I hope you’re all doing well today. Welcome to another episode of NachDaily with Mishlei Perek 22.
The chapter opens with the words “ Nivchar shem me’osher rav, mikesef u’mizahav chein tov. Ashear varash nifgashu, oseh kulam Hashem - Better a good name than a great fortune, a pleasing demeanor than silver and gold. Rich and poor meet - God makes them all.”
The Ibn Ezra and Metsudos explain that a person should not look up to a rich person and look down at a poor person because even the most intelligent people aren't in control of their financial stature. Wealthy and poor in a sense both “meet” the same fate which God decreed for them. But a “good name” and someone who is pleasant to be around are considered to have true riches because they are in our hands to attain.
Alternatively, the Gemara in Temurah 16a says that the words rich and poor meet refers to a Talmid Chochom who doesn't want to teach a simple person. In the end Hashem will make the Talmid Chochom poor and the simpleton rich.
Verse 6 is a very famous passuk about chinuch: it says “Chanoch lana’ar al pi darcho, gam ki yazkin lo yassur mimena - train the youth according to his way and even when he grows old he won't swerve from the path.”
The introduction of the Chovos Hatalmidim by the Piazecna Rebbe explains this passuk at length. It is priceless, and necessary for parents or anyone in education to learn!
Education, behavior modification, and Chinuch are all 3 completely different things, he says. Education and behavioral techniques are only the tools someone uses to bring about the desired goal of Chinuch. Chinuch is when you set children’s Neshamos on fire to the point that they become independent and want to seek Hashem and His Torah on their own. I often wonder if some people are actually reaching the basic standards of education, yet alone the loftier goal of Chinuch!
It's not just about getting children to behave better or teaching them knowledge. We need to set their souls on fire to serve God and follow His will, to want to learn Torah, daven and do Mitzvos, not for their parents, school or test grades, but because that's what life is really about! We need to teach them about the Mezona D’nishmasa, nourishment of the soul, which avodas Hashem provides. Teach them that yeish Boreh olam, there is a God, and He is good!
Moving on in the perek Shlomo Hamelech relates that the rich man rules over the poor, the lender over the borrower. Generosity brings brocha upon you. Stay away from negativity. Hashem loves the simple, pure-hearted person. As I've mentioned many times throughout NachDaily, it takes no sophistication to come close to Hashem. It takes great simplicity, utter joy and a sincere heart!
A procrastinator always makes excuses for himself. Young people tend to act foolishly. A person who robs from the poor, then gives gifts to the rich, will only incur a loss in the end.
Shlomo Hamelech winds down the perek by relating that we should concentrate on trying to know God. We must seek the knowledge of God with the very fabric of our beings, so much so that serving Hashem should spill out to our lips. This way we’ll learn to trust God.
Stay tuned to the next episode of NachDaily.
Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day!
