Does not wisdom call? In contrast to the harlot, who comes in darkness and gloom, wisdom calls publicly.

It has already been explained that giving voice is less forceful than calling, for:

• Wisdom comes from above and is received from Hashem, the Giver of wisdom. It calls to a person to heed wisdom’s laws and accept them.

• Understanding gives forth its voice, because it emerges from the human intellect and announces that a person possesses the power to contemplate and to understand one thing from another. A person senses this voice in the depths of his soul; he calls to understanding and draws it out of his own intellect.

At the head of the heights. In contrast to the harlot, who leaves her house for the outside and the streets, wisdom is pictured as descending from on high. First it stands at the head of the heights, upon the great way, the public road. Afterward, at the house of paths it stations itself, by the smaller paths along which individuals travel alone to the city. From there it takes its stand.

Beside the gates, at the mouth of the city. It stands at the city gate through which people enter the city; afterward, at the entrance of the doorways it sings, at the entrances used by individuals.

The image is as follows:

• Wisdom first comes through simple matters and laws entrusted to the entire populace. It is pictured as standing on the public road traveled by everyone. These are the plain meaning of the Torah’s words, its straightforward narratives, and the commandments according to their plain sense, which are given equally to the whole populace.

• Afterward, it stands at the house of paths, traveled only by particular individuals. These are teachings of Torah not entrusted to the entire populace but only to sages, who walk on paths of their own: the homiletical and intellectual approaches to Torah, the ways of piety in the commandments, and the reasons for the commandments.

• Afterward, it stands beside the gates where the Sanhedrin and judges sit. These are the Torah’s laws entrusted to the Sanhedrin and the great sages of heart, who received the entire Oral Torah and from whom instruction issues to all Israel.

• Afterward, it sings at the entrance of the doorways, where individuals sit secretly in their chambers of instruction. These are the Torah’s mysteries, such as the Account of Creation and the Account of the Chariot, which are not expounded publicly but only to an individual—and only to exceptional individuals.

These four correspond to “amon as a pedagogue,” “amon as great,” “amon as concealed,” and “amon as hidden”—the four levels of PaRDeS, as is known.

To you, men, I call. “Men” are the great; wisdom’s call comes particularly to you.

And my voice is to the sons of man. Other, lesser people hear my voice, although the call is not directed specifically to them.

For wisdom comes only into the hearts of those who have sanctified their heart to be its sanctuary and removed every abomination and evil image from its chamber, until they are called “wise of heart,” because their heart rules through wisdom. Nevertheless, it gives its voice to the entire mass of humanity, and each person merits receiving from it according to his understanding. It gives its voice even to those who deviate from it through simplicity or foolishness. Concerning this it says—

Understand cunning, you simple ones. Cunning is the opposite of simplicity. The simple person deviates from wisdom’s laws because his heart is enticed by everything, and he lacks the shrewdness to examine and consider his ways. Wisdom puts shrewdness into his heart, as stated (1:4), “to give cunning to the simple,” and as explained there. And fools, understand the heart. Fools differ from the simple: they do not lack wisdom—a fool may at times possess great knowledge—but deviate from wisdom’s laws because images of desire and evil traits rule them. Their heart, the ruling power of the soul, cannot overcome their inclination; therefore they dispute wisdom’s laws, which stand as an adversary before their desires. Wisdom consequently tells them to understand the heart: learn to rule your spirit and enable your heart to overcome your desires. You will thereby clear a way for wisdom to dwell gloriously in your sanctuary.

