There is an old joke: What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing that it does not belong in a fruit salad. Philosophy, of course, will settle the question of whether or not ketchup is a smoothie.
Real wisdom is not only rare, it is surprisingly difficult to define. We sense that wisdom is hard won. It comes through experience, reflection, mistakes, and growth. Yet perhaps because it seems so labour-intensive, many of us quietly abandon the search for wisdom before we have gone to much effort.
The Book of Mishlei (Proverbs) challenges us to arrive at wisdom without feeling like we are overthinking a mysterious riddle. Instead, we listen to a mysterious, yet familiar voice. One of the most striking features of the book is that its wisdom is given via the metaphor of an unmistakably female voice:
“Wisdom cries aloud in the streets;
she raises her voice in the public squares.”
(Proverbs 1:20)
Who is this she? A mother? A wife? A teacher? The text never fully tells us. Yet she appears throughout the book as a living presence who calls to us, guides us, challenges us, and invites us to see the world more clearly.
This is not how wisdom is usually presented. Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, and the sayings of Confucius offer collections of wise observations. They are collections of aphorisms, formulae that use various devices to present to us the folk wisdom of oracles. Mishlei does something more personal; it transforms the getting of wisdom into a relationship. Rather than merely deliver the wisdom pre-digested, it allows us to participate.
Rabbi Yehuda Amital noted that wisdom in Mishlei refuses to remain hidden within the walls of the Beit Midrash. Wisdom is not reserved for scholars or saints. It “cries aloud in the streets” because it belongs in everyday life, in our homes, our workplaces, our relationships, and our communities. The voice of the woman as she cries out in the streets is itself the invitation to actualize the knowledge… to make a more personal, perfect fruit salad instead of just reading the recipe.
Rabbi Yaakov Medan goes even further. Wisdom is not merely a set of life hacks or practical strategies. It is not a navigation app, external to our sense of direction, that tells us where to turn next. Wisdom is something that shapes who we are, it changes one’s character. Just as a deep relationship, especially a spousal relationship, changes a person, so too we are meant to develop a relationship with wisdom until it becomes integral to our character.
Bible scholar Christine Yoder suggests that the particularly feminine voice of wisdom was inspired by extraordinary women who managed households, businesses, and communal affairs. She sees Mishlei Ch. 31’s celebrated Eshet Chayil – the Woman of Valour – of whom we sing each Friday night, as the inspiration for the wise female voice of the first chapter. Perhaps the woman of wisdom and the woman of valour are one and the same.
Yet there may be an even more universal explanation.
Many of us remember what it felt like, as children, to encounter a world that seemed confusing, unfair, or frightening. Some experience this only for a few short years of childhood and adolescence, others for a lifetime. Yet I believe that the experience of being enlightened by the wisdom of a mother is universal. That wisdom often provided reassurance and clarity. She helped restore balance to a world that suddenly seemed out of order. Even as adults, we retain some memory of that experience – the sense that there was a voice capable of helping us understand, endure, and move forward. Mishlei entices us to search for that wisdom, to return home to those comforting moments of insight.
Perhaps that is why wisdom appears in Mishlei as a woman. Wisdom is not merely information. It is the clarifying, restorative voice that helps us make sense of life and become the people we are meant to be.
It is in that spirit that our congregation has undertaken a communal study of Mishlei. Together we have explored this timeless search for wisdom, each participant taking on a portion of the book to help create a single, shared achievement. Upon the completion of this study, we will engage in the traditional celebration called a Siyum. Siyums are special community events. One happens every year before Passover at the Fast of the Firstborn to allow the firstborn to eat. The largest and most impressive of these events is the Siyum Hashas, the celebration of the completion of the Daf Yomi cycle. Thousands gather in places like MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to hear the leading rabbis and Jewish musicians lead the celebration.
Our Siyum will reflect an important group effort to study the book of wisdom called Mishlei.
This year’s project carries an added layer of meaning. The inspiration for our communal learning arose from the passing of the mother of this year’s Mosaic honouree. Jewish tradition teaches that during a year of mourning, a celebratory meal may be held when connected to the mitzvah – Siyum – of the completion of a sacred work of study.
As we gather to celebrate the completion of Mishlei, we will do so in honour of a remarkable woman, mother, and grandmother. It is especially fitting that our learning has focused on a book that portrays wisdom itself through the voice and image of woman.
We therefore invite every member of the community to join us for this Siyum. Whether you studied a chapter, followed the project from afar, or simply wish to celebrate the power of Torah learning and communal achievement, your presence will help complete the experience. Together we have searched for wisdom. Together we will celebrate its pursuit. Together we will honour a life well lived by gathering around the timeless words of Mishlei, whose voice still calls to us from the streets and public squares, inviting us to listen, learn, and grow.
Please join us for this special Siyum and communal celebration. Your presence will be part of the mitzvah.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rosenblatt
