Mishlei 1:20: When, and When Not, to be Ashamed

Good morning. We're on passuk chaf. חכמות בחוץ תרנה ברחובות תיתן קולה. Chachmos ring out outdoors and its sound is projected into onto the roads.

חכמות בחוץ תרנה ברחובות תיתן קולה. לפי שארבעת הגזלנים הנזכרים לעיל כולם אמרו נארבה נצפנה.

They lie in ambush, they hide themselves. אבל החכמה שהיא התורה אינה כן. Torah doesn't have to hide, it doesn't have to resort to subterfuge,

אלא בחוץ תרנה ברחובות תיתן קולה ואין להירא ואין להתבייש בתורה.

Those parts of Torah which are exoteric, which are intended to be exoteric, should be openly practiced, openly taught, and a person should never have any sense of busha in teaching Torah, speaking Torah, living Torah. The very first Rama in Shulchan Aruch:

ולא יתבייש מפני בני אדם המלעיגים עליו בעבודת השם יתברך.

Even if rachmana litzlan there are people who scoff at him, who mock him for avodas Hashem, a person shouldn't be embarrassed and certainly not intimidated. What's the pshat? So so simply when are we embarrassed? When do we experience busha? We experience busha when there's a discrepancy between what we should be doing, what we should be saying, the way we should be acting, the way we should be speaking and the way we are acting, the way we are speaking. If I feel that I should know something and someone asks me and I don't know, so I feel embarrassed. If I get caught with my hand in the cookie jar and it's not supposed to be there, so then then I feel embarrassed. So that's the source of busha. Torah is emes. That's why there can't be there shouldn't be any sense of busha in living, in speaking divrei Torah because by definition a person is living, speaking divrei Torah. Again, that part of Torah which is supposed to be exoteric, which is supposed to be public as the Gaon is going to continue to discuss. There's toras hanistar also, even in a person's hanhagos, there are things that a person does which are midas chasidus which he should be looking to hide, not mitsad busha but mitsad tzniyus. But those elements of Torah which are in terms of talmud Torah, which are nistar, those elements of Torah which in terms of behavior So then it's very, very important that a person never ever be ashamed. A person shouldn't be ashamed to look like a Jew, to be recognized as a Jew wherever he goes, wherever he goes. A person shouldn't be embarrassed to behave like a Jew, a person shouldn't be embarrassed to speak like a Jew, because Torah is emes. So there's never any discrepancy, there's never any disparity as long as a person is acting in a Torah-dike fashion, there's never any, any disparity between what he's doing, what he's saying, and what should be. But the chiddush of ein misbayesh ba-Torah really goes further than that. If one looks at the context of this first Rama, right, so before we just sort of lifted the line out of context of the Rama here in Siman Aleph,

ולא יתבייש מפני בני אדם המלעיגים עליו בעבודת השם יתברך.

So the context of this Rama is that it follows immediately after his opening quote from the Rambam in the Moreh about שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד. And the Rama again quoting from the Rambam says

כל שכן כשישים האדם אל לבו שהמלך הגדול הקדוש ברוך הוא אשר מלא כל הארץ כבודו עומד עליו ורואה במעשיו כמו שנאמר אם יסתר איש במסתרים ואני לא אראנו נאם ה'.

Kol shekein, right, we all feel a sense of restraint and reserve if we'd be b'moshav ha-melech, if we'd be in the palace of a king, that would be a sense of koved rosh, a sense of sobriety, of responsibility, a sense of reserve, restraint, a sense of having to measure one's words, to hold one's behavior to the most exacting of standards. So kol shekein if a person realizes that

כל שכן כשישים האדם אל לבו שהמלך הגדול הקדוש ברוך הוא אשר מלא כל הארץ כבודו עומד עליו ורואה במעשיו כמו שנאמר אם יסתר איש במסתרים ואני לא אראנו נאם ה'.

Miyad, immediately, instantaneously, if only a person can maintain this focus of שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד, of being in the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, so then miyad, it's an instantaneous, it's a natural reaction:

מיד יגיע אליו היראה וההכנעה בפחד השם יתברך ובושתו ממנו תמיד.

A person who's aware of being in the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu has a sense of hachna'ah, a sense of submissiveness, a sense of yira v'pachad, of fear and awe, and a sense of busha. A sense of busha. So busha is really a defining quality in one's persona. The sense engendered by a sense, as it were, of inadequacy in the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And when the Rama then continues

ולא יתבייש מפני בני אדם המלעיגים עליו בעבודת השם יתברך,

he says, but heyos that the source for this defining essential quality of boshto mimenu, רחמנים ביישנים גומלי חסדים, the source of this is being in the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, so for that reason it's the exact opposite that when it comes to Torah, so then as the Gaon cites from here in the Bi'ur HaGra on Shulchan Aruch, from the Mishna Avos, it's hevei az kanamer. This yesod has so many different applications. in so many different contexts. Sometimes, ba'avonosenu harabbim, not only is a person who's following the dictates of Torah out of step with general society, sometimes he's even out of step with with misguided Torah society. There are communities in which people are embarrassed to walk with a mask and to follow follow the the health protocols. It's it's if if we weren't aware of it we wouldn't be able to believe such a thing, but ba'avonosenu harabbim, that that that has been the case. That people are embarrassed, people are embarrassed to wear a mask. לא יאומן כי יסופר. But that's also bechlal. Whatever the context is, whatever the application is, that ein lehitbayesh baTorah. There's no room for busha in in speaking or implementing and and carrying out the the dictates of of the Torah and and whether that means

