Mishlei 2: מעגל 3x in Perek • 21x more than Sefer • 401x more than Tanach

(1) My child, if you accept my words And treasure my commandments to yourself; (2) to make your ear attentive to wisdom And incline your mind to insight;

(3) if only you call out to understanding And give voice to discernment, (4) If you seek it as you seek money And if you search for it as for hidden treasures, (5) Then you will understand the awe of God And discover the knowledge of God. (6) For God will grant wisdom; from His mouth are Knowledge and discernment. (7) He secures everlasting Torah for the upright, it is a shield for those who walk in innocence, (8) Safeguarding the paths of justice, and He will protect the way of those who love Him.

(9) Then you will understand equity, and justice, and fairness — every good course.

(10) When wisdom enters your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

(11) A wise plan will protect you, discernment will safeguard you, (12) to rescue you from the way of evil, from a person who speak duplicitously, (13) from those who forsake paths of uprightness to walk in roads of darkness, (14) who are glad to do evil, who rejoice in the duplicity of evil.

(15) whose ways are crooked and who are perverse in their course.

(16) Torah will rescue you from a forbidden woman, From the [foreign] woman whose words are glib, (17) who forsakes the husband of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God.

(18) Her house declines towards death, And her course towards the lifeless.

(19) All who come to her do not return, nor do they attain the paths of life.

(20) In order that you may walk in the way of the good and keep the paths of the righteous. (21) For the upright will dwell in the land forever, and the wholehearted will remain in it. (22) But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the faithless uprooted from it.

(1) באתת [EVERY MAN OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL ENCAMP BY HIS OWN STANDARD] WITH THE SIGNS [OF THEIR FATHERS’ HOUSES] — Each banner shall have a different sign — a piece of coloured cloth hanging on it, the colour of the one not being the same as the colour of another, but the colour of each tribe shall be like that of his stone that is fixed in the breastplate (of. Exodus 28:21), and by this means everybody will be able to recognise his banner . Another explanation of באתת לבית אבתם is: by the signs (i.e., following the signs) which their father Jacob gave them severally when they carried him out from Egypt, as it is said, (Genesis 50:12) “And his sons did unto him exactly as he had commanded them”. For he had commanded that Judah, Issachar and Zebulun should carry him, having their position at the east side of the bier, Reuben, Simeon and Gad at the south side, etc., — as it is related in Tanchuma on this section (Midrash Tanchuma, Bamidbar 12; cf. Rashi on Genesis 50:12).

(1) Those whose camp is in the forefront on the eastern side. The order of the four banners represents four levels that include all the perfection of human character: First acquiring wisdom, then character traits, then might, and finally wealth. The Rambam puts them in this descending order, and the Sages said (Nedarim 38a): The Divine Presence dwells only with a man who is wise, wealthy, mighty, and humble, for humility is the head of all the character traits. The banners come to bring the Divine Presence among them; therefore, Hashem arranged them in such as order as to illustrate each tribe’s virtue, as if to say, “These are worthy that My Presence shall dwell upon them, for all these virtues are found among them.” (2) Yehudah, Yissachar, and Zevulun traveled first, because the Torah goes forth from them. The Torah ascribes Yehudah as “the law-enforcer” (Bereishis 49:10) and the Gemara explains (Sanhedrin 5a), “These are the Exilars and the Princes of Israel.” Yissachar is connected to Torah, as it says (Divrei HaYamim I 12:32): “And of the sons of Yissachar, those who had an understanding of the times, to know what Israel should do.” Similarly, Zevulun was Torah, as it says (Shoftim 5:14), “And out of Zevulun they that handle the pen of the scribe,” and because they supported Yissachar. They traveled first, because they should be the first in war, for the wars of Israel are not fought with the sword and spear. Rather, they are armed with the merit of the Torah. (3) The banner of Reuven, Shimon, and Gad follows. It represents humility, the head of all character traits, because Reuven was not ashamed to confess regarding the incident with Bilhah, and an arrogant person would be ashamed to confess. From Shimon came forth poverty stricken teachers and scribes, who are more likely to be humble, and Gad went at the head of the battle in humility, as it says (Bereishis 49:19): “And it will troop back in its tracks (עקב),” which represents humility as it says (Mishlei 22:4): “In the wake (עקב) of humility comes fear of Hashem.” (4) The third banner was Ephraim, Menashe, and Binyamin, for the virtue of might is third, and it says regarding them (Tehillim 80:3): “Before Ephraim, Binyamin, and Menashe arouse Your might.” This virtue is third in value, for a man’s strength is always declining and the day of death is approaching from the moment he is born. This banner was in the west, because in that direction the sun wanes. (5) The banner of Dan, Asher, and Naftali was in the north, as it says (Iyov 37:22): “Gold comes from the north”.