“Mercy and Truth will not abandon you ….” (Mishlei, 3:3) The verse is not formulated “do not abandon Mercy and Truth,” for truly the effusion of God descends constantly without interruption. Only man, from his side, needs to refine his heart and stand ready to receive, and not turn his back on this effusion, God forbid. Yet in His goodness God constantly effuses His plenty, and He shall not forsake the man who longs for His Mercies.
“And find grace and good understanding in the eyes of God and man. Trust in God with all your heart and do not rely upon your own understanding. Know Him in all your ways, and He shall lead you on upright paths. Do not be clever in your own estimation, and turn away from evil.” (Mishlei, 3:3–7) There is great significance in the juxtaposition of these two verses. “Find grace and good understanding” tells man to see to it that his actions should gain him grace and honor in the eyes of his fellow man. But if he wants to strive with all of his power to be adorned in the eyes of his fellow man, then “trust in God with all your heart and do not rely upon your own understanding.” This means not to trust the understanding of your own heart as if you know what will gain grace in their eyes and what will not. Rather, “know Him in all your ways,” and incline all of your intentions for the sake of Heaven, that all of your ways shall be in God’s will. “He shall lead you on upright paths,” meaning, if you go in the way of goodness, then you need not concern yourself that it gains grace in the eyes of your fellow, for God will anyway lead you on the upright path that will find grace in their eyes. But still, do not rely on this alone by going ahead and doing actions that are contrary to the sensibility of men, trusting in the knowledge that it is correct because he is righteous at his depths. On this it is said, “do not be clever in your own estimation, and turn away from evil.”
“It shall be healing to your navel ….” (Mishlei, 3:8) It shall be healing to the root of the deficiency within the heart of man, from which expansions emerge to all sides. The source will be healed through words of Torah. Then of itself no residue of this deficiency will remain in the places to which it has branched out. This is because the main principle of man’s health is from his navel, as we find in the Gemara (Sotah, 45b).
חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת אַל יַעַזְבֻךָ. וְלֹא כְּתִיב אַל תַּעֲזֹב, כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת הַשְׁפָּעוֹת הַש"י יוֹרֶדֶת תָּמִיד בְּלִי הֶפְסֵק וְרַק הָאָדָם מִצִּדּוֹ צָרִיךְ לְזַכֵּךְ אֶת לִבּוֹ וְלַעֲמוֹד מוּכָן לְקַבֵּל שֶׁלֹּא יִפְנֶה עוֹרֶף חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֲבָל הַש"י מַשְׁפִּיעַ תָּמִיד בְּטוּבוֹ וְלֹא יַעֲזֹב אֶת הָאָדָם הַמְחַכֶּה לְחַסְדּוֹ.
“Mercy and Truth will not abandon you ….” (Mishlei, 3:3)
The verse is not formulated “do not abandon Mercy and Truth,” for truly the effusion of God descends constantly without interruption. Only man, from his side, needs to refine his heart and stand ready to receive, and not turn his back on this effusion, God forbid. Yet in His goodness God constantly effuses His plenty, and He shall not forsake the man who longs for His Mercies.
