In this part of the psalm, Scripture addresses the wicked person and enumerates his deeds: he brings sacrifices and portrays himself as righteous, while at the very same time he runs with thieves, takes his portion with adulterers, and his mouth and tongue are occupied with slander and deceit. The Holy One, Blessed is He, calls him to account: What value is there in the statutes - in sacrifices - if the fundamental, rational commandments you have cast behind your back? Let us follow the verses in order.
אִם רָאִיתָ גַנָּב וַתִּרֶץ עִמּוֹ, וְעִם מְנָאֲפִים חֶלְקֶךָ׃ - If you saw a thief, you ran with him, and with adulterers was your portion.
What is the meaning of vatiretz ("and you ran" or "and you were pleased")? Ibn Ezra cites two interpretations, and all the commentators follow one of them. Either it is from the language of running (as in ratzo v'shov, "running and returning"): you saw a thief and immediately ran along with him to steal; or it is from the language of desire and consent (ratzon and hitratzut): you saw a thief and were immediately pleased to join him.
The Malbim explains that here the indictment is delivered: What purpose is served by the statutes, that you offer Me a sacrifice which belongs to the category of a chok (a statute beyond human reasoning), if behind your back you have cast the primary commandments, those dictated by reason - theft, murder, adultery? Even though you commit grave transgressions, you nevertheless go to the Beis HaMikdash to offer sacrifices, presenting yourself as righteous and observant of the statutes. The Holy One, Blessed is He, says to him: Have you already fulfilled the rational commandments, that you now come to display your righteousness through observing the statutes?
In Yalkut Eliezer, it is cited in the name of the great luminary, the tzaddik Rabbi Chaim Feigelberg, Rav of the holy community of Kiskőrös: There are transgressions that stem from poverty. A person steals because he has fallen into dire financial distress, and about this it is said, "Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his soul when he is hungry." Theft, trickery, all kinds of schemes - his economic straits pushed him there. This does not justify it, but one can still find some merit to argue in his favor. By contrast, there are transgressions caused by wealth: "And Jeshurun grew fat and kicked." When a person is satiated and possesses wealth, he turns to sins of immorality, for he allows himself indulgences and is puffed up with arrogance, believing he is entitled to everything - and anyone who stumbles in arrogance falls into illicit relations and the like. Thus we find sins characteristic of the poor and sins characteristic of the wealthy.
One who commits both types of sins together has no excuse whatsoever; it is nothing other than proof that "the soul of the wicked desires evil" and despises the path of moral discipline. This is what the verse conveys: on the one hand, "If you saw a thief, you ran with him" - sins of the poor; on the other hand, "and with adulterers was your portion" - sins of the wealthy. One cannot claim he stole out of distress, for he also commits the sins of the rich; nor can one claim he committed adultery because Hashem granted him an abundance of wealth, for he also commits the sins of the poor. Where does this come from? Exclusively from wickedness. Through this, there is clear proof that his heart pursues evil.
In Degel Reuven, this is explained differently: Our Sages teach that one who pursues immorality is brought to poverty, as it is written, "For on account of a harlot, a man is brought to a loaf of bread." This, then, is what the verse is saying: How did you reach a state where you have nothing to eat, running eagerly after any opportunity to steal? It is because "with adulterers was your portion" - and adultery brings a person to poverty, until he is left with no choice but to go and steal.
פִּיךָ שָׁלַחְתָּ בְרָעָה, וּלְשׁוֹנְךָ תַּצְמִיד מִרְמָה׃ - You have sent forth your mouth in evil, and your tongue harnesses deceit.
"You give your mouth free rein for evil" - to speak evil things about other people. "And your tongue harnesses deceit" - you attach deceitful words to people. The word tatzmid denotes attachment, as in a tzamid patil (a tightly sealed vessel).
