MISHLEI CONCEPTS INDEX
Accountability. (v. 11:31) “If the tzadik is repaid while yet on earth; how much more so will the rasha and the sinner!” [11-27]
Anger. Shame. “The anger of a fool becomes known on the [same] day, but a clever man covers up disgrace.” [12-16] Also see Forbearance I and II [14-16, 15-01].
Anxiety. “Worry in a man’s heart? Let him subdue it. Let a good word convert it to joy.” [12-25]
Attitude. Behavior. A man’s pattern of behavior is governed by his overall attitude. Over time that attitude leans toward either serving Hashem or pleasing himself. At the positive extreme he is described as a righteous man (tzadik) and at the other extreme he is described as a wicked man (rasha). “The act of a tzaddik is for life. The outcome of the act of the rasha is for failure.” [10-16]
Blessings. Memory. Tzaddik. Recalling the life of the tzaddik is for blessing, but the name of the resha’im will rot away. [10-07]
Betrayal. “No sin will happen to the tzadik but the resha’im will be filled with evil.” [12-22]
Blessings. Head. Tzaddik. Blessings will cover the head of the tzaddik, but the harm of the resha’im will cover their mouth. [10-06]
Charity. Life. “Giving true charity [leads] to life, but [for] the pursuer of evil [intentions] it leads to his death.” [11-18]
Cheerfulness. [15-13]
Community. “The entire city rejoices in the good of the tzadikim, (righteous) and when the resha’im (wicked) perish, there is jubilation.” “Through the blessing of the yesharim (fair-minded) the city is uplifted but through the mouth of the resha’im it is ruined.” [11-10]
Compassion. Cruelty. “The tzadik knows the needs of his animal, but the compassion of the resha’im is cruelty.” [12-10]
Competence. [14-35]
Confidentiality. “A gossipmonger reveals [what should be secret], but a trustworthy person conceals a matter.” [11-12]
Contempt. “He who disparages his fellow lacks good sense, but a man of understanding will quietly reflect.” [11-11]
Counsel. Treacherous Counsel. Treachery is in the heart of [advisers] who plot harm, but for those who counsel peace there is joy. [12-20]
Credibility. “He who speaks truthfully testifies justly but a lying witness practices deceit.” [12-17]
Daas. Moral knowledge. To have daas (דַּעַת) – is to know how to go about making the right choices in life. It effectively becomes true moral knowledge when it is trusted and valued by the person who knows it. Only then will he be able to acquire it. [01-02, 15-14]
Death. “When a wicked man dies, hope is lost, and the prospect of physical strength perishes.” [11-07]
Deception. Body Language. He who winks his eye in the course of deceiving others, brings grief upon himself, and the fool who signals with his lips will become weary trying to convince his victim that he carried no malice. [10-10]
Desire. Hope “The desire of tzadikim is only for good; the hope of resha’im [ends up as] anger.” [11-22]
Dignity. Toil. “It is better to be undignified and do one’s own work than to maintain self-esteem at the cost of going hungry.”[12-09]
Discernment. [15-14]
Discretion. “A clever man conceals [his] knowledge, but the [man of] foolish heart proclaims [his] foolishness.” [12-23]
Enigma. Chidah. Teaching of the wise that is stated in enigmatic form, such as through through a Mashal (Allegory). [01-01, v.6]
Envy. [14-30]
Fair-Mindedness. Fair-mindedness refers to the quality of decency that motivates a person to act in a balanced and equitable manner. A person may be fair-minded from birth or as a result of the way he was brought up. A person with this quality is able to recognize and appreciate fair treatment, even in ambiguous situations.” [01-01, 11-03]
Fair-Mindedness. Righteousness. “The righteousness of the fair-minded will rescue them, but the ungrateful will be trapped [in their own] false schemes.” [11-06]
Fairness. Integrity. “The integrity of the fair-minded will guide them, but the perversity of the ungrateful will rob them.” [11-03]
Flattery. “With his mouth the flatterer destroys his friend, but tzadikim are extricated through knowledge.” [11-09]
Fool. Skeptic. A foolish person (אֱוִילִ) – who scorns wisdom and discipline, which are the components of daas (moral knowledge). [01-02]
Foundations. “[When] the resha’im are overthrown, they are no more, but the house of the tzaddikim will endure.” [12-07]
Futility. “The rasha performs an act of falsehood [because it has no permanence], but sowing righteousness earns a true reward.” [11-17]