וּמְצָא חֵן וְשֵׂכֶל טוֹב בְּעֵינֵי אֱלֹקִים וְאָדָם. בְּטַח אֶל ה' בְּכָל לִבֶּךָ וְאֶל בִּינָתְךָ אַל תִּשָּׁעֵן בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ כוּ', אַל תְּהִי חָכָם בְּעֵינֶיךָ. הִנֵּה עִנְיַן סְמִיכוּת הַפְּסוּקִים הָאֵלּוּ "וּמְצָא חֵן וְשֵׂכֶל טוֹב" כוּ', הַיְינוּ שֶׁיִּרְאֶה הָאָדָם שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו יַעֲלוּ חֵן וְתִפְאֶרֶת לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם, אַךְ אִם יִרְצֶה לְהִשְׁתַּדֵּל בְּכֹחוֹתָיו שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מְיֻפֶּה וּמְהֻדָּר בְּעֵינֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם, נֶגֶד זֶה אָמַר "בְּטַח בַּה' בְּכָל לְבָבֶךָ וְאֶל בִּינָתְךָ אַל תִּשָּׁעֵן", פֵּירוּשׁ אַל תִּסְמוֹךְ עַל בִּינַת לִבְּךָ כִּי תָבִין מַה שֶּׁיַּעֲלֶה חֵן וּמַה שֶּׁלֹּא יַעֲלֶה, רַק "בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ" שֶׁתַּטֶּה כַּוָּנָתְךָ רַק לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם בְּכָל דַּרְכְּךָ שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לִרְצוֹן הַש"י. "וְהוּא יְיַשֵּׁר אֹרְחוֹתֶיךָ", הַיְינוּ אִם תֵּלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבִים מַה שֶּׁיִּצְטָרֵךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה טוֹב בְּעֵינֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם, הַש"י יְיַשֵּׁר שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה חֵן, וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן לֹא תִסְמוֹךְ גַּם עַל זֶה מִכֹּל וָכֹל וְלַעֲשׂוֹת מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁהוּא הֵיפֶךְ דַּעַת בְּנֵי אָדָם, וְיִסְמוֹךְ עַל זֶה מֵחֲמַת שֶׁיֵּדַע כִּי בָּעוֹמֶק הוּא צַדִּיק, עַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר "אַל תְּהִי חָכָם כוּ' יְרָא אֶת ה' וְסוּר מֵרָע".
“And find grace and good understanding in the eyes of God and man. Trust in God with all your heart and do not rely upon your own understanding. Know Him in all your ways, and He shall lead you on upright paths. Do not be clever in your own estimation, and turn away from evil.” (Mishlei, 3:3–7)
There is great significance in the juxtaposition of these two verses. “Find grace and good understanding” tells man to see to it that his actions should gain him grace and honor in the eyes of his fellow man. But if he wants to strive with all of his power to be adorned in the eyes of his fellow man, then “trust in God with all your heart and do not rely upon your own understanding.” This means not to trust the understanding of your own heart as if you know what will gain grace in their eyes and what will not. Rather, “know Him in all your ways,” and incline all of your intentions for the sake of Heaven, that all of your ways shall be in God’s will. “He shall lead you on upright paths,” meaning, if you go in the way of goodness, then you need not concern yourself that it gains grace in the eyes of your fellow, for God will anyway lead you on the upright path that will find grace in their eyes. But still, do not rely on this alone by going ahead and doing actions that are contrary to the sensibility of men, trusting in the knowledge that it is correct because he is righteous at his depths. On this it is said, “do not be clever in your own estimation, and turn away from evil.”
רִפְאוּת תְּהִי לְשָׁרֶּךָ. הַיְינוּ לְשׁוֹרֶשׁ הַחֶסְרוֹן הַנִּמְצָא בְּלֵב הָאָדָם שֶׁמִּמֶּנּוּ בָּא הִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת לְכָל צַד, וְעַל יְדֵי דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה יִתְרַפֵּא הַשּׁוֹרֶשׁ וּמִמֵּילָא גַּם מִמַּה שֶּׁנִּסְתָּעֵף מִמֶּנּוּ גַּם כֵּן לֹא יִשָּׁאֵר רוֹשֶׁם, כִּי עִיקַּר בְּרִיאוּת הָאָדָם הוּא מִטַּבּוּרוֹ כִּדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא (סוטה מ"ה:).
“It shall be healing to your navel ….” (Mishlei, 3:8)
It shall be healing to the root of the deficiency within the heart of man, from which expansions emerge to all sides. The source will be healed through words of Torah. Then of itself no residue of this deficiency will remain in the places to which it has branched out. This is because the main principle of man’s health is from his navel, as we find in the Gemara (Sotah, 45b).