The Radak explains: "You give your mouth free rein for evil" - to speak ill of people. The expression "you sent forth" (shalachta) is used metaphorically. Did you actually take your mouth and send it away? Rather, this is a figure of speech, just as people say of someone who quickly departs, "He spread his wings and flew off" - does he truly have wings? So too here: you effectively unleashed your mouth to say evil; you loosened its restraint and sent it out to speak wicked things. To this day, the Hebrew idiom hishtaleach bo ("lashed out at him") reflects this concept.
The Radak adds that this too is among the sins committed in secret, for a person speaks ill of others inside his house, or pulls someone aside and whispers: "Tell me, is it true that so-and-so did such-and-such? I heard this and that about him." As a rule, a person speaks lashon hara in secret.
There is a story told of the Chafetz Chaim: toward the end of his life, his hearing deteriorated, and people wanted to purchase a hearing aid for him, but he adamantly refused. They told him, "The Rav needs to hear; people come to ask questions." He replied, "Whoever truly needs me knows how to shout; he comes close, raises his voice, and I hear him. On the contrary, I am glad it is this way. All my life I harbored a constant fear that people would come and speak lashon hara to me, and now I am more at ease - for people do not shout lashon hara. 'Honored Rav, did you hear what they are saying about that person? Does the Rav know what is going on over there?' - that is said in a whisper. People do not scream such things at the top of their lungs. So I am calmer, and far less afraid that someone will come and tell me lashon hara."
"And your tongue harnesses deceit" - the Radak explains that you join your words with the words of another who speaks evil just like you. You attach yourself to fellow slanderers, to people of your sort whose main occupation is slander and gossip.
The Malbim explains: "You give your mouth free rein for evil" - speaking lashon hara about your fellow; and not only factual matters, but "and your tongue harnesses deceit" - you even attached deceitful falsehoods to him, inventing stories about him out of thin air. From here we learn a fundamental principle: lashon hara applies specifically to the truth. This is one of the most common misconceptions among those distant from Torah observance; a person assumes that if what he said is true, it cannot be lashon hara - "I saw it with my own eyes, don't you believe me?" But if the claim is false, that is already motzi shem ra (slander), which is far more severe.
To understand this, consider the simplest example: if someone were to tell you, "Listen, people are gossiping about you, but rest assured that everything they are saying is entirely true, nothing but hard facts" - would you agree to that? No one would. Is anyone perfect? But why must you publicize my faults and shortcomings to everyone? This is precisely what the Torah seeks to prevent: that one should not search out and broadcast his fellow's disgrace, even when it is true. Just because it is true, does that make it permissible to spread it to others? This is not speaking of someone who poses a danger to the public, someone who swindles people, or a tradesman known to be a thief and a fraud who is about to cheat whoever hires him - there are specific halachot for such cases, and for that very purpose the Chafetz Chaim authored an entire book on the laws of lashon hara: when it is permissible, under what conditions, and in what manner. But to assume that if it is true, it is permissible - that is complete lashon hara.
Incidentally, this secular misconception stems from civil defamation laws. Under secular law, one is forbidden to publish defamation, and a journalist cannot falsely accuse a public official or private individual of something he did not do. However, if one reported that so-and-so embezzled and stole, and the accused sued for defamation, but the reporter proved that he spoke the truth - the reporter is acquitted. All he must prove is truth as a defense. In their view, if you spoke the truth, there are no grounds for a defamation claim. From here stems the widespread error that lashon hara applies only to lies. According to Halachah, however, lashon hara refers specifically to the truth, whereas speaking a falsehood falls under the category of motzi shem ra.
The Malbim explains the distinction between "your mouth" (picha) and "your tongue" (leshoncha), a principle seen countless times throughout Sefer Mishlei: the mouth is external, while the tongue is deeper within. "Your mouth" always denotes something external, evil that is openly known and recognized by all; "your tongue" is something more internal, requiring premeditation. When repeating true criticisms about someone, one needs no calculation - I saw you steal, so I recounted that you stole. But when fabricating a story about someone, one must think carefully so the story appears plausible, fits the circumstances, and is accepted by the listeners. Therefore, regarding deceit, the verse states, "and your tongue harnesses deceit," for this requires thought; whereas to merely report what one saw, "your mouth" suffices - external speech without deep thought.
