Mishlei 04-14
The Wrong Road
[Pesukim 4:14 thru 4:19]
Key Concepts
Mishlei reminds us that as we travel our road through life, we can easily get side-tracked onto a bad road. Whereas the good road is illuminated by the light of wisdom, the bad road is immersed in spiritual darkness. That darkness causes people to stumble and fall.
Why would anyone get onto a bad road? From the time we get up in the morning we are faced with decisions, large and small. Facing so many decisions is very tiresome and so we get into the habit of not thinking about the implications of each decision. Instead, if the situation is similar to one that we faced before, we just make the same choice, hoping that if it worked before, it will work again.
So, we don’t always realize what road we are on unless we stop to think about it. Mishlei suggests that we check to see who else is on that road. If the road is traveled by people lacking morality or integrity, it is the wrong road for us, even though we are confident that we can reach our destination without being affected by the resha’im (wicked people) we encounter on our way.
In talking about roads, Mishlei speaks about both a narrow path or lane (orach) that leads to a specific destination and a major road or thoroughfare (derech) which leads to many places. We need to be careful about all types of road because there are all kinds of decisions to be made in life.
Exploring Mishlei
STAY AWAY. Mishlei begins this segment by admonishing us to avoid the road being traveled by resha’im. If we find ourselves on such a road, we should get off immediately.
יד = בְּאֹרַח רְשָׁעִים אַל תָּבֹא וְאַל תְּאַשֵּׁר בְּדֶרֶךְ רָעִים
(14) Don’t go into the path of resha’im.
Don’t take a step on the road of dishonest people.
טו = פְּרָעֵהוּ, אַל תַּעֲבָר בּוֹ שְׂטֵה מֵעָלָיו וַעֲבוֹר
(15) Reject their practices.
Don’t pass by that way. Turn away from it.
PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR. Mishlei reminds us that the resha’im on that road are not just innocent travelers. It is not immediately apparent, but they get their satisfaction through establishing patterns of behavior that are spiritually destructive.
טז = כִּי לֹא יִשְׁנוּ אִם לֹא יָרֵעוּ וְנִגְזְלָה שְׁנָתָם אִם לֹא יַכְשִׁילוּ
(16) For they can’t sleep if they don’t practice evil.
Their sleep will be robbed if they don’t cause others to fail.
יז = כִּי לָחֲמוּ לֶחֶם רֶשַׁע וְיֵין חֲמָסִים יִשְׁתּוּ
(17) For their bread is the bread of wickedness.
They drink the wine of violence.
CONTRAST. Mishlei concludes the segment by comparing the road traveled by tzadikim to the one traveled by resha’im. The first is illuminated with light that keeps getting stronger as the person rises to ever greater levels of spiritual growth. The second is a region of spiritual darkness which drags the unwary traveler further and further down.
יח = וְאֹרַח צַדִּיקִים כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ הוֹלֵךְ וָאוֹר עַד נְכוֹן הַיּוֹם
(18) The path of the righteous is like the radiant light of the sun,
growing ever brighter until high noon.
יט = דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים כָּאֲפֵלָה לֹא יָדְעוּ בַּמֶּה יִכָּשֵׁלוּ
(19) The road of the wicked is like the growing darkness.
They don’t know what is causing them to stumble.
Learning Mishlei
STAY AWAY.
Avoid immoral people who have no fear Hashem, even if they seem to behave honorably in human relationships.
יד = בְּאֹרַח רְשָׁעִים אַל תָּבֹא וְאַל תְּאַשֵּׁר בְּדֶרֶךְ רָעִים
Don’t even go into a limited path with resha’im — בְּאֹרַח רְשָׁעִים אַל תָּבֹא.
Even if you don’t get cheated, you will be influenced by the fundamental immorality in their way of thinking.
Don’t even take a step on the main road — וְאַל תְּאַשֵּׁר בְּדֶרֶךְ
with dishonest people — רָעִים,
Although there is much traffic and it seems safe, they are likely to draw you into perverted ways of thinking because they lack basic integrity.
טו = פְּרָעֵהוּ אַל תַּעֲבָר בּוֹ שְׂטֵה מֵעָלָיו וַעֲבוֹר
It is not enough to resist emulating the sins of evil people.
Be proactive and reject them — פְּרָעֵהוּ
as well as their customs and practices
so that you will not be affected by their middos.
Don’t pass by that way — אַל תַּעֲבָר בּוֹ
even if it is once in a long while for a specific need.
But if you are unable to avoid it completely,
turn away from it — שְׂטֵה מֵעָלָיו
and pass on — וַעֲבוֹר.
PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR.
טז = כִּי לֹא יִשְׁנוּ אִם לֹא יָרֵעוּ וְנִגְזְלָה שְׁנָתָם אִם לֹא יַכְשִׁילוּ
It is only after they have committed wrongdoing that they are soothed and are able to sleep.
For the resha’im can’t sleep — כִּי לֹא יִשְׁנוּ
if they don’t practice evil — אִם לֹא יָרֵעוּ
and so they stay up at night looking
for opportunities to initiate trouble.
Their sleep will be robbed — וְנִגְזְלָה שְׁנָתָם
if they don’t cause others to fail — אִם לֹא יַכְשִׁילוּ
in avodas Hashem.
יז = כִּי לָחֲמוּ לֶחֶם רֶשַׁע וְיֵין חֲמָסִים יִשְׁתּוּ
They hunger for evil and are unable to sleep
if they have not fulfilled their quota of evil for the day.
For their bread — כִּי לָחֲמוּ
is the bread of wickedness — לֶחֶם רֶשַׁע.
And they drink the wine of violence — וְיֵין חֲמָסִים יִשְׁתּוּ
CONTRAST.
יח = וְאֹרַח צַדִּיקִים כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ הוֹלֵךְ וָאוֹר עַד נְכוֹן הַיּוֹם
In contrast to the wicked who feel the need to cause harm, the tzadikim are driven by the need to help others
and add value to their lives.
Thus, the light illuminating the path of the righteous — וְאֹרַח צַדִּיקִים
is like the radiant light of the sun — כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ
that begins faintly in the morning,
growing ever brighter until high noon — הוֹלֵךְ וָאוֹר עַד נְכוֹן הַיּוֹם.
יט = דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים כָּאֲפֵלָה לֹא יָדְעוּ בַּמֶּה יִכָּשֵׁלוּ
But the limited visibility on the road of the wicked — דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים
is like the growing darkness — כָּאֲפֵלָה
Their darkness gets more intense as the night progresses, and they do not see the needs of others. On the contrary, they themselves are like the darkness that causes people to stumble and fall. But ultimately, they are tripped up because they do not see the obstacles in the road ahead.
They don’t know what is causing them to stumble — לֹא יָדְעוּ בַּמֶּה יִכָּשֵׁלוּ.
They are like dumb animals who respond only to their physical needs. Since they lack wisdom, they don’t see the implications of their actions.
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