I call upon my faithful friend the mockingbird
To fly and seize the helping book and bring it to your shack
And a tree of knowledge in your soul will grow
And the Helping Friendly Book will plant the seed
But I warn you that all knowledge seeming innocent and pure
Becomes a deadly weapon in the hands of avarice
And greed
The sacred creed will be yours
And if you wait until tomorrow..."
וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאִפָּנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה:
[Hillel said:] Say not, "when I shall have leisure I shall study"; perhaps you will not have leisure.
Do not say, "When I will be available I will study [Torah]," lest you never become available: Since 'you do not know what a [new] day will [bring]' and 'they will also call you tomorrow,' since they will speak new matters and you will have to follow their paths. As there is no lack of new matters [requiring your attention] every day. And it will come out that you will leave the world without Torah [knowledge]. But rather you should 'make your Torah fixed' and your work flexible.
רְחַב־נֶ֭פֶשׁ יְגָרֶ֣ה מָד֑וֹן וּבוֹטֵ֖חַ עַל־ה' יְדֻשָּֽׁן׃
A greedy man provokes quarrels, But he who trusts the LORD shall enjoy prosperity.
שָׂרַ֣יִךְ סוֹרְרִ֗ים וְחַבְרֵי֙ גַּנָּבִ֔ים כֻּלּוֹ֙ אֹהֵ֣ב שֹׁ֔חַד וְרֹדֵ֖ף שַׁלְמֹנִ֑ים יָתוֹם֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁפֹּ֔טוּ וְרִ֥יב אַלְמָנָ֖ה לֹֽא־יָב֥וֹא אֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ (פ)
Your rulers are rogues And cronies of thieves, Every one avid for presents And greedy for gifts; They do not judge the case of the orphan, And the widow’s cause never reaches them.
For to be in the shelter of wisdom is to be also in the shelter of money, and the advantage of intelligence is that wisdom preserves the life of him who possesses it.
Rabbi Yosei bar Avin said: Theodosius was one who cast the profits from merchandise into the purse of Torah scholars. He would lend them money and enter into partnership with them so they could open businesses, and that is praiseworthy, as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Anyone who casts merchandise into the purse of Torah scholars is rewarded and sits in the heavenly academy, as it is stated: “For in the shadow of wisdom, is the shadow of money” (Ecclesiastes 7:12). One who provides Torah scholars with money will merit being with them in the shadow of wisdom.
כִּ֛י בְּרֹ֥ב חָכְמָ֖ה רָב־כָּ֑עַס וְיוֹסִ֥יף דַּ֖עַת יוֹסִ֥יף מַכְאֽוֹב׃
For as wisdom grows, vexation grows; To increase learning is to increase heartache.
ולכן אמר ה' ביום אכלך ממנו מות וכו' (בראשית ב, יז), פירוש רק באותו יום דייקא שיאכל ימשיך בחינת מות, כי על ידי זה יהיה גורם שיפלו הנצוצות וירדו מטה להתלבש במלבושים גשמיים קליפות נוג"ה שהוא בחינת מות אבל אחר כך בעבודת הצדיקים בתורה ומצוות אדרבה יתהפכו מחשוכא לנהורא ויעלו מעלה מעלה לשרשם ומקורם ויתוסף תענוג גדול מזה. והנה אדם וחוה קודם החטא עדיין לא השיגו בחינת העלאת התבררות הנצוצות לכן לא הבינו דבר ה' שהוא רק על מיתה לשעה וסברו על מיתות עולמות ועל זה היה קשה להם הלא הוא נברא בדבר ה' שהוא מקור החיים כנ"ל ולכן סברו שכוונת ה' היה על דרך זה, היינו מחמת שבחינת עץ הדעת אורו גדול כל כך אשר אין ביכולתם להמשיך עליהם אור גדול כל כך כי לא יסבולו אור גדול כזה והוא על דרך שאמרו רבותינו ז"ל (חגיגה יד:) ד' נכנסו לפרדס וכו', ולכן אמרו פן תמתון, פירוש כי אולי לא נהיה ראויים לאור גדול כזה ואי אפשר לנו להשיגו ולסבלו לכן יכול להיות שעל ידי זה יומשך להם בחינת מיתה והיה אצלם בספק מטעם קושית הנחש וכו'. ועל זה השיב להם הנחש לא תמתון, פירוש שאין בזה אפילו ספק שבודאי לא תמתון כי אתם במדרגה גדולה שתכלו לסבול אור גדול כזה בפרט כאשר תאכלו ממנו. והייתם וכו', פירוש שתעלו במדריגה גדולה כל כך אשר תהיו ראויים לקבל לסבול אור גדול כזה. ובזה השיאם הנחש לזה והבן:
