Shoshana's Garden

Proverbs 6:20-23 My son, obey your father’s command, and don’t abandon your mother’s teaching. 21 Bind them always on your heart, tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you wake up, they will talk with you. 23 For the mitzvah is a lamp, Torah is light, and reproofs that discipline are the way to life. These are some of my favorite verses in Proverbs. There is no way to break this down because it a

Proverbs 6:12-19 A scoundrel, a vicious man, lives by crooked speech, 13 winking his eyes, shuffling his feet, pointing with his fingers. 14 With deceit in his heart, he is always plotting evil and sowing discord. 15 Therefore disaster suddenly overcomes him; unexpectedly, he is broken beyond repair. 16 There are six things Adonai hates, seven which he detests: 17 a haughty look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet swift

Proverbs 6:6-11 Go to the ant, you lazybones! Consider its ways, and be wise. 7 It has no chief, overseer or ruler; 8 yet it provides its food in summer and gathers its supplies at harvest-time. 9 Lazybones! How long will you lie there in bed? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 “I’ll just lie here a bit, rest a little longer, just fold my hands for a little more sleep” — 11 and poverty comes marching in on you, scarcity hits you like an invading soldier. Go to the ant..

Proverbs 6:1-5 My son, if you have put up security for your friend, if you committed yourself on behalf of another; 2 you have been snared by the words of your mouth, caught by the words of your own mouth. 3 Do this now, my son, and extricate yourself, since you put yourself in your friend’s power: go, humble yourself, and pester your friend; 4 give your eyes no sleep, give your eyelids no rest; 5 break free, like a gazelle from the [hunter’s] trap, like a bird from the grip

Proverbs 5:15-23 Drink the water from your own cistern, fresh water from your own well. 16 Let what your springs produce be dispersed outside, streams of water flowing in the streets; 17 but let them be for you alone and not for strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain, the wife of your youth, be blessed; find joy in her — 19 a lovely deer, a graceful fawn; let her breasts satisfy you at all times, always be infatuated with her love. 20 My son, why be infatuated with an unkno

Proverbs 5:1-14 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding; 2 so that you will preserve discretion and your lips keep watch over knowledge. 3 For the lips of a woman who is a stranger drop honey, her mouth is smoother than oil; 4 but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death, her steps lead straight to Sh’ol; 6 she doesn’t walk the level path of life — her course wanders all over, but she

Proverbs 4:20-27 My son, pay attention to what I am saying; incline your ear to my words. 21 Don’t let them out of your sight, keep them deep in your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to their whole being. 23 Above everything else, guard your heart; for it is the source of life’s consequences. 24 Keep crooked speech out of your mouth, banish deceit from your lips. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze on what lies in front of you. 26

Proverbs 4:14-19 Don’t follow the path of the wicked or walk on the way of evildoers. 15 Avoid it, don’t go on it, turn away from it, and pass on. 16 For they can’t sleep if they haven’t done evil, they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining ever brighter until full daylight. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; they don

Proverbs 4:10-13 Listen, my son, receive what I say, and the years of your life will be many. 11 I’m directing you on the way of wisdom, guiding you in paths of uprightness; 12 when you walk, your step won’t be hindered; and if you run, you won’t stumble. 13 Hold fast to discipline, don’t let it go; guard it, for it is your life. Sometimes (my opinion here) I think that Proverbs can become a bit redundant. Sometimes you hear the same words over and over. However, we should al

Proverbs 4:1-9 Listen, children, to a father’s instruction; pay attention, in order to gain insight; 2 for I am giving you good advice; so don’t abandon my teaching. 3 For I too was once a child to my father; and my mother, too, thought of me as her special darling. 4 He too taught me; he said to me, “Let your heart treasure my words; keep my commands, and live; 5 gain wisdom, gain insight; don’t forget or turn from the words I am saying. 6 Don’t abandon [wisdom]; then she wi