It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. In Divine matters, glory consists of concealment and hiddenness, because the intellect can apprehend only things subject to time and place and accessible to the senses, not matters beyond the laws of human comprehension. Whatever is said about them is only by way of parable and outward garment, while the inner content remains hidden. Therefore the Account of Creation and the Chariot are not expounded publicly; the sages clothe and conceal these matters in riddles and allusions, flashing and disappearing like lightning. But the glory of kings in matters of government is to investigate a matter rather than conceal it. Since their governance is civil and can be understood through observation and experience, it is good to publicize its virtues. Concealment here would indicate that their governance is not upright and that they therefore hide their ways; investigation is their glory.

The heavens for height and the earth for depth. The heavens cannot be investigated because of their height: they extend endlessly through the heights of the universe, and the expanses of heaven contain worlds without number. Their multitude and elevation make them beyond investigation. Although the earth is like a tiny point by comparison, it cannot be investigated because of its depth, which is covered by the vast abyss; no one knows what lies in its depths. Likewise, the heart of kings cannot be investigated. Royal government extends over innumerable nations, people, and endless particulars, and it contains profound affairs, royal mysteries, and secrets that cannot be investigated to their full nature.

Remove the dross from the silver; remove the wicked man from before the king. The king's throne was established to practice justice, as it says, “Behold, a king will reign for righteousness.” But the throne requires ministers and counselors through whom judgment is brought to light. If his servants are righteous, the throne is like refined silver cleansed of dross; if a wicked counselor is among them, he perverts justice and judgment does not come to light. Just as a silversmith who wishes to make a vessel of pure silver must remove its dross, so, if the throne is to be established in righteousness, one must remove the wicked man who stands before the king; then his throne will be established in righteousness.

Do not glorify yourself before a king. Display no magnificence before a king, for your honor is null before the king's immeasurable honor. If you display splendor, as though your honor too had significance, you diminish the king's honor. Thus David said, “I will make merry before Hashem,” dancing and whirling like a commoner before Hashem. The Jerusalem Talmud explains “Awake, my glory” as: let my honor awaken before the honor of my Creator, for my honor is nothing before His. Likewise, do not stand in the place of the great; stand in a place lower than your rank, not one higher than it.

For it is better that they say to you, “Come up here.” If you stand in a low place, they will tell you to ascend, which brings honor. If you stand among the great, they will lower you before the nobleman whom your eyes have seen and whose rank you imagined you shared, bringing you disgrace. It also means that humbling yourself before this nobleman will itself cause them to say, “Come up,” because they will recognize that your eyes—your intellectual vision—perceive proper conduct and courtesy. As the Sages said, your humility is your elevation.

Do not go out hastily to quarrel. Every action should be directed toward its intended result; one should not act when the consequence will be the opposite of the desired end. When someone disgraces you, do not hastily go out to quarrel, imagining that you will thereby restore your humiliated honor. Through the quarrel, not only will you fail to restore it, but what will you do in the end? The outcome will be that he humiliates you a second time. Instead of restoring your honor, you will gain shame and contempt.

Contend your own contention with your fellow. Even if you must quarrel, contend only over your own dispute, which concerns you, and do not reveal another's secret.

Lest one who hears disgrace you. Beyond your fellow's humiliation through the quarrel, everyone who hears will subject you to further disgrace, saying that you spread an evil report, gossip, and reveal secrets. Later, when you wish to retract your slander, you will be unable to do so, and you will thereby acquire unbroken shame and lasting disgrace.

Apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in its proper manner. Because apples of gold are precious, they are covered with settings of silver, which are less valuable but still important. From the silver settings one understands that gold lies beneath, since silver would not be placed over iron or copper. Likewise, speech is the setting of what is hidden within: the heart's secrets and a person's thoughts are revealed through his words. When the inner content is precious and the soul and its secrets are filled with honor, the speech too is precious, elevated, and free of dross. But if he speaks slander and gossip, it becomes known that iron and earthenware lie beneath his speech and that his soul is base. Thus the word is speech upon its wheels: speech turns and emerges according to the thought and meditation of the soul. If it proceeds according to its proper movement and does not exceed what is fitting, it resembles apples of gold in settings of silver.