אברהם העברי כל העולם כולו מעבר אחד והוא מעבר שני,

whether it means being out of step with general society or whether it even means being out of step with rachmana litzlan, with with parts of of the Jewish community who for whatever reason or or reasons are are acting in a in a misguided fashion. והעניין שגם העולם נחלק לשניים שהם ארבעה. The world also can be analyzed by dividing it into two that subdivide into four. So first of all, vehem ha'ayaras veha'adamah. There's the sort of the city, the settled areas, and then there's the rest of the earth, which is which is beyond the the cities, the residential areas, shehen hasados vehadrachim. Uvechol echad of each of these two ayaras ve'adamah yesh shnayim. Ba'ayaras you have the ha'ir atzmah and then you also have veshaar ha'ir. Right? The the the gate to the city, the outer perimeter of the of the city

ששם יושבים השופטים והזקנים, כמו שנאמר שופטים ושוטרים תיתן לך בכל שעריך ועלתה יבמתו השערה אל הזקנים

vechein kamah pe'amim. Veha'adamah shelifnei ha'ayaras. Again, the rest of the earth, the non-residential areas, I don't mean non-residential but commercial, right, non-residential, but you know, where you don't have, you know, the people living,

והאדמה שלפני העיירות גם כן נחלקת לשניים. והיינו מה שלפני העיר,

what's sort of contiguous to the city itself, ששם מוכרים צורכי העיר, which is used as a marketplace and

והוא הנקרא רחוב העיר. ולכן הזקנים והשופטים יושבים בשער העיר סמוך לרחוב,

right, so they're sitting in in such proximity to the rechov, לשפוט בין איש לרעהו על הדברים הנעשים ברחוב. The source of dinei Torah, the source of of disputes is when when people are interacting, when people are doing business. No, you you didn't pay me the full price. No, you you you you overcharged etcetera. ומה שרחוק מן העיר, and then not what's contiguous to the ir, but what's what's more further out of town, hu hachutzos. The highways, the which which go from from city to city. ואלו השניים שלפני העיר, these two areas, both of which are out of the city, הם הנקראים סרטיא ופלטיא. וכן הדיבור נחלק לשניים. Speech also can be classified, categorized, lishnayim shehem arba, shehem kol vedibbur. Kol is sound, dibbur is is speech. Vehaynu. מבאחוץ אין שומעים את הקול והקול הברה לבד. If you're distant enough, you don't even hear the actual sound, but you hear the echo. Ve'eino nikar hakol. Vezahu hanikra rina. That's what rina refers to, the echo of the sound. Uve'karov ktsas, when you get closer, nishma hakol. Then you hear the actual sound, not the echo, אבל עדיין אינו נשמע דיבור כלל רק הקול. But you can't make out the chituch hamillim. You can't hear the individual words, like you hear sound, you hear the someone is speaking, but you're not close enough to be able to grasp the words.

והדיבור גם כן נחלק לשניים והוא דיבור וקריאה. והיינו ברחוק קצת אף ששומעים הדיבור.

When there's still some distance, v'chvayis, you're on the first floor and you're yelling up to someone on a higher floor in the house. מכל מקום אין יכול לדבר. You can't really carry on a conversation that way. רק קוראים שיבוא אל המדבר. But you're calling, you call someone, "Come here please." The distance is too great to be able to carry on a conversation, but it's possible you can be heard, and the actual words are heard sufficiently to call the person. וכשיתקרב אליו הוא מדבר עמו. And then when the person comes closer, so then when two people are in such proximity to each other, then they can actually converse, they can actually talk. Vezahu, that's the pshat in our pasuk and the next pasuk as well. שהחכמות בחוץ לאותם העומדים עדיין מרחוק. Those who are still quite distant from being able to understand Torah in its fullest depth, in its profundity, אינם שומעים רק הרינה. They hear the echo. Uva'rechovos, when they're not out on the highway, they're not out on the highway, but they're on the area, which is in front of the city, which is contiguous. So then az titein kolah. So then they hear not the echo of the sound, but the actual sound. The next pasuk: בראש המיות תקרא בפתחי שערים בעיר אמריה תאמר. Homiyos is when you have commotion, right? When there's noise from activity, from bustling activity, commotion. So at the head of this commotion, meaning that's the marketplace, which is right outside the city, contiguous to the city, right outside the city. So תקרא בפתחי שערים בעיר. So then one can call and one's words are heard, but again, there's still too much of a distance to carry on a conversation. וכשיתקרב אליה אז תאמר כל אמריה. Then one can speak. והיינו שהתורה גם כן נחלקת לשניים שהם ארבע. And they're pshat ve'sod. Bechol echad shnayim. And again, each of these two subdivide. Be'sod, the hidden part of Torah, הן סודות עצמן ורמז. The hint to the sodos. הוא פתח השער לסודות. When the Ramban gives us a רמז על דרך האמת, so it's a pesach to the sod. ופשט הן דרש ופשט. Meaning the Midreshei Chazal are not esoteric, but on the other hand, they're not what we can understand on our own just by the simple translation of a pasuk say. וזהו חכמות בחוץ לאותם העומדים בחוץ עדיין אינו מר. positioned to learn is the pshat. V'zehu Toras'cho she'zehu bina d'oraysa

