Mishlei 17:12 - Better an Angry Bear Than a Foolish Fool Artwork

The Mishlei Podcast

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, and this is the hub for all of my shiurim (classes) on Sefer Mishlei, a.k.a. The Book of Proverbs! Generally speaking we will follow the approach to Mishlei outlined by Saadia Gaon who views Mishlei as a guide for intelligent decision-making in everyday life with the goal of maximizing long-term pleasure and minimizing long-term pain. Each shiur will typically focus on one pasuk (verse), which we will attempt to analyze on our own before turning to the meforshim (commentators). If you have any questions feel free to email me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thanks for listening!

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The Mishlei Podcast

Mishlei 17:12 - Better an Angry Bear Than a Foolish Fool

January 05, 2026 • Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss • Season 20 • Episode 1

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Mishlei 17:12 - Better an Angry Bear Than a Foolish Fool

פָּגוֹשׁ דֹּב שַׁכּוּל בְּאִישׁ, וְאַל כְּסִיל בְּאִוַּלְתּוֹ:

Length: 1 hour 39 minutes
Synopsis: This evening (1/5/25), in our first Monday Night Mishlei shiur of 2026, we learned a pasuk that was simultaneously easy, fun, and chock-full of ideas. It was in this pasuk many years ago that I discovered an important principle of Mishlei methodology, one that dictated the entire shape of the shiur. But the real benefit of this pasuk is its practicality, which is rooted in a highly memorable mashal.
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מקורות:
משלי יז:יב
מצודת ציון/דוד
הואיל משה
ר' משה קמחי
תרגום כתובים
פירוש רס"ג
מלבי"ם
עמנואל הרומי
רבינו יונה
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The Torah content for the month of January is sponsored by Naomi Schwartz in memory of her father, Dovid Yitzchok ben Chaim Yeruchum Fishel z”l, who dedicated his life to learning and teaching Torah to countless students b’simcha. His first yahrtzeit is the 23rd of Teves.

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