The Wise Grow Wiser and Torah Multiplies

[6] To understand a proverb, and a figure of speech" - To understand a proverb - these are the parables of the Torah, and a figure of speech - this is the Torah itself, which is called a figure of speech, for it shields those who engage in it from the judgment of Gehenna in the future to come. Another interpretation: Why is it called a figure of speech? - Because anyone who mocks the words of Torah will have mockery added to him, as it is stated (Proverbs 3:34): "Surely He scorneth the scorners." "The words of the wise and their riddles" - If a person hears words of wisdom, he needs to bind them to his heart, as it is stated (Proverbs 6:21): "Bind them continually upon thy heart." "And their riddles" - Rabbi Levi said: Even their mundane conversation is weighed against the entire Torah.