"The wise shall inherit honor"

Synopsis

The rabbis examine the verse, "The wise shall inherit honor, but fools shall get shame," and they decide that Egypt is not among those nations that can be punished through lack of rain because they are watered by the Nile, but the Holy Land always drinks from heaven.

Torah Zeir Anpin

159. Rabbi Elazar said, "The wise shall inherit honor, but fools shall get shame" (Mishlei 3:35). "The wise shall inherit honor:" happy are those who study Torah. Before he started talking, that man approached them. Rabbi Elazar said, We must not interrupt words of Torah, since whoever studies Torah, merits to receive the inheritance of possession from above of the glory of the King, ZEIR ANPIN, and merits to receive the inheritance of possession in this world. This is that which is called the glory of Hashem, NAMELY MALCHUT CALLED THIS WORLD, which never ceases from them. This is the meaning of, "The wise shall inherit honor," THAT IS, THEY SHALL INHERIT MALCHUT, which is called the glory of Hashem.

159. פָּתַח רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְאָמַר, כָּבוֹד חֲכָמִים יִנְחָלוּ וּכְסִילִים מֵרִים קָלוֹן. כָּבוֹד חֲכָמִים יִנְחָלוּ, זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן דְּמִתְעַסְּקֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. עַד לָא פָּתַח מִלָּה, קָרִיב הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ גַּבַּיְיהוּ. אָמַר ר' אֶלְעָזָר, לֵית לָן לְמִפְסַק מִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתְּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, זָכֵי לְמֵירַת יְרוּתָא דְּאַחֲסָנָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, בִּיקָרָא דְּמַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה קַדִּישָׁא, וְזָכֵי לְמֵירַת יְרוּתָא דְּאַחֲסָנָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וּמַאי אִיהוּ. הַהוּא דְּאִקְרֵי כְּבוֹד יְיָ,' דְּלָא פָּסַק מִנַּיְיהוּ לְעָלְמָא. הה"ד, כָּבוֹד חֲכָמִים יִנְחָלוּ, הַהוּא דְּאִקְרֵי כְּבוֹד יְיָ.'

Air Illness Prosecution Repentance Torah

160. HE ASKS what is meant by, "but fools shall get shame" AND HE ANSWERS, Come and see, when man walks the true way before the Holy One, blessed be He, and is occupied with the Torah, he inherits to himself that glory of Hashem. Many defenders and advocates are above over that man, who all speak in his favor before the Holy King. If that man does not study Torah and does not walk in his Master's way, he brings about prosecution over himself, but that prosecutor roams the air and does not yet rise up, THINKING that man might repent. After seeing that that man does not repent nor does he wish to study Torah, he then rises up and speaks ill of him. This is the meaning of, "but fools shall get (or: 'raise') shame," since he rises up and prosecutes.

160. וּכְסִילִים מֵרִים קָלוֹן, מַאי הוּא. ת"ח, כַּד בַּר נָשׁ אָזַל בְּאֺרַח מֵישָׁר קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא ב"ה, וְאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, הָא הַהוּא כְּבוֹד יְיָ' יָרִית לְגַרְמֵיהּ, וְכַמָּה אַפֺּטְרוֹפְּסִין סַנֵּיגוֹרִין אִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ לְעֵילָּא עָלֵיהּ דְּב"נ, וְכֻלְּהוּ אוֹלְפִין עָלֵיהּ זְכוּ, קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא קַדִּישָׁא, וְאִי בַּר נָשׁ לָא אִשְׁתְּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְלָא אָזַל בְּאָרְחָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, הוּא עָבֵיד קַטֵיגוֹרָא עָלֵיהּ. וְהַהוּא קַטֵיגוֹרָא שָׁאט בַּאֲוִירָא, וְלָא סָלִיק לְעֵילָּא, דִּלְמָא יְתוּב אָדָם מֵחוֹבוֹי. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמֵי דְּבַר נָשׁ לָא תָּב, וְלָא בָּעֵי לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, כְּדֵין הוּא סָלִיק לְעֵילָּא, וְאוֹלִיף עָלֵיהּ חוֹבָא. הה"ד, וּכְסִילִים מֵרִים קָלוֹן, וְסָלִיק לְעֵילָּא וְעָבֵד קִטְרוּגָא.

Egypt Nile Punishment Rain Waters

161. He opened and said, "And if the family of Egypt does not go up, and does not come, then they shall have no overflow" (Zecharyah 14:18). HE ASKS, Why is Egypt different here than the rest of the nations? It is written of them all, "upon them shall be no rain" (Ibid. 17), yet here it is not WRITTEN SO. AND HE ANSWERS, The friends have explained that Egypt does not need rain, BECAUSE IT DRINKS THE WATERS OF THE NILE. Hence it is not among those in need of rain, but another punishment shall come to them. And it has been well said.

161. פָּתַח וְאָמַר, וְאִם מִשְׁפַּחַת מִצְרַיִם לֺֹא תַעֲלֶה וְלֺֹא בָאָה וְלֺֹא עֲלֵיהֶם תִּהְיֶה הַמַּגֵּפָה וְגוֹ.' מַאי שְׁנָא מִצְרַיִם הָכָא, מִכָּל שְׁאַר עַמִּין, דְּהָא לְכֻלְּהוּ כְּתִיב וְלֺֹא עֲלֵיהֶם יְהִי הַגָּשֶׁם, וְהָכָא לָא. אֶלָּא הָא אוֹקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָּיא, דְּהָא אַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם לָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמִטְרָא, וְע"ד לָאו הִיא בִּכְלָלָא דְּאִינּוּן דְּבָעָן מִטְרָא, אֲבָל אִינּוּן דִּינָא אַחֲרָא אִסְתַּלָּק עָלַיְיהוּ, וְשַׁפִּיר קָאַמְרוּ.

Caves Egypt Heaven Holy Land Rain Rivers Torah Water Waters

162. Come and see, it is written, "For the land, into which you go to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence you came out..." (Devarim 11:10), where the river rises and waters the land. But here, it "drinks water of the rain of heaven" (Ibid. 11), for the Holy Land always drinks from heaven. And when Yisrael were occupied with the Torah, it used to properly drink. And whoever withholds Torah from it, it is as if he withholds goodness from the whole world. They entered a cave on the way. The man entered with them and they sat down.

162. ת"ח, כְּתִיב כִּי הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָא שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּה לֺֹא כְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הִיא אֲשֶׁר יְצָאתֶם מִשָּׁם וְגוֹ.' דְּהָא נַהֲרָא סָלִיק מִנֵּיהּ מִשְׁתַּקְיָּיא אַרְעָא, אֲבָל הָכָא לִמְטַר הַשָּׁמַיִם תִּשְׁתֶּה מָּיִם, דְּהָא אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא מִן שְׁמַיָיא אִתְשַׁקְיָיא תָּדִיר. וְכַד יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲווֹ עַסְקִין בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, הֲוָה אִתְשַׁקְיָיא כַּדְקָא יָאוּת. וּמַאן דְּמָנַע אוֹרַיְיתָא מִנָהּ, כְּאִילּוּ מָנַע טַב מִן כָּל עָלְמָא. עָאלוּ לְגוֹ מְעַרְתָּא חֲדָא דַּהֲוָה בְּאָרְחָא, עָאל הַהוּא גְּבַר עִמְּהוֹן, יָתְבוּ.