The Woman of Folly and Eve Who Teaches the Generations

"The woman of folly is clamorous" (Proverbs 9:13) -- the fool is found to be like a harlot woman. Just as the fool exalts himself and is clamorous in his folly, so the harlot woman exalts herself and is clamorous in her harlotry; and just as the fool does not know what will be at the end of his folly, so the harlot woman does not know what will be at the end of her harlotry, as it is said, "The woman of folly is clamorous; she is simple and knows nothing." Another interpretation: "the woman of folly" -- this is Eve, who listened to the serpent and transgressed the command of the Holy One, blessed be He; and not only that, but she made Adam, the first man, sin along with her. What is written after it (Proverbs 9:14)? "And she sits at the door of her house..." (Proverbs 9:15): "to call to those who pass by the way, who make their paths straight" -- this teaches that she gave a response for the generations, and said, "Happy is the one who makes his paths straight and does not sin as I sinned, and woe to the one who does not make his paths straight and incurs guilt as I incurred guilt." (Proverbs 9:16): "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here, and to him who lacks a heart she says" -- whoever lacks understanding, let him learn from me, for I stole the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the understanding of Adam, the first man, and I found it sweet for an hour, and afterward it was bitter, as it is said (Proverbs 5:4): "her end is bitter as wormwood." (Proverbs 9:17): "Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant" -- and from where do we know that her end was bitter? As it is written (Proverbs 9:18): "And he knows not that the shades are there; that her guests are in the depths of Sheol." ["Stolen waters are sweet"] -- even a man who comes to a married woman finds the sin sweet for an hour, and does not know that its end is bitter, as it is written (Proverbs 5:4): "and her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword." "And bread eaten in secret is pleasant" -- even a man who sins with a married woman in secret, and says, "There is no one who sees me," does not know that there are watchers with him in every place, who go and report his deeds to the Holy One, blessed be He, for the day of judgment, as it is said, "And he knows not that the shades are there," and so on. From here Rabbi Ishmael used to expound: Happy is the person who keeps himself far from transgression and cleaves to the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, and to His Torah, to teach you that when a person speaks words of Torah he brings joy to his Creator; therefore Solomon said... (continued in chapter 10).