## Tzava'at HaRivash Chapter 98

###### Tzava'at HaRivash 98:1
[Tzava'at HaRivash 98:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tzava%27at%20HaRivash/r/98:1)

**כל חכם יעשה בדעת** פירוש מי שהוא חכם יעשה אפי' משא ומתן שלו בדעת. וכסיל אפילו כשהוא פרנס או ראש אולת הוא.

**The Way of The Baal Shem Tov. Adapted into English by Rabbi Amiram Markel and Yehudah Shimon Markel, 2020:**
It states,¹⁷³ “Every clever person acts with knowledge, but the fool broadcasts (*Yifros*-*יפרוש*) his foolishness.” The explanation is that a wise person even conducts his mundane affairs, such as business transactions, with knowledge-*Da’at*. The term knowledge-*Da’at*-*דעת* refers to adhesion to *HaShem*, blessed is He, as it states,¹⁷⁴ “and Adam knew-*Yada*-*ידע* Eve.” It also states,¹⁷⁵ “Know-*Da*-*דע*the God of your father, and serve Him with a complete heart,” meaning, cleave to the God of your father always, in all your deeds. The fool, however, conducts himself foolishly, so that even if he separates himself-*Parush*-*פרוש* from matters of this world, by praying and studying Torah constantly, he remains a fool. For, he studies and prays without adhesion (*Dveikut*) to *HaShem*, the Creator, blessed is He, but only for his self-aggrandizement, so that he should be called rabbi. He thus remains a fool.

footnotes:
¹⁷³ Proverbs 13:16
¹⁷⁴ Genesis 4:1
¹⁷⁵ Chronicles I 28:9