Page 426 - Wisdom and Sound Advice from the Torah

WISDOM AND SOUND ADVICE FROM THE TORAH

likes them both... Ears that hear and eyes that see—the Lord has
made them both... Gold there is, and ru bies in abun dance, but
lips that speak knowl edge are a rare jew el... Make plans by seek -
ing ad vice... Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong! Wait
for the Lord, and He will de liv er you. The Lord dislikes dif fer ing
weights, and dis hon est scales do not please Him. A man's steps
are di rect ed by the Lord... It is a trap for a man to ded i cate some -
thing rash ly... A wise king win nows out the wick ed... The spir it

of man is the can dle of the Lord [man i fes ta tion of God's
Light]... Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love his
throne is made secure. (Proverbs, 20:3-28)

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; He di rects it like a wa -
ter course wher ev er He pleas es. All a man's ways seem right to

him, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do what is right and just
is more ac cept a ble to the Lord than sac ri fice. Haughty eyes and
a proud heart, the lamp of the wick ed, are sin!... A for tune made
by a ly ing tongue is a fleet ing va por; they shall stum ble up on the
snares of death. The vi o lence of the wick ed will drag them away,
for they refuse to do what is right. The way of the guilty is de vi -
ous, but the con duct of the in no cent is up right... When a wise

man is in struct ed, he gets knowl edge... If a man shuts his ears to
the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be an swered...
When jus tice is done, it brings joy to the right eous but ter ror to
evil do ers. A man who strays from the path of un der stand ing
6
comes to rest in the com pa ny of the dead . He who loves pleas ure
will be come poor... In the house of the wise are stores of choice
food and oil, but a fool ish man de vours all he has. He who pur -

6. The "death" here is an allegorical reference to the eternal suffering in hell.

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