As Heard from Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT”L
“And the pit was empty, no water was in it.” (37:24)
The comment of the Talmud (Shabbat 22A) is that”there was no water in the pit, but snakes and scorpions were there.” The Torah makes a point of telling us that the pit was empty and it didn’t have water in it. If it was empty then why is it necessary to say further that the pit was devoid of water? Rashi explains that the Torah is thereby informing us that the pit did not hold water however it did contain snakes and scorpions.
“I passed by the field of a lazy man and by the vineyard of a man lacking heart/discipline. And behold it was all grown over with thistles, its surface was covered with thorns. And its stone fence was broken down. Then I examined and applied my heart/mind. I looked and learned a lesson (mussar).” (Mishle 24:30)
When we pass by the ‘lazy man’s field’ we would expect to see a desolate field since the owner didn’t put any work into it. Shelomo Hamelech enlightens us to the fact that the active result of this laziness is the growth of thistles and thorns as well as stones all appearing in this field.
The field is our mind, our most prized and holy possession. If we neglect introducing good ideas, Torah thoughts into our mind, the result will not be an empty field. When the mind is kept in a vacuum it will draw thorns and stones by its nature. Therefore, when the pit is empty, it is not empty! The pit (mind) is filled with snakes and scorpions.
Shabbat Shalom
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