Expectations of Development
From time to time I will post ideas from Mishlei. In general I will post the methodology that shows the steps to discovering the idea but sometimes (like in this post) I will just write the idea by itself.
Mishlei- 16-1 “To man (should) belong the arrangements of his heart, but from Hashem (should) come the tongue’s reply.”
Q: What type of person is the subject of this pasuk?
Q: Why does the verse specifically mention the tongue’s reply and not just speech in general?
Q: What does it mean to come “from hashem”?
Q: What are the arrangements of the heart?
The Type of Person the Pasuk is talking to
The Pasuk is talking about a person who is hoping to develop in his life. He is trying to become a person who naturally makes the correct decisions. He wants to enjoy doing justice and to hate injustice. He realizes that he needs to rid himself of his bad emotions that cause him to err.
Process of Development
The pasuk gives advice on what the expectations of development should be. The type of person who I outlined above will always aim to make rational decisions. The pasuk explains that it should be this way. When a person responds (replies) to any situation whether it is in speech or in action he must always strive to live in line with reality. He must think rationally and make sure that he is making decisions that accord with Halacha
However, such a person might also wish to completely rid himself of his desire to do wrong. He will analyze his mistakes, try and see his mistake, and expect that emotion to be defeated. He will try to make the “arrangements of his heart in line with reality” by fighting his personality directly. He will suppress his desires and pretend that they don’t exist. In the short run he will be able to make the right decision but eventually the suppressed emotion will resurface in a catastrophic way. Or perhaps, he will respond to them too dramatically, thinking that his flaws are worse than they are, and then acting in an extreme manner in order to rid himself of them.
This is what the Pasuk is advising us when it says that “to man should belong the arrangements of his heart”. A person must not have the expectation of defeating his emotions completely. This is not a realistic expectation and he might quickly get discouraged. He must let his desires and idiotic tendencies be, and not feel inferior for having them.
Instead, he must focus on making the right decisions understanding that it is impossible for true change to come overnight. It is a process of a lifetime where it may take many years for change to happen. Rabbi Moskowitz, when explaining a difficult idea, always tells his class to leave his classroom and continue being the same morons as they came in as. He explained that clearly understanding an idea does change a person. The person may not notice it but if he continues to learn and to see the ideas clearly, then over the years he will become a completely different person.
Conclusion
Some people study because they want it to help them become happy. They want to see some remarkable insight that will drastically change their perspective and cause a sudden transformation in who they are. They want their “arrangements in their hearts” to be totally in line with reality but they want to do it in a way that is not realistic.
The thing that might help implement the advice of the pasuk is to change one’s goal. Instead of hoping to be happy, one should simply strive to live the correct way. Such a person will simply be happier as a byproduct of living correctly.
Rabbi Akiba, illiterate at forty, saw one day a stone's perforation where water fell from a spring, and having heard people say, "Waters wear stones," he thought, "If soft water can bore through a rock,surely
iron-clad Torah should, by sheer persistence, penetrate a tender mind";and he turned to study.
Judaism. Talmud, Abot de Rabbi Nathan 6
Mishlei- 16-1 “To man (should) belong the arrangements of his heart, but from Hashem (should) come the tongue’s reply.”
Q: What type of person is the subject of this pasuk?
Q: Why does the verse specifically mention the tongue’s reply and not just speech in general?
Q: What does it mean to come “from hashem”?
Q: What are the arrangements of the heart?
The Type of Person the Pasuk is talking to
The Pasuk is talking about a person who is hoping to develop in his life. He is trying to become a person who naturally makes the correct decisions. He wants to enjoy doing justice and to hate injustice. He realizes that he needs to rid himself of his bad emotions that cause him to err.
Process of Development
The pasuk gives advice on what the expectations of development should be. The type of person who I outlined above will always aim to make rational decisions. The pasuk explains that it should be this way. When a person responds (replies) to any situation whether it is in speech or in action he must always strive to live in line with reality. He must think rationally and make sure that he is making decisions that accord with Halacha
However, such a person might also wish to completely rid himself of his desire to do wrong. He will analyze his mistakes, try and see his mistake, and expect that emotion to be defeated. He will try to make the “arrangements of his heart in line with reality” by fighting his personality directly. He will suppress his desires and pretend that they don’t exist. In the short run he will be able to make the right decision but eventually the suppressed emotion will resurface in a catastrophic way. Or perhaps, he will respond to them too dramatically, thinking that his flaws are worse than they are, and then acting in an extreme manner in order to rid himself of them.
This is what the Pasuk is advising us when it says that “to man should belong the arrangements of his heart”. A person must not have the expectation of defeating his emotions completely. This is not a realistic expectation and he might quickly get discouraged. He must let his desires and idiotic tendencies be, and not feel inferior for having them.
Instead, he must focus on making the right decisions understanding that it is impossible for true change to come overnight. It is a process of a lifetime where it may take many years for change to happen. Rabbi Moskowitz, when explaining a difficult idea, always tells his class to leave his classroom and continue being the same morons as they came in as. He explained that clearly understanding an idea does change a person. The person may not notice it but if he continues to learn and to see the ideas clearly, then over the years he will become a completely different person.
Conclusion
Some people study because they want it to help them become happy. They want to see some remarkable insight that will drastically change their perspective and cause a sudden transformation in who they are. They want their “arrangements in their hearts” to be totally in line with reality but they want to do it in a way that is not realistic.
The thing that might help implement the advice of the pasuk is to change one’s goal. Instead of hoping to be happy, one should simply strive to live the correct way. Such a person will simply be happier as a byproduct of living correctly.
Rabbi Akiba, illiterate at forty, saw one day a stone's perforation where water fell from a spring, and having heard people say, "Waters wear stones," he thought, "If soft water can bore through a rock,surely
iron-clad Torah should, by sheer persistence, penetrate a tender mind";and he turned to study.
Judaism. Talmud, Abot de Rabbi Nathan 6
Good summary. I was actually going to bring up the midrash about R' Akiva. I'm glad you saw the connection.
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