Generosity. Scattering (v. 11:24) “A person may scatter [his money by giving it away freely] and yet gain more [than he had before]. Another may skimp from [giving even] what is fair, but [ends up] with a loss.” [11-23]
Generosity. Selfishness. Blessing (v. 11:25) “The generous soul will flourish, and one who refreshes [others] will himself be refreshed.” [11-23]
Generosity. Selfishness. Control (v. 11:26) “One who withholds grain [from the market to drive up prices] will be cursed by people, but blessing will be on the head of the provider.” [11-23]
Generosity. Selfishness. Envy (11:27) “One who diligently seeks good [for others] procures [Hashem’s] favor, but he who looks for evil [for others], it will easily come upon him.” [11-23]
Greed. “The rasha craves the spoils of evildoers, but the root of the tzadikim will provide [their livelood].” [12-12]
Guidance. Certainty. The lips of the tzaddik feed the multitudes, but the fools will die because of a deficient heart. [10-21]
Heart. The heart refers to the inner being of a person that directs his actions. A person with self-control has trained his heart to be guided by his wisdom. He is then referred to as achacham lev (wise of heart). Without this guidance, the person is free to follow the passions of the moment. He is then said to have a deficient heart (chasar lev). [10-13]
Heart. Chasar Lev. On the lips of the discerning thinker (navon) will be found wisdom, but a disciplining rod [must be applied] to the body of the person with a deficient heart (chasar lev). [10-13]
Heart. Chasar Lev. The lips of the tzaddik feed the multitudes, but the fools will die because of a deficient heart. [10-21]
Heart. Wisdom. Mitzvos. The wise of heart will seize mitzvos, but the one of skeptical lips will be confused. [10-08]
Honor. Wealth. “The woman of grace upholds honor but autocrats value wealth.” [11-15]
Hope. Desire. “The desire of tzadikim is only for good; the hope of resha’im [ends up as] anger.” [11-22]
Hope. Fear. What the rasha dreads will come upon him and [Hashem] will grant the desire of the tzaddikim. [10-24]
Hope. Fulfillment. “The hope of tzaddikim will be fulfilled in joy, but the hope of resha’im will fail.” [10-28]
Idleness. Frustration. “He yearns [for something] but finds nothing; [it is because] his true desire is idleness. But the soul of the energetic doer will be gratified.” [13-04]
Idleness. Toil. “One who works his soil will have his fill of bread, but he who follows idlers lacks [a self-disciplining] heart” [12-11]
Immorality. Quickness. It is like a burst of laughter for a fool to implement an immoral thought and for wisdom coming to a man of understanding. [10-23]
Insight. Tevunah. On the lips of the discerning thinker (navon) will be found wisdom, but a disciplining rod [must be applied] to the body of the person with a deficient heart. [10-13]
Integrity. Integrity refers to a sense of discipline or conscientiousness that guides the fair-minded person to maintain consistency in his practices so that he is enabled to resist temporary aberrations caused by need or temptation. Because of the many challenges to his character that a person faces in life, this quality is very demanding. Integrity calls for serious self-control to achieve total perfection in one’s middos. (10-09, 11-03)
Integrity. Commerce. “Deceptive balance-scales are an abomination to Hashem, but a perfect weight pleases Him.” [11-01]
Integrity. Perversity. “The perverse of heart are an abomination to Hashem, but He is pleased by those whose way is sincere.” [11-19]
Integrity. Stronghold. “The way of Hashem is a stronghold to the tzaddik who lives with integrity, but a disaster to wrongdoers.” “A tzaddik will not be toppled forever, but the resha’im will not dwell in the land.” [10-29]
Integrity. Truth. He who walks with integrity, will go forward securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out. [10-09]
Integrity. Wealth. A deceitful hand makes a pauper, but a hand of integrity will enrich. [10-04]
Intellect. Heart. “A man may be praised according to the power of his intellect but the man of corrupted heart is to be scorned.” [12-08]
Interdependence. [14-31]
Intervention. Daas. “He who loves moral discipline loves knowledge [for it is acquired with the aid of discipline], but he who hates criticism [even though it is well-reasoned] is a boor, who will never achieve knowledge.” [12-01]
Justice. “[Justice will meted out from] hand to hand, evil will not be exonerated. But the offspring of the righteous may escape.” [11-20, 14-34]
Justice. Fairness. Acting in an equitable and balanced manner even when the law is not specific. [01-01, v.3]
