What is Eishes Chayil Proverbs 31 -the ideal wife or a description of Torah? or criticism of Shlomo Hamelech?
Mishlei 31): 1. The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy
that his mother taught him.2. What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and
what, son of my vows?3. Give not your strength to women, nor your ways to those
who destroy kings.4. (K) It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to
drink wine; nor for princes to say, Where is strong drink;5. Lest he drink, and
forget the decree, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.6. Give
strong drink to him who is ready to perish, and wine to those whose hearts are
heavy.7. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no
more.8. Open your mouth for the dumb, for the cause of all who are appointed to
destruction.9. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the
poor and the needy.10. A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above
rubies.11. The heart of her husband safely trusts in her, and he shall have no
lack of gain.12. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.13.
She seeks wool, and flax, and works willingly with her hands.14. She is like
the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from far away.15. She rises also
while it is yet night, and gives food to her household, and a portion to her
maidens.16. She considers a field, and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she
plants a vineyard.17. She girds her loins with strength, and makes her arms
strong.18. She perceives that her merchandise is good; her candle does not go
out by night.19. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the
spindle.20. She stretches out her hand to the poor; she reaches forth her hands
to the needy.21. She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her
household are clothed with scarlet.22. She makes herself coverlets; her
clothing is fine linen and purple.23. Her husband is known in the gates, when
he sits among the elders of the land.24. She makes linen garments, and sells
them; and delivers girdles to the merchant.25. Strength and dignity are her
clothing; and she shall rejoice at the time to come.26. She opens her mouth
with wisdom; and in her tongue is the Torah of loving kindness27. (K) She looks
well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.28.
Her children rise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises
her.29. Many daughters have done virtuously, but you excel them all.30. Charm
is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord shall be
praised.31. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own deeds praise
her in the gates.
Rashi(Mishlei 31:10 ) The woman of valor - this about
Torah
Bamidbar Rabbah (10:4): 4. Hence it is written, The
words of king Lemuel (Prov. XXXI, 1).6 Why was Solomon called Lemuel? R.
Ishmael said: On the selfsame night that Solomon completed the work of the Holy
Temple he married Bathiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, and there was great
jubilation on account of the Temple, and jubilation on account of Pharaoh's
daughter, and the jubilation on account of Pharaoh's daughter exceeded that of
the Temple; as the proverb says: ' Everybody flatters the king.’ The reason why
he was called Lemuel is because he cast off the yoke of the kingdom of heaven
from his shoulders; as if to say, Lammah lo el 1 (‘what use is God to him’). At
that instant the Holy One, blessed be He, conceived the intention of destroying
Jerusalem. Hence it is written, For this city hath been to Me a provocation of
Mine anger and of My fury from the day that they built it, etc. (Jer. XXXII,
31). Our Rabbis say: Pharaoh's daughter brought him a thousand kinds of musical
instruments and ordered that they should be played to him that same night, and
she kept saying to him: ' This is how they play to such and such an idol, and
this is how they play to such and such an idol.’ What did Pharaoh's daughter do
further? She spread a sort of canopy above him2 and set therein all manner of
precious stones and pearls which glittered like stars and constellations, and
every time Solomon wished to rise he would see these stars and constellations,
and so he went on sleeping until four hours in the day. R. Levi said: On that
day the continual offering was sacrificed at four hours of the day. It is
concerning this occasion that we have learned: It once happened that the
continual offering of the dawn was sacrificed at four hours of the day.3 Now
Israel were grieved, for it was the day of the dedication of the Temple, and
they could not perform the service because Solomon was asleep and they were
afraid to wake him, out of their awe of royalty. They went and informed
Bathsheba his mother, and she came and woke him up and reproved him. Hence it
is written, The burden wherewith his mother corrected him (Prov. XXXI, 1). R.
