The words of Lemuel—The book of moral instruction with which his mother admonished Lemuel, king of Massa.

What, my chosen son? You are distinguished from all my sons in three respects. First, you are my chosen son, selected by me from all my children through the special study and education I devoted to you. Second, you are the son of my womb, distinguished through my womb: from birth, pregnancy, and your natural constitution you emerged with a special nature, a treasure among all my sons. Third, you are the son of my vows: I made great vows to God on your behalf. Thus you were selected before conception through great vows and prayer to God, during pregnancy from the womb and dawn of life, and after birth through education and study.

Do not give your strength to women—Therefore, your great strength and power should be devoted to serving the Lord, not given to women. Do not give your ways and conduct to that which destroys kings—to something that wipes kings away and erases them from their genealogical record, because such conduct makes them unworthy of kingship.

It is not for kings, Lemuel—Because of your conduct, you are no longer counted among kings, for it is not for kings to drink wine. Nor is intoxicating drink appropriate for princes, the kings’ counselors: even if they drink wine, they must not drink liquor that intoxicates.

Lest he drink and thereby forget what is decreed—the laws and statutes—and consequently alter the judgment of all the afflicted, who come before him for judgment. The laws must remain preserved in his heart so that he judges and rules according to them with true justice.

(6–7) Give intoxicating drink to one who is perishing; let him drink and forget his poverty—Intoxicating liquor is suitable only for one who is perishing, so that his mind will become completely confused and he will forget his poverty, as those being led to execution were given intoxicants to confuse their minds. Give wine to those of bitter soul: they should receive heart-gladdening wine so that they remember their misery no more.

Open—But you must open your mouth for the mute. One unable to present his own arguments requires you to argue on his behalf. Likewise, open your mouth for the judgment of all who are passing away—people whose fortune has changed, who have lost their property, and who have a legal dispute with those oppressing them.

Open your mouth—You must also open your mouth to judge righteously, issuing a judgment founded upon righteousness, and judge not only the rich person’s case but also the case of the poor and needy.

The literal interpretation

A woman of valor—Since Scripture mentioned the instruction of Lemuel’s mother, who was a woman of valor as her teaching demonstrates, it now recounts the praise of a woman of valor. Something may be attained either by finding it or through exertion, like purchasing one thing in exchange for another. Regarding the first it asks, “Who can find her?”—as an unexpected find. Regarding acquisition through effort it says that her value, purchase price, or dwelling place is farther away than pearls, which are precious and difficult to find.

The conceptual interpretation

A woman—The commentators agree that this passage contains an illustration and an allegory, and most interpret it as referring to the soul; this is also my view. In my opinion, however, it speaks of the material or potential soul, not the eternal soul emanated from the heights. In my commentary on Psalms (45), I explained that the allegory there depicts the intellect as a king ruling the body and the potential soul as a woman, a daughter of Tyre, whom the king betroths. She is a “daughter of Tyre”—a daughter of matter, foreign to spiritual beings. When she obeys the intellect, it betroths her as its wife. She may be a good wife if, by nature or effort, she is prepared to receive images of wisdom and goodness and to follow the paths of wisdom and happiness; then she is the woman of valor praised here, and through her the Torah itself is represented. At other times she is an evil wife: when the soul inclines toward every evil trait, the intellect, her husband, must wage continual inward war against her. They struggle and quarrel in their tent as she twists her ways according to her evil nature, defying the glorious intellect and its counsel. Some souls are naturally prepared from birth for good traits and fortunate qualities, while others acquire them through study and habituation. Of the first it says, “Who can find a woman of valor?” for this resembles finding a treasure without labor. Of the second it says, “Her value is farther than pearls”: one who wishes to acquire her through toil and effort finds her farther away than pearls, whose place is in the distant depths of the sea, requiring one to cross faraway waters and descend into the abyss. Likewise, acquiring these qualities requires much time and many deeds, descending into the soul’s depths to draw forth the praiseworthy powers hidden in its abyss and bring them to the surface.

The literal interpretation

Her husband’s heart trusts in her—Most women squander wealth, and a husband cannot trust them to preserve what he has earned. But his heart trusts this woman, certain that none of the gain he acquired will be lacking.