Listen, for I speak noble things. It now sets forth how Hashem revealed wisdom and gave it to humanity through the Torah He gave His people. It considers four aspects. Every commandment has “speech” and “saying”: the saying is the wording in which the commandment was stated in the Written Torah, while the speech is the commandment’s explanation transmitted orally, in which its details were fully explained. Wherever Scripture says, “Hashem spoke to Moses, saying,” “spoke” means that He addressed him at length and taught him orally the commandment’s details and laws; “saying” means, “thus He said,” the wording of the Written Torah. There are two further aspects: first, the reasons and mysteries of the commandments; second, received teachings that are hidden secrets, such as the secrets of Torah, the Account of Creation, and the Account of the Chariot. In each there are two levels, as in “To you, men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of man”: exalted subjects stated for the great men and sages of the nation, and simple matters stated for the populace. Regarding the Oral Torah, which constitutes most of Torah, it says, Listen, for I speak noble things. The Oral Torah, in which I spoke at length about all the laws, particulars, and interpretations of the commandments—as denoted by “spoke”—consists of noble things. A nagid commands the people, and these teachings likewise come as officers and commands to be performed. And just as a nagid is great and honored among the people, these are all great, established laws entrusted to the leaders and teachers of the nation. This corresponds to “To you, men, I call.” Yet the opening of my lips is also uprightness. The lips signify plain, revealed speech; the opening of the lips is the beginning of simple discourse, intended for the populace who do not understand noble and elevated matters. It too is upright: words of integrity acceptable to reason, which every person can perceive as straight and understand with an upright heart.

For my palate utters truth. The palate tastes food and here alludes to the reasons for the commandments, which likewise were not written but were transmitted for reflection, thought, and study. They too are divided between the great and the general populace. Great people attain through the reasons for the commandments truths concerning the soul and its bond with God, divine attachment, and the resting of His spirit upon those who observe His commandments. In their secret dimension, all the commandments contain received truths about the order and repair of the worlds, their interconnections, the mystery of the soul and its bond with existence as a whole, and the drawing down of divinity, emanation, and influence, and the joining, ascent, and descent of the lights through the commandments. These are all truths contemplated by wisdom through intellectual reflection, secretly and inwardly. This is hinted by the palate, the innermost organ of speech, beyond the tongue, mouth, and lips. Nevertheless, each commandment also has reasons that may be explained to the populace: all serve to distance wickedness, injustice, evil traits, and alien beliefs, as in the reasons given by the Guide in the third part of his work. These too have a place in wisdom’s voice to ordinary people. Therefore it says, wickedness is an abomination to my lips: the lips indicate revealed speech, and the revealed reasons make wickedness abhorrent and distance it.

All the sayings of my mouth are in righteousness. It now speaks of the Written Torah, denoted by “saying,” the wording in which each commandment was stated. All were spoken through the power of supreme wisdom; therefore they are called the sayings of my mouth, for the lips allude to wisdom. In their plain sense they were stated in righteousness, and from all of them the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. This is equal for all people. They also contain teachings unique to exceptional individuals, in that there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. Human statements contain irregular expressions that depart from linguistic rules, superfluous phrases, and defective formulations. In the Written Torah, however, there is nothing twisted or even crooked, for every unusual wording, apparent redundancy, and transposition in the Torah contains lofty wisdom, interpretations, secrets, and wonders of wisdom for those of sound understanding upon whom the spirit of Hashem rests.

They are all— Regarding the fourth aspect, the Torah’s hidden mysteries, some attain them through the power of understanding, contemplating Hashem’s greatness, His deeds and wonders in the Account of Creation, and His hosts and camps in the Account of the Chariot. Others attain them through knowledge: lucid perceptions in the souls of holy people who are pure of heart concerning divine matters. I have explained that knowledge must be straight. A straight line is the shortest line between two given points. Knowledge applies to anything known through sensory perception or first principles, and one must direct the object of knowledge along the shortest path to its attainment. This is exceedingly difficult in human knowledge, for ordinarily a person travels in circles, testing and examining until he reaches clear knowledge. But the lucid perceptions of the Torah’s secrets are straight to those who find knowledge: those who find knowledge of God within their souls attain it through Torah and divine assistance by a straight and short path. Understanding is characterized as “directly opposite”: one point corresponding to another. The discerning person moves from premise to conclusion through reasoning and inferences, yet often his understanding does not face the object directly, for his inferences lead him astray in many directions. The Torah’s secrets attained by one wise and discerning from his own knowledge are all direct to one who understands: he apprehends the presence of Hashem, His glory, greatness, and deeds without any deviation from the point of truth.

