We begin with an observation from King Solomon:

משלי כד:י

הִ֭תְרַפִּיתָ בְּי֥וֹם צָרָ֗ה צַ֣ר כֹּחֶֽכָה.

Proverbs 24:10

If you are lax on the day of distress, your strength is weakened.

מצודת דוד משלי כד:י

התרפית – אם היית מרפא ידך מחברך מלעזור לו ביום צרתו אזי יהיה כחך צר ודחוק מלעזור לעצמך בבוא צרה עליך.

Metzudot David - Mishlei 24:10

If you weaken your hand from your friend, [and fail] to help him in his time of need, then he will be detached and distant when you are in need.

According to the interpretation of the Metzudot, King Solomon is drawing our attention to a fundamental aspect of social dynamics. While an organism’s self-interest may be primary, humans have flourished due to their ability to form social networks. It is this social cohesion and coordination of purpose that has facilitated our greatest achievements. When we fail to help our fellow in their time of need, we weaken the social network and our place in it. This has a negative impact on the group and the individual. The verse reads, if you are lax on the day of your fellow’s distress, the strength of your network is weakened.

תרגום כתובים משלי כד:י

אִין תִּתְרַפֵּי בְיוֹמָא דְעָקְתָא מִתְתְּעִיק חֵילָךְ.

Targum Mishlei 24:10

When you weaken on the day of distress, your power is reduced.

The Targum translates the verse in a straightforward fashion. Both Rabbeinu Yonah and Rav Hirsch interpret the verse to be discussing internal dynamics. If we weaken our resolve in response to pressure, our capacity is reduced. If when we are hungry we lose the discipline of our diet, our future strength is also weakened. If when we are busy we don’t exercise, it decreases the likelihood of keeping our routine. As Rav Hirsch expresses:

Rav Hirsch - From the Wisdom of Mishlé

If we have shown weakness on a day of danger, it means that the danger was more within us than without. The real danger was our own weakness. Had we remained strong, we would have overcome the danger and come out of the struggle victorious. In situations of distress, it is the limitation in our strength which constitutes the most regrettable factor (p.222).

The Talmud extends this idea:

תלמוד בבלי – ברכות סג.

אָמַר רַבִּי טָבִי אָמַר רַבִּי יֹאשִׁיָּה: כׇּל הַמַּרְפֶּה עַצְמוֹ מִדִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה, אֵין בּוֹ כֹּחַ לַעֲמוֹד בְּיוֹם צָרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: {משלי כ"ד:י'} "הִתְרַפִּיתָ בְּיוֹם צָרָה צַר כֹּחֶכָה".

Talmud Bavli - Brachot 63a

Rabbi Tavi said in the name of Rabbi Yoshiya: Anyone who is lax in his study of matters of Torah will ultimately lack the strength to stand on a day of adversity, as it is stated: “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small indeed” (Proverbs 24:10).

Our ability to act based on our principles is commensurate with the clarity of those convictions. One who is lax in his studies, will also be lax in their implementation. This is the apparent source for the following Rambam:

משנה תורה - ספר המדע - הלכות תלמוד תורה - ג:יב

אֵין דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה מִתְקַיְּמִין בְּמִי שֶׁמַּרְפֶּה עַצְמוֹ עֲלֵיהֶן, וְלֹא בְּאֵלּוּ שֶׁלּוֹמְדִין מִתּוֹךְ עִדּוּן וּמִתּוֹךְ אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה--אֵלָא בְּמִי שֶׁמֵּמִית עַצְמוֹ עֲלֵיהֶן, וּמְצַעֵר גּוּפוֹ תָּמִיד, וְלֹא יִתֵּן שְׁנַת לְעֵינָיו, לְעַפְעַפָּיו תְּנוּמָה. אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים דֶּרֶךְ רְמָז, "זֹאת, הַתּוֹרָה, אָדָם, כִּי-יָמוּת בְּאֹהֶל" (במדבר יט,יד)--אֵין הַתּוֹרָה מִתְקַיֶּמֶת, אֵלָא בְּמִי שֶׁמֵּמִית עַצְמוֹ בְּאָהֳלֵי הַחָכְמָה.  וְכָּךְ אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה בְּחָכְמָתוֹ, "הִתְרַפִּיתָ, בְּיוֹם צָרָה--צַר כֹּחֶכָה" (משלי כד,י); וְעוֹד אָמַר, "אַף חָכְמָתִי, עָמְדָה לִּי" (קוהלת ב,ט)--חָכְמָה שֶׁלָּמַדְתִּי בְּאַף, עָמְדָה לִי.

Rambam - Laws of Learning Torah - 3:12

The words of Torah will not be permanently acquired by a person who applies himself feebly [to obtain] them, and not by those who study amid pleasure and [an abundance] of food and drink. Rather, one must give up his life for them, constantly straining his body to the point of discomfort, without granting sleep to his eyes or slumber to his eyelids. The Sages alluded to this concept, [interpreting Numbers 19:14:] "This is the Torah, a man should he die in a tent..." [to mean that] the Torah cannot be permanently acquired except by a person who gives up his life in the tents of wisdom. Similarly, Solomon said in his wisdom [Proverbs 24:10]: "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." He also said [Ecclesiastes 2:9]: "Also, my wisdom remained with me." [This can be interpreted to mean:] The wisdom which I learned in anger, this is what remained with me.

Whether pursuing intellectual or practical goals, internal or external objectives, it is how we respond in times of adversity that dictate our trajectory. This pattern is observable in social dynamics as well as the internal dynamics of our psyche. If we give in when our resolve is tested, our future capabilities are limited. When we demonstrate our resolve in response to a challenge, our capacities only increase.

References

Hirsch, S. R. (1998). From the Wisdom of Mishlé. Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers.

Maimonides, M., Touger, E., Kaplan, B., Abramson, Z., & Silverstein, S. (2007). Mishneh Torah. New York: Moznaim Pub. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/682956/jewish/Mishneh-Torah.htm

Translation of the Talmud from The William Davidson digital edition of the Koren Noé Talmud, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz Even-Israel (CC-BY-NC 4.0), digitized by Sefaria. Retrieved from: https://shas.alhatorah.org/Full/Berakhot/63a.21#e0n6

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