A golden earring and an ornament of fine gold. An earring and ornament both adorn the ears. Just as they beautify the outer ear, so a wise reprover, who rebukes according to words of wisdom, adorns a listening ear. Its adornment is that the reproof comes from a possessor of wisdom, like gold and fine gold of Ophir.

Like the coolness of snow on a harvest day. On a harvest day, when the sun burns like an oven and beats upon the reaper's head until he faints, the coolness of snow restores his soul. So too a faithful messenger is to those who send him. If the anger of a king and officials burns against his master and his life is endangered by their blazing wrath, he sends a faithful messenger to advocate for him; the messenger cools the fiery anger and restores his master's soul. A messenger, by definition, goes and returns with an answer, restoring the fainting soul. The verse also contains a metaphor: every person is a messenger sent into this world and must be faithful to those who sent him, fulfilling the purpose for which he was sent. He then restores his Master's soul—his own soul, a portion of God, returns to its abode. He will not fear the heat of the coming day that burns like an oven, for “snow falls in Tzalmon” and Gehinnom is cooled for him, as the Sages expounded.

Clouds and wind, but no rain. Clouds appear to carry the gift of rain, but a wind comes, scatters them, and no rain falls. So too one who boasts and promises to give charity, but a wind passes over him, he does not give, and his word proves false. The Sages said that he is repaid measure for measure, and rain is withheld.

Through patience an officer is persuaded, and a gentle tongue breaks bone. If an officer is angry with you, do not attempt to have your offense completely dismissed, for one who grasps too much grasps nothing. Seek only that he delay his anger and not punish immediately; in this he may be persuaded to be patient. Afterward, a gentle tongue breaks bone, even the hardest bone. The parable comes from flesh-eating animals said to break bones with their tongues. So afterward, through supplications, one breaks the harsh attribute of judgment. The verse also alludes to Hashem, Who is persuaded through prayer to delay anger, after which the power of judgment is softened through a gentle tongue and supplication.

If you find honey, eat what is sufficient for you. Although it is honey and good food, and although you found it without effort, nevertheless do not eat much—only what is sufficient for you—lest you become satiated with it and vomit it. From this, learn the following lesson.

Make your foot scarce from your fellow's house. Do not let him become excessively satiated with you even if you are as dear to him as honey, lest he become satiated with you and hate you. The Sages interpreted this metaphorically: do not continually bring sacrifices to the House of Hashem for your sins. Sacrifices are described as food; take care not to “eat” excessively.

A maul, a sword, and a sharpened arrow. These are three destructive weapons. A maul is a great hammer that shatters stones and bones; a sword cuts at close range; and an arrow kills from afar. So one who testifies falsely against his fellow is sometimes like a maul, scattering people and sending contention among brothers; sometimes like a sword that kills at close range; and sometimes like an arrow that kills from afar through secret slander. It also alludes to the Sages' statement that a threefold tongue kills three people—the speaker, the listener, and the subject. To the speaker himself it is a maul, to the listener a sword, and to the one spoken about an arrow.

A broken tooth and a slipping foot. A person trusts a tooth to chew his food, but if it breaks it betrays him; he trusts a foot to bring him to his destination, but if it slips it betrays him. So too is confidence that betrays on a day of trouble: he trusted something but does not find support when he needs it. It also alludes to the Sages' saying, “Examine the teeth and you will find it in the feet.” When the tooth is broken the foot also slips; likewise, when one source of confidence betrays him, it draws the rest after it and all betray him.

One who removes a garment on a cold day. Singing songs, which are intended to gladden the soul, to a sorrowful heart resembles wearing ornamental garments on a cold day. Though beautiful on a clear day, in cold weather they are not only unbeautiful but fail to warm the body, which chills; warm clothing is needed then. Likewise, these songs will not gladden him or brighten his face, but will increase his sadness. It also resembles pouring vinegar upon natron. Although strong vinegar can strengthen a vessel prepared for it, soft natron dissolves, the vessel is ruined, and the vinegar spills. So songs will not strengthen his soul, but will break his heart and fail to penetrate the inward person and deep heart. This is a parable for applying anything to something unprepared to receive it. The Sages interpreted it of one who teaches Torah to an unworthy student: the student's exterior has not been beautified by good deeds, and he cannot contain the waters of wisdom; he dissolves and goes wandering.

