משלי, פרק כ״ג, פסוק ל״ב

The enjoyment of drinking wine often begins as a sweet and pleasant experience for the palate, yet it conceals a destructive danger. Intoxication inflicts severe harm, bringing about a host of troubles that stem from the loss of reason and intellect. The delayed impact of wine is likened to a snakebite. Just as a snake might strike a person's heel without them immediately realizing it, the effects of wine creep in secretly. The poison of drunkenness begins at the bottom of the body and slowly rises to the crown of the head. As it spreads, it confuses the heart and mind, ultimately resulting in intense pain in the stomach and head [אלשיך, מצודת דוד, רלב״ג, עמנואל הרומי].

This danger is further compared to the strike of a viper, a particularly venomous and dangerous snake [מצודת ציון]. Commentators offer different ways to understand the nature of this viper's attack, each highlighting a different aspect of the suffering caused by heavy drinking. One approach explains the strike as a sharp sting or piercing, similar to the prod used to guide cattle or the sharp spurs on a rooster's legs [רש״י, אבן עזרא]. This piercing creates a deep wound and severe bruising. The physical pain is described as a literal tearing and separation of the body's tissues, which perfectly mirrors the agonizing physical pain a drunkard experiences once the effects of the wine finally wear off [עמנואל הרומי].

Another perspective views the viper as a unique creature whose very waste is filled with harmful venom. According to this understanding, after the initial bite, the snake leaves behind a toxic residue inside the victim that transforms into a burning, consuming poison [מלבי״ם]. Finally, the viper's strike can be understood as an expression of death itself. Much like the fatal venom of this snake, the damage caused by wine is so severe that it ultimately separates and disconnects a person from life entirely [רש״י, מצודת דוד].