Wisdom has built her house. This returns to the earlier teaching that the world was built through wisdom, as stated, “Hashem acquired me at the beginning of His way.” It compares the world’s construction to a house, as in “Through wisdom a house is built,” which, as explained there, refers to the construction of the world; likewise, “Hashem founded the earth through wisdom.” It pictures wisdom as building her house on the first day of Creation, when the universal structure emerged from nothingness into existence. The Sages compared this to one who sows six seeds. Afterward, she hewed out her pillars: the individual components of the world emerged, each on its own day, as the pillars of the house. The house built by the first utterance initially hung loosely in the air upon prime matter, existing only potentially and not actually. Its pillars were seven, the seven days of Creation, each producing its offspring at its appointed time. The world-house was then perfected upon strong pillars. Even on the Sabbath the principal pillar supporting the great house was created: miraculous governance, through which Hashem acts when necessary and overrides the laws of nature, as explained in its place. This too is among wisdom’s pillars upon which He placed the inhabited world. In contrast to the woman of folly described below, wisdom is characterized by three things: first, she built herself a house and established its pillars; second—

She slaughtered her meat. The feast prepared for her guests is filled with every good thing and prepared openly before everyone: she slaughtered and prepared meat, and mixed her wine. Allegorically, wisdom is the soul’s nourishment and is compared to one preparing every kind of food to sustain the heart. Wisdom’s teachings steady the heart so that it will not be shaken by the winds and storms—the images of the inclination that terrify it. Mixing wine alludes to teachings of understanding: wine gladdens and elevates the heart, while understanding enables a person to understand one thing from another and broaden his discernment. She also set her table with sweets and all other provisions, alluding to knowledge, which encompasses every kind of knowledge in the world.

SHE SENT: for the third time, Wisdom does not summon the guests herself, but by means of HER MAIDS, for wisdom does not come to a man from himself, but it is necessary to receive it from wise men and prophets and teachers. They are the maids that she sends in every generation, and by them SHE CALLS ON THE CITY HEIGHTS to invite guests to the feast.

Whoever is simple— They invite both the simple and the one lacking a heart. The simple person is enticed because he lacks knowledge and has not grasped wisdom’s laws; he is like a gullible dove. One lacking a heart may know wisdom’s laws but lacks the ruling power to subdue his inclination and overcome his desires and evil images, which oppose wisdom’s laws. She says to him: to the simple person she says—

Come, eat of my bread, meaning: accept wisdom’s laws and thereby abandon simplicity, for wisdom places shrewdness in his heart, as in “to give shrewdness to the simple,” explained there. To the one lacking a heart she says, drink of the wine I have mixed: he must understand the depth of wisdom’s teachings through the power of understanding, which is compared to wine. It explains that she says to the simple, “Come, eat of my bread,” and thereby—

Forsake simplicity and live. Through wisdom’s bread he will abandon simplicity. To the one lacking a heart she says, “Drink of the wine I have mixed,” meaning, advance on the way of understanding. The wine is understanding: contemplate the depth of wisdom’s teachings, and you will find the soul’s happiness on this way of understanding. You will thereby turn from the inclination of desire toward happiness and goodness.

One who disciplines— It explains that wisdom’s maidens summon only the simple and those lacking a heart, not scoffers and wicked people, who will not heed wisdom’s call. One who disciplines a scoffer brings disgrace upon himself. Discipline differs from rebuke: discipline operates through fear of punishment, while rebuke uses rational argument and evidence. The scoffer does not mock rational proofs; he mocks wisdom’s laws because they lack demonstrative proof and rest principally upon fear of Hashem, which is wisdom’s discipline. They must be accepted because they were given by Hashem, Whom one must fear, along with His punishment, as in “fear of Hashem is the beginning of knowledge.” The scoffer will not accept this because it lacks rational proof. Thus, if one disciplines a scoffer without establishing the matter through rational rebuke and evidence, he brings disgrace upon himself, for the scoffer will mock and despise him. One who rebukes a wicked man receives his blemish. The deliberately wicked man will not even heed rational rebuke. Though one proves the matter rationally, he receives the wicked man’s blemish: the wicked man insults him by calling him wicked, which is a blemish.

Do not— Although the scoffer disgraces only one who disciplines him, not one who rebukes him with rational proof, since he cannot mock something demonstrated by reason, nevertheless he does not love rational rebuke either, as stated below (15:12): “A scoffer does not love one who rebukes him; he will not go to the wise.” He avoids sages lest they argue with him rationally. Therefore, do not rebuke a scoffer, even through rational argument. Although he may not disgrace you, lest he hate you, for because he dislikes rebuke he will hate you for it. But rebuke a wise man; reason and argue with him, and he will love you, because he loves rebuke. Accordingly, wisdom’s maidens, sent to invite the simple and those lacking a heart to wisdom’s feast, also call the wise to be among its guests. Although the wise have already received and know wisdom’s laws, nevertheless—

Give to a wise man, and he will become wiser still. Since wisdom is exceedingly broad and its commandments have no end, even a wise man will continually receive wisdom’s laws and add to his wisdom. Make known to a righteous man, and he will increase his learning. The righteous man differs from the wise man. The wise man received all wisdom’s laws by tradition; the righteous man conducts himself righteously even without knowing every law as the sage does, having become accustomed to them through repeated practice. Thus the Sages said that serving Torah scholars is greater than studying Torah. Wisdom’s laws must be made known to him because he did not learn them all through systematic study. Hence, “make known to a righteous man”—making known applies to what he does not yet know—and he will add this teaching to what he has already acquired through habitual observance of wisdom’s laws.

