Hi everyone, and welcome to NachDaily, covering the entire Tanach one perek at a time. In today's class we’ll be discussing Mishlei, perek 9.
Shlomo Hamelech opens the perek by describing a feast prepared by a wise woman. She sets up her house, prepares food and invites guests. She uses the time with her guests to teach them words of wisdom and the value of understanding.
The well-known first passuk tells us that, “Chochmos bonsa beisa chatzva amudeha shiva - With all forms of wisdom did she build her house; she carved out its seven pillars.”
A classic question asked by many of the Meforshim is why the passuk begins with the plural - chochmos - wisdoms, then changes to the singular tense with the very next word, bonsa - to build?
An awesome Ramad Walli explains that many of us feel discouraged from obtaining any sort of level in Yiddishkeit, feeling that it's difficult to obtain wisdom and live a life full of purity and kedusha.
Shlomo is telling us that the Torah’s wisdom is laid out in front us like a set table, with many options from which to choose. It starts off with chochmos in the plural and bonsa is in the singular because the Torah’s wisdom is multifaceted, containing all the wisdom of the Elyonim, Celestial Worlds, as well as tachtonim, our lower world.
The Ramad Walli goes on to explain how each item that the woman sets on the table represents a different area of Torah from which we can choose to learn. There are so many different ways to obtain wisdom.
Each and every single one of us has a chelek, a portion, in Torah. If you enjoy learning a particular area, make it yours! There's so much out there: Chumash, Navi, Kesuvim, Gemara, Halacha, Medrash, Zohar, Kisvey Arizal, Chassidus, musar, dikduk, English books and stories of Tzaddikim. The list goes on. Don't feel discouraged. You can do it! All Seforim are valuable and necessary. Find what appeals to you and stick to it!
As Shlomo Hamelech describes this wise woman who sets the table with all sorts of fine delicacies for her guests, Torah is wide, broad and as deep as the ocean. Let us be wise to taste from its fine delicacies!
The chapter winds down by contrasting the wise woman with a foolish, evil woman who also makes a feast, but is full of idle chatter and serves stolen waters. As it says in passuk 17, “Mayim g’nuvim yimtaku v’lechem sisarim yinam - Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
The Malbim and Gr’a explain that the evil woman, AKA the Yetzer Hara, also calls out to people, but leads them away from Torah and their mission in this world. It causes damage and depravity by placing doubt and insecurity in their minds, sowing inner turmoil and discouragement, ending in a life of agony. This is in sharp contrast to the first woman in the perek, who is synonymous with the Divine wisdom of the Torah, calling out to people and infusing them with fulfillment and joy.
In the next episode of NachDaily we’ll be moving on to perek 10.
Thank you for joining us and have a wonderful day.
