It all starts with a verse from Ecclesiastes (12:11): "The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails well fastened are the collectors of wisdom; they are given from one shepherd."
The Rabbis, in their insightful way, unpack this verse layer by layer. First, "The words of the wise are like goads [kadorvonot]." But what exactly is a goad? Here, the Midrash, the ancient rabbinic commentary, offers a surprising comparison: "like a girls' ball [kadur shel banot]." Imagine a group of girls passing a ball, never letting it fall to the ground. That's how the wisdom of the Torah is passed down, generation to generation. It's a living tradition, always in motion, always being held and cherished. As it says in Joshua (23:14), "not one word of it has fallen short."
The Midrash beautifully illustrates this transmission: Moses received the Torah from Sinai, and he passed it on to Joshua, who passed it on to the elders, and so on, all the way to the members of the Great Assembly. It's a chain of knowledge, a relay race of wisdom.
But the image of the "goad" goes even deeper. A goad, is a tool used to guide an ox while plowing. It directs the animal towards a specific purpose. Similarly, matters of Torah, the Midrash tells us, guide our hearts "from the path of death to the path of life." The text even gives us three names for this goad: dorvan, malmad, and marde’a. Malmad, because it trains [melamed] the cow; marde’a, because it imparts knowledge [moreh de’a] to the cow; dorvan, because it causes understanding to dwell [dayer bina] in the cow. If we use a goad to guide an animal, how much more should we use the wisdom of the Torah to guide ourselves, especially against our own "evil inclination," that inner voice that tempts us away from what's. It’s a powerful a fortiori argument – if we care enough to guide an animal, surely we should care enough to guide ourselves.
Now, let's turn to the second part of the verse: "and like nails well fastened [netuim]." Why "nails" and not "trees," since the word netuim is more commonly used for planting trees? The Midrash explains that the Torah has the advantage of both: like a plant, it can grow and flourish within us, producing more knowledge and understanding. But also, like a nail, it remains firmly ingrained in us.
There's also a more sobering interpretation: even if someone stumbles and is reprimanded by the Sages, even if they repent, the impression of their actions remains. But then the text offers an exception, referencing the story of Rabbi Eliezer, who was ostracized but whose teachings were ultimately accepted even after his death (Bava Metzia 59b). This shows that even when someone is ostracized, the truth of their wisdom and teachings can endure and ultimately prevail.
Finally, the verse mentions "the collectors of wisdom [baalei asupot]." When are matters of Torah stated properly? When they're heard in gatherings [asupot]. The Midrash emphasizes the importance of community and learning from one another. Hearing wisdom from anyone in the community is like hearing it from a Sage. And it builds, step by step: hearing it from a Sage is like hearing it from the Sages, from the Sanhedrin (the supreme rabbinic court), from Moses himself!
And ultimately? It's like hearing it from the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated: “Shepherd of Israel, listen” (Psalms 80:2). Because, as we say in the Shema, "Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). The source of all wisdom, the ultimate shepherd.
The Midrash then veers into a seemingly unrelated discussion about spiked sandals and the number of spikes one is allowed to wear on the Sabbath. It cites a Mishna from Shabbat (6:2), and then various Rabbis chime in – Rabbi Yoḥanan, Rabbi Dosa ben Ḥananya, Rabbi Ḥanina, Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥanina, Rabbi Ze’eira, and Rabbi Ḥiyya.
Why this sudden detour into sandal regulations? Because the verse mentions nails! And the Rabbis, in their meticulous way, connect everything. The number of spikes, some suggest, corresponds to the books of the Torah, the days of the week, or the months of gestation. Rabbi Ḥiyya even suggests placing eleven spikes on one side and thirteen on the other, corresponding to the twenty-four books of the Bible. The details matter.
So, what are we left with? The Torah is dynamic, passed down through generations like a ball. It guides us like a goad, protects us, and becomes ingrained in us like a nail. It is best learned in community, ultimately coming from the One Shepherd. And even the smallest details, like the number of spikes on a sandal, can hold profound meaning. It's all connected, a beautiful and intricate tapestry of wisdom. What part of this inheritance will we choose to pick up and carry forward?
