You turned the house upside down. You lit every lamp, peered into every corner. Why? Because the reward – finding that lost treasure – was worth the effort.
Well, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Song of Songs, opens with a powerful analogy about searching for something even more precious: Torah. Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair, quoting (Proverbs 2:4), asks: “If you seek it like silver…” meaning, if you seek matters of Torah like hidden treasures, will God withhold your reward? Absolutely not!
The message is clear: if we invest that same kind of fervent energy into studying Torah, the rewards are immeasurable. It's not just about intellectual understanding, but about transforming our lives.
Rabbi Elazar shared a personal anecdote. He prided himself on being the first to the study hall and the last to leave. But one morning, he arrived to find… manure collectors and straw collectors already at work! He was humbled. He realized even these humble folk displayed a greater eagerness in their pursuit than he sometimes did in his study of Torah. (Proverbs 2:4-5) came to mind: "If you seek it like silver and search for it like for hidden treasures, then you will understand fear of the Lord.” We aren’t even like the collectors of manure and collectors of straw!
This brings us to a beautiful, almost poetic, chain of virtues taught by Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair. He said: Alacrity leads to cleanliness. Cleanliness leads to purity. Purity leads to sanctity. Sanctity leads to humility. Humility leads to fear of sin. Fear of sin leads to piety. Piety leads to the Divine Spirit. The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead. And finally, the resurrection of the dead leads to Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory!
It's a fascinating progression. Alacrity, that initial eagerness, sets off a chain reaction that ultimately leads to the highest spiritual states. Each step builds upon the last, creating a pathway towards closeness with God. The kapara, atonement or cleanliness, for the Sanctuary is completed through alacrity, as we see in (Leviticus 16:20).
Rabbi Matna offers a different perspective using powerful imagery. He says that wisdom makes a crown for its head, while humility makes a sandal for its heel. What does that mean? Well, wisdom, as we see in (Psalms 111:10), begins with the fear of God. But humility, as (Proverbs 22:4) tells us, is in the ekev, the "wake" or the "heel," of the fear of God. Humility grounds us, keeps us connected, even as wisdom elevates us.
Think of it like this: even the wisest person needs to stay grounded in humility. We need both to walk the path of righteousness.
Rabbi Simon, quoting Rabbi Ḥalafta, shares a story about a royal advisor. The king offers him anything he desires. Instead of asking for riches, he asks for the king's daughter, knowing that everything else will come with her. Similarly, in I (Kings 3:5), God appears to Solomon in a dream and says, “Request; what shall I give you?” Solomon, rather than asking for wealth or power, asks for wisdom. And because of his choice, God grants him both wisdom and riches.
Rabbi Yitzḥak adds that Solomon's dream was so potent that he understood the language of animals! Imagine that – the wisdom to understand the world around you on a completely different level. Immediately, as we read in I (Kings 3:15), Solomon goes to Jerusalem and makes offerings, celebrating with his servants.
Rabbi Elazar sees this as a precedent for celebrating the completion of Torah study. And Rabbi Yudan points out that anyone who teaches Torah publicly is worthy of having the Divine Spirit rest upon them, just as it did on Solomon, who then composed Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs.
So, what does all this mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder to approach our own spiritual journeys with that same initial spark of alacrity. To seek out Torah, not just as an intellectual exercise, but as a transformative force in our lives. And to remember that even the smallest act of seeking, like lighting a lamp to find a lost coin, can lead to uncovering treasures beyond our wildest dreams.
Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair began: “If you seek it like silver…” (Proverbs 2:4). If you seek matters of Torah like these hidden treasures, the Holy One blessed be He will not withhold your reward. This is analogous to a person, if he loses a sela or a kilarin22This was a valuable ornament of gold inlaid with a jewel. in his house, he will kindle several lamps, several wicks, until he finds them. The matter can be inferred a fortiori; if for these, that [enhance] the temporal life of this world, a person kindles several lamps and several wicks until he discovers them and finds them, matters of Torah, that [are essential for] life in this world and in the World to Come, do you not need to search for them like these hidden treasures? That is: “If you seek it like silver….” Rabbi Elazar said: In all my days, no one preceded me to the study hall and I did not leave a person there and exit. One time I awoke early and I found the collectors of manure and collectors of straw,23These individuals would arise very early to collect straw and manure from public thoroughfares in order to sell them as fertilizer. They had begun their work before Rabbi Elazar had gone to the study hall. and I said: “If you seek it like silver and search for it like for hidden treasures, then you will understand fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 2:4–5). We are not even like the collectors of manure and collectors of straw. Thus we have learned that Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair used to say: Alacrity leads to cleanliness. Cleanliness leads to purity. Purity leads to sanctity. Sanctity leads to humility. Humility leads to fear of sin. Fear of sin leads to piety. Piety leads to the Divine Spirit. The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of the dead leads to Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory. Alacrity leads to cleanliness, as it is stated: “He shall complete atoning24The term kapara means atonement as well as cleanliness. This verse, which is about the service of the High Priest in the Temple on Yom Kippur, indicates that it is the completion of a service, which is accomplished through alacrity, that leads to atonement, or cleanliness. for the Sanctuary” (Leviticus 16:20). Cleanliness leads to purity, as it is stated: “The priest shall atone for her and she will be purified” (Leviticus 12:8). Purity leads to sanctity, as it is stated: “He shall purify it and he shall sanctify it” (Leviticus 16:19). Sanctity leads to humility, as it is stated: “For so said the Exalted and Most High, who abides forever and whose name is holy: Exalted and holy I will dwell and I will be with the downtrodden and lowly” (Isaiah 57:15). Humility leads to fear of sin, as it is stated: “In the wake of humility is fear of the Lord…” (Proverbs 22:4). Fear of sin leads to piety, as it is stated: “Then you spoke in a vision to your pious ones” (Psalms 89:20).25Some suggest that the text here should read: “The mercy [ḥesed] of the Lord is forever and ever upon those who fear Him” (Psalms 103:17), in accordance with the parallel text of the Jerusalem Talmud (Shekalim 3:3). The term ḥesed, translated in the verse as mercy, is related to the term ḥasidut, piety (see Etz Yosef). Piety leads to the Divine Spirit, as it is stated: “Then you spoke in a vision to your pious ones” (Psalms 89:20). The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead, as it is stated: “I will place My spirit in you, and you will live” (Ezekiel 37:14). The resurrection of the dead leads to Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory, as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending Elijah the prophet to you [before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord]” (Malachi 3:23).26“The great and terrible day of the Lord” is understood as a reference to the resurrection of the dead. Elijah will come before the resurrection of the dead, but it is the need to perform the resurrection of the dead that leads to his coming (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Matna said: What wisdom made as a crown on its head, humility made as a sandal on its heel. What wisdom made a crown on its head [roshah], as it is stated: “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord” (Psalms 111:10), humility made a sandal on its heel [akevah], as it is stated: “In the wake of [ekev] humility is fear of the Lord…” (Proverbs 22:4). The resurrection of the dead is by means of Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory. That is what is written: “Then you will understand fear of the Lord, and you will find knowledge of ” (Proverbs 2:5), this is the Divine Spirit.27Commentaries struggle to understand this line, which does not prove that resurrection of the dead is by means of Elijah. Some suggest that it be deleted (Etz Yosef). Others suggest that this is a proof that alacrity eventually leads to understanding via the Divine Spirit, as indicated above. This is because the verse that precedes the one cited here relates to alacrity (Midrash HaMevoar). Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥalafta: [This is analogous] to a royal adviser who grew prominent in the king’s palace. The king said to him: ‘Make a request; what shall I give you?’ The adviser said: If I request silver and gold, he will give them to me; gems and pearls, he will give them to me. He said: I will request the king’s daughter, and everything will be included. So too, “In Givon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; God said: Request; what shall I give you?” (I Kings 3:5). Solomon said: If I request silver, gold, gems and pearls, he will give them to me. But I will request wisdom and everything will be included. That is what is written: “Give Your servant an attentive heart” (I Kings 3:9). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Solomon, you requested wisdom and you did not request wealth and property and the lives of your enemies. By your life, wisdom is granted you, and thereby, I will give you wealth and property.’ Immediately, “Solomon awakened and behold, a dream” (I Kings 3:15). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The dream was fulfilled; a donkey brayed and he knew what it was braying, a bird tweeted and he knew what it was tweeting. Immediately, “he came to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. He sacrificed burnt offerings, he performed peace offerings, and he made a feast for all his servants” (I Kings 3:15). Rabbi Elazar said: From here it is derived that one makes a feast upon completion of the Torah. Rabbi Yudan said: It is to teach you that anyone who teaches Torah in public is privileged to have the Divine Spirit rest upon him, as so Solomon did. He taught and the Divine Spirit rested upon him and he composed three books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
