Last week, I said I would show something interesting about relating the Torah to Proverb 7 and Proverb 31.
According to Jewish tradition, the foolish woman in Proverb 7 is the Evil Inclination personified. In my study, I found this quote related to verses 7-13: "Heresy, the harlot, bides its time and begins casually. Someone slowly goes astray, distancing himself from the Torah's moral values, until he becomes the harlot's guest. He becomes accustomed to going to her, until she controls him."* (Vilna Gaon)
In verses 14 - 15, "Deceitfully, she implies that she is inviting him to perform the good deed of enjoying sacrificial meat."* (Ibn Ezra)
Have we not found this to be true? Impulsive decisions lead to associations and friendships that lead one away from G-d and His ways. Soon, those entertainments are more alluring than Him and His truth.
The verses also imply that one can be deceived into thinking she is doing a good thing, when actually she is sinning. I will give you an example of this.
A young woman told me she was going to begin an association with a friend in hope of leading her to the L-rd. That was good. The bad part was that she planned to "minister" to this friend by going with her to a bar / club. I advised against it, but she did it any way. The young woman fell further and further away from G-d and eventually left her husband and family.
Beloved, we must guard against being deceived in this way by clinging to G-d's Word and guarding our hearts and minds from anything that draws us away from Him.
In contrast to Proverb 7, the passage in Proverb 31 shows us a model for our lives. In verse 10, we see that we are to be "wise" or "virtuous" or full of "valor". The Hebrew word used implies more than that though. I will quote this information:
"It includes the possession of whatever attributes are needed to carry out the task at hand. The hymn (proverb)contains an alphabetical acrostic as a further allusion to her all-encompassing virtues. This passage has been interpreted as a metaphor for the Shechinah (Divine Presence), the Sabbath, the Torah, and the soul."
By drawing near to Hashem and reading His Torah, we will have the strength and wisdom to do whatever task is at hand. I encourage you to study both passages and compare the fate of these two different women. One is cursed. The other is blessed.
L'Chaim - Choose Life!
**quotations are commentary from the Tanach (Stone Edition).
********
I'm linking up today with:
Spiritual Sunday
The Gathering Spot Link-Up
All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up
Modest Mom Monday Link-up
A Wise Woman Builds
Whole Hearted Wednesday
Wake Up Wednesday
Whimsical Wednesday
Hearts for Home
Favorite Things
Fab Creative Friday
Friendship Friday
Freedom Friday
