My son, do not forget my Torah. The Torah encompasses all the subjects taught within it, such as the laws and rulings that a person must study even when he does not personally perform them, including the commandments concerning the priests, the sacrifices, and the like. It also includes the narratives of the Torah, from which we derive the principles of faith concerning Providence, prophecy, reward, and punishment. He warns him not to forget the Torah, but to meditate upon it day and night until he remembers all of it. And let your heart preserve my commandments. The commandments must be actively performed or, in the case of negative commandments, carefully avoided. Since most of them oppose the inclination of the heart, it says, “Let your heart preserve them,” for the heart is the governing faculty of the soul, which must rule over the soul’s other faculties and direct their actions in accordance with the commandments of the Lord.

For length of days and years of life. When these expressions appear together, “length of days” denotes days of prosperity, for then one’s days seem long and are filled with goodness, whereas “years of life” denotes an increase in the number of one’s years. This means that through the merit of Torah study and observance of the commandments, years will be added to his life, and he will enjoy length of days—that is, days of prosperity—as well as years of peace, meaning peace in his body, his possessions, his household, and everything belonging to him.

Let kindness and truth not forsake you. Most of the teachings of the Torah are included within kindness and truth. The commandments, for the most part, concern kindness between one person and another, whereas beliefs and doctrines are included within the attribute of truth, for one must believe the truths made known through the Torah. Let neither of these forsake you: attain true beliefs and doctrines through the Torah, and practice kindness through the commandments. There is also a “Torah of truth” and a “Torah of kindness.” The commandments and forms of conduct performed out of obligation, as well as the straightforward intellectual teachings accessible to everyone, are called the Torah of truth. The extraordinary deeds performed by the devout and spiritually elevated out of piety, as well as the extraordinary apprehensions attained by those possessing the Holy Spirit concerning Divine matters, the Account of Creation, and the Account of the Chariot, are called the Torah of kindness. Let neither of these forsake you. In accordance with a person’s conduct in kindness and truth, the Holy One, blessed be He, will deal with him through these same attributes, measure for measure. Bind them around your throat—the throat represents the speech that emerges from it. Speak of them continually until they become habitual upon your tongue. Also, write them upon the tablet of your heart. The heart is the governing faculty within man, and it is continually surrounded by traps and snares spread against it by the impulses of desire and the evil images that arise within his spirit. These oppose the laws of wisdom, causing wisdom to be forgotten. One must therefore engrave the laws of wisdom upon the tablet of the heart as though they were permanently inscribed, never to be erased. He should read this inscription throughout his life, so that he will learn to banish evil thoughts and the impulses that lead to sinful deeds.

And find favor and sound understanding in the eyes of God and man. This means that although a person may also find favor and understanding through human wisdom and understanding—for people say of those possessing understanding that they have attained insight, and through their wisdom they likewise find favor in the eyes of others—through the Torah and Divine wisdom, they will find favor in the eyes of God as well. They will also attain “sound understanding,” meaning that the Spirit of God will be poured upon them, enabling them to understand through sound intellect. This refers to apprehension through the Holy Spirit, by which they grasp truths with Divine assistance. This results from finding favor in the eyes of the Lord, Who enables them to apprehend His truth.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Since the laws of wisdom transcend human understanding and a person cannot apprehend them through his own faculty of understanding, if he relies upon his understanding, it will lead him astray toward the opposite of the ways of wisdom. Therefore, it says, do not rely upon your understanding, for a person does not attain wisdom through his own understanding; rather, it is given by God. He must therefore trust in the Lord with all his heart, follow the commandments of the Lord concerning the laws and commandments of the Torah and wisdom, and not rely upon his own understanding at all.

