The Bobover Rebbe told how once Rav Hillel was traveling by train, when he was seen by a Jew who had left the fold. Unfortunately, this Jew was known even to eat non-kosher food. When he alighted from the train and gazed upon the fine, spiritual features of the Tzaddik, he stood transfixed and was simply unable to take his eyes off Rav Hillel, who sat right near the door of the train. He stood in this manner transfixed for some time before he was able to move on.

When he came home, a curious change took place; his family remembered his eating habits to verge on the gluttonous, but now he had no appetite for anything at all and refused all meals! Finally, they were invited to a family affair where kosher food was served and he pounced upon the food with hunger! That was when the family realized what had happened; the vision of the saintly Tzaddik had so refined and purified the man, that he was simply unable from then on to eat non-kosher food! Such was the greatness of Rav Hillel of Kolomaya! (Bais Tzaddikim Ya’amod Bobov Vol. II page 77)

Once, during Rav Hillel’s travels as a Maggid, a preacher who would tell tales of inspiration and rebuke the congregation to encourage their repentance and adherence to Torah and mitzvos, came to Sanz. The holy Divrei Chaim of Sanz honored him greatly, saying, “Here comes a Maggid whose sermons are truly sincere and solely said le’shem shomayim – for the sake and honor of Heaven.”

The Sanzer Rav then honored him by introducing the speaker and saying words of Torah followed by words of praise. However, a strange and shocking incident occurred. Rav Hillel sat listening with rapt attention to the Divrei Chaim’s speech and, while he focused on the words of Torah, no sooner had the Sanzer begun to praise Rav Hillel, when Rav Hillel began to strain and gesture that he could not hear well. He cupped his hands around his ears as if to hear better and paid closest attention to each word the Tzaddik said in praise of him! When the Divrei Chaim switched to a devar Torah he went back to normal, but as soon as the Divrei Chaim said words of praise, again he listened with rapt attention.

The people were beside themselves – how could the Divrei Chaim praise someone who was seemingly so full of himself as to listen to his own praise, not with shy embarrassment, but with such punctilious attention that he actually strained to hear it more than words of Torah!

Later, when they joked about this and asked the Sanzer Rebbe, the Divrei Chaim was taken aback and declared in shock, “Fools, you have no measure of the Tzaddik Rav Hillel at all! He is so holy and has trained his limbs so much that he hears Torah perfectly well, yet when I praised him, he could not hear his own praise at all! That is why he strained to listen – he thought I must be whispering.”

(Ner Yehoshua)

In Pirkei Avos, Mishnah 6:9 and also said by David Melech Yisrael in Tehillim : “Better to me is the Torah of Your mouth over thousands in gold and silver.” (Tehillim 119:72).  Rav Hillel of Kolomaya in his Shirei Maskil (10:1) asks why the Torah is compared to pearls (Mishlei 3:15) and judged more precious than thousands of gold and silver (as in the above-cited pasuk). All these material possessions — pearls, gold, and silver — have no real intrinsic value. Only in this physical world, the world of falsehood, do simple people and fools really believe these things have some worth. Why then is the holy Torah praised by comparing it to physical substances that are truly worthless?!

Rav Hillel explained this based on a mashal he heard in his youth from his rebbe, the holy Chasam Sofer:

There was once a good and noble king who ruled over many lands. Because he ruled over so many lands and provinces, however, he was unable to rule them each personally, so he appointed ministers to oversee the daily affairs of each land and province.  The good-hearted king loved all his subjects, even the simplest of them. Therefore, the king also appointed a minister who specialized in addressing the needs of his serfs and peasants.  With time, however, the king felt disconnected from his subjects, as he was unable to hear their pleas and requests face-to-face. His desire to be connected with his subjects was very strong, and he greatly wished to prove to them that he truly cared for them and worried about their needs. And so, he sought council from his advisors.

After much deliberation, it was decided that once a year the king himself would visit all his provinces and appear before his subjects. Whoever wished to approach the king, no matter his stature or station, would have permission to do so. This would reinforce the people’s love for their king.

However, there was a disagreement among the king’s advisors as to how his majesty should appear before his subjects. A first group expressed the opinion that the king should appear in his most lavish royal garments as was befitting the king. A second group argued that such outer trappings did not convey the true value of the king himself, for many wealthy individuals, who were actually scoundrels, also dressed in splendorous garments. They argued that a man’s possessions do not reveal his true value. If so, how would the king’s subjects know of his genuine love and concern?

This second group of advisors therefore suggested that skilled craftsmen and jewelers be summoned. They would fashion jeweled breastplates, on which they would inscribe the king’s many brave deeds and the sacrifices he made for his people. On some would be descriptions of the wars and battles he waged on their behalf, defending them from the enemies. On others, the craftsmen would inscribe words of praise for the king’s deeds of kindness toward his subjects, such as his lowering their taxes and arranging public works for their benefit.

When the king would go out attired in simple clothes but with jeweled breastplates telling of his deeds, these advisors posited, the people’s love for their king would be awakened.

The people would see that their king emphasized his good deeds over his wealth. While this idea found favor in the king’s eyes, yet a third group of advisors exposed a flaw in this plan. Only those subjects who were literate and could read the words on the jeweled breastplates would know of the king’s greatness, they argued. The simple people, the illiterate serfs and peasants, wouldn’t understand a word. They would just see their king dressed in simple clothes. Finally, one wise sage came before the king and suggested a compromise: His majesty should have fine royal garments sewn for him. The bejeweled breastplates of heraldry describing his feats of courage, bravery, kindness, and benevolence, would then be attached to his imperial robes. In this way the simplest people, the illiterate serfs and peasants, would marvel at the king’s externals — his resplendent royal garments — while the more learned townsfolk would appreciate and marvel at the stories of the king’s deeds as recorded and inscribed on the jeweled breastplates.

