“For the one of understanding, wisdom is before him, and the eyes of the fool are at the ends of the earth.” (Mishlei, 17:24) With men of wisdom and understanding, even though they bring forth true wisdom and understanding, they do not boast of this. It seems to him a simple matter (for he knows there is so much more wisdom to attain), since all of his desires are only to receive a constant increase in wisdom. Yet “the eyes of the fool are at the ends of the earth,” for his folly is wisdom in his eyes, namely that he thinks he has already attained all of the levels of wisdom that are possible, even to “the ends of the earth.”
אֶת פְּנֵי מֵבִין חָכְמָה וְעֵינֵי כְסִיל בִּקְצֵה אָרֶץ. פֵּירוּשׁ הֶחָכָם וְהַנָּבוֹן אַף כִּי יָפִיק חָכְמָה וּתְבוּנָה אֲמִיתִּיּוֹת אֵינוֹ מִתְפָּאֵר בָּזֶה, כִּי זֶה נִרְאֶה בְּעֵינוֹ לְדָבָר פָּשׁוּט, מֵאַחַר שֶׁכָּל תְּשׁוּקוֹתָיו הוּא בְּכָל פַּעַם לְהוֹסָפוֹת חָכְמָה, אֲבָל עֵינֵי כְסִיל בִּקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ, הַיְינוּ כִּי כְּסִילוּתוֹ יֵרָאֶה בְּעֵינוֹ לְחָכְמָה עַד שֶׁיְּדַמֶּה כִּי כְּבָר הִשִּׂיג כָּל מַדְרֵגוֹת הַחָכְמָה עַד הַקָּצֶה.
“For the one of understanding, wisdom is before him, and the eyes of the fool are at the ends of the earth.” (Mishlei, 17:24)
With men of wisdom and understanding, even though they bring forth true wisdom and understanding, they do not boast of this. It seems to him a simple matter (for he knows there is so much more wisdom to attain), since all of his desires are only to receive a constant increase in wisdom. Yet “the eyes of the fool are at the ends of the earth,” for his folly is wisdom in his eyes, namely that he thinks he has already attained all of the levels of wisdom that are possible, even to “the ends of the earth.”