The beginning of wisdom is fear of Hashem. It now explains why wisdom sends her maidens to summon people rather than calling them herself. Wisdom cannot be attained independently through demonstrative proofs, and its laws oppose the heart’s nature. Wisdom’s beginning and foundation is fear of Hashem: people receive it by tradition from the sages and prophets of the generation, who teach it in Hashem’s name; through fear of Hashem they accept the wisdom He gave. And the beginning of the knowledge of holy matters is understanding. A person reaches the knowledge of the holy—clear knowledge of wisdom’s subjects like the holy people on earth—through understanding. After accepting wisdom’s laws through fear of Hashem, firmly believing they were given by Him, and deeply contemplating wisdom, people attain knowledge of it, as in “to know wisdom and discipline,” explained there. At the beginning of the book it says, “The first part of wisdom is fear of Hashem,” whereas here it says “the beginning.” “First part” participates in the substance itself, as in “the first of your grain” and “the first of your dough.” One kind of fear of Hashem is itself among wisdom’s laws: reverence for Hashem Himself, which wisdom requires and which is its choicest first part. Another fear is not among wisdom’s laws: fear of punishment, lest Hashem punish him or withhold good if he departs from wisdom’s laws. This is fear for oneself, not wisdom’s proper awe of Hashem’s exaltedness. Nevertheless, although it is not the first part of wisdom, it is the beginning of wisdom, because it helps a person submit to and obey wisdom’s laws from fear of punishment. Wisdom’s maidens proclaim this fear upon the heights of the city through the Torah and the prophets, warning people not to rebel against Hashem’s commandments because of punishment and loss of good. So too, wisdom’s messengers tell people to keep her laws because—

For through me your days will be multiplied. This is motivated by love of reward: through wisdom, his days of goodness will be multiplied and years of life added to him, as explained above at 3:2.

If— That is: if you have become wise, it is for your own benefit; you have become wise for yourself, for you receive good through wisdom. Conversely, if you have scoffed at wisdom’s teachings, you alone will bear the punishment. This is the warning not to depart from wisdom’s laws because of fear of punishment and loss of good.

The woman of folly. After describing wisdom’s words and the pleasantness of her teaching, it says that opposite her the woman of folly is clamorous, enticing people toward folly. Folly differs from simplicity. Simplicity results from lacking knowledge and shrewdness, like a gullible dove; folly is departing from wisdom because desire roars within. A fool knows wisdom’s laws and may even be a great sage, but his inclination and desire lead him astray. Thus the woman of folly is clamorous: she knows and understands, but clamors because of desire and the evil inclination. The woman of simplicity, however, clamors and knows nothing, because the simple person knows nothing.

She sits. Folly and simplicity did not build a sound house upon pillars; their house hangs in the air. They destroy the great house—the world established upon wisdom’s pillars. She prepared neither meat, mixed wine, nor a table, for she lacks every goodness and happiness and is empty of all the soul’s delights. She does not send her maidens; she herself sits at the entrance of her house, because folly and its evil images come to a person on their own. She sits on a throne upon the city’s heights, for she reigns over the kingdom of the body, and all bodily powers follow her as servants. She does not call the city’s settled inhabitants—an allegory for those who dwell tranquilly and whose evil inclination does not disturb them from serving Hashem—but rather—

To call to those passing on the road, those who have not yet reached the city but are still traveling—that is, who have not yet corrected their traits or settled their judgment. They pass along the soul’s ways, straightening their paths, wishing to direct their paths toward uprightness and balance. Every person desires to straighten his course, and the human soul is naturally upright unless folly, evil images, and desires lead it astray. A “way” is the great road and “paths” branch from it, for error and doubt occur in the individual paths, where ambushers ensnare and distort him.

Whoever is simple— She calls only to the simple and to one lacking a heart: the woman of simplicity calls the simple, while the woman of folly calls the one lacking a heart, who lacks the ruling power to restrain his desires. She says to him—

Stolen waters are sweet. Although she offers neither sweet wine nor meat pleasant to the palate, giving him water and bread instead, because they are stolen waters obtained through prohibition and effort, they taste as sweet as wine. A person finds sweet what is not his and has been forbidden to him. She similarly makes sin, performed secretly, illicitly, and by stealth, taste sweet.

He does not know that the shades are there. It is deadly poison to the soul, and the place to which she summons her guests lies in the depths of Sheol, for through sin the soul is cut off and goes to destruction.