Johanan said: This teaches that his mother bent him over a column4 and said to
him: ' What, my son (ib. 2)! Everyone knows that your father was a God-fearing
man. Now they will speak thus: " Bathsheba is his mother; she brought him
to it!" And what, O son of my womb (ib.)! All the other women of thy
father's house, when once they had become pregnant, saw the king's face no
more, but I forced my way through and entered, so that my son might be fair
complexioned and active!1 And what, O son of my vows (ib.)! All the women of thy father's house,
when they became pregnant, would make vows2 and say: " May we have a son
worthy of kingship," but I made a vow and said: "May I have a son
diligent and learned in the Torah and worthy of prophecy! " Give not thy
strength unto women (ib. 3), by going in
pursuit of lewdness, for they confuse a man's mind; He that keepeth company
with harlots wasteth his substance (ib. XXIX, 3). Nor thy ways to that which
destroyeth kings (ib. XXXI, 3). The Torah has given a warning, Neither shall he
multiply wives to himself (Deut. XVII, 17). Be cautious in these things, for
they are the ruination of kings! It is not for kings, O Lemuel (Prov. XXXI, 4).
What have you to do with kings who say, "What use is God to us (lammah
lanu el),”3 that you should copy their deeds? It is not for kings to drink wine
(ib.). Why should you liken yourself to kings who drink wine and become
intoxicated and indulge in all manner of lewdness? Do not according to their
deeds! Nor for princes (rozenim)4 to say: Where is strong drink? (ib.). Shall
he to whom all the world's mysteries (raze) are revealed,5 drink wine and
become inebriated?’ Lest they drink, and forget that which is decreed [lit.
‘engraved’] (ib. 5). R. Simeon said that this word refers to the words of the
Torah which are engraved and in which is written, Thou shalt not commit
adultery. And pervert the justice due to any that is afflicted (ib.). She said
to him: ‘Justice was entrusted to the royal house of David; as you read, O
house of David, thus saith the Lord: Execute justice in the morning (Jer. XXI,
12). If you drink wine you will pervert the justice due to those who are
afflicted; you will acquit the guilty and condemn the innocent.’From this the
Sages have inferred that a judge who has taken a fourth of a log of
wine
must not judge a case. Similarly, a Sage who has taken a fourth of a log of
wine must not give a decision. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to
perish, and wine unto the bitter in soul (Prov. XXXI, 6). R. Hanan said: Wine
was created in the world solely for the purpose of paying the wicked their
reward in this world, for they are lost to the next world, and of comforting
the mourners; hence it is written, ‘And wine unto the bitter in soul.’ From
this the Sages derived the rule that all those who were about to be executed by
the court should be given to drink wine in its undiluted state, so that the
criminal's mind should become confused; in fulfilment of what it says, ' Give strong drink unto him that is ready to
perish.’ Let him drink, and forget his poverty (ib. 7). This is said of the
condemned man who is about to perish, namely that he shall forget death, which
is his grief. And his misery (ib.)1’is said of him who is bitter in soul,
namely whose sons and daughters have died and who is bitter in soul; the wine
would make his heart glad so he would not remember his grief any more. And
remember his misery no more (ib.). ‘Misery’ applies to his sons, for they are
his misery, as is confirmed by what we have learned,2 And our misery (Deut.
XXVI, 7) 3 alludes to the sons, for it says,
Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, etc. (Ex. I, 22).4
Open thy mouth for the dumb (Prov. XXXI, 8). From this it can be inferred that
if an heir or a purchaser5 has no advocate the court must act as his advocate.
Another exposition: ' Open thy mouth for the dumb’ is said in reference to
orphans who are unable to conduct their case and who, moreover, have no
knowledge of their father's affairs. In such a case the court pleads their
cause for them. Thus you can explain the text, In the cause of the sons of him
who is appointed to pass away- halof (ib.)6; that is, the sons of the deceased
who has passed away and gone to his eternal home. Another reason why they are called ‘the sons of halof’ is because
they take the place of (hilufe) their father; as is confirmed by the text, Such
as have no changes (halifoth), etc. (Ps. LV, 20) (R. Hanina said that this
refers to one who does not leave a son behind him whom you can teach how to
conduct a defence.1) Open thy mouth, judge righteously (Prov. XXXI, 9)
indicates that you must not teach them how to plead. And plead the cause of
the poor and needy, as you read, Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor
in his cause (Ex. XXIII, 6). Another exposition3: It refers to alms and to the
gifts of the poor which are theirs by right4 and which you must take from the
robber5 and give to them; to confirm what it says, Rob not the poor, because he is poor, etc.
