Social Opportunities for Knowledge

Mishlei 18:2

Social Opportunities For Knowledge Twil Mishlei 18 2 5785

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Questions:

Q1: What does the verse mean by not desiring understanding? Why not?

Q2: What does “revealing his heart” mean? Why does he desire this?

Q3: How do the two halves relate to one another?

ר' יונה משלי

ר' יונה – לא יחפוץ כסיל בתבונה כי אם וגו' – כאשר ידבר הכסיל בחכמה לא יחפוץ להבין ולדעת האמת כי אם להתפאר ולגלות לבו ועומק מחשבתו. על כן לא יאזין לדברי זולתו ולא יתישב עליהם וזאת תהיה לו לעדה כי לא יחפוץ בתבונה כי אם חפץ בה יקשיב לדברי חבריו ויתיישב בהם וישקלם במאוזני צדק למען יעמד על האמת כי ברוב הדעת ישלם המחקר.

Rabbeinu Yonah

When a fool speaks wisdom, he does not desire to understand and know the truth. Instead, his goal is to aggrandize himself and reveal the depth of his thoughts. Therefore, he will not listen to the words of others or consider them. This will serve as evidence that he does not desire understanding, for if he truly desired it, he would listen to the words of his fellow, reflect upon them, and evaluate them with the scales of justice to arrive at the truth. For it is through a range of knowledge that one can complete the investigation.

Rabbeinu Yonah explains that the fool is not ultimately motivated by the pursuit of truth. Rather, he is more interested in self-aggrandizement. Social interactions are thus distorted through this lens. Instead of an opportunity to increase his knowledge, to hear from others and consider new perspectives and ideas, he looks at the social world purely in terms of his reputation. He thus misses out on an essential opportunity for learning.

We’ve all had conversations where one person just talks about themselves. Maybe we’ve even been the culprit in such an interaction. Not necessarily out of malice, but a lapse in focus, missing out on an opportune window to get to know someone else and their viewpoint. Whether in a purely social or an intellectual interaction, the fool looks at it as a means to sharing about themselves, their experiences, what they know about the world. Because of this self-centered view of interpersonal interactions, they forfeit the opportunity to learn from others and truly expand their knowledge.

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