The conceptual interpretation

He trusts—The heart is the soul’s ruling faculty, and her husband is the intellect; the heart seeks to rule according to the counsel of intellect and wisdom. When the soul is an evil wife, she does not follow the heart’s counsel. Even if she obeys once and gains spoil, afterward desire and insolence turn her back from its counsel and she loses the wealth. Everything the intellect gained by comprehending the Torah’s laws is lost through the evil soul that strays after its wicked impulse. But when the soul is good, the heart trusts in her, and none of the gain acquired through study and action is lost.

The literal interpretation

She rewards him—Other women deal badly with their husbands, and even a good woman may often repay him with evil as well as good. A woman who benefits him in youth may harm him in old age or in poverty and want. But she repays him only with good and never evil, and continues doing so throughout her life.

The conceptual interpretation

She rewards him with good—Although every soul possesses some good qualities, all have eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and at times evil traits prevail and rule over a person. Some master their impulse in old age but not in youth, as the Sages said, “Fortunate is our youth, which did not shame our old age.” But the good soul rewards the intellect only with good and never any evil, and persists in this throughout her life.

The literal interpretation

She seeks—Whatever occupation she undertakes, she performs with diligence and industry and in the best possible manner. If she chooses weaving and making garments as her work, she seeks wool and flax from which to weave them. She does not work lazily or under compulsion, but works willingly with her hands, the opposite of the lazy person condemned because “his hands refuse to work.”

The conceptual interpretation

She seeks wool and flax—All acquired traits and virtues that become integrated into the soul are called garments in which the soul clothes itself. These acquisitions become part of the soul through actions: by becoming accustomed to good deeds, they turn into lasting possessions with which the soul is continually clothed. Since acquired traits are compared to cloth, garments, and clothing, actions are compared to the spun wool and flax from which clothing is made. Thus this woman of valor seeks wool and flax from which to spin acquired virtues—that is, she seeks to perform praiseworthy actions. The verse explains the wool and flax as working willingly with her hands: the deeds she repeatedly performs until they become fixed characteristics of the soul are not done under compulsion, like one who merely subdues his impulse, but with willing heart and good desire, as though the hands themselves desired these acts.

The literal interpretation

She is—If she engages in commerce outside her home, she does not trade only nearby, where profit is not so great, but resembles merchant ships crossing distant seas and brings her food from afar.

The conceptual interpretation

She is—The attainment of knowledge is compared to commerce, in which one acquires, profits, and exchanges one thing for another. Likewise, one gains one teaching from another and one inference from another, as it says, “The acquisition of understanding is preferable to silver.” She resembles a ship sailing the great sea: she sails the deep and broad sea of knowledge and brings the soul’s bread from afar. Wisdom, intellect, and spiritual concepts concerning Divinity, His governance, and spiritual beings are distant from the material world. A soul drawn after desire and impulse is obstructed from studying knowledge and understanding, but the woman of valor, purified from the sickness of desire and impulse, spreads her sail upon the sea of knowledge.

The literal interpretation

She rises—If she attends to the needs within her home, she rises while it is still night to prepare food and sustenance for her household and an allotted portion for her maidservants. Members of the household receive without a fixed allotment, while servants receive a set portion.

The conceptual interpretation

She rises while it is still night—Even in this world, where spiritual and intellectual light is wrapped in darkness because matter and its nature obscure the radiance of intellect and the soul’s attainment, she rises from the sleep of matter and awakens from its slumber. She gives food to her household: Torah study, the nourishment of the members of her household—the powers of intellect and understanding. An allotted portion to her maidservants is the fulfillment of the commandments, the statutes given to guide matter and its nature insofar as they are the soul’s maidservants, serving it in its sacred work.

The literal interpretation

She considers—If she chooses outdoor work and agriculture, she devises deep plans for acquiring a field, and from the fruit of the labor by which she profits from that field, she plants a vineyard.

The conceptual interpretation

She considers a field—She also sows Divine seeds in the plot of the soul. We explained at Isaiah 28 that the soul is like fertile soil prepared to produce grain if cultivated by plowing and sowing through study and action. The seed of deeds is compared to a field that produces grain for the soul’s bread in the world of recompense. The seed of study is compared to a vineyard, because intellectual attainment becomes integrated into the soul itself. Therefore the concepts planted in the soul are compared to vines in a vineyard, which themselves remain and do not wither like the straw of grain. So too, concepts endure forever in the soul, and in the world of recompense it produces from them wine preserved in its grapes.

