Pipeline Torah Gem #905 2025-12-05: Give Your Heart to Me
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Vaughn Seward
Dec 7, 2025, 5:02:44 PM12/7/25
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Give Your Heart to Me
"My child, give your heart to Me, and your eyes will desire My ways." (Proverns 23:26) The heart is the seat of desires. Hashem exhorts us to channel our will and longing to Him and His service (R' Yonah). One way to do this is to limit our consumption of the resources of this world and concentrate on attaining wisdom and serving Hashem (R' Bachya, Introduction to Parashas Ki Seitzei). If a person uses his heart to understand Hashem's words, he will know that His ways are upright, and as a result he will direct his eyes to serve Him (Metzudos). The Sages (Berachos 12b) associate your hearts with heresy and your eyes with thoughts of immorality. Accordingly, someone will make his parents happy (v. 25) if he commits his heart to absorbing Torah wisdom, so that he will not be attracted to heresy. Similarly, if his eyes are totally focused on Hashem's ways, they will not be drawn after lustful pursuits (Malbim). Homiletically, some people think that in order to come closer to Hashem, they must neglect their physical health, fast, and deny themselves any physical enjoyment. Our verse says no. Give your heart to Me, but do not neglect your body. Instead, take care of yourself, but do it to remain healthy and serve Hashem better (Ginzei Yosef). Adapted from Artscroll's "The Writings; Proverbs" by Rabbi N. Scherman & Rabbi M. Zlotowitz, page 209. Torah Gem Archives: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/torahtidbits
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Yiddish Corner
Yeder ayzl hot lib tsu hern vi er aleyn shrayt. Every ass likes to hear himself bray. Borgn makht zorgn. Borrowing causes sorrowing. Az me zukht mit seykhl gefinen shoyn di hent. If one seeks with brains, the hands will soon find. Di noyt sharft dem seykhl. Necessity sharpens the mind. [Adapted from Words Like Arrows, Shirley Kumove]
"My child, give your heart to Me, and your eyes will desire My ways." (Proverns 23:26) The heart is the seat of desires. Hashem exhorts us to channel our will and longing to Him and His service (R' Yonah). One way to do this is to limit our consumption of the resources of this world and concentrate on attaining wisdom and serving Hashem (R' Bachya, Introduction to Parashas Ki Seitzei). If a person uses his heart to understand Hashem's words, he will know that His ways are upright, and as a result he will direct his eyes to serve Him (Metzudos). The Sages (Berachos 12b) associate your hearts with heresy and your eyes with thoughts of immorality. Accordingly, someone will make his parents happy (v. 25) if he commits his heart to absorbing Torah wisdom, so that he will not be attracted to heresy. Similarly, if his eyes are totally focused on Hashem's ways, they will not be drawn after lustful pursuits (Malbim). Homiletically, some people think that in order to come closer to Hashem, they must neglect their physical health, fast, and deny themselves any physical enjoyment. Our verse says no. Give your heart to Me, but do not neglect your body. Instead, take care of yourself, but do it to remain healthy and serve Hashem better (Ginzei Yosef). Adapted from Artscroll's "The Writings; Proverbs" by Rabbi N. Scherman & Rabbi M. Zlotowitz, page 209. Torah Gem Archives: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/torahtidbits
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Yiddish Corner
Yeder ayzl hot lib tsu hern vi er aleyn shrayt. Every ass likes to hear himself bray. Borgn makht zorgn. Borrowing causes sorrowing. Az me zukht mit seykhl gefinen shoyn di hent. If one seeks with brains, the hands will soon find. Di noyt sharft dem seykhl. Necessity sharpens the mind. [Adapted from Words Like Arrows, Shirley Kumove]
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