Avraham, Yitzchak, and the Philistines
Rabbeinu Yonah adds that the verse may be characterizing what we find with Avraham and Yitzchak. The kings of the Philistines came to make a covenant with them and said, "We have seen that Hashem was with you." That is, we saw that the Holy One, Blessed is He, is with you, and it is worthwhile to attach oneself to someone upon whom success shines - "draw close to one anointed with oil, and you will be anointed," meaning that if one draws near to someone who anoints himself with oil, there is a chance a few drops will rub off on him. This is "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways": with Avraham and Yitzchak, whose ways Hashem desired, even the wicked - the Philistines who persecuted them and stopped up their wells - came to seek their proximity and make peace with them.
The Third Explanation: One Who Cannot Find the Person He Hurt
Another explanation offered by Rabbeinu Yonah: the verse is a direct continuation of the preceding verses.
תּוֹעֲבַת יְהֹוָה כָּל־גְּבַהּ־לֵב יָד לְיָד לֹא יִנָּקֶה׃ (ה) בְּחֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת יְכֻפַּר עָוֺן וּבְיִרְאַת יְהֹוָה סוּר מֵרָע׃ (ו) - "Every proud-hearted person is an abomination to Hashem; hand to hand, he will not go unpunished (5). Through kindness and truth iniquity is expiated, and by the fear of Hashem one turns away from evil (6)."
This refers to a person who sinned and fell into the category of "Every proud-hearted person is an abomination to Hashem": he spoke with arrogance and contempt, humiliated others, shamed people, and behaved haughtily. How can he achieve atonement? "Through kindness and truth iniquity is expiated" - through the study of Torah and acts of lovingkindness. Yet for sins between man and his fellow, one must appease the injured party. What should he do if that person refuses to be appeased, or if he cannot find him at all in order to appease him? This is a question many baalei teshuvah ask: "I was loose-tongued and sharp-tongued, constantly mocking and making remarks, and surely many people were hurt by me - how can I find them now to make amends?"
To this, the next verse responds: "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways, even his enemies He causes to be at peace with him." The Holy One, Blessed is He, will put into the heart of that person whom you wronged, and whom you have no way of finding to ask for forgiveness, to make peace with you and forgive you. This is an immense virtue: you do what you can, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, takes care of the places and realms that you cannot reach.
A Story of Reb Zalmele of Volozhin
Reb Zalmele of Volozhin was the brother of Rav Chaim of Volozhin and one of the primary disciples of the Vilna Gaon. The Gaon said of him that he was not a human being but like an angel, whereas of Rav Chaim, his foremost disciple, he said that he was truly a "ben adam" (a son of man) - defining the title of "adam" for him, which is a great stature, as Yechezkel was addressed as "ben adam." Rav Chaim was once asked: What is the difference between your brother Reb Zalmele and your master, the Vilna Gaon? For outwardly they appeared equal. He told them: There is a great difference. My brother Reb Zalmele knows the entire Torah, but only forward; whereas my master, the Vilna Gaon, knows it forward and backward. And that is an additional, immense level in Torah knowledge. Try reciting "Ashrei yoshvei veitecha od yehalelucha selah" from end to beginning - a verse you recite three or four times a day, and yet you cannot do it. The Gaon knew the entire Torah that way.
It is told of that same Reb Zalmele that he was once sitting and studying in the beit midrash, and next to him sat an unlearned man studying Mishnayot of tractate Demai - the mishnayot dealing with the produce of an am ha'aretz who is suspected of not tithing. The man approached him and said, "Rebbi, I have developed a novel Torah insight." He replied, "Please, let us hear." Reb Zalmele listened to the insight and saw that it had neither taste nor aroma nor splendor. He said to him wittily, "Your perush is a perush of demai." In the Lithuanian pronunciation, shin and sin/samech interchange, so "perush" (interpretation) sounds like "parus" (broken or defective) - a wordplay implying: your explanation is flawed, like untithed produce that has not been properly rectified. The man felt insulted and went home.
Afterward, Reb Zalmele sat and thought to himself: Why did you hurt this Jew? True, he is an unlearned person who never studied Torah, but you should not have hurt him; perhaps you should have set him on the right path, but why mock him? He went out and began searching for him across the entire city, a day, two days, but could not find him. He posted notices throughout the city: A certain individual who presented an explanation before Reb Zalmele and received such-and-such a reply is requested to come forward. He sent people, searched, and inquired - but could not find him. He felt immense anguish over this and wept bitterly without ceasing: Perhaps I caused grief to a fellow Jew and now have no way to appease him and ask his forgiveness. He wore out his feet walking everywhere possible, yet found no rest or solace for his soul.
When his relatives saw that his health was deteriorating from sheer anguish, they hired a man from another city who roughly matched the description he had provided, and said to him: Go to the Rav and tell him that you are the one who was offended, and that you forgive him. The man came and said: Greetings, honored Rav; some time ago, I presented a certain explanation of Demai to the Rav. Reb Zalmele looked at him and said: Look, if you are the right man, there is no greater satisfaction for me; but if you are the wrong man and came only to appease me, know that I do not forgive you. Hearing this, the man fled for his life. Who would dare run afoul of Reb Zalmele's displeasure? This plan, too, was unsuccessful.
