The Hebrew Bible’s Book of Proverbs, sandwiched between the Psalms and Job, elucidates moral values and proper conduct for a life of wisdom and justice. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, author of The Book of Proverbs: A Social Justice Commentary (CCAR Press, June), says this ancient book—written by multiple authors with scant mention of God, philosophy, theology, miracles, or revelations—is actually a guidebook for righteous living now. True wisdom is timeless and, he writes, “Jewish wisdom instructs that the path to the Divine is through ethics, through human relationships, through a dialogue with the world.”

Yanklowitz has written more than 20 books on Jewish ethics in society, medicine (including his experience donating a kidney), family life, adoption and foster care, and animal welfare. In this book, the rabbi writes, "our sense of justice is a gift from God" and that social justice requires each person to choose, as it says in proverb 2:9-10, "what is right, just and equitable."

Rafael Chaiken, director of the Reform Jewish publishing house, said it was “extraordinary” for them to publish an Orthodox rabbi such as Yanklowitz. But, Chaiken tells PW, “We felt that a new look at Proverbs with a progressive approach was long overdue.”

PW talks with Yanklowitz about the purpose of proverbs in our time.

Why is reading Proverbs so urgent today that you include the full Torah text in Hebrew and English along with your commentary?

I want people to find the nuances in the language. Our two greatest dangers today are fundamentalism on the one hand, where some feel they have absolute truth, and relativism on the other, where people think there is no absolute truth. My hope is that this book can push us toward moral wisdom that precludes polarization and that reminds us that the most sustainable change we can make in the world is to be spiritually rooted in ourselves.

You write that the original Proverbs “is spiritual but not religious.” How so?

Some people are compelled by the ethical dimension of Judaism but not by the religious dimension. For others, it’s the opposite. What’s so remarkable about Proverbs is that really the entire book avoids the questions of ritual and of piety, favoring wisdom and favoring moral wisdom as the highest of all. It is a remarkable book for those who want to feel deeply connected to Jewish ethics but feel a barrier with religion.

In the book’s dedication, you urge your four children to follow Proverb 31:9 “Speak up, judge righteously, champion the poor and the needy.” Why this proverb?

I believe the goal of religious life is to move us towards a life of commitment and service to those most marginalized and suffering. A measure of success in our holy days, our rituals, and our prayer experiences is whether they are morally transformative. For example, we should consider whether Passover (celebrating freedom from bondage) propels us to work for liberation for all.

What’s the most challenging proverb?

Proverb 9:8 (“Reprove the wise, and they will love you.”), is the hardest proverb to tackle because it calls on us to rebuke and to be rebuked, to point out hard truths in each other. That’s very difficult because the modern person has relatively low self-esteem and needs constant reinforcement. They feel powerless and valueless in a broad world. So, this concept—that we should want to be challenged and broken down —is really a countercultural challenge.

Do you have a favorite proverb?

Yes, the last one, about “a woman of valor” (31:10), celebrating a virtuous woman who can do it all. It says, “Her mouth opens with wisdom and the Torah (teaching) of kindness is on her tongue.” In an era when speech is so undervalued and used to tear down others, we have to think of our writing and speaking as ways to rebuild the world. Our words are the greatest power we have in the world.

You wrote, “The way we walk in the world is as important as the direction in which we are walking.” You conclude by prompting us to write our own proverbs. What’s your goal?

We should think about the moral legacy we wish to leave in the world. More importantly, the proverb we write should be a guide light on a daily level, so we remind ourselves to live by these values and embrace spiritual practices that commit us to these values. We should choose something that might be kind of uncomfortable because it will push us beyond where we are now.