Chapter 16 of Mishlei continues the foundational theme we have discussed: man's aspiration is for the Holy One, Blessed is He, to desire him and his ways, as expressed in the prayer, "And You, in Your abundant mercy, shall desire us." In the section before us, we will examine three pesukim that all revolve around one point: where man's power ends and where the Creator's power begins. Choice and thought are in man's hands, but their realization is in the hands of Heaven. From this emerge sharp words of rebuke regarding theft, as well as words of encouragement and comfort for anyone seeking peace of mind in life.
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.
The Malbim explains: We have already learned that "Those of blameless way are Hashem's delight." To evoke favor from Hashem - for Hashem to desire a person - one must be blameless in his way (tam derech). And the definition of tam is complete and whole: that his spirit possesses no ulterior motive, he has no objective other than fulfilling the will of his Creator, and his service is carried out in wholeness. Then - "He causes even his enemies to make peace with him."
And who are "his enemies"? The Malbim explains that a person has enemies within his household - and this does not refer to his family members, but rather that his body is called his house. Domestic enemies are evil thoughts, lusts, corrupted character traits, and the attraction toward evil. These are his internal enemies. "When Hashem favors a man's ways" - the Holy One, Blessed is He, ensures that even those internal enemies, that same yetzer hara pulling toward evil, will make peace with him.
The Malbim establishes a major principle here: when a person achieves inner perfection and his internal enemies make peace with him, his external enemies will make peace with him as well. He elaborates on this regarding King Chizkiyahu. Chizkiyahu received a rebuke from the prophet - "You shall die and not live" - for not marrying. Following this rebuke, he repented, and following his repentance, he was informed by the prophet that the Holy One, Blessed is He, would deliver Sancheriv and his armies into his hand. What is the connection between the two? The Malbim says: when a person achieves inner peace over his negative character traits and his lusts, and there is peace within him - through this he merits outer peace from his enemies as well.
And where do we see the textual indication that both internal and external enemies are referred to here? From the word "even" (gam). Presumably, it could have simply said, "When Hashem favors a man's ways, his enemies make peace with him" - so what is the purpose of "even"? Rather, "even" comes to include: after you have reconciled with your internal enemies and succeeded in subduing them, not only will Hashem make them at peace with you, but your external enemies as well. The one depends on the other, measure for measure - just as you reconciled the enemies of the divine soul (which are the negative traits, lusts, and corrupted thoughts), so Hashem will cause your external enemies to make peace with you, bringing about peace rather than strife and war.
טוֹב־מְעַט בִּצְדָקָה מֵרֹב תְּבוּאוֹת בְּלֹא מִשְׁפָּט׃ (ח) - Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without justice.
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: This pasuk, along with the pasuk that follows - "A man's heart plans his way, but Hashem directs his step" - primarily serves to awaken man's heart to how great a person's wrongdoing is in any sin he commits. They are intended to make a person confront the magnitude of the deficiency, flaw, and damage caused by every sin.
And he opens with one who gathers great revenues without justice, which refers to theft. The Gemara states: A person's soul naturally covets. By nature, a person desires other people's money and covets silver and gold. You will find very few people who would tell you that money does not speak to them at all, who would not accept an offered hundred shekels, or who would not bend down to pick up money lying on the ground (except perhaps to avoid wasting it). A person's soul naturally covets - this is how the Holy One, Blessed is He, fashioned man in his nature, for were it not so, we would have no trials in life.
Now come and see the sheer force of this rebuke. After all, a person cannot translate his thoughts into action until the Holy One, blessed be He, directs his steps, as it is said: "A man's heart plans his way, but Hashem directs his steps" (Mishlei 16:9). Man is the one who thinks - but by whose power do you carry those thoughts out into action? Only through His blessed will. You can make countless plans, yet Hashem can decide that today your legs will not work. Thus, the One who actually acts is the Holy One, blessed be He. Plan as much as you wish - without His will, you will not budge.
Someone once said: he needed to leave his house for a very urgent matter, but could not find the key. He said: if there is no heavenly assistance - you cannot even walk out the front door; and if there is heavenly assistance - you can reach the ends of the earth. We always need the Holy One, blessed be He, but here one sees it in the most manifest way: "A man's heart plans his way, but Hashem directs his steps."