Take my discipline and not silver. Silver is spent to purchase whatever is needed, whereas fine gold is not spent but stored among treasures. Accordingly, it compares the discipline of wisdom to silver. As explained, “fear of Hashem is the discipline of wisdom.” Since wisdom’s laws cannot be demonstrated by proofs of knowledge and the impulses of the human heart oppose wisdom, a person must bind the powers of his soul through discipline—fear of Hashem. Through it he accepts wisdom’s laws and observes them out of fear of Hashem, Who commanded them. Thus, wisdom’s discipline is something expended: through it one acquires wisdom’s laws and stores them in the heart’s treasury, as in “fear of Hashem is his treasure.” It therefore commands people to take wisdom’s discipline rather than strive to acquire silver. With silver they purchase vanities and temporal things without substance, but with wisdom’s discipline they purchase precious treasures—the words of wisdom, more valuable than any desire. And knowledge is preferable to fine gold. Fine gold is not spent but stored because it is precious; better still is to store words of knowledge—knowledge of God, the secret of His governance and providence, and every precious perception. These become part of the soul and fill it with a treasury of every desirable vessel. They are more precious than fine gold, whose owner gains nothing from it beyond the sight of his eyes.

For wisdom is better than pearls. This explains “Take my discipline and not silver.” Even if what silver buys is pearls, precious objects, what wisdom’s discipline purchases is better, for through it one acquires wisdom as a possession of the soul, and it is better than pearls. Above (3:15) it said, “She is more precious than pearls,” speaking of value, as explained there. Here it speaks of goodness. The advantage of pearls is their property of lending grace to their wearer, but this grace exists only in human eyes. Through wisdom, however, one finds favor and good understanding in the eyes of God and man, as stated above (3:4) and explained there. This exceeds the grace of pearls. Although silver buys things desired by the body—pleasant foods and human pleasures—while acquiring wisdom requires a person to surrender all bodily desires and restrain every craving, nevertheless all desires cannot compare to it. Wisdom is more precious than all of them; by exchanging bodily desires for wisdom, he receives something more precious and exalted in their place.

I, wisdom, dwell with cunning. Cunning is the soul’s power to weigh each matter before acting, as in “Every cunning person acts with knowledge”; its opposite is simplicity. A person may sometimes use cunning for evil, but one who has gathered wisdom’s laws into his soul uses his cunning to consider his course according to those laws, consult himself in every matter, and devise how his deeds may accord with wisdom’s laws. Thus it says, “to give cunning to the simple”: wisdom teaches them to devise and reflect upon their deeds. Hence, “I, wisdom, dwell with cunning,” for cunning without wisdom will generally be used for evil.

And I find knowledge of profound designs. “Designs” are deep thoughts in wisdom. By deepening his thought in wisdom, a person finds knowledge and attains a clear understanding of it. Through profound study, its laws become fixed in his heart as a reliable foundation, until they resemble first principles or sensory perceptions. Thus cunning precedes wisdom; profound designs follow it; and knowledge follows them.

The fear of Hashem. It was already explained that “the fear of Hashem is the beginning of knowledge” (above 1:7). Since wisdom’s first principles cannot be known by proof, one cannot reach knowledge of them with certainty except through discipline and fear of Hashem. Through fear, it becomes fixed in his heart to believe and act according to wisdom’s laws established by Hashem. Profound plans and deep reflections upon wisdom cannot bring him to knowledge unless fear of Hashem precedes them. It was likewise explained (there, verse 2), regarding “to know wisdom and discipline,” that one cannot reach knowledge of wisdom except through discipline, which is fear of Hashem. Wisdom’s laws contradict the natural tendency of the human heart, which raises evil images opposed to wisdom and battles its laws. When images of pride rule his soul, he becomes wise in his own eyes and imagines in his arrogance that the impulses of his heart are themselves wisdom’s laws and should be followed, while in fact he follows their opposite. He therefore cannot attain knowledge of wisdom except through fear of Hashem. There is a remedy to quiet the tumultuous waves of the soul and its evil images: “fear of Hashem is the discipline of wisdom,” for fear of Hashem is hatred of evil, pride, and arrogance. When fear rules his heart, he clothes himself in humility, submits to the laws of wisdom given by Hashem, and fear erases evil images such as jealousy and desire from his heart. Yet the Sages said: “If there is no fear, there is no wisdom; if there is no wisdom, there is no fear.” Fear alone accomplishes nothing if he does not know wisdom’s laws. Even with fear in his heart, he will not walk by wisdom’s laws because of an evil way and a mouth of perversity. That is, he has already trained his soul in practices opposite to wisdom. In youth, evil images rule his heart, become citizens of his soul, and form a paved road along which all his thoughts and deeds travel. Even the powers of intellect and understanding speak perversity—that is, they legislate rules conforming to the images of desire that rule his soul, the opposite of wisdom. This is called “a mouth of perversity,” for the mouth alludes to wisdom. But when wisdom accompanies fear, he is saved from all this, for I hate an evil way and a mouth of perversity. Wisdom hates them, leads him on a good way, and speaks with a mouth of wisdom. When fear accompanies it, humbling the soul’s pride, arrogance, and evil images, he attains knowledge of wisdom, and its laws become fixed in his heart with clear certainty.