Know Him in all your ways. “Ways” are the broad roads, whereas “paths” are the smaller routes that branch from them. Since the paths of wisdom are innumerable—for wisdom extends to an exceedingly great number of particular cases—a person cannot know how to conduct himself according to the Torah and wisdom in every particular situation that arises. The answer is that you should know the Lord in all your general ways. In such ways as compassion, generosity, and humility, conduct yourself according to the Lord’s command. All this rests upon the commandment, “You shall walk in His ways”: just as He is compassionate, and so forth, so must you be. And He will make your paths straight. Through Divine assistance, even your particular paths will be straight—for example, regarding the individual acts belonging to the way of generosity, you will know how much to give, to whom, when, how, and the like.

Do not be wise in your own eyes. Some people consider themselves wise. Since the laws of wisdom cannot be established through demonstration and oppose the natural inclination of the heart, such a person imagines that the path he chooses for himself is the path of wisdom and that everything he does is wise. This defines one who is wise in his own eyes: he disputes the true laws of wisdom received from the Lord because they oppose the desires of his heart, his opinions, and the impulses behind his actions. Rather, fear the Lord, Who established the laws of wisdom according to His supreme wisdom, and turn away from evil. Through fear of the Lord, you will turn away from evil and walk in the ways of wisdom, as it says, “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.” As explained there, through fear of the Lord, a person submits to the laws of wisdom commanded by the Lord and does not rely upon his own judgment and wisdom.

Healing. Although the laws of wisdom oppose your natural inclinations, do not think that walking in the ways of wisdom will make your body ill. The laws and commandments of wisdom prohibit many foods and command a person to sanctify himself and abstain from excessive consumption. The verse therefore says that, on the contrary, it will be healing to your navel. The navel, which receives drink and nourishment, will not only remain free of illness; rather, the Torah’s prohibitions and abstention from forbidden foods will provide healing for its ailments. Likewise, do not think that the forms of abstinence from pleasure and desire prescribed by the Torah will dry out the marrow of your bones. On the contrary, they will be moisture for your bones, for the laws of wisdom strengthen the body’s health and invigorate your bones—both naturally, since excessive indulgence weakens the body, and through the Lord’s Providence.

Honor. After teaching him to know the Lord in all his ways and to trust in Him, because the laws of wisdom ordained by Him will bring him healing and recovery, he adds that the same principle applies to all his affairs, including the acquisition of possessions. Their first portion must be attributed to the Lord, for He gives everything and everything comes from His hand. Therefore, you must honor Him with your wealth and with the first of all your produce, for the first portion belongs to Him. Through this—

Then your storehouses will be filled with abundance, and your winepresses will burst forth with new wine. If you believe that the beginning of all things comes from Him, then blessing will be sent by Him upon all the work of your hands. From this, he derives an analogy concerning wisdom, which is the absolute beginning of all things, as the Targum renders “In the beginning” as “With wisdom.” You must therefore return wisdom to the Lord and recognize that all its laws and limitations come from Him. Do not be wise in your own eyes by attributing wisdom to your own understanding. Rather, fear the Lord and turn away from evil, acting according to His commands, and through this all your conduct will be blessed.

My son, do not despise the discipline of the Lord. Whenever “discipline” and “rebuke” are used regarding human beings, discipline is administered through compulsion or suffering, whereas rebuke consists of clarifying a matter through rational demonstrations and proofs. Therefore, regarding discipline, it uses the expression “do not despise,” for a person naturally despises suffering. Regarding rebuke, however, it says, do not become weary of His rebuke. Rebuke is not despised in itself, since it is presented through words of reason and knowledge, but the listener may sometimes become weary of it. Regarding the Lord, however, we sometimes find that rebuke is also administered through suffering. In such cases, “discipline” refers to the suffering that the Lord brings upon a person to correct a past sin and chastise him for his previous transgressions, whereas “rebuke” refers to the suffering that the Lord brings upon him to return him to the good path in the future. This resembles the “sufferings of love” mentioned by our Sages, who taught that whoever the Holy One, blessed be He, desires, He crushes through suffering. The condition of such suffering is that a person accept it with love and take it to heart so that he may improve his ways. Concerning this, it says:

For the Lord rebukes the one whom He loves. Rebuke is a sign of love, for out of His love, the Lord watches over a person to improve his conduct and elevate him from one level to an ever-higher level. And like a father, He favors his son. Just as a father desires to elevate his son from one level to the next, withholding luxuries and indulgences from him and inclining his shoulder to bear the yoke of Torah and persistent study, and the like, so does the Lord act—and all this proceeds from His great love for him.