“The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails well fastened are the collectors of wisdom; they are given from one shepherd” (Ecclesiastes 12:11). “The words of the wise are like goads [kadorvonot]” – like a girls’ ball [kadur shel banot]. Just as the ball is passed from hand to hand and does not fall to the ground, so too, “not one word of it has fallen short…” (Joshua 23:14). Just as they pass the ball with their hands and it does not fall, so too, Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets transmitted it to the members of the Great Assembly, etc. Another matter: “Like goads” – like the goad that guides the cow to plow in order to give life to its owner, so too, matters of Torah guide the heart of those who study them from the path of death to the path of life. It is called by three names, dorvan, malmad, marde’a; malmad, because it trains [melamed] the cow; marde’a, because it imparts knowledge [moreh de’a] to the cow; dorvan, because it causes understanding to dwell [dayer bina] in the cow, in order to plow its furrows to give life to its owner. Can these matters not be inferred a fortiori? If for his cow a person crafts a goad, for his evil inclination, which instigates him [to commit acts that will cause him to be banished] from this world and from the World to Come, all the more so. “And like nails well fastened [netuim]” – the verse should have said only: “Like trees that are planted [netuim],44The term netuim is commonly used in reference to trees, while a different verb is generally used regarding nails. but you say: “And like nails well fastened”? Rather, it teaches that they have the advantage of a plant and the round heads of iron nails.45Torah has the advantages of both a plant and a nail in that one who studies it and gains a strong foundation in Torah can flourish and produce more knowledge, while the Torah he has already studied remains firmly ingrained in him like a nail hammered into a board. Another matter: “Like nails well fastened” – just as the nail, even though you remove it from its place, its impression remains, so, anyone whose iniquities cause the Sages to extend their hand against him,46The Sages ostracize or excommunicate him. even if he repents, its impression remains. Another matter: “Like nails well fastened” – all the days of Rabbi Eliezer the people practiced in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua.47This was because Rabbi Eliezer was ostracized due to his unwillingness to accept the determination of the majority (see Bava Metzia 59b) (Etz Yosef). After Rabbi Eliezer died, they reverted to their initial practice.48In accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer. Thus, Rabbi Eliezer’s case is an exception to the rule stated above. Although he was ostracized, after his death the decree of ostracism was no longer operative and made no lasting mark; Rabbi Eliezer’s rulings were accepted even more so than during his life (Rabbi David Luria; see also Nidda 7b). “The collectors of wisdom [baalei asupot]” – when are matters of Torah stated properly? It is when its possessors hear it in gatherings [asupot]. From where is it derived that if one heard from a person of Israel it shall be for him as though he heard from a Sage? It is as the verse states: “That I command you today” (Deuteronomy 6:6).49This phrase is written in singular, indicating that the Torah is given to each individual member of Israel. Not as though he heard it from a Sage, but rather from the Sages, as it is stated: “The words of the wise are like goads.” Not as though he heard it from the Sages, but rather from the Sanhedrin, as it is stated: “Gather [esfa] to Me seventy men” (Numbers 11:16). Not as though he heard it from the Sanhedrin, but rather as though he heard it from Moses, as it is stated: “They are given from one shepherd”; this is Moses. Not as though he heard it from Moses the shepherd, but rather from the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “From one shepherd,” and “shepherd” is none other than the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Shepherd of Israel, listen” (Psalms 80:2). And “one,” is none other than the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). There we learned: A man may not go out with a spiked sandal, and not with a single [sandal] when there is no wound on his foot.50Mishna Shabbat 6:2. This mishna is cited here because the verse the midrash is commenting on mentions nails. How many spikes may it have?51In order for it to be permitted to wear the sandal on Shabbat. Rabbi Yoḥanan said five, corresponding to the five books of the Torah. Rabbi Dosa ben Ḥananya says: Seven, corresponding to the seven days of the week. Rabbi Ḥanina says: Nine, corresponding to the nine months of gestation. Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥanina said: A nail shaped like tongs is not included in the tally of the spikes. Rabbi Ze’eira [said] in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Zavda:52In the Jerusalem Talmud (Shabbat 6:2) the text reads: Rabbi Ze’eira asked Rabbi Abba bar Zavda. ‘What is [the law] regarding placing them on a shoe for Shabbat?’ He said to him: ‘It is permitted.’ ‘What is [the law] regarding switching them?’53Is it permitted to maintain the total number of spikes in both sandals, but to have more than the permitted number in one sandal and fewer in the other? He said to him: ‘It is permitted.’ ‘What is [the law] regarding placing them one atop the other?’54Is it permitted to place all of the spikes on one sandal and none on the other? He said to him: ‘It is permitted.’ Rabbi Ḥiyya would place eleven on this side and thirteen on that side,55He would place eleven on one side of the sandal and thirteen on the other side. corresponding to the twenty-four books [of the Bible]; just as the books are twenty-four, so too, the priestly watches are twenty-four; and just as the priestly watches are twenty-four, so too, the spikes are twenty-four.