If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread. One who wishes to take a great revenge upon his enemy should not take revenge by withholding bread and water. On the contrary, he should do him every good: if he is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will gain two things.

• First, you heap coals upon his head. When you do good to him, he feels as though you heap burning coals upon his head, for he remembers how he sinned against you and harmed you, and is ashamed and humiliated that he must now receive bread and water from you in return for his evil. Second, Hashem will repay you: you will receive reward from Hashem for the charity you performed. If you take revenge by refusing to give him, you will receive no reward.

The north wind brings forth rain. The north wind generates rain. Vapors rising from the earth are filled with light airy spirit and are thereby carried upward. When the north wind leaves the vapors, the drops of water, made heavy when the wind departs, fall downward as rain. Although the north wind itself is invisible, when rain appears we know its cause, for the wind produced it. Likewise, a secret tongue brings forth angry faces. Although the stormy wind born from slander is hidden deep in the heart, it becomes recognizable through the angry expression visible on the offended person's face.

It is better to dwell on a corner of the roof than with a contentious wife in a shared house. This was already stated above and is repeated here in light of what is said below: “A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike; one who would hide her would hide the wind.” It compares a contentious wife to constant dripping. Rain is generated by the north wind emerging from its enclosure; if one attempts to contain this north wind that produces the rain, he has hidden wind, yet the oil in his right hand still calls attention to itself. Thus, after saying that the north wind brings forth rain, it says that the hidden spirit of a contentious wife likewise gives birth to quarrels. It is better to dwell on a corner of a roof with no shelter from rain falling above than to dwell with the constant dripping that drives everyone from a shared house, for there is no shelter from it.

Cold water upon a weary soul. Just as cold water is brought to a weary person thirsting in a place without water, carried from elsewhere, so one whose soul is weary to hear what has happened to his family or household in a distant land, from whom he has no news, receives good tidings from there concerning their welfare. It restores his weary soul within him and revives him.

A muddied spring and a ruined source is a righteous person who falters before the wicked. A source lies deep in the earth, from which water flows into a spring. When a righteous person falters, even if the spring is spoiled—meaning his abundance, wealth, and livelihood—the source is not ruined, for it is his trust in Hashem, from which abundance flows to the spring. But if he falters before a wicked person, then beyond the spring becoming muddied, the source—trust in Hashem—is also ruined, for people will cast doubts upon Providence: “Why are You silent when a wicked man swallows one more righteous than he?” and the like.

Eating much honey is not good, and investigating their honor is honor. It answers that just as excessive eating of honey is not good, so excessive investigation of their honor is not honor. One who extensively investigates the honor of the righteous will not attain it, because the phenomenon of a righteous person faltering before the wicked belongs to the secrets of Providence, concerning which “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter.” Just as too much honey causes harm, one should not investigate excessively. Although you see the honor of the righteous profaned by the wicked, honor in this world is not true honor. Essential honor is in the eternal world, where true honor exists, as it says, “You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward take me to honor.” Since eternal spiritual honor is among God's secrets—the intellect, while imprisoned in matter, cannot comprehend the honor of a spiritual soul separated from matter—one should not investigate excessively. Rather, the righteous person lives by his faith and does not doubt it.

A breached city without a wall is a man who has no restraint over his spirit. Man has already been compared to a small city besieged by a great king: the inclination, imagination, and appetitive faculty seek to conquer the soul's powers, while the good inclination fights for the city and prevents the soul's enemies from taking it. The lofty wall that restrains the attacker is the restraint placed upon the spirit, for the spirit raises images to the heart, and most human inclinations are evil—images of pride, envy, revenge, and the like. When the spirit rises and brings evil images into the heart, the enemy reaches the city and battle is joined within it; one can then easily be drawn after those images and act according to their tumult. But man possesses a ruling faculty that can restrain the spirit and still its noise, as it says, “A fool releases all his spirit, but a wise man quiets it from behind.” This is the wall that prevents the enemy from entering the city. But one who has no restraint over his spirit allows evil images to rise in his heart; the inclination prevails and the soul's enemies conquer the city, for no wall restrains them.