(4) Haughty eyes, and a desirous heart— The plowing and planning of the wicked is a sin.
(7) The violence of wicked people draws fear upon them, since they have refused to enforce justice.
(10) The motivation of the wicked person craves what is bad; His companions find no favor in his eyes.
(12) A righteous person understands that when the house of a wicked person is successful; it corrupts the wicked to further evil.
(18) The wicked atones for the righteous; The traitor for the upright.
(21) One who pursues Tzedaka/charity and kindness, will find life, righteousness and honor.
(27) The offering of wicked people is offensive, all The more so as he offers it for his own ulterior motives.
(29) A wicked person shows his brazenness on his face; An upright person carefully considers his path.
We hear about the righteous person and the wicked person. But when we're honest with ourselves, we know that we can relate to both of these types at some level -- and that can be scary.
What if my moments of selfishness mean that I'm really wicked at heart? Am I hopeless?
We need to notice what really stands out between the righteous and the wicked. Over and over, Shlomo HaMelech emphasizes that the defining difference between a righteous person and wicked person is their motivation, their goal. What drives them? Are they on a path seeking more and more indulgence, no matter what the cost to others? Or are they on a path seeking life, love, and Godliness?
Which direction am *I* heading?
If I want to drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, I need to head north for about 7 hours. It's a long drive. If I accidentally get one the southbound freeway, then the farther I travel, the farther away I get from my goal. I may get to Mexico, but I'll never get to San Francisco by going south.
So I've been driving southbound for three hours, and I start seeing signs that I'll be crossing the border into Mexico. I get off the freeway, turn around, and start going north.
Let me ask you something -- when was I closer to reaching my destination? When I was first started out from Los Angeles, heading southbound, only 400 miles from San Francisco? Or when I realized my mistake, and turned around, starting out northbound, 600 miles from San Francisco?
Physically I might have been farther when in Tijuana than in Los Angeles, but in reality, it was only when I turned around on the highway, and started driving in the right direction, that I even began the journey. I'm a lot closer to my destination when I'm heading in the right direction.
Which direction am *I* heading?
(י) וְאַתָּ֣ה בֶן־אָדָ֗ם אֱמֹר֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כֵּ֤ן אֲמַרְתֶּם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כִּֽי־פְשָׁעֵ֥ינוּ וְחַטֹּאתֵ֖ינוּ עָלֵ֑ינוּ וּבָ֛ם אֲנַ֥חְנוּ נְמַקִּ֖ים וְאֵ֥יךְ נִֽחְיֶֽה׃ (יא) אֱמֹ֨ר אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם חַי־אָ֣נִי ׀ נְאֻ֣ם ׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה אִם־אֶחְפֹּץ֙ בְּמ֣וֹת הָרָשָׁ֔ע כִּ֣י אִם־בְּשׁ֥וּב רָשָׁ֛ע מִדַּרְכּ֖וֹ וְחָיָ֑ה שׁ֣וּבוּ שׁ֜וּבוּ מִדַּרְכֵיכֶ֧ם הָרָעִ֛ים וְלָ֥מָּה תָמ֖וּתוּ בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(10) And Now, son of Man, say to the House of Israel: It is true that you have been saying: “Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us; we are sick over them. How can we deserve to live?” (11) Say to them: I swear —declares GOD —I do not desire that the wicked shall die, but that they should return from their ways and live! Come back, come back from your evil ways! Why should you perish, House of Israel!
הָנְהוּ בִּרְיוֹנֵי דַּהֲווֹ בְּשִׁבָבוּתֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר וַהֲווֹ קָא מְצַעֲרוּ לֵיהּ טוּבָא.
הֲוָה קָא בָּעֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלֵימוּתוּ.
אָמְרָה לֵיהּ בְּרוּרְיָא דְּבֵיתְהוּ: מַאי דַּעְתָּךְ — מִשּׁוּם דִּכְתִיב ״יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים״, מִי כְּתִיב ״חוֹטְאִים״? ״חַטָּאִים״ כְּתִיב.
וְעוֹד, שְׁפֵיל לְסֵיפֵיהּ דִּקְרָא ״וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם״, כֵּיוָן דְּ״יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים״ ״וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם״? אֶלָּא בְּעִי רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ דְּלַהְדְּרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה, ״וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם״. בְּעָא רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ, וַהֲדַרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה.
There were these wild gangs in Rabbi Meir’s neighborhood who caused him a great deal of anguish. Rabbi Meir prayed for God to have mercy on them, that they should die [rather than continue in their terrible ways].
Rabbi Meir’s wife, Berurya, said to him: What is your thinking?
The verse says: “Let sins cease from the land”?, not "Let sinners cease!”
Should we not pray for an end to their transgressions, and not for an end to the transgressors themselves?!
Rather, pray for God to have mercy on them, that they should repent, and if they do, it will fulfill the end of the verse: “And the wicked will be no more.” The wicked will be no more, not because they will die, but because they will no longer be wicked.
Rabbi Meir saw that Berurya was correct and he prayed for God to have mercy on them, and they did Teshuva, they returned.