“A tongue which speaks softly is the tree of life, but one who perverts his speech is like a destructive wind.” (Mishlei, 15:4) We may understand this by means of a parable. Two salesmen went to the market and sold their merchandise for a certain price. They met each other and asked, “how much did you profit from your sales?” One said a certain amount, and added, “I made a great profit.” The other said, “I charged even more than you, but I lost money!” The other answered him, “you fool! Your mistake was not in your sale here. Your mistake was only in your home. At home you invested much more in your merchandise than I did, and you cheated yourself at your home!” So it is also true with the Torah. For truly, with words of Torah, “a soft tongue is the tree of life,” for it heals (“soft”—marpe, is similar to “healing”—merape) all of man’s deficiencies. However, “one who perverts his speech is like a destructive wind.” Sometimes a man studies a great amount, but takes not profit from it, remaining as defunct as before. This is because of the “destructive wind,” which means literally “a break in the spirit.” That is to say, there are unrepaired deficiencies in the spirit of his life, in his brain, and in his heart. Therefore his words of Torah are of no use to him. He must go back to correct this deficiency of his that he has carried from his birth, and only then can bring Words of Torah close to his heart.
“The world of loss and destruction are before God, and all the more the hearts of humankind.” (Mishlei, 15:11) “The world of loss [sheol],” teaches of something that one has no knowledge of at first, but he has knowledge of it at the end. With “destruction,” he has no knowledge of it at the beginning or at the end. So if these two things are hidden from the hearts of mankind but revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He, then “all the more so the hearts of humankind.” That is, how much more so these things that are known to the hearts of mankind are revealed and known to the Holy One, blessed be He.
“Plans made without counsel are nullified, but when properly advised they will materialize.” (Mishlei, 15:22) Sometimes a man plans to do something good, but when he goes to do it he has forgotten what his thoughts were. This is because they were “without counsel,” meaning that the matter was also not yet fixed in his heart, but the thought was only external. “But when properly advised” means after great efforts and counsel for the matter to also be installed in his heart, then “they will materialize,” meaning also come to fruition in action.
“Evil thoughts are an abomination to God, where pure thoughts please Him.” (Mishlei, 15:26) Those thoughts that are evil and an abomination to God could even come to someone whose heart is clean and pure. Even if he says words that seem to be evil thoughts, still, when he speaks pleasant words his speech can prove that there is no evil in his thoughts. For instance, when Bathsheva presented to David haMelech (Melachim 1, 1) her request for the kingdom to pass to her son Shlomo, even though it was an evil thought to make plans for his successor and plan even when that would be (still in David’s lifetime), her words were pure when she said, “let the king live forever!” Then it was known that she was not, God forbid, anticipating when that time would come. Only when she said, “I and my son have sinned” was it made clear that her thoughts were pure, and in this way her words were pleasant.