Rashi explains tatzmid as an expression of habituation: you accustom yourself to deceit, speaking evil habitually. You become bound, as it were, to this destructive habit of malicious speech; and just as a tzamid patil is a cover tightly fastened to a vessel, so too you bind to your tongue the habit of deceitful speech.
תֵּשֵׁב בְּאָחִיךָ תְדַבֵּר, בְּבֶן אִמְּךָ תִּתֶּן דֹּפִי׃ - You sit and speak against your brother; you slander the son of your mother.
A note on the reading: we read "בְּבֶן אִמְּךָ" (*be-ven imekha*) with the accent on the last syllable (*milra*), because the cantillation mark (*revia*) is on the letter *chaf*. If the *revia* were on the *mem*, we would read it with the accent on the penultimate syllable (*mil'eil*). The cantillation mark always indicates whether to read the word *mil'eil* or *milra*, and here it is at the end of the word - hence it is *milra*.
The Malbim explains: After you ran with thieves and joined with adulterers, the verse now speaks of the time of rest - "you sit." And what happens when you sit? Even then you do not rest for a moment and are not at ease; rather, "you speak against your brother" - slandering your brother, claiming he is a thief, that he is an adulterer, as though you were God-fearing and pained by transgressors, pinning sins onto your brother. And not only that, but also "you slander the son of your mother."
Why specifically "the son of your mother"? The simple explanation, following Rashi and likewise the Malbim: With a brother from your father, there is more tension than with a brother from your mother, for a simple reason - with a maternal brother you do not share an inheritance, and therefore there is greater affection. With a paternal brother there can be conflicts and arguments: this one received such-and-such, and that one received such-and-such. And this refers to the time of Chazal, when inheritance was divided strictly among paternal sons according to Torah law (nowadays it is customary to divide according to agreements). Yet you were not satisfied with "speaking against your brother"; even against the son of your mother, over whom you have no dispute and who does not inherit with you from your father's estate, you also cast insults.
And what is *dofi* ("slander")? Rashi says: A derogatory matter, meant to push him away, from the term *yehdefeinu* ("will thrust him away"). Do you hear that? Why is it called *dofi*? From the idea of thrusting him away (*lehidof*). You want to push him aside, so you say bad things about him, and that shoves him away.
The Metzudat David explains differently: "Even against the son of your mother." A brother from your father is not necessarily your brother with absolute certainty, but rather by legal presumption (*chazakah*) - that a woman conceives from her husband, and even if one might suspect adultery, the majority of relations are attributed to the husband. But a maternal brother - there is clear evidence, as both of you were seen emerging from the same womb, and he is undeniably your brother. This is what the verse means: not only do you speak against "your brother," but even against the son of your mother, who is indisputably your brother, you also speak against him.
The Sha'arei Chaim explains homiletically: There is a person who speaks ill even of his own brother, and why so? To gain license and legitimacy to speak against others as well. He puts on a display: "I am someone who cannot tolerate wickedness and cannot accept such conduct, and believe me, even if my own brother commits wrongdoing, I speak out against him too." Through this pretext, he reinforces and justifies his own corrupt traits and shameful habits. This is "you sit and speak against your brother" - in order that against "the son of your mother," who is more distant, not fully your brother but only maternal, you might also cast a blemish; and consequently, you can speak freely about those who are even further removed, pretending that it is out of zealousness for the truth that you speak *lashon hara* about them.
אֵלֶּה עָשִׂיתָ וְהֶחֱרַשְׁתִּי, דִּמִּיתָ הֱיוֹת אֶהְיֶה כָמוֹךָ, אוֹכִיחֲךָ וְאֶעֶרְכָה לְעֵינֶיךָ׃ - These things you did, and I kept silent; you imagined that I was just like you. I will rebuke you and set it before your eyes.
