CHAZAL – THE SAGES OF THE TALMUD

Part 1.3 – Chacham – The Wise Man

1. Proverbs
The fear of the L-RD is the beginning of wisdom, and the -ְ‫ יִרְאת י‬,‫תְחִלַת חָכְמָה‬
knowledge of the All-holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10 ‫וָה; וְדַעַת קְדֹשִים‬
.‫בִינָה‬

The fear of the L-RD is the beginning of knowledge; but the ;‫ רֵאשִית דָעַת‬,‫וָה‬-‫יִרְאת י‬
foolish despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7 ‫ אֱוִילִים‬,‫חָכְמָה ומוסָר‬
.‫בָזו‬

2. Job Chapter 28:1-12

1. For silver has a mine, and gold has a place where it is ;‫א כִי יֵש לַכֶסֶף מוצָא‬
refined. 2. Iron is taken from earth and copper is ,‫ב בַרְזֶל‬.‫ לַזָהָב יָזֹקו‬,‫ומָקום‬
smelted from stone. 3. He made an end to darkness, and ‫ יָצוק‬,‫מֵעָפָר יֻקָח; וְאֶבֶן‬
every end He fathoms-a stone of darkness and the .‫נְחושָה‬
shadow of death. 4. A stream burst forth from the place -‫ ולְכָל‬,ְ‫ שָם לַחֹשֶך‬,‫ג קֵץ‬
of its flow; those who cause the foot to be forgotten are ‫ אֶבֶן אֹפֶל‬:‫ הוא חוקֵר‬,‫תַכְלִית‬
removed, yea, from man they are lifted up. 5. A land -‫ מֵעִם‬,‫וְצַלְמָוֶת פָרַץ נַחַל‬
from which bread emerged, and its place was as though ;‫רָגֶל‬-‫הַנִשְכָחִים מִנִי‬--‫גָר‬
turned into fire. 6. Its stones [were] a place of sapphire, --‫ ה אֶרֶץ‬.‫דַלו מֵאֱנוש נָעו‬
and it had gold dust. 7. A path unknown to brigands and ;‫לָחֶם‬-‫מִמֶנָה יֵצֵא‬
which the eye of a vulture did not see. 8. Proud beasts .‫אֵש‬-‫ נֶהְפַךְ כְמו‬,ָ‫וְתַחְתֶיה‬
did not tread it, neither did a lion pass by it. 9. He ;ָ‫סַפִיר אֲבָנֶיה‬-‫ו מְקום‬
stretched His hand upon the flinty rock; He turned it -‫ לֹא‬,‫ ז נָתִיב‬.‫וְעַפְרֹת זָהָב לו‬
over from the root of the mountains. 10. In the rocks, ‫ עֵין‬,‫יְדָעו עָיִט; וְלֹא שְזָפַתו‬
He split rivers, and His eye saw all precious things. 11. -‫הִדְרִיכוהו בְנֵי‬-‫ח לֹא‬.‫איָה‬
He bound up the depths of the rivers, and [from] .‫עָדָה עָלָיו שָחַל‬-‫שָחַץ; לֹא‬
Taalumah He brings out light. 12. But wisdom-whence ;‫ שָלַח יָדו‬,‫ט בַחַלָמִיש‬
will it be found, and where is the place of .‫הָפַךְ מִשֹרֶש הָרִים‬
understanding? ;ַ‫ יְאֹרִים בִקֵע‬,‫י בַצורות‬
.‫ רָאֲתָה עֵינו‬,‫יְקָר‬-‫וְכָל‬
;‫ נְהָרות חִבֵש‬,‫יא מִבְכִי‬
.‫ יֹצִא אור‬,‫וְתַעֲלֻמָה‬
;‫ מֵאיִן תִמָצֵא‬,‫יב וְהַחָכְמָה‬
.‫ מְקום בִינָה‬,‫וְאֵי זֶה‬