Happy is the man who finds wisdom. Wisdom is not acquired through contemplation, as understanding is, which a person derives from his own knowledge through reflection. Rather, he receives wisdom from the Lord, as explained above. Happy is the person who finds all the laws of wisdom and acquires them as his possession, like one who finds a valuable object: although he found it outside himself, it nevertheless becomes his possession and belongs to him. And happy is the man who brings forth discernment, for he produces and derives understanding from his own knowledge by understanding one thing from another. There is a distinction between understanding and discernment: discernment is attained when a person has reflected upon all the general paths and comprehends every matter of understanding in all its details.

For it is better. This is explained in accordance with what is stated below (Proverbs 16:16): How much better it is to acquire wisdom than fine gold, and acquiring understanding is preferable to silver. We explained that:

• Wisdom, since a person does not attain it through his own understanding and contemplation but receives it from the Lord, is compared to fine gold, which is found deep within the mountains like a discovered treasure. Wisdom is similarly found as a discovery received from the Master of wisdom, as it says, Happy is the man who finds wisdom.

• Discernment, however, is attained through a process resembling commerce, as a person understands and derives one thing from another, as it says, and the man who brings forth discernment. It is therefore comparable to acquiring silver, with which people buy and sell through commerce and exchange.

Thus, it likewise says here:

• Corresponding to the statement and the man who brings forth discernment, it explains: for trading in it is better than trading in silver.

• Corresponding to the statement happy is the man who finds wisdom, it explains: and its yield is better than fine gold.

For these are perishable possessions that do not become integrated into the soul, whereas wisdom and discernment are enduring and eternal possessions that become an integral part of the human soul.

She is more precious than pearls. Pearls are precious because they are not found upon the earth, the element upon which man lives, but within another element—the element of water—for they originate in the depths of the sea. Likewise, the laws of wisdom do not originate in the human intellect, an intellect dwelling within matter; rather, their source is in Heaven and in the Divine intellect, which is even more remote than the depths of the seas—profound and exalted, exceedingly distant; who can find it? Although a person must surrender his bodily desires, pleasures, and appetites as the price of wisdom, none of the things you desire and surrender for her sake can equal her, for she is more precious than all of them, since through her you will attain things of still greater value. For—

Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand are wealth and honor. Silver, fine gold, and pearls hold wealth and honor in their right hand, for their principal purpose is to obtain wealth and honor. Wisdom, however, holds wealth and honor in her left hand, like something secondary that one holds with the left hand. In her right hand, she holds something more precious: length of days, which includes both the goodness of life in this world and eternal life in the world that is entirely long.

Her ways. A “way” is a broad road established for the public, whereas “paths” are routes traveled by individuals. Accordingly, it says, her ways are ways of pleasantness. The general ways of wisdom are the roads that lead to pleasantness—the spiritual delight of the soul attained upon reaching its ultimate purpose—for the soul of one who occupies himself with wisdom will thereby be satisfied with spiritual radiance.

And all her paths are peace. The smaller paths branching from the broad road, upon which each individual walks in governing himself and his household, lead to peace. For the well-being of one’s body, household, society, and possessions—all of which are included within the term “peace”—depends upon the conduct each person follows in the particular paths of wisdom, all of which branch from her broad and universal ways.