The Radak explains: All these things you did because I kept silent. All of these things - you saw a thief and ran with him, you sit and speak against your brother, you slander the son of your mother - you did because I withheld My response, says the Holy One, Blessed be He; I did not punish you or repay you for your evil deeds. "You imagined that I was just like you" - you thought I was like you: just as you do not know what is in your fellow's heart, so too I do not know what is in your heart; just as you do not know hidden things, so you imagined that I do not know hidden things either. Hashem says: "I will rebuke you and set it before your eyes" - I will lay out all your deeds before you and show you that I knew everything.
And if you ask: but up until now He has not exacted punishment from him, and if Hashem knows, why does He allow him to continue? To this the Holy One, Blessed be He, replies: Although I have deferred your punishment, the time will come to clarify the wicked, and it will become known who are the righteous and who are the guilty, as it is written in Malachi, "And you will return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." The fact that I have not executed judgment upon you until now is not due to a lack of knowledge, but because Hashem is slow to anger, and when the time arrives, everything will be made clear.
Radak brings another explanation: "And I heard another interpretation from an elder." "These things you have done, and I kept silent" - regarding all the evils you committed, I showed forbearance and restrained Myself. But "you imagined that I would be like you" - you thought I was a physical body like you. That is, in addition to all your wickedness, you also possessed the evil of anthropomorphism, conceiving of the Holy One, blessed be He, in terms of a physical body. Concerning this: "I will rebuke you and lay it out before your eyes," for this is the greatest of evils, and concerning this I will not remain silent. As long as a person understands that God is God and he is flesh and blood, even if he stumbles into sin, he still has a path to rectification and there is still hope. But the moment he imagines that God is a body like himself, this is a total loss of faith, and for this there will be no forbearance, only wrath.
Rashi explains: "You imagined that I would be like you" - you thought I would be like you in being pleased with evil deeds. You are pleased with your evil deeds, and you thought that I, too, was like you, that these actions do not bother Me. To this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "I will rebuke you and lay it out before your eyes," and I will show you that the evil deeds you perform are not pleasing to Me.
The Metzudat David explains to which period the words "I will rebuke you and lay it out before your eyes" refer: Know that I will dispute with you - and in the language of the Prophets, "rebuke" (tochachah) always carries the connotation of debate and confrontation - and this will take place in the World to Come. The phrase "these things you have done, and I kept silent" applies here in this world, where the Holy One, blessed be He, allows a person to continue in his evil deeds so that free choice is preserved. For if every wrongdoer were punished immediately, where would free choice be? But a time will come, the time of retribution, when "I will rebuke you and lay it out before your eyes" - the person will arrive in the World of Truth and see how all his deeds are arrayed before him.
Many people who have undergone near-death experiences have described how they were shown all their deeds down to the finest detail. There was once an article, later printed in a leaflet in thousands of copies, about a young man who was injured in a car accident and experienced clinical death. He underwent some eighteen surgeries; they had already placed a sheet over him and declared him dead, but someone insisted, performed CPR, and managed to save him - miraculously inserting a pen into his throat to open his airway. He later recounted that when he reached the World of Truth, they began presenting all his deeds before him. One detail that was etched deeply into his memory was when they showed him that he had once been at his grandmother's house and used her telephone - back in the landline era - and they told him: "You stole half a shekel from your grandmother." That was even the title of the article: "You Stole Half a Shekel from Your Grandmother" - because you used the telephone without asking permission. He spoke of many other matters about which he was judged, and things he was shown about others, such as who was about to pass away or get divorced, several of which actually came to pass afterward. Ultimately, he returned to observance and shared his story on countless occasions. We see that on High, everything is remembered - He "remembers all forgotten things" - and "I will rebuke you and lay it out before your eyes," for there, all of a person's deeds are set in order before him. If so, even if you see here in this world that the Holy One, blessed be He, shows forbearance, "these things you have done, and I kept silent," do not think that there is no judgment and no Judge.