The literal interpretation

She girds—When she trades outside, travels with merchant ships, or performs any field labor, she girds her loins with strength for the journey. When she performs household labor within, she strengthens her arms so that they do not grow slack from work.

The conceptual interpretation

She girds—Regarding study, which is compared to walking from one concept to another, she girds her loins to advance from strength to strength and attainment to attainment. Regarding action, she strengthens her arms to perform mitzvot and good deeds without laziness or slack hands.

The literal interpretation

She tastes—She does not conduct commerce solely for what is pleasant and useful for her own needs, for she tastes that her merchandise is good: through it she can also perform goodness, such as charity and acts of kindness. Therefore her lamp does not go out at night; she adds strength to her labor so that she will have money for mitzvot and good deeds as well.

The conceptual interpretation

She tastes—Beyond perfecting herself, she engages in commerce by striving to perfect others in both study and action. The merit of the public then depends upon her, and she shares in all they gain because she caused it, like a merchant who earns profit. This commerce is better than every other business because its profit endures. Thus her lamp does not go out at night: even after death, her lamp shines in deepest darkness, because mitzvot fulfilled through her influence and laws taught in her name illuminate her lamp forever—“a mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah is light.”

The literal interpretation

(19–20) Her hands—The verses mean: the hands she extended to the distaff she extends to the destitute, and the palm that held the spindle she opens to the poor. She sets aside from her handiwork charity for the destitute and acts of kindness for the poor. The palms perform finer work, and these she extends to the poor person, who stands above the destitute. Opening the palms is done discreetly, while extending the whole hand is public, because the poor person is ashamed to receive, unlike the destitute.

The conceptual interpretation

(19–20) She extends her hands to the distaff—she extends them to the destitute; her palms hold the spindle—she opens them to the poor. “Poor” denotes poverty of soul, while “destitute” denotes bodily want, and the hands signify action. She extends her hands with fitness and skill; moreover, the Hebrew word for distaff can denote the heavy wood to which prisoners are bound, as in “He brings prisoners out in prosperity.” This represents coarse matter, which imprisons and weighs down the soul. She applies to it her hands that perform mitzvot and good deeds, through which she refines matter and releases its bonds. She extends these hands to the destitute—that is, to one overpowered by desire, who learns from seeing her deeds and righteousness to act likewise and overcome his material nature. Her palms that hold the spindle—the thread with which she spins and weaves concepts—she opens to one poor in knowledge, teaching him the Lord’s Torah and knowledge of holy things; this benefits her in the world to come as well.

The literal interpretation

She does not fear—Although she gave the garments she wove to the poor and destitute, she does not fear for her household when snow comes, lest they lack clothing in the cold, because her entire household is clothed in scarlet—or in double garments.

The conceptual interpretation

She does not fear the time of snow, an allegory for death. Human life consists in natural warmth and the circulation of blood; with death come snow, cold, ice, and congealed blood. Although bodily life ceases, she does not fear that her household—her spiritual powers—will remain unclothed, for her entire household is clothed in double garments. The soul is then dressed in the various garments of Torah and mitzvot she performed, which become spiritual clothing for it.

The literal interpretation

She herself makes fine tapestries for herself—precious ornaments—and her clothing is linen and purple, because the Lord granted her wealth and riches and sent blessing upon the work of her hands.

The conceptual interpretation

Tapestries—She also makes ornaments for herself from the intellectual attainments she acquired during life, which become integrated into and adorn her. Her spiritual clothing is linen and purple, an allegory for the sages’ robe and garments of glory, splendor, and beauty.

The literal interpretation

He is known—She supports her husband so that he can occupy himself with Torah until he becomes a distinguished great man, sitting with the Sanhedrin and the elders who sit at the gate.

The conceptual interpretation

He is known—The husband of this woman of valor, meaning her intellect, is known at the gates, where the enemies of the soul are confronted at the gate—that is, in the intellect’s war against the impulse. This occurs through the laws of wisdom, which teach a person to follow the good path and guard against evil. He is also known when sitting among the elders of the land, meaning in the study of intellectual concepts and the ways of understanding, for elders discern judgment through the paths of understanding.

The literal interpretation

(24–25) A linen garment—The linen garment she made and sold as merchandise, and the belt she wove and gave to the merchant so that she could distribute the money to the poor, become strength and splendor as her clothing for the final day; through them she laughs at the final day. The mitzvah becomes spiritual clothing with which she is dressed when she removes her material garments.