She is a tree of life to those who hold fast to her. There is a righteous person, and there is one who subdues his inclination. The righteous person is one whose heart naturally inclines toward wisdom and whose inclination does not entice him to transgress its laws. One who subdues his inclination is a person whose nature inclines toward evil, but who conquers his inclination. Accordingly, it says that wisdom is a tree of life to those who hold fast to her—that is, to one who subdues his inclination, who holds fast to wisdom as though against her will. It is as though wisdom seeks to separate from him because his nature opposes her, but he holds her with all his strength and does not allow her to depart, for he conquers his inclination. And those who support her are happy refers to one whose natural disposition does not oppose wisdom. He does not need to hold her against her will, but merely to support her, and he is happy. The verse teaches a novel point regarding each. It need not inform us that one who conquers his inclination attains spiritual happiness, for we already understand that the greater his struggle to conquer his inclination, the greater his happiness and reward—“according to the effort is the reward.” We might, however, have imagined that this inner battle against his inclination shortens his life. It therefore says that wisdom is a tree of life for him, prolonging his life as though he had eaten from the Tree of Life and would live forever. Regarding one who supports wisdom—one in whom wisdom dwells naturally and who experiences no inner struggle—we might have thought that his reward would not be as great. The verse therefore teaches that those who support her are also happy.

(19–20) The Lord founded the earth through wisdom. This metaphor corresponds to what is stated (below, chapter 24): “Through wisdom a house is built, through understanding it is established, and through knowledge its chambers are filled with every precious and pleasant treasure.” There, the construction of the house is attributed to wisdom; the completion of the building, which is its establishment—for “establishing” denotes completing the construction—is attributed to understanding; and the filling of the house’s chambers with precious vessels is attributed to knowledge. In the same way, he depicts the universal structure—the world. Its foundation was laid through wisdom; its establishment, meaning the completion of its construction, was accomplished through understanding; and the filling of its chambers—the filling of the world with the Lord’s blessing through the waters of the depths and the dew of Heaven—is attributed to knowledge. In this image, the earth is the building’s foundation and the heavens are its ceiling, for setting the ceiling in place completes the building, as it says, “Who builds His upper chambers in the heavens.” The depths, the dew, and the rains of blessing fill the world with every form of goodness and blessing. The foundation of the world’s structure was created something from nothing, and this is attributed to wisdom, as it says, “In the beginning God created,” which the Targum renders, “With wisdom.” The completion of the structure during the six days of Creation proceeded by bringing forth one existing thing from another, and this is attributed to understanding. That is, wisdom derives its materials from “nothing”—from the Lord Himself, Who is Infinite—whereas understanding derives one thing from another and one intellectual concept from another. This corresponds to the completion of the building, which involved bringing forth one existing thing from another. The governance of the world after the six days of Creation is compared to filling the world’s chambers with every precious vessel: from that time onward, the depths below are opened and the skies above pour down dew throughout all the days of the world. This is attributed to knowledge. It has already been explained that everything described as wisdom admits two opposite possible paths of existence. Thus, when the Creator brought the world from nothing into existence, His thought encompassed many possibilities for bringing the world into existence in other ways, but He chose to create it in this way according to supreme wisdom. As the Sages said, the Holy One, blessed be He, created worlds and destroyed them until He said, “This one pleases Me; those did not please Me.” This is the defining characteristic of wisdom. Once He had brought the primary materials into existence from nothing, however, there was no longer another possible way to derive one existing thing from another, but only the single way determined by the preparation of the original material. As the Midrash illustrates through the parable of one who sows six seeds simultaneously, each of which emerges at its appointed time. This exemplifies understanding, in which there are not two opposite possible paths of existence, but only one path. Thus, He brought forth one thing from another according to the laws of understanding. His orderly governance throughout all the days of the world—opening the depths and pouring down dew in accordance with the Providence through which He attends to the needs of His world—depends upon knowledge. The creatures produced by the earth also possess free choice to do good or evil, and their conduct therefore admits two possible paths. This belongs to the governance of wisdom, and through this He founded the earth; for the foundation of the world’s creation was that beings possessing free choice should be created and conduct themselves according to wisdom. In the heavens, however, there is neither free choice nor conduct classified as good or evil. Rather, the heavenly beings apprehend their Creator and distinguish between truth and falsehood, which is the defining characteristic of understanding. The world’s constant governance—whether according to the order of nature and the celestial system or according to Providence and miracles—depends upon the knowledge of God: He knows the order of governance, the needs of the world, the ways of those below, and what is required for their perfection and continued life, with penetrating knowledge extending to the end of all generations. This is the meaning of knowledge.