The Malbim explains according to his approach: not only did this person commit evil deeds, but he even pinned them on his brother: "So-and-so is a thief, so-and-so is an adulterer" - while he himself is the one doing these very things! The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: Why do you slander others who did not do these things? After all, I know that "these things you have done" - what you accuse your brother of doing, you yourself did - "and I kept silent," not revealing your wickedness for all to see, even though it is true. How, then, can you pin falsehoods upon your brother? I know true things about you and did not reveal them, yet you broadcast lies about your brother!
The Malbim continues: "You imagined" - you envisioned and presumed in your mind - "that I would be like you," that My nature is like your nature, sowing discord just as you do. Were that so, I should have spread false slander about you just as you spread false slander about others. But see that I am not like you; rather, "I will rebuke you and lay it out before your eyes" - what I set before you will consist only of the things you actually did, unlike your conduct in fabricating things against your brother that never happened. Furthermore, these matters I conceal; they will be set "only before your eyes," whereas you invent falsehoods about your brother and publicize them to all. There are thus two virtues in God's rebuke: first, it contains only truth and no fabrications; second, it is set before your eyes alone, and not before everyone.
The Binah Le'ittim, as cited in Me'am Lo'ez, explains that the verse refers back to what was said earlier: "You let your mouth loose for evil, and your tongue harnesses deceit." The Holy One, blessed be He, says to the one who speaks lashon hara: The sins you relate about your fellow - you yourself committed them, and yet I did not reveal them to others. "You imagined that I would be like you" - and since you went and spread fabrications about others, I will now act as you did: what you actually did - which is the truth - I will publicize to others. This reflects the teaching of Chazal that sins a person commits in secret are ultimately revealed and publicized in the open.
The Ohel Yaakov, as cited by Me'am Lo'ez, explains that there is a claim here against the wicked person. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: Had you claimed that the sin stemmed from a spirit of folly entering you, that you lost your head, and all sorts of justifications by which a person excuses himself - you would have been exempt from punishment, provided that you, too, judged others favorably. For whoever judges others favorably is judged favorably in Heaven, measure for measure. But you - "you let your mouth loose for evil"; you condemn others, constantly seeking out their sins and transgressions, finding fault in them whether it exists or not; evidently, you know full well how to distinguish between good and evil! If so, had you found merit in your own deeds, "and I kept silent" would still have applied, for just as you judged others favorably, you would have been judged favorably. But since you speak unfavorably of others, I will no longer remain silent; rather, "I will rebuke you and lay it out before your eyes."
This is a profound secret, as the Baal Shem Tov teaches: when a person judges favorably, Heaven, as it were, silences the accusers against him. Even if there are accusations against him, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen perverseness in Israel" - I do not wish to hear accusations against him. But when a person speaks lashon hara and judges others critically, that itself awakens prosecutors and accusers against him.
There is a story: The Baal Shem Tov had many opponents, and in his town of Mezhibozh there was one opponent who constantly tried to attack him. Once on Sukkot, while sitting in his sukkah, this man spoke lashon hara and harsh words against the Baal Shem Tov. The next day, the Baal Shem Tov met him and said: "Is this fitting? Is this proper? Is this appropriate? To speak lashon hara in the sukkah? The sukkah - an exalted, holy place, the surrounding lights of Binah (makifin de-Vinah) - and there to speak lashon hara?" The man asked him: "How does the Rav know that I spoke lashon hara about the Rav in the sukkah?" He replied: "An angel revealed it to me." The opponent asked: "And are angels permitted to speak lashon hara? Does the Rav listen to lashon hara from angels?" The Baal Shem Tov answered: "Come, and I will tell you which angel revealed it to me: the destructive angel created from the lashon hara you spoke, he is the one who revealed it to me. Holy angels do not speak lashon hara, but an angel created from lashon hara comes from lashon hara and goes around telling lashon hara." Truly wondrous! We see from here: if you are careful regarding lashon hara, angels will not tell tales about you; but when you are not careful, you create angels that will speak ill of you.
בִּינוּ נָא זֹאת שֹׁכְחֵי אֱלוֹהַּ, פֶּן אֶטְרֹף וְאֵין מַצִּיל׃ - Understand this now, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart and there be none to rescue.