If so, says Rabbeinu Yonah, how could it enter a person's mind to acquire "great revenues without justice"? How could it occur to him to steal, rob, extort from others, and amass wealth unjustly and unlawfully - when Hashem is the One directing his steps? This is what the author of Tomer Devorah, the Ramak, writes: the most terrible thing during the commission of a sin is that a person uses the very tools the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him - against the Master of the Universe. The Holy One, blessed be He, supplies him with the bullets, and he fires them at Him.
To what can this be compared? To a king who passed by a lame man, an amputee without legs, took pity on him, and carried him in his arms to guide him along the way he wished to go. That lame man began reaching out from within the arms of the king carrying him and chopping down the king's exquisite trees. They pass by the king's magnificent, prized garden, and the lame man holds pruning shears in his hand, beginning to uproot and destroy the king's precious trees - while held within the king's own arms! Not only that, but he begins shooting arrows at everyone dear to the king and everything the king cherishes, at those about whom the king commanded and said that whoever touches them touches the apple of his eye. It is as if that man is held in the king's arms, the king is carrying him, and with a rifle in his hand he begins spraying bullets - shooting at the king's wife, his son, his brother, anyone the king cautioned against harming. And who is carrying you right now? Who is giving you the strength? Who is enabling you at all? The king who is carrying you in his arms! Is there any greater brazenness, folly, and treacherous betrayal than this?
This is precisely what is written here: how could it occur to you to amass "great revenues without justice," if "Hashem directs his steps"? When you are using the steps provided by Hashem and the strength that comes from Hashem - how could it enter your mind to use that very power against the Master of the Universe?
Rabbeinu Yonah offers another explanation: "Better is a little with righteousness" refers back to the ba'al teshuvah discussed in the preceding verses. There, he spoke of a person who repents and desires to return to Hashem - "By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is expiated, and by fear of Hashem one departs from evil" (Mishlei 16:6), "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways, He causes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Mishlei 16:7). Now he continues and says: after you have repented, what must you begin to do? Rectifications. You repented - very good, truly wonderful, but what about the people you stole from? Have you thought about returning what you took?
Regarding this it is said: "By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is expiated," but "Better is a little with righteousness" - better is the little that will remain in his possession through righteousness than great revenues without justice. And this is a great moral lesson. A person says to you: "Do you know how much I stole? I may need to repay a million shekels; I would have to sell my apartment to return what I took, and I know whom I stole from - must I lose like that?" For example, he had a car, and through some scheme the car was "stolen" and he claimed half a million shekels from the insurance company. He says: "I know whom I defrauded, but do you want me to sell everything and be left with nothing?"
The answer is: better is a little. It is better that you are left with only a little - but with righteousness, in justice and equity, so that every single object remaining in your home belongs to you one hundred percent. In contrast, someone who says, "I have a house, I have this, and I have that" - and from where did all this come? From theft, "great revenues without justice," acquired unjustly through theft and robbery. It is far better to be left with a little in righteousness than to amass much unjustly.
The Vilna Gaon explains: "Better is a little with righteousness" - it is better for a person to engage only a little in this world, meaning to spend minimal time in worldly business, earning a livelihood and the like, gathering modest wealth without rushing to get rich, and to give tzedakah. Why? Because when a person has little wealth, he easily fulfills his obligation of tzedakah, and even gives more than he must. Since his profit is small, he feels embarrassed to give such a tiny amount, so he gives more. Most likely, he fulfills his obligation regarding tzedakah and tithes, since he did not earn a vast amount.
On the other hand, "than great revenues without justice" - "justice" is not "charity." Charity is beyond the letter of the law, whereas justice is what is due to another by law. Now ask yourself: who finds it easier to fulfill the obligation of tithing and charity - the wealthy man or the poor man? Surely the poor man. For a kollel student who earned two thousand shekels, taking two hundred shekels out of his pocket does not break his heart. But for the wealthy person who earned two hundred million - taking twenty million shekels out of his pocket tears both heart and pocket together. And if you say, "Look, he made two hundred million!" - a person does not remember how much he made; he only thinks about how much he must give away right now.
The reality is that when a person earns little, it is easier for him to set it aside because the expense is small, and in fact he is likely to give even more: he gave two hundred, and then another poor, destitute person came along, so he added ten shekels and another ten, reaching three hundred. He earned two thousand and gave three hundred; it turns out he did even more charity and gave beyond what he was obligated. But if you run and chase after wealth, know that even if you have great revenues, it will most likely be "without justice" - you will not have fulfilled your obligation to give what you are required to give. For those twenty million are not yours; they belong to the Holy One, blessed be He. He told you: "I am giving you two hundred million; give Me My twenty million for what I ask - for synagogues, study halls, mitzvot, the poor, and acts of loving-kindness."