When considering the relationship between the tree of knowledge and its roots in the celestial spheres, the words of warning issued by G!d, i.e. כִּ֗י בְּי֛וֹם אֲכָלְךָ֥ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת, “on the day when you will eat from it you will die” (Bereishit 2:17), will become clearer. The tree of knowledge will remain alluring to its beholders as long as what they see reflects the thinly veiled brilliance of its celestial origin. Only after man violated G!d’s commandment did it cease to be such and assume more earthly proportions so that being exposed to it any further will spell eventual death as man had contaminated it. [“Death” may be perceived as the ultimate contraction of Divine glory on earth, G!d having veiled His spiritually illuminating light with so many veils that none of them reach man, and therefore cannot “revive” his spiritual resources. Ed.] The good deeds performed by the righteous reverse this entire process and, ultimately, when brought to its successful conclusion, will enable a different world from the one we are familiar with to be revealed even on earth.
הָ֘ל֤וֹךְ יֵלֵ֨ךְ ׀ וּבָכֹה֮ נֹשֵׂ֪א מֶֽשֶׁךְ־הַ֫זָּ֥רַע בֹּֽ֬א־יָב֥וֹא בְרִנָּ֑ה נֹ֝שֵׂ֗א אֲלֻמֹּתָֽיו׃
Though you walk, weeping, carrying seed to scatter, you will return in joy, carrying what you have reaped.
(16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; (17) but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die.”
The Maharal of Prague instructed teachers of young children to gather their students in the shul yard on Shabbat Shira and relate to them the story of Kriat Yam Suf, the splitting of the sea. They were to tell the children that at that time Hashem performed a miracle and trees with beautiful fruit grew in the sea (see Midrash Rabbah 22:1). When the Jews sang the Shirah, the birds sang and danced, and the Jewish children picked fruits from the trees and fed the birds. To commemorate this event, we put out food for the birds on the eve of Shabbat Shirah. [Source: https://www.sie.org/templates/sie/article_cdo/aid/2865663/jewish/Dvar-Torah-Questions-and-Answers-on-Shabbat-Shirah.htm, citing ספר השיחות תש"ב ע' 73 - לקוטי שיחות ח"ב ע' 522]
The Ḥatam Sofer (R. Moshe Sofer, Pressburg, 1762-1839), says that the custom to feed birds before Shabbat Shirah, when we read the Song at the Sea, is based on the verse in Exodus: “In order that they may see the bread which I fed you” (16:32). In other words, future generations should see that when you trust in G!d with your whole heart, G!d then provides food as with the children of Israel in the desert. We feed the birds in order to say that if the Jewish people, who are compared to a bird, will devote themselves to Torah and mitzvot, then G!d will provide them food without toil. [Source: https://www.schechter.edu/why-is-shabbat-shirah-for-the-birds-2/, citing R. Moshe Sofer, Or Pnay Moshe L’hamishah Humshey Torah, Shmot, fol. 16b]
רֵאשִׁ֣ית חָ֭כְמָה קְנֵ֣ה חָכְמָ֑ה וּבְכָל־קִ֝נְיָנְךָ֗ קְנֵ֣ה בִינָֽה׃
The beginning of wisdom is—acquire wisdom; With all your acquisitions, acquire discernment.