Mishlei 10:14 - A Mishleic Approach to (and Away From) Kabbalah
Find a teacher who knows not to teach you.
This is the second Mishlei pasuk I’ve written up, you can find the first article here where I also briefly introduced the methodology we employ in learning it. My chavrusa and I have been having a lot of fun learning Mishlei this summer, and I’m excited to share another idea!
Mishlei 10:14
חֲכָמִים יִצְפְּנוּ דָעַת וּפִי אֱוִיל מְחִתָּה קְרֹבָה
Translation: Chachamim (wise men) conceal da’as (knowledge), but the mouth of the fool brings destruction near.
The main questions are:
What is the situation? Does this mean you should always assume that when you ask a chacham a question they are concealing the real answer or is this limited to certain cases? Additionally, does everything the fool says bring near destruction?
What does da’as mean in this context? Bear in mind that da’as (“knowledge”) is the highest level of understanding (over binah and chochmah).
What does destruction mean in this context? Who/what is being destroyed? Is it intentional? Is the fool destroying it or is he simply close to it?
Who is the audience?
Take some time to think, and then we’ll go to the main idea.
Metzudas David explains:
They [chachamim] even conceal da’as, revealing it only to those who are worthy, as they fear it may become a stumbling block for those who do not truly understand it. But the mouth of a fool will speak of matters that bring about imminent danger, without concern for the consequences.
What does Metzudas David mean by “even da’as”? What else is there and why would we have thought that it would be more obvious that they’d conceal that than da’as?
Here is what we thought the main idea is: A fool teaches his students everything he knows, even if they aren’t ready to learn it yet. The true chacham, on the other hand, decides what to teach based on both his capabilities and his students. What’s important to note is that the chacham doesn’t necessarily understand the idea better than the fool, the difference is how they share it. This has practical ramifications for both the student and the teacher. If you are looking for knowledge, you can’t solely choose a teacher based on their understanding of the area. You may even need to deny the best thinker in the area if they would teach you ideas you aren’t ready for. And if you are imparting knowledge: although in the short term you’ll feel more satisfied from teaching on a more advanced level, if your goal is to help them grow you need to meet them where they are at.
A good example of this is my Mishlei Rebbi. In shiur, we learn using our derech ha’limud (methodology) of how to approach Mishlei which involves specific steps. He has mentioned that when he learns on his own he no longer uses all of these steps since he has the mastery to get to the idea without them.1 However, since his students aren’t on that level he “slows it down” for us in shiur. The fool would be blinded by the short term gratification of leading an advanced shiur that he would try to teach us the way he learns it and then we’d never pick it up. Even if in the moment it seems as though we are on a more advanced level, when we try to learn on our own we’d be lost. The chacham knows that often the best way to teach isn’t the same way he learns; though teaching and learning are connected, he knows they aren’t the same activity.
The Meiri applies this lesson to the “secrets of the Torah”:
This alludes to the secrets of the Torah which are hidden away among the chachamim, and they don’t reveal them in situations that aren’t fit for them. And the mouth of the fool brings destruction near by speaking about them in public, and someone who won’t understand it hears it and stumbles as a result of their words.
As the Mishna (Chagigah 2:1) teaches, certain difficult areas of Torah are only to be taught to elite students in specific circumstances, and some can’t be taught directly at all. Our Ba’alei Mesorah (transmitters of the tradition) were very careful to take heed of the warning from this pasuk. The Rambam goes so far as to say that their praiseworthy refusal to write it down ultimately led to this tradition becoming “extinct from our nation, without a trace” (see the introduction to the third section of the Moreh ha’Nevuchim). Although the Ramban argued he had such a tradition, he stuck strongly to this principle, as he writes in the introduction to his commentary on the Chumash:
And behold, I am entering into a trustworthy covenant, which offers sound advice to anyone who reads this book: Do not reason any theories or form any thoughts regarding any of the hints that I write concerning the secrets of the Torah. For I inform you truthfully that my words will not be understood or comprehended at all by any intellect or wisdom, except by the transmission from a wise teacher to a discerning student. Any independent reasoning in these matters is a foolish and harmful endeavor, full of great damage and devoid of any benefit.
Let’s imagine what would have happened if he didn’t conceal these ideas. Perhaps at first people would have been in awe, but almost everyone who learned them would come to heresy. These fools would praise him, but those spared would recognize the damage he caused. His chochmah is demonstrated in his refusal to reveal these ideas: he knew they could never be communicated through the written word, so even those of us who don’t share his tradition - and therefore do not learn these areas of his commentary - view him as a chacham.
For those who don’t have a secret tradition of metaphysics to protect, this pasuk is still practical. In order to teach, mentor, and guide others you need to not only have the skills to do so, but the wisdom to conceal those skills when necessary. Similarly, in order to learn you may have to forfeit a more prestigious teacher, class, or university in favor of picking up the basics first. To end with Shlomo’s words, “Train the youth according to his way; [so] even when he grows old he will not depart from it” (Mishlei 22:6).
I’d love to hear what you think!