מַרְפֵּא לָשׁוֹן עֵץ חַיִּים וְסֶלֶף בָּהּ שֶׁבֶר בְּרוּחַ. בֵּיאֵר זֶה עַל פִּי מָשָׁל לִשְׁנֵי סוֹחֲרִים שֶׁנָּסְעוּ בִּסְחוֹרָה לִמְקוֹם הַשּׁוּק וּמָכְרוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם הַסְּחוֹרָה בְּכָךְ וְכָךְ, וּפָגְעוּ זֶה בָּזֶה וְשָׁאַל אֶחָד לַחֲבֵירוֹ כַּמָּה נָטַלְתָּ בִּסְחוֹרָתְךָ אָמַר לוֹ כָּךְ וְכָךְ וְהִרְוַחְתִּי הַרְבֵּה, אָמַר לוֹ חֲבֵירוֹ וַהֲלֹא אֲנִי לָקַחְתִּי יוֹתֵר מִמְּךָ וְהִפְסַדְתִּי אָמַר לוֹ שׁוֹטֶה כָּאן לֹא טָעִיתָ בְּמִקָּחֲךָ רַק בְּבֵיתְךָ הָיְתָה הַטָּעוּת שֶׁנָּתַתָּ בְּבֵיתְךָ בְּעַד הַסְּחוֹרָה הַרְבֵּה יוֹתֵר מִמֶּנִּי, וְהוֹנֵיתָה אוֹתְךָ בְּבֵיתְךָ. כֵּן הוּא הָעִנְיָן בְּד"ת גַּם כֵּן, שֶׁבֶּאֱמֶת הַד"ת הוּא "מַרְפֵּא לָשׁוֹן עֵץ חַיִּים", הַיְינוּ שֶׁמְּרַפֵּא כָּל הַחֶסְרוֹנוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָאָדָם, אַךְ "וְסֶלֶף בָּהּ שֶׁבֶר בְּרוּחַ" הַיְינוּ הֲלֹא לִפְעָמִים לוֹמֵד הָאָדָם הַרְבֵּה וְאֵין לוֹ שׁוּם רֶוַח מִמֶּנָּה וְהוּא מְעֻוָּת כְּמִקֶּדֶם, הוּא מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהוּא "שֶׁבֶר בְּרוּחַ" הַיְינוּ שֶׁבְּרוּחַ חַיִּים שֶׁלּוֹ בְּמוֹחוֹ וְלִבּוֹ שָׁם יֵשׁ לוֹ חֶסְרוֹנוֹת בְּתוֹלָדָה וְאֵינוֹ מְתַקְּנָם, עַל כֵּן לֹא יוֹעִיל לוֹ הַד"ת, וְצָרִיךְ לִרְאוֹת לְתַקֵּן מִקֶּדֶם הַחֶסְרוֹן הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר לוֹ בְּתוֹלָדָה וְאָז יוּכַל לְהִתְקָרֵב אֶל לִבּוֹ הַד"ת.
“A tongue which speaks softly is the tree of life, but one who perverts his speech is like a destructive wind.” (Mishlei, 15:4)
We may understand this by means of a parable. Two salesmen went to the market and sold their merchandise for a certain price. They met each other and asked, “how much did you profit from your sales?” One said a certain amount, and added, “I made a great profit.” The other said, “I charged even more than you, but I lost money!” The other answered him, “you fool! Your mistake was not in your sale here. Your mistake was only in your home. At home you invested much more in your merchandise than I did, and you cheated yourself at your home!” So it is also true with the Torah. For truly, with words of Torah, “a soft tongue is the tree of life,” for it heals (“soft”—marpe, is similar to “healing”—merape) all of man’s deficiencies. However, “one who perverts his speech is like a destructive wind.” Sometimes a man studies a great amount, but takes not profit from it, remaining as defunct as before. This is because of the “destructive wind,” which means literally “a break in the spirit.” That is to say, there are unrepaired deficiencies in the spirit of his life, in his brain, and in his heart. Therefore his words of Torah are of no use to him. He must go back to correct this deficiency of his that he has carried from his birth, and only then can bring Words of Torah close to his heart.
שְׁאוֹל וַאֲבַדּוֹן נֶגֶד ה' אַף כִּי לִבּוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם כוּ'. הַיְינוּ כִּי "שְׁאוֹל" מוֹרֶה עַל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין לוֹ יְדִיעָה בַּתְּחִילָּה אֲבָל יֵשׁ לוֹ יְדִיעָה בַּסּוֹף, "וַאֲבַדּוֹן" הוּא שֶׁאֵין לוֹ יְדִיעָה בַּתְּחִילָּה וְלֹא בַּסּוֹף. וּמַה אִם ב' דְּבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ שֶׁהֵם נֶעֱלָמִים מִלִּבּוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם גְּלוּיִים הֵם נֶגֶד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, "אַף כִּי לִיבּוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם", הַיְינוּ מִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם גְּלוּיִים לְלִבּוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁהֵם גְּלוּיִים וִידוּעִים לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.
“The world of loss and destruction are before God, and all the more the hearts of humankind.” (Mishlei, 15:11)
“The world of loss [sheol],” teaches of something that one has no knowledge of at first, but he has knowledge of it at the end. With “destruction,” he has no knowledge of it at the beginning or at the end. So if these two things are hidden from the hearts of mankind but revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He, then “all the more so the hearts of humankind.” That is, how much more so these things that are known to the hearts of mankind are revealed and known to the Holy One, blessed be He.