Radak explains: Contemplate this, you who forget God - reflect upon this rebuke and repent from your evil deeds and from having forgotten Hashem until now. "Lest I tear you apart and there be none to rescue" - the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will not withhold My wrath when the time of judgment arrives, and then I will tear apart with none to save, as is said in the prophecy of Malachi, "Lest I come and strike the land with utter destruction."
Metzudat David explains, following his approach above, that these words pertain to the life of the World to Come: Contemplate these matters, for all deeds are preserved for the World to Come. "Lest I tear apart" - to punish man in the World to Come, "and there be none to rescue." And is there a rescuer here in this world? Indeed, yes: here, if you repent, there is rescue, and it is still possible to be saved from Hashem's judgment through teshuvah. But if you do not reflect on these things in time and arrive in the World to Come - then "I will tear apart and there be none to rescue," and nothing will save you. For even if you were to repent then, the difference between Korach and his sons was a mere fraction of a second: when the earth began to move, the sons of Korach repented, and a place was fortified for them in Gehinnom where they sing praises; whereas Korach repented only afterward, inside the earth - "Moshe is true and his Torah is true" - and that was already too late. Therefore, contemplate now, while it is still in your hands to do teshuvah.
The Malbim explains: "Understand this now" - reflect upon this, for you are "those who forget God." If you had not forgotten God, you would fear Hashem, Who knows all your deeds, and you would not deceive through hypocrisy and flattery, presenting yourselves as righteous by bringing sacrifices while speaking evil about others. If you truly believed in God and feared Me, you would dread "lest I tear apart and there be none to rescue." Remember that Hashem knows all secrets - "I will rebuke you and set it before your eyes" - and there is One Who can tear apart with none to rescue; therefore, hasten to repent.
זֹבֵחַ תּוֹדָה יְכַבְּדָנְנִי, וְשָׂם דֶּרֶךְ אַרְאֶנּוּ בְּיֵשַׁע אֱלֹהִים׃ - He who offers thanksgiving honors Me, and to him who orders his way, I will show the salvation of God.
Rashi explains: One who brings Me a sacrifice of repentance and acknowledgment of his iniquities - it is he who honors Me. Do not think that I need your animal sacrifices, as we saw above; rather, what is the true sacrifice? Repentance. Teshuvah is called a sacrifice, for when a person repents, he sacrifices his desires, and that is greater than all else: I have a desire and a craving, and I sacrifice them on the altar of Hashem. I have juicy lashon hara on the tip of my tongue, and I sacrifice my desire for the honor of Hashem, closing my mouth and remaining silent. That is the desired sacrifice. And "todah" refers to confession - that one confesses his sins, which is the greatest honor a person can give to God. "And to him who orders his way (vesam derech)" - one who sets his path toward Hashem and returns to Me, I teach and set a way for sinners, and "I will show him the salvation of God": whoever merely seeks to repent, I will show him the right path to reach the full and complete salvation.
Radak explains that "he who offers thanksgiving" encompasses both: both bringing a sacrifice and confessing - there is both an offering and confession here, showing that he reveres My commandments. But one who brings a sacrifice without confessing his sins, of him it is said: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" - what need do I have of your sacrifice? All the more so "he who orders his way," one who mends his ways, who certainly does not even need a sacrifice, for it is far better that you do not sin and bring no sacrifices at all. And one who "orders his way" - corrects his ways and sets upon the proper path - "I will show him the salvation of God": at the time of salvation, on the Day of Judgment, only the righteous will endure, and they will see the salvation of God and enjoy goodness for all eternity, forever and ever.
Radak brings another explanation for the word "vesam": it is an expression of arranging or ordering, as in "And this is the Torah that Moshe set (sam)" (Devarim 4:44), which Onkelos translates as "that Moshe arranged" - meaning, one who arranges his ways in a proper and upright manner, and then "I will show him the salvation of God." This also aligns with the derashah of Chazal: Do not read it as "vesam" (and sets), but rather as related to appraisal (shumah), as in "one who evaluates (hasham) his ways" - before every action he wishes to take, he appraises it, weighing carefully whether it is fitting to act this way or that, examining his paths. And it conveys the same idea: he arranges his ways to discern the right path, and one who acts in this manner - "I will show him the salvation of God."