3. Reishis Chachmah Yiras Hashem, Sechel Tov lioseihem [Siddur, Psalms 110]

4. Ethics/Chapters of the Fathers 3:17

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 CHAZAL – THE SAGES OF THE TALMUD
Part 1.3 – Chacham – The Wise Man
Rabbi Eliezer the son of Azariah would say…. If there is no …‫רבי אלעזר בן עזריה אומר‬
wisdom, there is no fear of G-d; if there is no fear of G-d, ‫אם אין חכמה אין יראה אם‬
there is no wisdom. If there is no applied knowledge, there is ‫אין יראה אין חכמה אם אין‬
no analytical knowledge; if there is no analytical knowledge, ‫בינה אין דעת אם אין דעת‬
there is no applied knowledge. … …‫אין בינה‬

5. Medrash Rabba: Shemos Chapter 30

‫ מהו כך אתה מוצא אדם שונה‬,‫יד ד"א ואלה המשפטים דוד אמר (תהלים יט) יראת ה' טהורה עומדת לעד‬
‫ ואם אין בו יראת חטא אין בידו כלום משל לאדם שאמר לחבירו יש לי אלף מדות‬,‫מדרש הלכות ואגדות‬
‫ א"ל חבירו יש לך אפותיקאות ליתן אותן בהם אם‬,‫של תבואה יש לי אלף מדות של שמן ואלף של יין‬
‫ כך אדם שונה הכל אמרו לו אם יש לך יראת חטא הכל‬,‫יש לך כן הכל שלך ואם לאו אין בידך כלום‬
‫ והנביא צווח‬,‫ לכך נאמר יראת ה' טהורה‬,‫ שנאמר (ישעיה לג) והיה אמונת עתיך וגו' יראת ה' היא אוצרו‬,‫שלך‬
.‫ א) ציון במשפט תפדה ושביה בצדקה‬/‫ישעיהו‬/ ‫(שם‬
A person may learn laws and ideas; but if he has no fear of sin than he has nothing.
Metaphorically speaking, one person says to his friend, “I have 1000 measures of grain,
1000 measures of oil and 1000 measures of wine. So, his friend responded, “Do you
have an apotikii for it? Do you have spomewhere to store it? If you do, then it is yours.
If you do not then you do not. Similarly, one who learns and has learned a lot. If he has
“fear” than he has his learning. But if he does not then he does not…
• 2 approaches to explain that “Fear” is a vessel/receptacle for wisdom.

6. Shabbat 31a

Resh Lakish said, What is meant by the verse, and there shall be faith in thy times,
strength, salvation, wisdom and knowledge? 'Faith' refers to the Order of Seeds; thy
times, the Order of Festivals; strength, the Order of Women; salvation, the Order of
Nezikin; wisdom, the Order of Sacrifices; and knowledge, to the Order of Purity. Yet
even so the fear of the Lord is his treasure.

Rava said, When man is led in for Judgment he is asked, )1(Did you deal faithfully [i.e.,
with integrity], )2( did you fix times for learning, )3( did you engage in procreation, )4(
did you hope for salvation, )5( did you engage in the dialectics of wisdom, )6( did you
understand one thing from another. Yet even so, if 'the fear of the Lord is his treasure,' it
is well: if not, [it is] not [well]. This may be compared to a man who instructed his agent,
'Take me up a kor of wheat in the loft,' and he went and did so. 'Did you mix in a kab of
humton?' he asked him, 'No,' replied he. 'Then it were better that you had not carried it
up,' he retorted.

7. Rav Simcha Zissel Ziv:

What qualities does a person need to be considered a wise man? A person cannot
truly be called wise unless he has the self-discipline to behave in manner
consistent with positive character traits. Without all his self-discipline, all the
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 CHAZAL – THE SAGES OF THE TALMUD
Part 1.3 – Chacham – The Wise Man
knowledge he has is not really his. His negative tendencies will rob him of his all
his wisdom. Even the slightest negative impulse can overcome a hundred
measures of wisdom. Such a person is not master over his wisdom. If he were,
his behavior would be totally consistent with that wisdom. If a person does not
act in a manner that is consistent with his wisdom, it shows that the wisdom is not
an integral a part of his being. A truly wise person is someone whose behavior is
a consistent expression of his wisdom.