Mishlei Mishlei

Even though I posted two times yesterday, thereby discharging my self-imposed obligation of five posts per week, I didn't want to interrupt my newly established pattern of doing something Mishlei-related on Wednesdays. I decided to follow up last week's introductory Mishlei post with another introductory Mishlei post - this time, from my old Mishlei blog. This one is more of a "food for thought" post, where I just present the sources without comment. I plan on writing about them in depth at some point in the future. 

The following is an excerpt of a midrash from Shir ha'Shirim Rabbah. It contains several mashalim (metaphors) which characterize the method of Mishlei as a whole. Presumably, understanding these mashalim will help us to better understand Mishlei in general. 

Shir ha'Shirim Rabbah 1:8

Another explanation: The Song of Songs: this bears out what the text says, "And more so because Koheles was wise" (Koheles 12:9). Had any other man composed them, it would have been incumbent on you to incline your ear and to listen to them; all the more then since Shlomo (King Solomon) composed them. Had he composed them out of his own mind, it would have been incumbent upon you to incline your ear and listen to them; all the more then since he composed them in the holy spirit. "And more so because Koheles was wise, he also taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs" (ibid.). "He pondered" the principles of Torah "and investigated" the principles of Torah. He made handles to the Torah, and you find that till Shlomo arose there was no parable.

R' Nachman gave two illustrations. Said R' Nachman: Imagine a large palace with many doors, so that whoever entered could not find his way back to the door, till one clever person came and took a coil of string and hung it up on the way to the door, so that all went in and out by means of the coil. So till Shlomo arose no one was able to properly understand the principles of Torah, but as soon as Shlomo arose all began to comprehend the Torah.

R' Nachman gave another illustration, from a thicket of reeds which no one could penetrate, till one clever man came and took a scythe and cut some down, and then all began to enter through the cutting. So did Shlomo.

R' Yose said: Imagine a big basket full of produce without any handle, so that it could not be carried, till one clever man came and made handles to it, and then it began to be carried by the handles. So till Shlomo arose no one could properly understand the principles of Torah, but when Shlomo arose, all began to comprehend the Torah.

R' Shila said: Imagine a big jug full of hot water with no handle by which it could be carried, until someone came and made it a handle, so that it began to be carried by its handle.

R' Chanina said: There was once a deep well filled with water that was cold, sweet, and good, but there was no one who could drink from it. One man came along who connected rope to rope and cord to cord and drew water from the well and drank, and everyone else began drawing and drinking as well. So too, by moving from one principle to another and one mashal to another, Shlomo arrived at the hidden principles of Torah. This is what is meant by the statement: “The Mishlei of Shlomo, son of David king of Israel; to know chochmah and mussar etc.” - through his mashalim, he mastered the principles of Torah.

Our Rabbis say: Let not the parable be lightly esteemed in your eyes, since by means of the mashal a man can master the words of the Torah. If a king loses gold from his house or a precious pearl, does he not find it by means of a wick worth a farthing? So the parable should not be lightly esteemed in your eyes, since by means of the mashal a man arrives at the true meaning of the words of the Torah. Here is a proof that it is so; for Shlomo by means of the mashal penetrated to the finest nuances of the Torah.