משלי, פרק כ״ג, פסוק ל״ה

The final stages of deep intoxication reveal a tragic cycle of addiction, denial, and foolishness. As a drunkard drifts between sleep and waking, his mumbled thoughts serve as a severe warning about the immense difficulty of breaking free from the grip of wine.

The intoxicated person undergoes a process of physical decline and complete sensory loss. At first, he notes that he was beaten, yet he claims that he suffered no sickness or lasting damage. As his condition worsens, he absorbs severe, crushing blows. However, because he is completely disconnected from reality, he feels no pain and has no idea who is striking him [אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם].

This profound numbness leads to a deeply distorted reaction. The primary approach among commentators is that the drunkard completely ignores the harm he has endured. Since he did not feel the pain as it happened, he dismisses the beatings as meaningless and finds no reason to stop drinking [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another perspective suggests an even deeper level of denial, where the drunkard actually praises the wine and views it as a form of medicine. In his mind, if he had been sober while absorbing such crushing blows, he would have broken down and died. Because the wine masked his suffering, he mistakenly concludes that the drink is actually strengthening, healing, and protecting him [אלשיך, עמנואל הרומי].

Trapped in this twisted logic, the drunkard asks only one question: when will he fully wake up from his stupor so he can find more wine? Rather than feeling disgust over his pain and humiliation, his only desire is to wake up so he can endlessly chase his next drink [אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם].

Ultimately, this physical depiction of drunkenness acts as a broader metaphor for all material and physical addictions. It illustrates how a person can sink into foolishness, absorbing severe damage without even realizing it, only to return and seek out those same harmful desires time and time again [אמרי דעת].