“Fortunate is the man who does not walk in the advice of the evil ones, and in the way of sinners does not stand, and in the dwelling place of scoffers does not sit. But rather the Torah of Hashem is his desire, and he contemplates His Torah day and night … he shall be as a tree sated by streams of water, his leaf shall not wither, and all he does be made to succeed.” (Tehilim,1) “Advice” means thought. The term “advice” mentioned in this verse teaches of thought, meaning that he does not use his power of thought to entertain thoughts of evil. “In the way of sinners he does not stand”—“sin” refers to inadvertent sins. Thus, if he had erred by sinning without his conscious intent, then he does not “stand” in this state, but immediately acts to correct that which he has perverted. “And in the dwelling place of scoffers he does not sit.” “Scoffer” or letz in Hebrew, is one who is not currently transgressing any law. Rather, he does not care to conduct himself within the boundaries that protect the law; the “fences” of the sages who codified the law, which guard one from later transgressing the body of the law as it was ordained in the Torah. They are scoffing at the words of the sages, considering themselves “sitting comfortably,” without fear that they may come to sin. Their danger is greater than the first example, the “advice of the evil ones,” who, conversely, will surely come to many errors (and expect this). The three levels mentioned here, “the advice of the evil ones,” “the way of the sinners,” and “the dwelling place of the scoffers,” are three levels of advice for man to be “turning from evil” (see Tehilim, 34:15). Corresponding to these three, there are three levels of “do good” (Tehilim, 34:15). “And his desire is in the Torah, for in the His Torah does he contemplate day and night,” is the opposite of “the advice of evil ones.” “He shall be as a tree sated by streams of water, whose leaf will not wither” means that he strives to increase his amount of Torah understanding and good conduct, which is the opposite of the “way of sinners,” whose way is filled with mistakes and forgetfulness. “All that he does shall be made to succeed”—“succeed” is not written, rather “made to succeed,” meaning that God will cause his actions to succeed in a way that is above his intellect or intentions. This corresponds to the “dwelling place of scoffers.” It is the opposite because he deliberately increases borders and fences around his fulfillment of the law in order to protect it, and in this way he makes it possible for him to fulfill all of the Torah and the mitzvot. By means of this God causes his actions to succeed in a way that is above his intellect and intentions.
אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב, כִּי אִם בְּתוֹרַת ה' חֶפְצוֹ וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ כוּ' וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל כוּ' וְעָלֵהוּ לֹא יִבּוֹל וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה יַצְלִיחַ. עֵצָה הַיְינוּ הַמַּחְשָׁבָה, כִּי כֵן נִמְצָא בַּפָּסוּק לְשׁוֹן עֵצָה הַמּוֹרֶה עַל הַמַּחְשָׁבָה, וְהַיְינוּ שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹסֵק בְּמַחְשָׁבוֹ מַחְשֶׁבֶת רֶשַׁע. "וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד", חֵטְא מוֹרֶה עַל שׁוֹגֵג, פֵּירוּשׁ אִם נִכְשַׁל חַס וְשָׁלוֹם בְּחֶטְאוֹ בְּלֹא מַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ בְּשׁוֹגֵג זֶהוּ לֹא עָמַד בּוֹ רַק מִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְתַקֵּן תֵּיכֶף מַה שֶּׁעִוֵּות. "וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב", לֵץ נִקְרָא מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹבֵר עַתָּה שׁוּם עֲבֵירָה רַק אֵינוֹ עוֹסֵק לְהִתְנַהֵג בִּסְיָיגִים בְּדִבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹא אַחַר כָּךְ לִדְבַר אִיסּוּר בְּאוֹרָיְיתָא, וְזֶה הַמַּלְעִיג עַל דִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים, שֶׁנִּרְאֶה בְּעֵינָיו שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב בֶּטַח וְאֵינוֹ מִתְיָרֵא שֶׁיָּבֹא לִידֵי עֲבֵירָה, וּבֶאֱמֶת