Justice. Mishpat. Adhering to the exact requirement of the law. [01-01, v.3]
Justice. Tzedek. Going Beyond the Letter of the Law. [01-01, v.3]
Kindness. Callousness. “A kind man treats himself with kindness but a cruel person afflicts his body.” [11-16]
Laziness. Ant. “Go to the ant, you lazy fellow. Observe its ways and you will become wise.” [06-02]
Laziness. Farmer. “The intelligent son gathers [his crops, even] in the [late] summer, but the shameful son is [already] asleep at harvest time [in early summer].” [10-05]
Laziness. Poverty. “But your poverty will come upon you like a highwayman, and your destitution like an armed bandit.” [06-02]
Laziness. Sleepyhead. “How long will you lay in bed, you loafer? When will you get up from your sleep?” [06-02]
Laziness. Vinegar. “Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes, so is a lazy man to those who send him.” [10-26]
Life. “On the road of righteousness [you will find] life. Its path is directed towards immortality.” [12-28]
Life. Charity. “Giving true charity [leads] to life, but [for] the pursuer of evil [intentions] it leads to his death.” [11-18]
Life. Longevity. “The fear of Hashem prolongs the days of life, but the years of resha’im are shortened.” [10-27]
Love. Hate. “Hatred provokes strife, but love covers all offenses.” [10-12]
Malice. Wisdom. “When malice comes, disgrace follows, but with modesty, there is wisdom.” [11-02]
Mashal. Allegory. Parables, images, and metaphors as used throughout the Tanach (Scriptures), but especially in Mishlei. An allegory may have multiple levels of interpretation, each of which is valid. [01-01, v.6].
Matrimony. “A woman of character is her husband’s crown, but a shameful wife is like rot in his bones.” [12-04]
Melitzah. Interpretation of a Mashal. The interpretion may be clearly implied by the context, by tradition, or through inspired analysis by Torah scholars. [01-01, v.6].
Moral Discipline. “A wise son [is the product of] a father’s discipline, but a scoffer has not heard rebuke.” [13-01]
Mussar. Middos. Mussar (moral discipline) is related to the idea of the correction of past errors. It emphasizes a person’s middos and suggests the deterrent power of punishment either through actual suffering or through self-analysis. [10-17]
Mussar. Tochachah. Intervention. “He who holds on to moral discipline is on the path to life but he who forsakes reproof goes astray.” [10-17]
Mystery. [15-11]
Ornamentation. “A golden ring in the snout of a pig; [so is] a beautiful woman of bad character.” [11-21]
Parents. Joy and Sorrow. A wise son will make his father happy, but a foolish son is his mother’s sorrow. [10-01]
Perseverance. Rebuke. The tongue of the tzaddik is like choice silver, but the the heart of resha’im is fleeting. [10-20]
Perversity. Integrity. “The perverse of heart are an abomination to Hashem, but He is pleased by those whose way is sincere.” [11-19]
Poverty. Deceit. A deceitful hand makes a pauper, but a hand of integrity will enrich. [10-04]
Poverty. Wealth. The wealth of a rich man is his citadel of strength.The ruin of the destitute is their poverty. [10-16]
Precedents. “No sin will happen to the tzadik but the resha’im will be filled with evil.” [12-21]
Reality. Life. When the storm wind of judgment passes, the rasha is gone, but the tzaddik is the foundation of the world. [10-25]
Resentment. Falsehood. One who covers up hatred has lips of falsehood, but the one who speaks out the words of his resentment is a fool. [10-18]
Responsibility. Neglect. (v. 11:29) “[The fool who] ruins his household [by neglecting his responsibilities] will inherit the wind. And [in the end, that] fool will become a servant to the wise of heart.” [11-25]
Righteousness. “The righteousness of a conscientious person will straighten his path, but the rasha will fall because of his wickedness.” [11-05]
Risk Avoidance. “Misfortune will befall the one who guarantees [a loan to an unreliable] stranger but a hater of handshake commitments [to guarantee loans] will be secure.” [11-14]
Role Models. “Better than [the ways of] his fellow [are the ways of] the tzadik but the way of the resha’im leads them astray.” [12-26]
Role Models. Teachers. (v. 11:30) “The fruit of a tzadik is [the fruit of] a tree of life, but a chacham acquires souls [by sharing his wisdom].” [11-26]
Self-Sufficiency. “A good person seeks favor from Hashem, but a scheming person brings about calamity.” [12-02]
Speech. Action “A man will be filled to satisfaction with good from the fruit of his mouth and the reward of man’s handiwork will be rendered to him.” [12-14]
