Mishlay explained with Rabbi Mordechai Goodman
Mishlay (Proverbs) was written around the Jewish year 2955 (806 BCE) by King Solomon, renowned as the wisest of all men, and set by the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah (The Men of the Great Assembly) as one of the written works of the Torah. This is one of the most profound works in all scripture. It could be Solomon’s greatest legacy of raw wisdom and the one that has earned him such reverence in this area.
Written in the middle of Solomon’s life, the work conveys deep messages in the form or parables and analogies. The work is designed to simultaneously transmit profound, yet clear, Torah concepts to laymen. Yet, it allows scholars to deduce even greater wisdom from the nuanced language, referencing similar phraseology from scripture and Rabbinic writings. These parables extol the virtue of true wisdom and act as a stern warning to the fallacy of following false, yet appealing, paths in life.
Written in the manner of a wise, caring teacher proffering sagacious advice to a diligent student, Solomon warns of following people whose moral standards are questionable or outright reprehensible.
The sages teach that all three of Solomon’s works are comparable to a deep well that a wise man equipped with a bucket, rope and pulley to ease access to the water only found very deep within in the well. So too, Solomon brought the ability to access the depth of Torah wisdom within reach of so many via his use of relatable parables, helping guide a person through life.
Some topics discussed are: How to protect oneself from evil, the benefits of charity, why the Torah is compared to a lamp and the commandments to its light, why Solomon called himself “Lemuel”. This work also contains many passages talking to women and their specific roles and development opportunities.
The translation and discussion of each verse will be primarily based on the commentaries of Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki 1040-1105 CE), the Midrash Rabbah with its commentary the Eitz Yosef, the Talmud, and the commentary of the Alshich HaKodosh (Rabbi Moshe Alshich 1508-1593) called Rav Peninim.
In this course, Rabbi Mordechai Goodman, of Jewish Education in Manchester (JEM), provides background and cultural placement of related ideas, chapter overviews and deep verse-by-verse analysis. This course also explores some of the essential themes running through Mishlay. We hope this will provide you deep insight into, and appreciation of, the messages of this most profound and deep work.