Counsel and sound action are mine. Counsel is the decision a person reaches about how to act when several courses are possible: he deliberates which way to choose, and the conclusion settled in his heart is counsel. Since wisdom concerns a matter with two opposite possible courses and teaches the chosen path, wisdom’s laws are counsels directing a person which way to walk. As explained, sound action is the deed performed according to wisdom, as in “He stores sound action for the upright”: Hashem prepared wondrous deeds to be performed in every generation according to wisdom through the upright who would arise in that generation. Thus, both counsel and the wondrous deed performed according to wisdom are attributed to wisdom. It explains, I am understanding; strength is mine. Counsel requires understanding, for the counselor must consider every possible side and select the good one upon which to decide, as the Sages said, “One who increases counsel increases understanding.” Because I am understanding, counsel is mine. Sound action—wondrous deeds performed according to wisdom—requires strength to bring them about. Therefore, corresponding to “sound action is mine,” it explains, “I am strength”: I give the upright strength to perform the sound action I stored for them.

(15–16) Through me kings reign. Wisdom’s laws include both the wisdom of royal government and the wisdom of judicial government. These are distinct, as in “Behold, a king shall reign for righteousness, and officers shall rule for judgment.” There is governance according to fixed law, entrusted to judges and officers. It follows Torah law, called judgment: judges clarify the judgment, and officers use their authority to compel the people to fulfill the ruling. There is also governance not according to fixed law, entrusted to the king under the laws of kingship, which differ from ordinary Torah law. He judges according to the time, circumstances, and persons involved; this is called righteousness. As Maimonides writes in the Laws of Kings, a king may execute many people in one day and judge according to his discretion for the needs of the hour. This too is governed by laws of supreme wisdom. The king is accompanied by counselors, the ministers of advice. Therefore it says, Through me kings reign, and counselors legislate righteousness: the king together with the counselors establishes righteousness, for “a king shall reign for righteousness.” The counselors legislate the laws of righteousness, and the king compels and judges the people according to them. Regarding the fixed judgments of Torah, it says, Through me officers rule, and nobles—all the judges of the earth. All receive their laws from Torah, supreme wisdom, which transmitted laws and principles for royal and judicial government, upon which the survival of civil society and the ordering of the world depend.

I love those who love me. One who has already cleaved to wisdom in love is loved by wisdom in return; it reveals its secrets to him as a lover reveals secrets to the beloved, and guards him from every sin, as in “love her and she will guard you,” just as one lover protects another. Those who seek me at dawn will find me. One who has not yet acquired wisdom but strives after it, seeks it every morning, and searches for it will find it with Hashem’s assistance.

Wealth and honor are with me. Above (chapter 3) it said, “In her left hand are wealth and honor,” but here it explains: enduring wealth and righteousness. Corresponding to wealth, it says enduring fortune, for human wealth does not remain long in one’s possession and does not accompany the fruit of his labor into the future. Wisdom’s fortune, however, is ancient wealth that endures for many days, and he carries it with him into the eternal world. Corresponding to honor, it says righteousness, for human honor is often not justly deserved, but the honor of wisdom comes through righteousness and righteous deeds. It is true honor, as in “Your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Hashem shall gather you in.”