Speech. Deceptive Speech. “The words of the resha’im lie in ambush for blood [by deceiving their victims], but the mouth of the yesharim will rescue them [from the temptation to deceive].” [12-06]
Speech. Destructive Speech. “Some talk is like the piercings of a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” [12-18]
Speech. Goodwill. “The mouth of the tzaddik sprouts wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be severed.” “The lips of a tzaddik know how to placate, but the mouth of resha’im speaks perversity.” [10-30]
Speech. Lashon Hara. “One who covers up hatred has lips of falsehood, but the one who speaks out the words of his resentment is a fool.” [10-18]
Speech. Lasting Value. “[Words from] truthful lips will last forever but [words from] a false tongue are but for a moment.” [12-19]
Speech. Mouth. Life. “The mouth of the tzaddik is a wellspring of life, but the mouth of the resha’im conceals [their] harm.” [10-11]
Speech. Silence. Where there is much talking, sin cannot be avoided, but one who restrains his lips is intelligent. [10-19]
Speech. Unguarded Speech. “There is a dangerous trap in the misdeed of the lips, but a tzadik escapes the trouble.” [12-13]
Stability. Continuity “A man will not be established by wickedness but the root of the righteous will never falter.” [12-02]
Steadfastness. [14-32]
Strife. Hate. Hatred provokes strife, but love covers all offenses. [10-12]
Substitution. “A tzadik eluded distress and a rasha came and took his place.” [11-08]
Thinking Ahead. “When there are no strategic plans a nation will fall [to the enemy], but in much counsel there is victory.” [11-13]
Thoughts. “The thoughts of tzadikim are [toward] justice, but the strategies of resha’im are [toward] deceit.” [12-05]
Tochachah. Tochachah (reproof or rebuke) refers to a gentle admonition or reproof, resulting in a motivation to goodness and spiritual growth. [10-17]
Transparency. [15-03]
Tree of Life. [11-30]
Tzaddik. A tzaddik is a person with an intense desire to do what is right in the eyes of his Creator. We refer to this quality of the tzaddik as tzidkus (righteousness). [see 11-05]
Vigilance. “He who guards his mouth protects his soul, but he who continually opens wide his lips, that is his calamity.” [13-03]
Wealth. Charity. Treasures of wickedness will not be effective, but charity will save from death. [10-02]
Wealth. Dedication. The intelligent son gathers his crops, even in the late summer, but the shameful son is already asleep at harvest time in early summer. [10-05]
Wealth. Honor. “The woman of grace upholds honor but autocrats value wealth.” [11-15]
Wealth. Hunger. Hashem keeps the tzaddik from hunger by protecting his wealth. In contrast, the wealth of resha’im will not last. [10-03]
Wealth. Integrity. Deceit. A deceitful hand makes a pauper, but a hand of integrity will enrich. [10-04]
Wealth. Life. (v. 11:28) “[The one] who trusts in his wealth will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a leaf.” [11-24]
Wealth. Misfortune. “Wealth will not help in the day of wrath, but charity will save from death.” [11-04]
Wealth. Poverty. The wealth of a rich man is his citadel of strength.The ruin of the destitute is their poverty. [10-16]
Wealth. Value. “A swindler will not get the opportunity to roast his catch but the wealth of the hard-working person will have value.” [12-27]
Wealth. Worry. The blessing of Hashem, that’s what enriches, and He does not add worry with it. [10-22]
Wisdom. Wisdom (chochmah) is the knowledge that guides a person in making good choices in life. Because such wisdom often runs counter to the person’s instinctive nature, it cannot be derived from human experience but must be acquired through Divinely inspired teachings. [01-01]
Wisdom. “From the fruit of a man’s mouth he will eat [what is] good, but the soul of the betrayers [will eat the fruit of their] betrayal.” [13-02]
Willfulness. [15-12]
Wisdom. Discretion. Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool brings ruin near. [10-14]
Wisdom. Humility “The way of a fool is good in his own eyes, but the one who listens to advice is a wise man.” [12-15]
Wisdom. Insight. On the lips of the discerning thinker (navon) will be found wisdom, but a disciplining rod must be applied to the body of the person with a deficient heart. [10-13]
Wisdom. Quickness. It is like a burst of laughter for a fool to implement an immoral thought and for wisdom coming to a man of understanding. [10-23]