Mishlei 1:26-27: Punishments of those who Neglect Torah

Good morning, we're on Perek Aleph, Pasuk Kaf-Vav. Gam Ani, HaKadosh Baruch Hu speaking.

גם אני באידכם אשחק אלעג בבוא פחדכם. עכשיו אומר שלמה שלוש צרות נגד שלושת הרשעים הנזכרים לעיל שם פתאים ולצים וכסילים.

The three types of individuals who spurn Torah. Neged Ha'Leitzim, the scoffers, they're the ones who neglect Torah to just engage in sicha bateila. Neged Ha'Leitzim Omer גם אני באידכם אשחק אלעג V'gomer. Two verbs, right? Literally, I'll laugh and I'll scoff, I'll mock. ובכל צרה הם שני דברים. There are two aspects to any tzara. א כאשר ישמע מן הצרה טרם בוא הצרה. Even before a person is affected objectively by the actual tzara, when he hears that the tzara is impending אז הוא מפחד ממנה. Already it begins to take a toll. If a person hears that the country he's in, rachmana litzlan, is on the brink of war, if a person hears, rachmana litzlan, that he's going to get a pink slip, that he's going to be laid off, Kahena V'kahena, so even before the actual tzara strikes, just the fear, excuse me, which is associated with the impending tzara. ב ואחר כך בעת בוא הצרה עצמה. Then there's the objective effect of the tzara itself. So there are those two aspects to every tzara. V'chen Ha'Mislochitz, in general, Mi'techila Hu Malig. First he begins to scoff, ואחר כך כאשר מדבר הליצנות שלו אז הוא משחק. So that's the mida k'neged mida, וזהו באידכם בעת האיד at the time of tzara, שהוא עת בוא הצרה אז אשחק. So kaviyachol I'll laugh. Elag B'vo Pachdchem when it's coming, right? I'll scoff as the tzara is impending. היינו עדיין קודם הצרה. Pasuk Kaf-Zayin: B'vo Keshoa Pachdchem. The meforshim explain that the shoa, the word shoa means choshech. B'vo Keshoa Pachdchem and again your idchem kasufa like a storm ye'eseh will come, בבוא עליכם צרה וצוקה. Again, there's no verb in this pasuk in terms of what am I going to do b'vo keshoa pachdchem when your fear comes like darkness. So the verbs are in the next pasuk.

בבוא כשואה פחדכם הוא נגד אותם הרודפים אחר תאוות עולם הזה.

The previous pasuk was describing the mida k'neged mida which is meted out to the leitzanim. The beginning of this pasuk is describing the mida k'neged mida which is meted out to the pesaim. The pesaim were those ha'mispatim b'yitzram, hence we saw earlier the Gaon explain, hence the designation pesi. והם אשר לא יוכלו השקט, right? They're restless. They cannot rest ad she'tismalei taivasam until their desires are fully satisfied. Velachen omer negdam,

בבוא כשואה פחדכם טרם בא הצרה ואתכם כסופה יאתה הוא עת הצרה.

So it's interesting that vis-a-vis the pesaim who hamispattim beyitzram and are again who whose whose neglect of Torah is is due to the pittuy of ta'anugei ha'olam hazeh, so the imagery of choshech is is employed. Right? Again, the word shoah means choshech. Ramchal in the beginning Mesillas Yesharim based on on the words of Chazal, the Gemara in Bava Metzia, that that compares olam hazeh to darkness. It it compares olam haba to day, to light, and compares olam hazeh to night, to darkness. In the dark, Ramchal explains, two things happen: a) a person doesn't see, b) a person's perception is distorted. Right? He thinks he's seeing one thing when in reality it's something else. Right? In the dark, when when you're looking afar, so you think you you see someone, you think you recognize him, and then it turns out no, that that it was a mistake, that you mistook that that person for for someone else. So the pesaim hamispattim beyitzram are very much allow themselves, they make themselves, victims of that distorted perception of olam hazeh in terms of how they perceive the ta'anugei ha'olam hazeh. The again, the middah k'neged middah here, again that that mirrors the aveirah lifestyle of the pesaim seems to be that pesaim, there's a process. Right? They're they're constantly pursuing their taivos. אשר לא יוכלו השקט עד אשר תשמלא תאוותם. And that's lechora what the Gaon means. Velachen omer negdam, that's why symmetrical to that, so Shlomo HaMelech depicts בבוא כשואה פחדכם טרם בא הצרה. There's also a process where where the tzarah doesn't just strike, but the tzarah is approaching, the tzarah is impending. ואתכם כסופה יאתה הוא עת הצרה. What's the last phrase in the pasuk?

בבוא עליכם צרה וצוקה. הוא נגד הכסילים אשר ישנאו דעת.

This is the third group, the third type of those who reject Torah, Rachmana litzlan, those who because of a a quick, superficial mitzidam impatient, inadequate exposure to Torah, so they end up hating Torah. Tavo aleihem, what's the difference between tzarah vetzukah? צרה מבחוץ וצוקה בלב מבפנים. Tzarah means outward outward trouble, tzukah means to be inwardly troubled. Kemo shekasuv hitzikasni, right? The the verb formed from the word tzukah, so hitzikasni ruach bitni. So the pasuk speaks of tzukah as affecting the ruach ha'adam, meaning that that it describes an internal s Dugmas hasina, what's the middah k'neged middah here? Shehi baleiv. Right? In the lev. Right? In terms of the lav of lo tisna achicha, so the Torah itself spells out bilvavecha, that a person rachmana litzlan is only liable for lo tisna achicha if the sina is kvushah baleiv. If you go over to a person and tell them, "You know, I hate you because you did such and such," now whether you should or shouldn't be hating him because he did such and such, I guess would depend upon what such and such is, but either way, a person wouldn't be liable for lo tisna achicha if he airs it. If he makes clear, as long as it's not concealed inwardly, as long as it's not bilvavecha, so then it's not lo tisna. That's what the Gaon is referring to over here, דוגמת השנאה שהיא בלב וימאסו בחייהם מחמת צר וצוקה. The emmes is, you know, obviously, you know, we ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu lo lidei nisayon. We don't ask for nisyonos. A person never ever asks for nisyonos. But the emmes is that the real effect of a tzarah is only if it also triggers tzukah. As long as a person's spirit is not broken, so a person is able to cope, again rachmana litzlan, a person is not asking for such a nisayon, but as long as there's no tzukah, a person is able to cope with the tzarah. And the tzarah, rachmana litzlan, takes its toll on the person in the extreme case to break the person only because of the tzukah corollary to it, only because what's happening outwardly milevar is affecting the person milegav inwardly. And that's bavo lachem, it won't only be tzarah, but it will be tzukah as well. Okay, so we'll stop here for now and בלי נדר אם ירצה השם resume with Pesachim at 12:30. Everyone should have a very good productive morning. Be well. Be safe. Hatzlacha.