הָפֵר מַחֲשָׁבוֹת בְּאֵין סוֹד וּבְרֹב יוֹעֲצִים תָּקוּם. פֵּירוּשׁ כִּי יֵשׁ לִפְעָמִים שֶׁיָּבֹא לְאָדָם בְּמַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר טוֹב וּכְשֶׁיָּבֹא לְהַמַּעֲשֶׂה אָז נֶעֱלָם מִמֶּנּוּ מַה שֶּׁחָשַׁב, הוּא מֵחֲמַת "בְּאֵין סוֹד" הַיְינוּ שֶׁלֹּא נִקְבַּע עֲדַיִין הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה בְּלִבּוֹ גַּם כֵּן, כִּי רַק הָיָה הַמַּחְשָׁבָה מִשָּׂפָה וְלַחוּץ, "וּבְרֹב יוֹעֲצִים" הַיְינוּ אַחַר רֹב הִשְׁתַּדְּלוּת וְעֵצוֹת שֶׁיִּקָּבַע הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה בְּלִבּוֹ גַּם כֵּן וְאָז "תָּקוּם" הַיְינוּ לִפְעוֹל בְּמַעֲשֶׂה גַּם כֵּן.
“Plans made without counsel are nullified, but when properly advised they will materialize.” (Mishlei, 15:22)
Sometimes a man plans to do something good, but when he goes to do it he has forgotten what his thoughts were. This is because they were “without counsel,” meaning that the matter was also not yet fixed in his heart, but the thought was only external. “But when properly advised” means after great efforts and counsel for the matter to also be installed in his heart, then “they will materialize,” meaning also come to fruition in action.
תּוֹעֲבַת ה' מַחְשְׁבוֹת רָע וּטְהוֹרִים אִמְרֵי נֹעַם. פֵּירוּשׁ אוֹתָן מַחְשָׁבוֹת שֶׁהֵם רָעִים וְתוֹעֲבַת הַש"י, יוּכְלוּ לְהִמָּצֵא לִפְעָמִים כַּאֲשֶׁר לֵב הָאָדָם נָקִי וְטָהוֹר, אַף אִם אוֹמֵר דְּבָרִים שֶׁנִּרְאִים כְּמַחְשָׁבוֹת רָעִים, מִכָּל מָקוֹם כְּשֶׁאוֹמְרָם בְּאִמְרֵי נֹעַם וּמוֹכִיחַ בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ כִּי אֵין בְּמַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ שׁוּם רָע, כַּמָּשָׁל שֶׁאָמְרָה בַּת שֶׁבַע לַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד (מלכים א א׳:ט״ו) בְּבַקָּשָׁתָהּ מַלְכוּת לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְּנָהּ, אַף כִּי זֹאת הוּא מַחְשְׁבוֹת רָע לִירַשׁ אֶת מוֹרִישׁוֹ וְלַחְשׁוֹב מָתַי יִהְיֶה, אַךְ כִּי הָיוּ דְּבָרֶיהָ טְהוֹרִים בְּאָמְרָהּ "יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ לְעוֹלָם", וְיָדוּעַ כִּי לֹא צָפְתָה חַס וְשָׁלוֹם מָתַי יָבֹא הַזְּמַן רַק כְּמַאֲמָרָהּ "וְהָיִיתִי אֲנִי וּבְנִי חַטָּאִים" וּבָזֶה נִתְבָּרֵר כִּי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֶיהָ הָיוּ טְהוֹרִים וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה אָמְרָה דְּבָרִים נְעִימִים.
“Evil thoughts are an abomination to God, where pure thoughts please Him.” (Mishlei, 15:26)
Those thoughts that are evil and an abomination to God could even come to someone whose heart is clean and pure. Even if he says words that seem to be evil thoughts, still, when he speaks pleasant words his speech can prove that there is no evil in his thoughts. For instance, when Bathsheva presented to David haMelech (Melachim 1, 1) her request for the kingdom to pass to her son Shlomo, even though it was an evil thought to make plans for his successor and plan even when that would be (still in David’s lifetime), her words were pure when she said, “let the king live forever!” Then it was known that she was not, God forbid, anticipating when that time would come. Only when she said, “I and my son have sinned” was it made clear that her thoughts were pure, and in this way her words were pleasant.