The conceptual interpretation

A linen garment—The garment she made and sold is what she wove through the ways of understanding, joining one concept to another. She sells it because understanding is compared to commerce, as it says, “The acquisition of understanding is preferable to silver,” as explained there. She also teaches her paths of understanding to others, thereby profiting as well, in keeping with the saying, “I learned more from my students than from all others.” The belt she gave to the merchant represents conduct between good and evil through wisdom. Wisdom is compared to a belt that girds the loins with strength: through wisdom one mightily overcomes the impulse and acts valiantly. She gives this to the merchant so that others learn from her deeds.

The conceptual interpretation

Strength—Through this, strength and splendor become her clothing on the final day, when she is dressed in her intellectual attainments and good deeds. She laughs and rejoices because the merit of the public depends upon her, and she harvests the fruit of deeds attributed to her, since she taught people what benefits them, guided many to happiness, and is among those who bring the many to righteousness, shining like the stars forever.

The literal interpretation

She opens her mouth—On the day of judgment she opens her mouth through the laws of wisdom by which she lived, and the Torah of kindness—the kindness she performed beyond the strict requirement of the law—is upon her tongue. This serves as her advocate on the final day.

The conceptual interpretation

Her mouth—She then opens her mouth with wisdom, having followed the laws of wisdom in matters between good and evil, while the Torah of kindness is upon her tongue. We have consistently explained that the mouth alludes to wisdom and the tongue to understanding. Through her tongue and the ways of understanding, many hidden truths in the Torah’s secrets were revealed to her; this is called the Torah of kindness. Kindness includes whatever goes beyond the ordinary path in abundant measure, whether one exceeds the letter of the law through acts of piety or reaches far through understanding into the hidden secrets of Torah by contemplation; this is called the Torah of kindness.

The literal interpretation

(27–28) She watches—For being a woman of valor in maintaining her household, watching and supervising the ways and conduct of her home, and not eating the bread of idleness—her diligence serving merely to obtain the blessing of eating bread—she is not praised in the gates of the populous city. Rather, only her children rise and call her fortunate, and she is praised only by her children and husband, not by others, because:

The conceptual interpretation

She watches—Some souls occupy themselves only with perfecting themselves and are not acclaimed by others. But souls upon whom abundant influence has been bestowed, so that they bring merit to their generation and later generations—such as prophets, inspired people, leaders of the generation, and righteous people through their Torah and good deeds—are acclaimed from generation to generation. Thus a soul whose activity consists only in “watching the ways of her household,” considering only her own affairs, and who “does not eat the bread of idleness,” being diligent in study and action only to perfect herself, is not praised in the gates of the populous city, but only as follows.

The conceptual interpretation

Her children rise and call her fortunate—For her diligence in good deeds, her offspring—her good deeds, which are her children—call her fortunate, as do the soul’s powers that receive the reward of those deeds, being children of the encompassing soul. For her effort in study and attainment of truth, only her husband praises her: the intellect, husband of the allegorical woman of valor, praises her for not preventing it from study and contemplation.

The literal interpretation

(29–31) Many daughters have acted valiantly in this respect, gathering wealth and resources for their homes. But you have surpassed them all because for you charm was false and beauty vain: you did not pride yourself on charm and beauty, but were praised for being a woman who fears the Lord. Therefore give her of the fruit of her hands; for this she receives the fruit of her deeds in the world of recompense. Not only her husband praises her for this, but her deeds praise her in the gates.

The conceptual interpretation

(29–31) Many daughters have acted valiantly—There were many such souls that perfected themselves, but you surpassed them all, until charm became false: the earlier souls that attained charm and beauty through their intellect and good deeds are false and vain beside you, for you are praised as a woman who fears the Lord. Through fear of the Lord, you merited Divine inspiration and brought many to righteousness. Thus the Sages interpreted “charm is false” as referring to the generation of Moses, and offered similar interpretations about souls that rose above earlier generations through the fear of the Lord dwelling in their hearts. Therefore give her of the fruit of her hands, and she will receive great reward through the merit of the many. Her deeds praise her in the gates, and her name remains a blessing and glory in the gates of wisdom and righteousness and in the gates of the populous city.