The Vilna Gaon consistently connects these matters to Torah, and similarly, Ralbag suggests something along these lines: it is better for a person to learn a little - "with righteousness." And what is "with righteousness"? When you learn little by little, you analyze the subject deeply and understand everything thoroughly, and by doing so, you perform an act of charity for all of Israel, as it is written that one who occupies himself with Torah performs an act of charity for all of Israel.
People think that yeshivah students who study Torah benefit only themselves, but regarding this, the Gemara states that this is heresy: anyone who says, "What benefit have the Rabbis brought us? They learn for themselves and study for themselves." This is utter foolishness and vanity. Know that on this person who learned, you and the entire world survive. The holy Ari said regarding Rabbi Chaim Vital that through the tefillin his father wrote, with purity, sanctity, and focused intention, half the world is sustained. A simple man who would sit and write tefillin with holy and pure intention - and half the world is sustained in his merit! Thus, mistakenly thinking "I support him" is sheer foolishness: he sustains you, and in his merit you are alive, because on your own merits, you would have lost your right to life long ago.
Therefore, it is better to learn a little Torah "with righteousness," knowing each thing thoroughly, and in doing so, doing charity with all of Israel and bestowing upon them the merit of Torah study - than gathering much "without justice": speeding through massive amounts without knowing the law thoroughly. Not understanding the law thoroughly - that is "without justice." Therefore, it is preferable to learn a little, with true understanding.
לֵב אָדָם יְחַשֵּׁב דַּרְכּוֹ וַיהֹוָה יָכִין צַעֲדוֹ׃ (ט) - A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. (9)
A person needs two things. The first is that Hashem direct his steps; that is, moving forward, wherever he advances, may the Holy One, blessed be He, help him choose the right paths - "The steps of a man are established by the Lord." For this, one must ask Hashem. But that is not enough, for have you examined yourself to see if everything you have done until now was right? Therefore, prayer and self-examination regarding the past are also necessary. Thus, there is prayer for the past and prayer for the future.
Regarding the past - "A man's heart plans his way." Woe to the person who draws no conclusions from his mistakes; such a person does not evaluate his path. Of him it is said that an error continually repeats itself, and he will repeat it again and again and again, because he does not fall into the category of "a man's heart plans his way." One must first evaluate the path: check whether there is a sin that must be eliminated, whether one stumbled in something that now demands attention. And on the other hand, ask Hashem that from now on He direct one's steps, helping one avoid evil, avoid stumbling blocks, and avoid anything that could lead to falling once again into some flaw or wrongdoing.
The Malbim makes a precise observation: it does not say chosev (thinking), but rather yechashev - an intensive grammatical form. When this intensive form is used for thinking - mechashev, yechashev - it indicates thoughts that are out of the ordinary, or thoughts that are improper, wicked schemes.
The Malbim explains further: "the path" is what lies in the realm of man's choice, to choose for himself which path he will walk. "The step" is what a person actually steps and does in practice, lifting his feet and walking. Thus, even if the choice is in one's hands - whether to travel to a certain place or not - and a person decides to go, he goes down to the car, tries to start the engine, and discovers the battery is dead; and by the time he calls a tow truck, and by the time it arrives, and so on and so forth - the wedding is already over.
It turns out that there are two parts here: planning and execution. The planning is the thought, which is free choice, and that is in your hands. The execution - in that, you are entirely dependent on the Creator: if the Creator wills it, you will be able to carry it out; if He does not will it, you will not.
And so it is with speech: the tongue is what brings thought into expression in matters of speech. A person wants to say something specific; he thought about how to say it, but when he came to articulate it, his words became confused and he did not express them properly. Notice what happened: the plan belongs to man, the thought belongs to man, but the instruments of action - the executing limbs - are in Hashem's hands. He decides whether your feet will ache and you will be unable to walk, whether your tongue will falter and you will be unable to speak, or whether you will simply fail to properly articulate what you had planned. As it is written:
לְאָדָם מַעַרְכֵי־לֵב וּמֵיְהֹוָה מַעֲנֵה לָשׁוֹן׃ (א) - "To man belong the preparations of the heart, but from Hashem comes the answer of the tongue." (1)
"The preparations of the heart" - that is your share; but whether you succeed in expressing those things with the tongue - that is already from Hashem. The same applies to the feet: "A man's heart schemes his way" - the thoughts of whether to go or not, whether to act or not, that is man's heart, that is free choice. "Yet Hashem directs his step" - who determines whether the matter will come to fruition? In this, you are in the hands of the Creator, for Hashem directs his step, meaning that only through Him is the actual path established.
