Why, who and what is Kohelet on Sukkot?

Rav Yehudah son of Rav Shmuel bar Shilat said in Rav's name: The Sages wished to hide the Book of Kohelet, because its words are contradictory. And why did they not hide it? Because it begins with words of Torah and it ends with words of Torah. It begins with words of Torah as it is written, What profit has man of all his labor that he labors under the sun (1:3)? And the School of R. Yannai commented: Under the sun he has none, but he has it [profit] before the sun. It ends with words of Torah, as it is written, Let us hear the conclusion of the matter, fear God, and keep his mitzvot: for this is the whole of man (12:13).

Rabbah said: As it says in the Torah: (Leviticus 23:43) "In order that your generations will know that I settled the children of Israel in sukkot." Until twenty amot, a person knows that he is dwelling in a sukkah [because his eye will catch sight of the roofing and remind him of the sukkah and its associated mitzvot]. Above twenty amot, a person does not know that he is dwelling in a sukkah, because it is not in his field of vision... Rava replied: From the following verse, "You shall dwell in sukkot for seven days" (Leviticus 23:42) the Torah declared: For seven days leave your permanent dwelling place and dwell in a temporary dwelling place. Up to twenty cubits [high] one makes his home a temporary one; higher than twenty cubits, one does not make his home temporary, but permanent.

(2) Transience of transiences, says Koheleth; Transience of transiences, all is transience. (3) What profit has man of all his labor that he labours under the sun? (4) One generation passes away, and another generation comes; and the earth stands for ever.

(1) I said in my heart: ‘Come now, I will try thee with mirth, and enjoy pleasure’; and, behold, this also was vanity. (2) I said of laughter: ‘It is mad’; and of mirth: ‘What doth it accomplish?’ (3) I searched in my heart how to pamper my flesh with wine, and, my heart conducting itself with wisdom, how yet to lay hold on folly, till I might see which it was best for the sons of men that they should do under the heaven the few days of their life. (4) I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; (5) I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit; (6) I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the wood springing up with trees; (7) I acquired men-servants and maid-servants, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem; (8) I gathered me also silver and gold, and treasure such as kings and the provinces have as their own; I got me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, women very many. (9) So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom stood me in stead. (10) And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart had joy of all my labour; and this was my portion from all my labour. (11) Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do; and, behold, all was transience and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun. (12) And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness and folly; for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. (13) Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. (14) The wise man, his eyes are in his head; But the fool walketh in darkness. And I also perceived that one event happeneth to them all. (15) Then said I in my heart: ‘As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?’ Then I said in my heart, that this also is transience. (16) For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will long ago have been forgotten. And how must the wise man die even as the fool! (17) So I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is transience and a striving after wind. (18) And I hated all my labour wherein I laboured under the sun, seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me. (19) And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is transience. (20) Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour wherein I had laboured under the sun. (21) For there is a man whose labour is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. (22) For what hath a man of all his labour, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboureth under the sun? (23) For all his days are pains, and his occupation vexation; yea, even in the night his heart taketh not rest. This also is transience.

(3) If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul have not enough of good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he; (4) for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness; (5) moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath gratification rather than the other; (6) yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and enjoy no good; do not all go to one place?

(15) So I commended mirth, that a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry, and that this should accompany him in his labour all the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun.

(5) For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. (6) As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is long ago perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. (7) Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, And drink thy wine with a merry heart; For God hath already accepted thy works. (8) Let thy garments be always white; And let thy head lack no oil. (9) Enjoy life with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which He hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity; for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labour wherein thou labourest under the sun. (10) Whatsoever thy hand attaineth to do by thy strength, that do; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (11) I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. (12) For man also knoweth not his time; as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.