The Malbim explains: "He who offers thanksgiving" - to one who wishes to offer a thanksgiving sacrifice, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: It is better that you honor Me in another way: do not associate with thieves and adulterers as we saw above, and then "I will show him the salvation of God" - rather than through sacrifices coupled with wicked deeds. This accords with what we saw in Rashi, that the essence is the sacrifice of repentance, which is far greater than all those offerings you bring while continuing to do evil deeds.
Let us conclude with the words of the Midrash in Vayikra Rabbah (Parashat Tzav 9:1): "Another interpretation: 'He who offers thanksgiving honors Me (yechabednani)' - Rav Huna said in the name of Rav Acha: It is not written 'yechabdeni,' but 'yechabednani' - with two nuns, honor after honor; one who acts this way brings honor after honor to Hashem, blessed be He. Another interpretation: Rabbi Berechiah said in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: It is not written 'yechabdeni,' but 'yechabednani' - he honored Me in this world, and he will honor Me in the World to Come." A double honor: both here in this world, and he will also merit to honor the Omnipresent there in the World to Come.
"Ve-sam derech" ("And one who orders his way") - the Midrash says: these are the road-clearers, people who walk along the roads and clear away stumbling blocks from the paths. And this is the meaning of "sam derech," who sets his way so that the road will be straight and people will not stumble on it. Another explanation: "ve-sam derech" - these are scribes and teachers of Mishnah who faithfully teach young children, setting their path to do things in truth and uprightness. Another explanation: Rabbi Yose b'Rebbi Yehudah in the name of Rabbi Menachem b'Rebbi Yose: these are shopkeepers who sell tithed produce to the public - the shopkeeper could have sold the produce as usual and told the buyer to tithe it at home, but he wishes to spare the public from a stumbling block and mishap, and therefore tithes it before selling. This, too, is "sam derech," in the sense of examining one's paths: in what way can I remove a stumbling block from others? Another explanation: "ve-sam derech" - these are those who light candles to illuminate the way for the public, who would kindle lights in dark alleyways at night so that people can walk without stumbling.
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Shaul merited kingship solely because his grandfather would light candles for the public. They said: there were dark alleyways from his home to the Beit Midrash, and he would light candles in them to illuminate the way for the public. One verse states, "And Ner begot Kish," while another verse states, "Kish the son of Aviel" - how can this be? Aviel was his name, but because he would light candles for the public, he merited being called by the name Ner (lamp). A lamp also signifies kingship, as it says, "I have prepared a lamp for My anointed" - the father merited the lamp, and the son merited royalty. In what merit? In the merit of smoothing the paths and kindling the light, so that people could walk without stumbling. Thus, in all of a person's affairs, he must embody "ve-sam derech": looking for ways to ease the path of others and assist them in any way possible.
In this section, Scripture exposes the character of the hypocritically pious wicked person: he runs with thieves and shares the lot of adulterers - sins of the poor and sins of the wealthy alike, proving that he has no excuse other than sheer wickedness. His mouth and tongue are loosed in evil and deceit, and he even pins his own transgressions onto his brother and his mother's son to appear righteous. The Holy One, Blessed is He, says to him: Do not mistake My silence - "These things you did, and I kept silent," yet I am not like you, for I rebuke only in truth and directly before your eyes. "Understand this now, you who forget God" - right now, in this world, there is still deliverance through teshuvah; later, "I will tear to pieces, and there will be no rescuer." And the proper path is: "One who offers a thanksgiving offering" - a sacrifice of repentance and confession, in which a person slaughters his desires and cravings; and "sets his way" - organizing, weighing, and examining his ways, and removing stumbling blocks from the public. And whoever conducts himself in this way is assured, "I will show him the salvation of God."