(Prov. XXII, 22). An alternative exposition: The words of King Lemuel; the
burden wherewith his mother corrected him (ib. XXXI, 1). ' His mother ' alludes
to the Torah which corrected Solomon and which is called the mother of those
who study it; as you read, Call thou understanding: Mother6 (ib. II, 3). The
text can be read ‘em.7 And why is it called ‘a burden ‘? Because a hard blow
will befall any who will do according to the deed of Solomon. What, my son
(beri), etc. (ib. XXXI, 2).8 It does not say, ' What, beni? ‘ but ' What,
beri? ' This alludes to the commands and exhortations in the Torah, which is
called bar (pure); as you read, Do homage to that which is pure10 (bar)lest He
be angry, etc. (Ps. II, 12); for all the words in it are pure. And it is
regarding the exhortation written in the Torah, namely, Neither shalt thou make
marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son (Deut. VII,
3), that this is said; for Solomon took from the daughters of the nations and
contracted marriages with them; as it says,
Now king Solomon loved many wives ... of the nations concerning which the Lord
said unto the children of Israel: Ye shall not go among them, neither shall
they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their
gods; Solomon did cleave unto these in love (I Kings XI, 1 f.). Hananiah, son
of R. Joshua, said: It was on this account that Scripture said, ‘Neither shalt
thou make marriages with them. ' R. Simeon b. Yohai says that ' in love’
denotes literally ‘whoredom’. R. Jose, son of Halafta, says that ‘In love’1ging them
beneath the wings of heaven. What, O son of my womb-bitni? (Prov. XXXI, 2).
The Torah cautioned him against intercourse with another man's wife and this is
the reason why ' womb ' (beten) is mentioned here, since in connection with the
adulterer and adulteress it is written, And her belly (bitnah) shall swell,
etc. (Num. V, 27), Make thy belly (beten) to swell, etc. (ib. 22). And what, O
son of my vows? (Prov. Ioc. cit.). The Torah warned him not to drink wine that
he might not be led to engage in whoredom. And the reason why ‘my vows’ is
written here is to allude to the section regarding the nazirite which follows
the section dealing with the suspected wife, concerning whom it is stated, WHEN
EITHER MAN OR WOMAN SHALL CLEARLY UTTER A VOW (VI, 2). Give not thy strength
unto women (Prov. XXXI, 3). After referring to these three prohibitions by
allusion, the Holy Spirit again enumerates them distinctly. Hence it is
written, ‘Give not thy strength unto women,’ which refers to the heathen wives
that he had taken and who turned away his heart from the Holy One, blessed be
He. Thus ' Thy strength’ alludes to thy strength in the Torah4 which said,
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, etc. (Deut. XVII, 17) and which he
has transgressed. Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings--melakim (Prov.
XXXI, 3). Scripture speaks of adultery with another man's wife. Hence it is
written, ‘Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth (limehoth)1-which bears on the
text, For all flesh had corrupted their way (Gen. VI, 12)2-i.e. to that which
blots out the words of the Torah that give you good counsel; as you read,
Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom (Prov. VIII, 14). And ‘melakim’ cannot but
denote ‘counsel’, as you may infer from the text, Wherefore, O King, let my
counsel (milki)be acceptable unto thee (Dan. IV, 24). Thus we have explained
limehoth melakim, in accordance with the text, And the priest shall write these
curses in a scroll, and he shall blot them out-mahah (Num. V, 23). It is not
for kings, O Lemuel, etc. (Prov. XXXI, 4). He was called by three names:
Jedidiah, Koheleth, and Solomon. R. Joshua, son of Levi, said: Seven; Agur, the
son of Jakeh, Lemuel, and Ithiel.4 R. Samuel, son of R. Nahman, said that the
chief and most authentic of them were the three: Jedidiah, Koheleth, and
Solomon. R. Samuel, son of R. Nahman, concedes the other four but holds that he
was merely described by these and that they require to be expounded.5 He was
called ' Agur ' because he collected (agar) the words of the Torah; ' Jakeh '
because he disgorged (heki) the words of the Torah like a bowl, which is filled
one moment and emptied the next6; ‘Lemuel’ because he spoke to God (nam la'el)
and said: ' I am able to take many wives yet not sin.’ ' Ithiel’ because he said:
' I have the [moral] strength (itti el), and so I may do it.’ It says,
moreover, It is not for kings, O Lemuel (Prov. XXXI, 4): The Torah8 says: Of
the three things about which kings were commanded-not to multiply wives, not to
multiply horses, and not to multiply silver and gold9-they must not say to God
that they will multiply them and not sin. It is not for kings to drink wine
(ib.).
