“Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding… She stands by the way among the high places, by the place of the paths.” (Mishlei, 8:1–2) “Among the high places” means at a time when man is still elevated above all the lusts of the world. Then wisdom arouses him, for “at the time of the inclination to evil, no one remembers the inclination to good” (Nedarim, 32b). Yet before he overpowers (the lusts of the world, the yetser hara), then “she cries out to it.” This is “among the high places.” “By the way” is after a man is helped to escape from something evil; “she stands in the place of the paths,” which is if a man can refine his heart so as not to desire that which is not God’s will. “She cries by the gates,” since God created man in the world from a sense of honesty and fairness, so just as he gave man the power to desire everything, so too he gave him the power of wisdom to overcome this desire. “At the entrance to the city” means just as a man intends to do God’s will, “at the opening of doorways she cries.”
“For whosoever finds Me, finds life, and shall apprehend God’s will.” (Mishlei, 8:38) The second word, “finds,” is written motsai, in the scroll of Mishlei, meaning as the first one, “finds Me life.” This is to show that he recognizes that life is with God. (Recognizing the life at the essence of God.) However, we traditionally read it matsa, or “he finds life,” meaning that the man who recognizes this will also find life and meaning in the words of the Torah.
הֲלֹא חָכְמָה תִקְרָא כוּ׳ בְּרֹאשׁ מְרוֹמִים עֲלֵי דָרֶךְ בֵּית נְתִיבוֹת נִצָּבָה. "בְּרֹאשׁ מְרוֹמִים" הַיְינוּ בְּעוֹד שֶׁהָאָדָם מְרוֹמָם וּמְנוּשָּׂא עַל כָּל הַחֶמְדּוֹת אָז הַחָכְמָה תְּעוֹרֵר אוֹתוֹ, כִּי בְּעִידָּנָא דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע לֵית מַאן דְּמַדְכַּר לְיֵצֶר הַטּוֹב (נדרים ל"ב:), רַק קוֹדֶם שֶׁיִּתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו אָז תִּקְרָא אֵלָיו, וְזֶהוּ "בְּרֹאשׁ מְרוֹמִים". וַ"עֲלֵי דָרֶךְ" הַיְינוּ אַחֲרֵי אֲשֶׁר תַּסִּיעוֹ מִדָּבָר רַע, "בֵּית נְתִיבוֹת נִצָּבָה" הוּא בְּאִם יִזְדַּכֵּךְ לֵב הָאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא יִתְאַוֶּה בִּלְתִּי מַה שֶּׁהוּא רְצוֹן הַש"י. "לְיַד שְׁעָרִים", כִּי הַש"י בָּרָא אֶת הָאָדָם יָשָׁר בָּעוֹלָם וּכְמָה שֶׁנָּתַן בּוֹ כֹּחַ הַתַּאֲוָה לְכָל דָּבָר, כֵּן נָתַן בּוֹ כֹּחַ הַחָכְמָה לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עָלֶיהָ, "לְפִי קָרֶת", הַיְינוּ כְּמָה שֶׁיְּכַוֵּין הָאָדָם לִרְצוֹן הַש"י, "מְבוֹא פְתָחִים תָּרֹנָּה".
“Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding… She stands by the way among the high places, by the place of the paths.” (Mishlei, 8:1–2)
“Among the high places” means at a time when man is still elevated above all the lusts of the world. Then wisdom arouses him, for “at the time of the inclination to evil, no one remembers the inclination to good” (Nedarim, 32b). Yet before he overpowers (the lusts of the world, the yetser hara), then “she cries out to it.” This is “among the high places.” “By the way” is after a man is helped to escape from something evil; “she stands in the place of the paths,” which is if a man can refine his heart so as not to desire that which is not God’s will. “She cries by the gates,” since God created man in the world from a sense of honesty and fairness, so just as he gave man the power to desire everything, so too he gave him the power of wisdom to overcome this desire. “At the entrance to the city” means just as a man intends to do God’s will, “at the opening of doorways she cries.”
כִּי מֹצְאִי מָצָא חַיִּים וַיָּפֶק רָצוֹן מֵה'. הַכָּתוּב הוּא "מֹצְאִי" הַיְינוּ שֶׁמַּכִּיר כִּי אֵצֶל הַש"י נִמְצָא חַיִּים, וְתִקְּנוּ הַקְּרִי "מָצָא" הַיְינוּ שֶׁגַּם לְאָדָם הַמַּכִּיר זֹאת יִמְצָא לוֹ לְעַצְמוֹ גַּם כֵּן חַיִּים וְטַעַם בְּדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה.
“For whosoever finds Me, finds life, and shall apprehend God’s will.” (Mishlei, 8:38)
The second word, “finds,” is written motsai, in the scroll of Mishlei, meaning as the first one, “finds Me life.” This is to show that he recognizes that life is with God. (Recognizing the life at the essence of God.) However, we traditionally read it matsa, or “he finds life,” meaning that the man who recognizes this will also find life and meaning in the words of the Torah.