25:20 - Three Types of Misuse

מַעֲדֶה בֶּגֶד בְּיוֹם קָרָה, חֹמֶץ עַל נָתֶר, וְשָׁר בַּשִּׁרִים עַל לֶב רָע

An ornamental garment on a cold day, vinegar on natron, and one who sings songs to a sorrowful heart (Mishlei 25:20)

Explanation of Terms:

Ornamental Garment: We assume this is talking about a garment that is essentially designed for its looks.

Natron: According to Wikipedia, "natron has been used for thousands of years as a cleaning product for both the home and body. Blended with oil, it was an early form of soap. It softens water whilst removing oil and grease." The Meiri explains that both natron and vinegar can be used to remove stains. However, if natron is mixed with vinegar, the basic properties of the former will neutralize the acidic properties of the latter, and the resulting mixture will be too weak to remove any stains.

Sorrowful Heart: We understood this to be referring to someone who is in a state of severe depression: a close relative just passed away, he just lost his job, his girlfriend just dumped him, he has bipolar disorder, etc.

Questions:

1. What do these three things have in common? What is the subject of the pasuk?
2. What is Shlomo haMelech trying to tell us? Unlike most other pesukim, this pasuk doesn't seem to be making a statement about anything. It appears to just be a list.

Idea:

The subject of this pasuk is: misusing things. Our pasuk classifies the three ways that things can be misuse: wrong purpose (what the thing is for), wrong implementation (how to use the thing), and wrong application (what to use it on, or under what circumstances to use it). The explanation is as follows:

Wrong Purpose: Ornamental garments are designed for their appearance, not necessarily for their functionality. An article of clothing might look good, but it won't protect you from the elements. The guy in the first clause of this pasuk is using his ornamental garment for the wrong purpose. The consequence of his mistake is that the garment will not function as he wishes, and he'll be cold.

Wrong Implementation: Unlike the guy in the first clause of the pasuk, the second guy is using vinegar and natron for a correct purpose. His mistake is that he doesn't understand how to correctly implement these substances for this purpose. He reasons, "If vinegar removes stains and natron removes stains, then I can mix them together and make an über stain-remover!" If he would have stopped to consider how vinegar and natron remove stains, he would realize that their contrary properties preclude the manner in which he seeks to use them. The consequence of his mistake is that the vinegar and natron will not function as he wishes, and his clothes will remain stained (and he'll have wasted some good vinegar and natron).

Wrong Application: Unlike the first two guys, the guy in the third clause of the pasuk is using music for the right purpose (to uplift spirits) and he is implementing the music in the right way (a happy song, good artists, the right volume, etc.), but he is using music on the wrong type of person. Music uplifts the spirits of those whose spirits are capable of being uplifted - people who are neutral, or are in somewhat of a bad mood, not someone who is in a state of severe depression. His mistake is that he is trying to use music in a case where it will not work. The consequence of his mistake is that the music will not function as he wishes; he will not succeed in cheering up his friend, and he may even upset him.

Examples:

We thought of several examples which might make this clearer. Here are two of them:

Windex: The father of the protagonist in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding believed that Windex could be used for any purpose: treating wounds, curing diseases, fertilizing plants, improving a cooked dish, etc. His mistake was to use Windex for the wrong purpose (first clause). Alternatively, someone might use Windex for the right purpose (i.e. to clean windows), but he might implement it incorrectly (e.g. thinking that you are supposed to spray it and let it dry, or using too much or too little, or diluting it with water). Finally, someone might use it for the right purpose and implement it according to its instructions, but apply it in the wrong case (e.g. using it on a window that is too caked with dirt for the Windex to be effective).

Stamps: A little kid who doesn't know what stamps are for might use them as decorative stickers, or as a band-aid, or as food (i.e. for the wrong purpose). Alternatively, I was once part of a mailing-list assembly line, and the guy who was in charge of stamps was putting them on the wrong side of the envelope; he was using stamps for the correct purpose, but was implementing them in the wrong way. Likewise, someone might use stamps of the incorrect value. Lastly, a person might use stamps on the wrong type of parcel (i.e. I have a hunch that stamps won't work if you want to mail something to North Korea).

Deeper Idea:

These three types of mistakes can be caused by a variety of factors. Sometimes a person is just lacking knowledge, either because he is ignorant or because he is misinformed. Other times, he is under the sway of a powerful emotion which obscures his judgment and blinds his mind.

However, we noticed that there is an underlying egocentricity to the examples in the pasuk. The first guy knows that the stylish but light jacket will not keep him warm, but he nevertheless uses it on a cold day because he feels it will work for the purposes that he desires because he desires it.

The second guy might lack knowledge of the properties of vinegar and natron, but his mistake stems from the fact that he defines these substances based on the way he uses them - not based on an objective investigation of their properties. He thinks, "I use them to clean stains, so that is what they are." The objective chemist, on the other hand, defines these substances based on their actual chemical properties, and that knowledge would dictate his use. A good example of this mistake is vaccines. The layman thinks, "Viruses make me sick, so that is what they are." The scientist views viruses for what they actually are, irrespective of how they affect humans; it is this objective view which allows for the counter-intuitive use of viruses for creating vaccines, which prevent people from getting sick.

Likewise, the third guy might make his mistake because of lack of knowledge (e.g. he might not know how depressed his friend really is). But this mistake often comes from an unrealistic view of one's own ability to effectuate change in the external world. People often try to implement tools for the correct purposes but in the wrong situations, and convince themselves, "Yeah, you think this won't work here, but I can make it work."

But this deeper understanding still needs some refinement.