Firmness: 'Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.' 'Do not turn to the right or the left' echoes the injunction to look straight ahead. Right and left suggest deviations, shortcuts, or attractive detours from the straight path. 'Keep your foot from evil' (sur raglycha me'ra) is the key: the young person must deliberately avoid what is wrong. The verse teaches that maintaining the path requires active refusal of alternative ways, no matter how attractive they appear. Firmness means consistency, not being swayed by circumstance or temptation.

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