My son, let them not depart from your eyes. Therefore, let the ways of wisdom not depart from your eyes—that is, from your inner eyes, the eyes of the heart. Preserve sound wisdom and discretion. Discretion consists of profound thoughts concerning wisdom, whereas sound wisdom consists of the deeds performed according to wisdom. This means that you must ensure that your actions, contemplation, and thoughts all conform to the ways of wisdom. Although you preserve sound wisdom, which is action, you must also preserve discretion, which is profound contemplation of wisdom, for study leads to action. An unlearned person cannot be pious, and an ignorant person cannot be God-fearing.

And they will be life to your soul. Through this, you will attain the life of the soul, for the soul is called living only when it exercises its spiritual faculties to understand and act according to wisdom. Otherwise, although the body is alive and capable of sensation, the spiritual soul is dead and regarded as though it does not exist. And they will be grace around your throat. When you speak with your throat and teach the ways of wisdom to others, you will find favor in the eyes of God and man, as explained above in verse 4.

Then you will walk. This means that Divine Providence will accompany you and protect you from every mishap. He enumerates three situations: 1) while a person is traveling on the road, when he is especially vulnerable to robbers, ambushers, and murderers; 2) while he is lying down and sleeping at home, when he is in greater danger than while awake; and 3) while he is awake at home, when protection may also be required in a time of fear and calamity. These situations are similarly ordered in the verse, “You shall speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk upon the road, and when you lie down.” Here, however, they are arranged to teach that Providence will accompany him while he travels upon the road, and even while he lies down at home, where he is not as greatly endangered, and even while he sits awake in his house, where there is ordinarily no danger. Nevertheless, the Lord will protect him. In each case, the verse mentions two things: first, that he will feel secure in his heart and will not be afraid because he trusts in the Lord; and second, that the Lord will actually save him from every mishap. Regarding traveling on the road, it says, you will walk securely on your way, which refers to his sense of security, and your foot will not stumble, which refers to the protection with which the Lord will guard him, as it says, “For He will command His angels concerning you,” and, “lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Regarding the time of sleep, it says:

When you lie down, you will not be afraid. This refers to his sense of security.

And you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet. This refers to the protection that will guard you from being terrified by bad dreams and from other harms that may occur during sleep. Regarding the state of wakefulness, it says:

Do not fear sudden terror. This refers to his sense of security. Regarding protection, it says that you should not fear the devastation of the wicked when it comes. Even when the devastation destined to destroy the wicked arrives, do not fear, for you will be saved through the Lord’s Providence.

For the Lord will be your confidence. “Confidence” is defined as security from evil in which a person takes no action to save himself from it, because his heart is steadfast and he does not fear. Although in a time of trouble, one who is confident and gives no thought to saving himself may easily be caught in a snare, with you it will be different: the Lord will be your confidence. Your confidence and hope will rest upon the Lord’s Providence, and He will guard your foot from being caught in a snare.

Do not withhold good. I have already explained that these verses contain both a parable and its figurative meaning. Just as, according to the parable, it is self-evident that one should not withhold good from its rightful recipient—that is, from one who deserves it—when it is within the power of your hand to do it, so one must not withhold good from the spiritual soul, whose welfare consists in walking in the ways of the Lord, when it is within one’s power to bestow goodness and kindness upon it.

