Torah: A Shield from Evil Men

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim

When wisdom will enter your mind and knowledge will delight you. Torah will protect you and discernment will guard you. It will save you from the way of evil men, from men who speak duplicity. Who leave the proper paths to follow the ways of darkness. Who rejoice in doing evil and exult in the duplicity of evil men. Men whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their course. (Proverbs 2:10-15)

How does Torah shield us? Torah is God’s absolute knowledge. It covers the gamut reality, specifically here referring to human existence. From psychology to philosophy, morality, justice, our personality and activities, Torah teaches what is true and good, and their opposites.

 It will save you from the way of evil men, from men who speak duplicity. 

First King Solomon says Torah saves us from evil men, those who talk deceitfully. How does Torah accomplish this? 

Primarily, Torah teaches in general not to seek security in any man. We require this lesson, as from youth we are cultivated to become dependent, viewing parents and adults as authorities. That very concept of an authority remains with most people throughout their lives, seeking peer approval as the most dominant expression of this need. So people follow others, join groups and make close friends despite their immorality. Their crippled need for approval overrides all else. 

But a Torah student studies Torah’s psychological lesson of not following others, such as the Masis and the Meidiach (those who convince others to serve idolatry). We are not to follow people, or fallacy. We follow truth, because God designed the world to operate according to truth, and to cause conflict when we oppose truth. The Spies too sought to gain a following. This need to gain friends and followers is the expression of insecurity in one’s own views. The Torah student has strong integrity, he realizes God as the only authority and does not need others to agree with him. He follows his mind. The knowledge of what is real and true, and what is false, empowers the Torah student with independence, with a fear of God, not people.

When hearing duplicity from evil men, the Torah student’s mind is trained to detect and reject contradictions, indicating the evil person is confused and offers no principles that follow reality, and must cause harm. The Torah student rejects what is not true. His emotions follow suit, and he does not allow his social needs to overcome his mind, so he rejects duplicity. He sacrifices friendships as he is most attached to truth. 

“Who leave the proper paths to follow the ways of darkness”  

Knowing Torah’s proper morality, the Torah student identifies others who reject morality to walk in darkness, unguided in any morality. Torah morality is derived not only from God’s laws, but also through the upright lives of Torah personalities. Rabbi Israel Chait explained that although other philosophies may share proper morality, what they lack are “case studies” as Torah depicts. Learning of such models of good and evil behavior in action, we gain a more concrete picture of morality and evil, which is far more effective than other philosophies offering merely abstract principles. We can also use identification with those models—a good emotion to engage—to follow the models of Abraham, Sarah and all other perfected individuals.

“Who rejoice in doing evil and exult in the duplicity of evil men”

When a Torah student sees others rejoicing and exulting, he questions their motivation, as rejoicing and exulting are passionate expressions, which typically have their source in emotional roots, not in the mind. So the student of Torah is suspicious of such people. He soon uncovers their instinctual drives as suspected and he rejects their call for friendship. In general, intense emotions indicate instability and instinctually-driven personalities. Such individual are not good alliances on the path toward greater Torah adherence.

“Men whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their course”

Crookedness is quite an accurate depiction of evil men, for they have no focus or path. They live erratically, bouncing from one emotion to another, “The wicked are turbulent as the sea” (Isaiah 57:20). While the proper individual is called “straight; yashar” as Torah directs him on a clear path toward clear goals, so he does not waver. His goals are clearly in focus. He travels directly straight towards them. 

As Torah presents clear definitions of all good ways, the Torah student immediately recognizes who veers from God, be it in behavior, truth or morality. He is aware of his own personality and tendencies, and constantly reflects on his ways to better align himself towards God. Here, King Solomon identifies the social human need and teaches that Torah does not allow a Torah student to succumb to social needs that conflict with Torah.