My fruit is better than fine gold and pure gold. “Fruit” includes every kind of produce, even what is not fully ripened; “crop,” in its precise sense, refers to grain and only when fully mature. Finished crops are traded to other lands, while fruit is stored within the country. Fine and pure gold are stored in treasuries; correspondingly, wisdom’s fruit is better than fine and pure gold. Silver is used in trade, and understanding—deriving one thing from another—is compared to silver (as stated above in chapter 3), because it too is traded. When wisdom’s fruit has fully matured in a person’s knowledge and become a crop, he then contemplates it through understanding and derives one thing from another. This is represented by silver, which is traded to acquire other things. Then my crop is preferable to silver, for through it one acquires precious, eternal things.

I walk in the path of righteousness. Hashem conducts Himself toward those who keep His Torah through two attributes: judgment and righteousness. As I have explained, Hashem’s treatment of the righteous according to their merit and righteousness is called judgment, because it follows strict law. The additional good He bestows beyond their merit from supreme benevolence, without regard to entitlement, is called righteousness. There is a difference between a path and a trail: many travel a path, while an individual travels a trail. The attribute of judgment follows each individual’s trail, weighing his reward particularly according to the trail he personally walked and according to his deeds. The attribute of righteousness follows a general path, because it does not consider each person’s individual deeds. Accordingly, supreme wisdom says that in governing the righteous, I walk in the path of righteousness, granting them goodness from supreme benevolence through a miraculous, wondrous path, and also amid the trails of judgment, weighing each person’s reward according to the trail on which he walked, acted, and accomplished. Through this—

To bequeath. I am prepared to bequeath to those who love me something of substance—that is, the fruit of their righteousness, for merit truly exists and itself prepares the reward for their righteousness: they eat the fruit of their deeds. This reward is substantial and enduring, possessing true existence, unlike the vanities of this world, which are nothing. Beyond this, I will fill their treasuries—in addition to the substance prepared for them by judgment—with precious gifts through supreme benevolence.

Hashem acquired me at the beginning of His way. Wisdom is the form of all the worlds. All were made and established, measured and prepared, according to wisdom’s laws; through it, by it, according to its measure and pattern, every world from beginning to end was formed and perfected. When Hashem first began His way of bringing creation out of nothingness—which is called a “way,” because the first revelation of the primordial will was the emanation of a holy and awesome realm in which He revealed the ways by which He would govern the world through kindness, might, and His holy attributes of mercy, graciousness, patience, and splendor—wisdom was the beginning of His way. The modes of His governance emanated in that first hidden emanation were all founded according to wisdom’s laws, and wisdom preceded them, as the Targum renders “In the beginning” as “with wisdom.” After revealing His ways and attributes, He began to perform His works. Then His firstborn son, the world of the Throne and governance, came into being, in which He founded in holiness how He would govern the worlds, and God sat upon His holy throne. These works too were made according to wisdom’s laws; universal governance follows wisdom’s measure. Wisdom was therefore before His works, from then—from the beginning of work and action.

From eternity I was installed. Afterward came into being the pure lights—the world of angels—prepared to carry out the missions of governance and move the celestial system, “mighty in strength, performing His word.” At that point it is called a “world.” This was the first light created before heaven and earth, the light of the separate intellects. They too were formed according to wisdom’s laws, which spread through each world in accordance with that world’s governance. Therefore it says, from eternity I was installed, from the beginning, before the earth: in the world formed before the world of action, of which the earth is one component, I was installed there as ruler, directing it according to wisdom’s ways.

When there were no— Afterward the earth emerged from the womb of chaos. At that time the four elements were mingled together in prime matter, and the depths had not yet separated independently. Thus, when there were no depths, I was brought forth: wisdom had already been formed there and hovered upon the face of chaos with its wings and with the spirit of God. Even after the depths were clarified, when there were no springs heavy with water—for at first the depths were mixed with the element of air, as I explained in the commentary on the Account of Creation—wisdom stretched over them a measuring line and plummet.