This is why the holy Torah is compared to pearls, gold, and silver. Talmidei chachamim have no need for the Torah to be compared to things of superficial value; they truly understand that even each crown of each letter holds infinitely more value and can teach us myriads of laws (Eruvin 21b). The am ha’aretz, however, the simple person who does not and cannot understand or appreciate the true value of the Torah, needs the Torah to be likened to pearls, gold, and silver. For if the king were to appear before these people in simple clothes, even as he wore inscribed breastplates, they would fail to grasp the meaning and its value would be lost on them. The king must dress in fine raiment of jewels, gold, and silver, for this is the language that the ignorant understand.

David HaMelech and his son, Shlomo HaMelech, wanting to reach even the simplest of people compared the Torah to pearls, gold, and silver so that they would appreciate the Torah in ways that speak to them.

“better to me is the torah of your mouth over thousands in gold and silver.” (tehillim 119:72).

In Pirkei Avos, Mishnah 6:9 and also said by Dovid Melech Yisrael in Tehillim : “Better to me is the Torah of Your mouth over thousands in gold and silver.” (Tehillim 119:72).  Rav Hillel of Kolomaya in his Shirei Maskil (10:1) asks why the Torah is compared to pearls (Mishlei 3:15) and judged more precious than thousands of gold and silver (as in the above-cited pasuk). All these material possessions — pearls, gold, and silver — have no real intrinsic value. Only in this physical world, the world of falsehood, do simple people and fools really believe these things have some worth. Why then is the holy Torah praised by comparing it to physical substances that are truly worthless?!

Rav Hillel explained this based on a mashal he heard in his youth from his rebbe, the holy Chasam Sofer:

There was once a good and noble king who ruled over many lands. Because he ruled over so many lands and provinces, however, he was unable to rule them each personally, so he appointed ministers to oversee the daily affairs of each land and province.  The good-hearted king loved all his subjects, even the simplest of them. Therefore, the king also appointed a minister who specialized in addressing the needs of his serfs and peasants.  With time, however, the king felt disconnected from his subjects, as he was unable to hear their pleas and requests face-to-face. His desire to be connected with his subjects was very strong, and he greatly wished to prove to them that he truly cared for them and worried about their needs. And so, he sought council from his advisors.

After much deliberation, it was decided that once a year the king himself would visit all his provinces and appear before his subjects. Whoever wished to approach the king, no matter his stature or station, would have permission to do so. This would reinforce the people’s love for their king.

However, there was a disagreement among the king’s advisors as to how his majesty should appear before his subjects. A first group expressed the opinion that the king should appear in his most lavish royal garments as was befitting the king. A second group argued that such outer trappings did not convey the true value of the king himself, for many wealthy individuals, who were actually scoundrels, also dressed in splendorous garments. They argued that a man’s possessions do not reveal his true value. If so, how would the king’s subjects know of his genuine love and concern?

This second group of advisors therefore suggested that skilled craftsmen and jewelers be summoned. They would fashion jeweled breastplates, on which they would inscribe the king’s many brave deeds and the sacrifices he made for his people. On some would be descriptions of the wars and battles he waged on their behalf, defending them from the enemies. On others, the craftsmen would inscribe words of praise for the king’s deeds of kindness toward his subjects, such as his lowering their taxes and arranging public works for their benefit.

When the king would go out attired in simple clothes but with jeweled breastplates telling of his deeds, these advisors posited, the people’s love for their king would be awakened.

The people would see that their king emphasized his good deeds over his wealth. While this idea found favor in the king’s eyes, yet a third group of advisors exposed a flaw in this plan. Only those subjects who were literate and could read the words on the jeweled breastplates would know of the king’s greatness, they argued. The simple people, the illiterate serfs and peasants, wouldn’t understand a word. They would just see their king dressed in simple clothes. Finally, one wise sage came before the king and suggested a compromise: His majesty should have fine royal garments sewn for him. The bejeweled breastplates of heraldry describing his feats of courage, bravery, kindness, and benevolence, would then be attached to his imperial robes. In this way the simplest people, the illiterate serfs and peasants, would marvel at the king’s externals — his resplendent royal garments — while the more learned townsfolk would appreciate and marvel at the stories of the king’s deeds as recorded and inscribed on the jeweled breastplates.

This is why the holy Torah is compared to pearls, gold, and silver. Talmidei chachamim have no need for the Torah to be compared to things of superficial value; they truly understand that even each crown of each letter holds infinitely more value and can teach us myriads of laws (Eruvin 21b). The am ha’aretz, however, the simple person who does not and cannot understand or appreciate the true value of the Torah, needs the Torah to be likened to pearls, gold, and silver. For if the king were to appear before these people in simple clothes, even as he wore inscribed breastplates, they would fail to grasp the meaning and its value would be lost on them. The king must dress in fine raiment of jewels, gold, and silver, for this is the language that the ignorant understand.

David HaMelech and his son, Shlomo HaMelech, wanting to reach even the simplest of people compared the Torah to pearls, gold, and silver so that they would appreciate the Torah in ways that speak to them.