וזהו שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל במקום בינה שם תהא תפילה כי היו מלמדי תינוקות שלהם בבתי כנסיות.

Interesting, right? A different pshat than than what Rashi has there in the Gemara in Brachos, that bimkom bina means where they learn where they're learning simple where they're learning Chumash. Where where the תינוקות של בית רבן are learning Chumash. Ki hayu because the the minhag was

כי היו מלמדי תינוקות שלהם בבתי כנסיות כמבואר במדרש איכה בשער הכומנס.

You take if if you're using the the Philip edition, so in footnote 114 he he quotes that that Midrash Eicha ששם היו לומדים בינה דאורייתא שם תהא תפילה. Berchovos she'hu ha'drash. Again, what is the word again we use rechov again for either for we use it for for for street or or the Gaon in this context has been using it rechova shel ir again means that area right outside the city where the marketplace where you have the marketplace where all the commerce happens but the word rechov literally means wide, right? Leharchiv means to עתה הרחיב השם לנו ופרינו בארץ. It it really means a wide area. ברחובות שהוא הדרש שמרחיב ההלכה שם תתן קולה. So then Chazal again, still the drashos Chazal in terms of let's say Sifra, Sifrei, etc. It was still dealing obviously with the exoteric the nigla thicker part of Torah. But but Chazal broaden tremendously just what one is able to understand and learn and and and and see within the the nigla of Torah. Shom titein kola.

בראש הומיות תקרא בפתחי שערים הוא רמז שהוא פתח השער.

Again, just as there's the sha'ar ha'ir which is the gateway to enter the city, so the remez is the is the gateway to the sodos ha'Torah, is the gateway to the nistar, the esoteric part of Torah. ואחר כך בעיר שהוא בפנימיות התורה when you're inside the city, so that means a person has is zocheh to penetrate to the inner core of Torah. אז תאמר להם כל אמריה וסודותיה. Okay, this bli neder is just a lot to try to unpack in this and maybe we'll stop here for now and we'll bli neder resume im yirtzeh Hashem at 12:30. Just a heads up tomorrow morning im yirtzeh Hashem bli neder 9:00 will be as usual, the the regular shiur will be will be won't be regular at the time most likely bli neder im yirtzeh Hashem will be earlier than usual. I'm not sure yet exactly what time but more on that later im yirtzeh Hashem bli neder. Okay rabbosai have a very good morning, productive morning, be well, be safe. Thank you, Rabbi. Rabbi? Yes, Seth? Can I ask Rabbi a question? Sure. Could Rabbi explain again how from the busha of the Hakadosh Baruch Hu one comes to to not have busha lifnei bnei adam? I just didn't fully understand the connection. Again, I'm sorry, I didn't hear. Could you repeat please? Could Rabbi explain again how from having busha לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא one comes to to not have busha lifnei bnei adam? I just didn't fully understand the connection. I'll give you a moshal. So let's say let's say you're babysitting and and and a baby is crying. Excuse me, you're babysitting and the baby is sleeping. So you keep quiet because you don't so the parents asked you, you know, when you babysit do me a favor please to please try to keep quiet. The baby's a very light sleeper. Fine, okay. So therefore your mandate is to keep quiet. Let's say the baby wakes up. But if you'll soothe the baby, you'll sing the baby a lullaby or something, so then that will help the baby fall back asleep. So obviously it would be misplaced and overextending your mandate to say, no, well the parents told me to be quiet. No, the whole reason they told you to be quiet was to help the baby sleep. Right now you need to you need to to to sing to the baby to make the baby sleep. The whole source of busha is is being in the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. When a person is on the contrary having to cope with people who mock him for doing what Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, in that context busha is misplaced. The whole reason that a person feels a sense of busha is, I'm מתבייש בפני הקדוש ברוך הוא. But when it comes to doing what Hakadosh Baruch Hu told me because someone else for some reason doesn't understand that's right and for some reason is scoffing and mocking, so then then how can you have a busha here? It's it's a whole, it's like keeping silent when the baby is crying. And how does busha בפני הקדוש ברוך הוא lead to busha to to not having busha bifnei? No, it's just saying that a person's the a person's modus vivendi should should is dictated by being in the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. So ordinarily it means to be quiet, sha, shtil. It it means yes to be to have a sense of busha. But when it's necessary to do what Hakadosh Baruch Hu says not to have a sense of busha, so then a person has to be an az kanamer.