בְּנִי תּוֹרָתִי אַל־תִּשְׁכָּח ומִצְוֹתַי יִצֹּר לִבֶּךָ

The chapter begins with general statements on the adoption of wisdom and the observance of the commandments. The wise father-instructor tells his son-disciple: My son, do not forget my teaching, and let your heart keep my commandments.

כִּי אֹרֶךְ יָמִים וּשְׁנוֹת חַיִּים וְשָׁלוֹם יוֹסִיפוּ לָךְ

For they, these teachings and commandments, will add length of days, years of life, and peace, tranquility and satisfaction, to you.

חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת אַל־יַעַזְבֻךָ קָשְׁרֵם עַל־גַּרְגְּרוֹתֶיךָ כָּתְבֵם עַל־לוּחַ לִבֶּךָ

Do not, my son, let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them upon your neck, like a necklace; write them upon the tablet of your heart. These are allegoric expressions of ideas that accompany a person wherever he turns, and which he remembers at all times.

וּמְצָא־חֵן וְשֵׂכֶל־טוֹב בְּעֵינֵי אֱלֹהִים וְאָדָם

And you will thereby find grace and be considered someone who has high favor in the eyes of God and man. You will be liked by all.

בְּטַח אֶל־ה' בְּכָל־לִבֶּךָ וְאֶל־בִּינָתְךָ אַל־תִּשָּׁעֵן

Next come a few short instructions on one’s relationship with God: Trust in the Lord and turn to Him always with all your heart, so that He will guide you on your path and support you, and do not lean on your own understanding. Even when the path of God or His word do not appear correct to you, it is preferable to rely on Him rather than your own wisdom. In many areas one must trust in God.

בְּכָל־דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ וְהוּא יְיַשֵּׁר אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ

In all your ways and deeds be cognizant of Him, remember God, draw close and connect to Him, and when He becomes the focus of all your deeds, He will smooth your paths, even if the paths themselves are uneven.

אַל־תְּהִי חָכָם בְּעֵינֶיךָ יְרָא אֶת־ה' וְסוּר מֵרָע

The primary temptation for the youth to whom these words of admonition are addressed is not necessarily the performance of evil for its own sake. Rather, typically he will start to lower his standards of conduct due to the natural inclination to cut corners and choose the easiest course of conduct, even if not entirely permitted. Therefore, he is warned: Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

רִפְאוּת תְּהִי לְשָׁרֶּךָ וְשִׁקּוּי לְעַצְמוֹתֶיךָ

Then it, the fear of God, will be healing for your navel, and an elixir for your bones. It will provide strength and vitality for your entire being, from root to branch.

כַּבֵּד אֶת־ה' מֵהוֹנֶךָ וּמֵרֵאשִׁית כָּל־תְּבוּאָתֶךָ

Honor the Lord with your wealth, your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your produce. The ways of honoring God include making monetary donations to the Sanctuary and to charitable causes, and separating terumot and tithes from one’s produce, as well as contributing one’s strengths, talents, and other resources in the service of God.

וְיִמָּלְאוּ אֲסָמֶיךָ שָׂבָע וְתִירוֹשׁ יְקָבֶיךָ יִפְרֹצוּ

And then, your silos will be filled with plenty, you will enjoy a satisfying crop, and your wineries will burst with wine.

מוּסַר ה'בְּנִי אַל־תִּמְאָס וְאַל־תָּקֹץ בְּתוֹכַחְתּוֹ

In general, words of Torah and good advice are enjoyable, or at least painless; however, punishment and reproof can cause pain and stress. Nonetheless, the admonition of the Lord do not despise, my son, and do not loathe His rebuke, whether delivered directly by God Himself or transmitted through the agency of people who serve as His messengers.

כִּי אֶת אֲשֶׁר יֶאֱהַב ה'יוֹכִיחַ וּכְאָב אֶת־בֵּן יִרְצֶה

There is no need to see suffering as an evil, for he whom the Lord loves He rebukes, whereas He has no particular concern for those whom He does not love. Therefore, if God causes pain to you but not to others, know that He is occupying Himself with you and is interested in you. And He reconciles with His creations like a father reconciles with a son after striking him. The verse uses the image of an authoritative father, who is occasionally advised to use the rod. Although he does not want to hurt his son, he sometimes employs this disciplinary measure in order to educate him about proper conduct, which, in the long run, improves their relationship as well.

אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם מָצָא חָכְמָה וְאָדָם יָפִיק תְּבוּנָה

The text further praises the wisdom of the Torah: Happy is the man who has found wisdom, and a man who comes upon, who knows how to find, sagacity.

כִּי טוֹב סַחְרָהּ מִסְּחַר כָּסֶף ומֵחָרוּץ תְּבוּאָתָהּ

For trading in it is better and more profitable than trading in silver, and its yield is greater than that of fine gold.

יְקָרָה הִיא מִפְּנִינִים וְכָל־חֲפָצֶיךָ לֹא יִשְׁווּ־בָהּ

It, wisdom, is more precious than pearls, and all the objects of your desire do not equal it.

אֹרֶךְ יָמִים בִּימִינָהּ בִּשְׂמֹאולָהּ עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד

The Torah provides a plethora of gifts: Length of days is on its right; on its left is wealth and honor. From the right, the stronger side, one receives long life, a gift that is beyond human effort; the left side of the Torah, which represents the aspect that is of lesser prominence, proffers material gifts, which are of lesser importance than long life.

דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי־נֹעַם וכָל־נְתִיבֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם

Its ways are ultimately ways of pleasantness, and all its pathways are peace. These are the Torah’s foundational principles and its goals, according to which it operates.

עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ וְתֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר

It is a tree of life for those who hold on to it, and its supporters, who observe its commandments in full, are happy, strong, and successful.

ה'בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד אָרֶץ כּוֹנֵן שָׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָה

The Torah has been portrayed here as practical, relatable wisdom, which provides individuals with counsel on how to conduct themselves. It is for this reason that it is called “the admonition of your father” and “the teaching of your mother” (1:8), as it is clear that one who grows up in a good home receives advice and instruction of this kind from his parents. However, the Torah is also far more than that, as the Lord founded the earth with, by means of, wisdom, and established the heavens with sagacity.

בְּדַעְתּוֹ תְּהוֹמוֹת נִבְקָעוּ וּשְׁחָקִים יִרְעֲפוּ טָל

With His knowledge the depths were breached, and with His wisdom the skies deposit dew. The Torah in its broad heavenly scope incorporates all of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge and is the instrument with which God created the world.

בְּנִי אַל־יָלֻזוּ מֵעֵינֶיךָ נְצֹר תֻּשִׁיָּה וּמְזִמָּה

My son, may they, the words of Torah, not go astray from your eyes; safeguard resourcefulness and prudence.

וְיִהְיוּ חַיִּים לְנַפְשֶׁךָ וְחֵן לְגַרְגְּרֹתֶיךָ

They will be sources of life, vitality and sustenance, for your soul and grace for your neck. They are useful for preserving life itself and also provide grace and beauty.

אָז תֵּלֵךְ לָבֶטַח דַּרְכֶּךָ וְרַגְלְךָ לֹא תִגּוֹף

Then, when you observe the Torah, you will walk on your way in security, your path will be assured, and your foot will not be struck. You will not trip over stumbling blocks.

אִם־תִּשְׁכַּב לֹא־תִפְחָד וְשָׁכַבְתָּ וְעָרְבָה שְׁנָתֶךָ

Not only when you are on the move, but also when you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet and peaceful.

אַל תִּירָא מִפַּחַד פִּתְאֹם וּמִשֹּׁאַת רְשָׁעִים כִּי תָבֹא

Fear not from sudden terror, and from the cataclysm of the wicked when it comes upon them, as you will not be affected,

כִּי־ה' יִהְיֶה בְכִסְלֶךָ וְשָׁמַר רַגְלְךָ מִלָּכֶד

for the Lord will be your hope and haven, and He will protect your foot from being trapped in any obstacle.

אַל־תִּמְנַע־טוֹב מִבְּעָלָיו בִּהְיוֹת לְאֵל יָדְךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת

The chapter moves on to providing advice on interpersonal relations: Do not withhold good from its owner, from someone to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do so, to do good. Even if you are not obligated to do something, if you can help others by taking action, do not refrain from doing so.

אַל־תֹּאמַר לְרֵעֲךָ לֵךְ וָשׁוּב וּמָחָר אֶתֵּן וְיֵשׁ אִתָּךְ

Do not say to your friend who asks you for something: Go now and return, and I will give you that which you request when you come back tomorrow, and in fact you have it with you now. Sometimes one rebuffs his neighbor for no good reason, either due to simple unwillingness to help or out of laziness. One might even refuse repeatedly so that the neighbor will sense how hard it is for him to give the item, or so that the neighbor will be more pleased when he finally receives the object of his request. This is inappropriate behavior, and it is even more problematic when the requested item is money that is owed to the recipient.

אַל־תַּחֲרֹשׁ עַל־רֵעֲךָ רָעָה וְהוּא־יוֹשֵׁב לָבֶטַח אִתָּךְ

Do not devise a plan to do harm against your friend who lives securely with you, who feels comfortable with you and has no suspicions of you. This verse can be explained as referring to someone who plans to dissolve a partnership without his partner’s knowledge. The Sages interpret it in relation to a man who is living with a woman while in his heart he is planning to divorce her.

אַל־תָּרִיב עִם־אָדָם חִנָּם אִם־לֹא גְמָלְךָ רָעָה

Do not quarrel with a man for nothing if he caused you no harm. However, it can be inferred from this that if someone has indeed harmed you, you might have legitimate cause to quarrel with him.

אַל־תְּקַנֵּא בְּאִישׁ חָמָס וְאַל־תִּבְחַר בְּכָל־דְּרָכָיו

Do not envy a man of villainy, a robber, and do not choose any of his ways. Do not envy him, despite the fact that such people sometimes become models of success.

כִּי תוֹעֲבַת ה'נָלוֹז וְאֶת יְשָׁרִים סוֹדוֹ

For the corrupt person is an abomination to the Lord, and His counsel is with the upright, who are His confidants, as it were. Only one who acts correctly and has perfected his personality traits will merit receiving wisdom from God.

מְאֵרַת ה'בְּבֵית רָשָׁע ונְוֵה צַדִּיקִים יְבָרֵךְ

Even if at present the righteous do not always receive goodness and blessing, eventually the curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, and He blesses the abode of the righteous.

אִם לַלֵּצִים הוּא־יָלִיץ ולַעֲנָוִים יִתֶּן־חֵן

Man’s free choice has consequences: If it is to scoffers that one turns, he too will scoff, as God will not prevent him from being influenced by their ways. But to one who chooses to be among the humble, He gives favor and grace from above.

כָּבוֹד חֲכָמִים יִנְחָלוּ וכְסִילִים ‘מֵרִים' קָלוֹן

The wise will inherit honor, and fools appropriate disgrace. Even fools earn publicity, but they become renowned for their disgrace and stupidity.