"Were the Holy One, Blessed Is He, Not to Help Him"
When they saw that his condition continued to deteriorate, they decided to bring him to his teacher, the Vilna Gaon. He recounted his story to him. The Gaon said to him: It is written, "A person's evil inclination overpowers him every day and seeks to kill him, and were the Holy One, Blessed is He, not to help him, he could not withstand it." Now, seemingly, what novelty does this teach? Do we not know that the inclination overpowers and that the Holy One, Blessed is He, rescues us from its grasp? Rather, the novelty lies in the word "helps him": help comes only to one who acts on his own. You must do everything in your power and expend every possible effort, and only if you have done all that - then the Holy One, Blessed is He, helps him. When does Hashem help? When you do the maximum.
The Gaon said to him: And since you did the maximum - you searched and sought, investigated, probed, and inquired, yet did not succeed, and you repented wholeheartedly, regretted, and wept - now you need only something akin to "my help will come," and then the Holy One, Blessed is He, helps him: Heaven will instill feelings of forgiveness in that person's heart, and he will forgive you. And that is what is written here: "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways, even his enemies He makes to be at peace with him." When Hashem finds favor in your ways and sees that your repentance is sincere and true, He will ensure that all those you wronged will forgive you in their hearts.
The Vilna Gaon's Explanation: Evil Inclination, Child, and Wife
The Vilna Gaon explains the verse as a continuation of the preceding verse, "Through kindness and truth, iniquity is atoned for." A person might say: How can I repent? Three things hold me back - inclination, child, and wife. The Gaon borrows this phrase allegorically, as in its original context the Gemara uses it in a different setting: inclination, child, and wife are three with whom one must act according to the principle of "the left hand pushes away while the right draws close" - drawing close with the right hand, but not excessively, leaving some distance with the left hand. Regarding the evil inclination: Rav Chaim of Volozhin says that if a person repels his inclination in an extreme manner, when the slightest temptation subsequently arrives, the inclination will burn within him like fire. Regarding a child: one should not reject the child or act coldly toward him; rather, one must draw him close, but on the other hand ensure he does not feel overly familiar, lest he treat you with contempt and treat you merely as a friend; some measure of distance must be maintained. And likewise with a wife: if a husband acts merely like a peer at the most casual level, it may lead to a situation where she disrespects him and speaks to him without dignity. He must safeguard his dignity - not, Heaven forbid, out of pride, nor by being overly fastidious about his honor, but ensuring his dignity is not trampled, for otherwise she will lose all respect and esteem for him. This is the simple meaning of the Gemara.
However, the Vilna Gaon uses the expression "inclination, child, and wife" allegorically, as the three things that prevent a person from repenting. Inclination (Yetzer) - the evil inclination, which prosecutes me from Above and constantly schemes new entrapments for me, preventing me from repenting. Child (Tinok) - a person says: Today, thank Hashem, I have grown stronger, but in my youth I did bad things, and the habits of my childhood hold me back today from returning; residues remain within me from what I did in my youth. The animal soul that I always followed, whose actions I grew accustomed to from infancy, is now hard to abandon. Wife (Ishah) - a difficult wife, in two senses: either in the literal sense, where one has a wife who hinders him whenever he wants to study Torah and perform mitzvos; or an "evil wife" in the sense of the animal soul, which is termed a "woman," and when accustomed to going in a bad path is called an "evil wife," pulling him down toward material and earthly pursuits.
Regarding this, the verse says: Do not fear these three elements, for "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways, even his enemies He makes to be at peace with him." And Chazal expounded: What does the word "even" add? Even his wife, as it is stated, "A man's enemies are the people of his house." The Holy One, Blessed is He, will ensure that these three prosecutors - the evil inclination, the bad habits from childhood, and the animal soul or a difficult wife literally - will all make peace with him and work for his benefit and peace.
A Benchmark for Self-Examination
By the way, the masters of Mussar note that there is a benchmark here. If a person sees that he has not yet attained "even his enemies He makes to be at peace with him," he should know that he has not yet attained "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways." For had he reached the level of "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways," presumably even his enemies would make peace with him.
In summary: A single verse, "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways, even his enemies He makes to be at peace with him," encompasses an entire world. Rabbeinu Yonah derived from it that whoever is beloved Above becomes beloved below - provided that love is not the product of flattery, which is rather a badge of shame; that it characterized the Philistine kings who came to Avraham and Yitzchak, saying, "We have clearly seen that Hashem has been with you"; and that it is the consolation of the penitent who cannot find the person he wronged, as in the episode of Reb Zalmele, whom the Vilna Gaon taught that when a person does all in his power - the Holy One, Blessed is He, helps him and plants forgiveness in the heart of the offended party. And the Vilna Gaon added that even the three obstacles to repentance - inclination, child, and wife - will all make peace with the person whose ways are pleasing before the Omnipresent.