And since man does not direct his own steps but rather the matter is in Hashem's hands, it follows that the Holy One, Blessed is He, can prevent you from carrying out your thought if He so wills. For a person might mistakenly think: thought is in my hands, and therefore "nothing will be withheld from them which they purpose to do" - whatever I want, I will be able to do. The Holy One, Blessed is He, says to him: Not at all. True, I gave you free choice, but control over the execution remains in My hands. You can decide tomorrow that you wish to destroy the entire world, but there is a primary player in the world, and that is Me, and I will decide whether the world is destroyed or not. And what about free choice? Free choice resides in the heart - "A man's heart schemes his way"; but to bring it into reality, you need the Creator - "yet Hashem directs his step."
And this is what is written in Tehillim 37: "A man's steps are established by Hashem, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he will not be cast down." The Malbim explains: the steps of a gever, a strong man, are from Hashem. If Hashem delights in his way, he will succeed, because the Holy One, Blessed is He, willed that he succeed in it. But if the Holy One, Blessed is He, does not desire it, He will prevent him from succeeding.
And this is the continuation of the verse, "Though he fall, he will not be cast down": if you see a righteous person fall, having devised a plan and failed - like our example, where he planned to go somewhere but his steps were thwarted and he was unable to carry out the plan - King David says about this, "Though he fall, he will not be cast down": know that this did not happen on its own, but from Hashem. Hashem upholds his hand; Hashem holds back his movement so that he does not carry out what he planned, because He sees that harm would result from it. Thus, even though he planned to do a certain thing, Hashem may very well prevent him and thwart his steps, for "a man's steps are established by Hashem." For your own good I prevent you from carrying out your plans, and you will not succeed in fulfilling the ultimate aim of your intention.
And this is what it means here: if you see that "a man's heart schemes his way," that a person devises improper schemes - and as we explained, according to the Malbim, yechashev denotes thoughts that are improper - know that he cannot succeed in anything unless it is from Hashem, for "yet Hashem directs his step."
Whoever possesses this faith and knowledge finds life much easier and simpler. Typically, when something happens to a person, he looks for someone to blame: so-and-so did it, that person tripped me up, and it is all because of this - he always finds culprits; everyone is to blame except himself. But if a person knows that "A man's heart plans his way" - true, you are right, that individual had malicious intent to trip you up; but where is the Creator of the world in the story? Could he have caused you to fall had Hashem not directed his step? Certainly not. And if he did cause you to fall - why? Because Hashem directed his step. And if you ask why Hashem directed his step - because you deserved it. If so, do you have any complaint against him? He is merely the instrument through whom the deed was done.
This is comparable to a municipality that placed an obstacle in the road, and a person drove by in his car and suffered damage. He does not step out and scream at the obstacle - is the concrete block in the middle of the road to blame? - but rather inquires with the municipality why they did not remove the hazard, and perhaps sues them. One must always look to the source. So too here: that person is merely a concrete block. Did I stumble because of him? Yes. But he could not have done a thing on his own; he merely "plans his way." "Yet Hashem directs his step" - and the One Who established his steps so that he would succeed in them did so from Himself, blessed be He. If so, why complain against him?
The three verses before us present a unified theme: "When Hashem is pleased with a man's ways" - one who attains inner perfection and makes peace with his enemies from within, his character traits and desires, merits that even his external enemies will make peace with him. "Better is a little with righteousness" - a little acquired justly is better than much acquired without justice, whether regarding wealth (for one who amasses great wealth finds it difficult to fulfill his obligation of tzedakah, and a ba'al teshuvah must return stolen property even at the cost of being left with very little) or regarding Torah (a small amount mastered thoroughly, rather than a vast amount without knowledge of the practical halachah). And "A man's heart plans his way, yet Hashem directs his step" - the thought and the choice are in your hands, but the actual execution is in the hands of the Creator. From here emerges a stern rebuke to one who steals using the very tools the King gave him, like the lame man chopping down the King's trees from between the King's own arms; and from here also emerges encouragement: to account for the ways of the past, to pray for the future, and to know that no man can harm his fellow unless his steps were directed from Heaven.