(25–27) Before the mountains were embedded. Mountains and hills did not yet exist, for the element of earth was covered by the element of water. Before He made land and open spaces, dry land had not yet appeared, nor was the first dust of the inhabited world visible and fit for habitation. Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters.” I explained in the commentary on the Account of Creation that through the firmament, where Hashem placed into nature the property that vapors rise to the cloudy region—the firmament dividing water from water—the vaporous waters mixed with the element of air rose to the firmament. There they were separated from the air by the natural laws governing rainfall, as explained in the commentary to Job, chapter 26, on “He binds up water in His clouds, yet the cloud beneath them is not torn; He inscribed a circle upon the face of the waters.” This law that Hashem inscribed upon the waters—that they should stand in the firmament, formed like a circle over the deep to receive the waters of the deep in clouds—revealed the face of dry land, and through it the waters of the depths gathered into the sea. Thus it says, when He prepared the heavens, I was there: His preparing of the firmament called heaven, as in “God called the firmament heaven,” occurred through wisdom’s laws, as it says (Job 28:26), “When He made a law for the rain and a path for the lightning of thunder, then He saw it and declared it; He prepared it and also investigated it,” as I explained there. When He inscribed a circle upon the face of the deep refers to the circle of the firmament that surrounded, as though drawn by a compass, the deep that then covered the globe of the earth.

When He strengthened the skies above. “The skies” always signify miraculous governance above the nature of the celestial system that follows our heavens. The revelation of dry land was contrary to the original natural state, in which earth was covered by water. Hashem therefore strengthened the skies, from which miraculous governance proceeds, and through them the springs of the deep became mighty, while the air was separated from the elemental waters.

When He set— Therefore, He set the sea its law, so that the waters would not transgress His command, and the waters gathered to one place, as in “You covered it with the deep as with a garment … You set a boundary,” as explained there; and similarly (Job 38:8), “He enclosed the sea with doors,” and said, “Until here shall you come and no farther.” When He inscribed the foundations of the earth, the earth’s foundations were engraved and fixed so that it would be fit for habitation. All this was done according to the laws of supreme wisdom.

I was beside Him as a nursling. It pictures wisdom as always nurtured in His embrace. At first it was beside Him like a delightful child; He carried it as a nurse carries an infant and continually delighted in it. It had not yet performed deeds or actions to play before Him through its works, but was simply His delight. After He created time, I was playing before Him at every moment: through wisdom He then brought forth the works of Creation at every successive moment of the days of creation. Each day is pictured as another time because new creatures were born in it, and the times and orders changed as creation rose and emerged into actuality. This was play and joy before Him, because everything followed wisdom.

Playing. Afterward, I was playing in the inhabited world of His earth, once the world was prepared for habitation and the creatures of water and dry land were created. From then on, my delights were with the children of man. Once creation was complete, the “play”—a metaphor for the new actions produced through wisdom during the days of Creation—ceased, and wisdom again became a delight as before. Yet it was no longer nurtured only in the Creator’s embrace, for He gave it to humanity. People would delight in it, occupy themselves with wisdom, and conduct themselves by it. It is Hashem’s delight that they resemble Him by walking in His ways, meditating upon His Torah, and delighting in it.

And now, sons, listen to me; happy are those who keep my ways. Wisdom’s ways are the ways of God, the mechanisms upon which the foundations of all the worlds were established and by which they all endure. “Listen to me” means to accept the teachings, after which comes guarding them in the heart.

Listen to discipline. Although it is difficult to accept wisdom’s laws, which have no demonstrative proof, and difficult to keep them because the inclination of the heart opposes them, this is corrected by listening to discipline—fear of Hashem, which is the discipline of wisdom. Through fear, a person binds the powers of his soul to accept wisdom’s laws (as explained above, 1:2), and thereby become wise—that is, accept those laws. This corresponds to “And now, sons, listen to me.” And do not neglect it or nullify them; this corresponds to “happy are those who keep my ways.”

Happy is the person who listens to me, diligently attending at my doors day by day. It pictures wisdom seated within its closed sanctuary, “all glorious within, the king’s daughter.” It does not reveal itself to anyone, and the doors are shut. One who seeks it must diligently attend at the closed doors, guarding the doorposts of my entrances, watching for the moment when the entrance opens. Then he will find wisdom when it appears through the doorway.

For one who finds me— whoever finds me when the entrance opens finds life, the life of both soul and body, and also obtains favor from Hashem.

But one who sins against me, transgressing wisdom’s laws, wrongs his soul: he commits violence against his spiritual part, whose entire life comes from wisdom’s bread and drink. And all who hate me—those who hate wisdom and cause it to be hated—love death. Since wisdom is life, as it says, “One who finds me finds life,” one who hates it hates life and loves death.