זֶה קָשֶׁה מֵהָרִאשׁוֹנִים שֶׁאַדְּרַבָּה בֶּטַח יָבֹא לְמִכְשׁוֹלִים רַבִּים. וְהֵם שָׁלֹשׁ מַדְרֵגוֹת, עֲצַת רְשָׁעִים, וְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים, וּמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים, וְהֵם אַזְהָרוֹת לִהְיוֹת סוּר מֵרָע. וּכְנֶגְדּוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ מַדְרֵגוֹת בַּעֲשֵׂה טוֹב, "בְּתוֹרַת ה' חֶפְצוֹ וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ" כוּ' הוּא הֵיפֶךְ מֵעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים. "וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל פַּלְגֵי מַיִם כוּ' וְעָלֵהוּ" כוּ' פֵּירוּשׁ שֶׁמִּשְׁתַּדֵּל לְהוֹסִיף תּוֹרָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים, וְהוּא הֵיפֶךְ מִדֶּרֶךְ חַטָּאִים שֶׁעָשָׂה בְּשׁוֹגֵג וּבְשִׁכְחָה, "וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה יַצְלִיחַ", יִצְלַח לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא יַצְלִיחַ, הַיְינוּ שֶׁהַש"י יַצְלִיחַ אֶת מַעֲשָׂיו לְמַעְלָה מִשִּׂכְלוֹ וְכַוָּונָתוֹ, וְהוּא כְּנֶגֶד מוֹשַׁב לֵצִים, וְזֶה לְהֵיפֶךְ שֶׁמִּשְׁתַּדֵּל לְהוֹסִיף לְעַצְמוֹ גְּדָרִים וּסְיָיגִים כְּדֵי שֶׁיּוּכַל לְקַיֵּים אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוֹת וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה יַעֲזוֹר לוֹ הַש"י שֶׁיַּצְלִיחַ מַעֲשָׂיו לְמַעְלָה מִשִּׂכְלוֹ וְכַוָּונָתוֹ.
“Fortunate is the man who does not walk in the advice of the evil ones, and in the way of sinners does not stand, and in the dwelling place of scoffers does not sit. But rather the Torah of Hashem is his desire, and he contemplates His Torah day and night … he shall be as a tree sated by streams of water, his leaf shall not wither, and all he does be made to succeed.” (Tehilim,1)
“Advice” means thought. The term “advice” mentioned in this verse teaches of thought, meaning that he does not use his power of thought to entertain thoughts of evil. “In the way of sinners he does not stand”—“sin” refers to inadvertent sins. Thus, if he had erred by sinning without his conscious intent, then he does not “stand” in this state, but immediately acts to correct that which he has perverted. “And in the dwelling place of scoffers he does not sit.” “Scoffer” or letz in Hebrew, is one who is not currently transgressing any law. Rather, he does not care to conduct himself within the boundaries that protect the law; the “fences” of the sages who codified the law, which guard one from later transgressing the body of the law as it was ordained in the Torah. They are scoffing at the words of the sages, considering themselves “sitting comfortably,” without fear that they may come to sin.
Their danger is greater than the first example, the “advice of the evil ones,” who, conversely, will surely come to many errors (and expect this). The three levels mentioned here, “the advice of the evil ones,” “the way of the sinners,” and “the dwelling place of the scoffers,” are three levels of advice for man to be “turning from evil” (see Tehilim, 34:15). Corresponding to these three, there are three levels of “do good” (Tehilim, 34:15). “And his desire is in the Torah, for in the His Torah does he contemplate day and night,” is the opposite of “the advice of evil ones.” “He shall be as a tree sated by streams of water, whose leaf will not wither” means that he strives to increase his amount of Torah understanding and good conduct, which is the opposite of the “way of sinners,” whose way is filled with mistakes and forgetfulness. “All that he does shall be made to succeed”—“succeed” is not written, rather “made to succeed,” meaning that God will cause his actions to succeed in a way that is above his intellect or intentions. This corresponds to the “dwelling place of scoffers.” It is the opposite because he deliberately increases borders and fences around his fulfillment of the law in order to protect it, and in this way he makes it possible for him to fulfill all of the Torah and the mitzvot. By means of this God causes his actions to succeed in a way that is above his intellect and intentions.