Musar for Shabbat 303:1

Another indication that one must strive to lead a morally upright life is found in the statement of Shabbat 152a which describes Torah scholars as becoming wiser as they get older, whereas secularly oriented people become progressively more senile in their old age. This statement also utilizes the wording in our פרשה, as it associates Sarah's last seven years with the word "years" in the plural, i.e. years filled with additional meaning.

This Midrash is extremely difficult. Seeing that in earlier times Israel had been found worthy to behold G–d, i.e. His manifestations, publicly, how can we cite G–d hiding Himself from public view as a proof of Israel's spiritual maturity? Would the righteous perish just because he became righteous? Have not our sages taught us that as the righteous keep getting older they constantly acquire deeper insights i.e. they will experience the very reverse of perishing (Shabbat 152)? We can understand the first part of the parable- that a king, who wished to speak to his daughter (who was a minor) on general matters would do so in public, whereas when he had to discuss matters of state with her he would prefer to do so in the privacy of the pavilion after she had become old enough for him to confide in her. We have more difficulty with the נמשל, moral part of the parable, for here the comparison does not seem to apply. In view of what I have explained previously we are able to comprehend how the moral of the parable applies to the relationship between G–d and the Jewish people.

The first Rabbi quoted makes it plain that he speaks of a person who seeks such a position for his personal gratification. He views it as his due for having studied a great deal of Torah. The objection to the appointment of such a person is that it is forbidden to seek personal gratification and advantage from words of Torah. We are told in Sotah 4 in the name of Rabbi Chiyah bar Abba in reference to Proverbs 6,26, that "a married woman can ensnare even a prestigious man," that a haughty person will sooner or later commit the sin of adultery. Haughtiness could be the result of someone having studied Torah. The reason that one must not become boastful even if one has studied a great deal of Torah, is that we are told in Avot 2,8, that "if you have studied much Torah do not take credit for this, for after all you have only done what you have been created for." If not for Torah, man would have been no better than the smelly drop of semen which is his origin. Torah converts this smelly drop into a waterproof cistern which does not lose anything that is put into it. Under such conditions the words of Torah have a chance to increase and multiply. This is why we have a tradition that words of Torah are compared to seedlings. Just as seedlings increase and multiply, so do words of Torah multiply. Torah has been called אשה, "wife," as we know from Deut. 33,4, where the expression מורשה קהלת יעקב, is also interpreted as מאורסה, i.e. she is Israel's "betrothed." When one uses one's Torah knowledge to boast, then this "betrothed" is considered as an alien woman (compare Pessachim 49). Such a woman is like a vessel full of excrement, though everybody runs after her. Hence the drop of semen becomes an evil smelling drop.