Do not say to your fellow, “Go and return, and tomorrow I will give.” This means that not only should you refrain from withholding good altogether, but you should not postpone doing good until tomorrow when you have it with you and can do the good today. Likewise, one should not postpone the good of the soul or defer it until tomorrow, as it is said, “Do not say, ‘When I have free time, I will study.’” Rather, you should do good while you are still in your vigor, during the days of your youth.

Do not devise. This, too, is both a parable and its figurative meaning. Just as it is improper to devise evil against your fellow when he dwells securely beside you and is not at war with you, so it is improper for the faculties of the body to devise evil against the faculties of the soul and cast them into the pit of destruction while the soul dwells securely with the body. For God sent the soul into the body to preserve it and bring it goodness in its ultimate end.

Do not contend. Just as it is improper even to quarrel with a person without cause, unless he has repaid you with evil out of hostility—for “requital” denotes an emotional response of the soul that produces hatred—and if he harmed you without acting from such hostility and hatred, you are obligated to forgive him, how much more improper is it for the faculties of the body to wage war and contend with the faculties of the soul. Although a person may imagine that the faculties of his soul cause him harm by preventing him from pursuing worldly desires and pleasures, they do not do so out of hatred. On the contrary, they restrain him because of the soul’s love and compassion for him.

Do not envy. He commands him not to follow the way of a violent man, a term that includes anyone who wrongs his own soul and turns away from the good path. He warns him not to follow such a person either because he envies his success, concerning which it says, do not envy a violent man, or because he deliberately chooses his ways, regarding them as good, concerning which it says, and do not choose any of his ways. He proceeds to explain that a person may wrong his soul in four ways and warns against them all. First, one may deviate from uprightness through his understanding, for uprightness belongs to understanding. Concerning this, it says:

For one who deviates is an abomination to the Lord, but His secret is with the upright. The upright are those whose hearts are straight and who proceed uprightly in their understanding. They are beloved by the Lord, so that He reveals His secrets to them—the mysteries of the Account of Creation and the Account of the Chariot. Conversely, one who deviates from uprightness and whose understanding follows crooked paths is an abomination to the Lord, for he will descend into heresy and unbelief. Second, one may do evil because of wickedness. A wicked person is defined as one who acts evilly toward God and other people and whose nature inclines him toward wickedness. Concerning this, it says:

The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked. Even if you see that the wicked person possesses an established house, know that the curse of the Lord will rest upon it, diminishing it, depriving it, and ultimately destroying it. But He will bless the dwelling of the righteous. Although the righteous do not possess an established house but only a dwelling—a term that can denote a sheepfold or temporary tent—the Lord will nevertheless bless even their dwelling. Third, one may wrong his soul through the trait of mockery. The mocker habitually ridicules the laws of wisdom because he does not understand their reasons, arrogantly imagining that anything whose reason he cannot comprehend has no substance. Concerning this, it says:

If He encounters mockers, He will mock. The Lord will cause them to become objects of mockery and conversation in the mouths of all people, measure for measure. But to the humble, who do not arrogantly dispute the laws of wisdom, since in their humility they know that their intellect is too limited to grasp its mysteries, the Lord will grant that they find favor in the eyes of others. Fourth, one may wrong his own soul by belonging to the class of fools. A fool is defined as one who disputes the laws of wisdom because he chooses to follow his desires, even though he knows those laws. Concerning this, it says:

The wise will inherit honor. The wise, who conduct themselves according to the laws of wisdom, will inherit honor, for the honor of the soul shines within them and raises them above disgrace—namely desire, which is the soul’s degradation and humiliation. This honor will be their eternal inheritance, just as the soul is eternal. But fools are raised up by disgrace: desire, which is the soul’s disgrace and humiliation, lifts them up to dispute the soul’s honor and to subject it to something base and contemptible—the desires of matter and the animal soul. Through this they dispute the laws of wisdom, for images of disgrace and desire rise from the depths of the soul to the surface of the heart and overpower the images of honor and wisdom. Their end is continual shame and disgrace.