Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) with Translated Commentaries

Kohelet. [He was called Kohelet] because he gathered [=קִהֵל] much wisdom, and similarly, elsewhere [Scripture] calls him, “Agur Bin Yokeh,” because he gathered [אָגַר] all the wisdom and spewed [וַהֲקִיאָהּ] it out, and some say that he would say all his words in public assembly [=בְּהַקְהֵל].

Kohelet. This refers to the concept of gathering and collecting, like the congregation of Jacob (Deuteronomy 33:4), and King Solomon was referred to [as Kohelet], because he gathered the conflicting opinions to merge and clarify the correct from the incorrect.

Vanity. [...] Seven vanities [are mentioned], corresponding to the seven days of creation.

Vanity of vanities, says Kohelet - That is, in this book, Kohelet warns people to melt away the vanities, and he emphasizes that one should treat vanities like mist. For that which produces nothing of lasting value is indeed vanity....

Vanity of vanities, says Kohelet, vanity of vanities, all is vanity - the early sages explained that if a poor person, who had never seen luxury or the pleasures of the world, tried to admonish the people not to seek those pleasures because they are vanity, they would laugh at him....

But it was the wise king, who had experienced every luxury and pleasure, who said this. Since Kohelet was the one to say "vanity of vanities", that made it obvious that it was so....

Beneath the sun. Instead [=תַּחַת] of the Torah, which is called light, as it is stated, “and the Torah is light.” All the labor which he does instead of engaging in Torah study, what reward does it yield?

One generation goes, etc. - Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Levi bar Sisi said, there is no day on which 600,000 babies aren't born and 600,000 people die. What is the source? As it says, one generation goes and one comes, and next to that it says, the sun rises and the sun sets....

One generation goes, etc. - Let each generation that comes in your days, and each sage in your days, be to you like the generation that has gone and like the first sages that you encountered....

This teaches you that the judge of your generation is to be esteemed just like the judge of the earlier generations.

The sun rises, etc. - Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said, don't we already know that the sun rises and sets? Why does he write this? It is to teach us that before the sun sets on one righteous person, it rises on another. As the sun set on Sarah, it rose on Rebecca, as it says, Bethuel begat Rebecca, and after that it says that Sarah died. And so it is in every generation.

All such things are wearisome - this refers to wastes of time, which weary a person....

That which has been is what will be, etc. In whatever he learns, in a matter that is an exchange for the sun, there is nothing new. He will see only that which already was, which was created in the six days of creation. But one who engages in the study of Torah constantly finds new insights therein, as the matter is stated, “her breasts will satisfy you at all times.” Just as this breast, whenever the infant feels it, he finds a taste in it, so are the words of Torah, and likewise we find in Tractate Chagigah, that Rabbi Eliezer son of Horkenos said things that the ear had not heard, concerning the account of the “Celestial Chariot.”

Sometimes there is a phenomenon - Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, everything that a veteran scholar will teach one day was already given as law to Moses at Sinai....

I, Kohelet - Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzhak said, this should have been written at the beginning of the book. Why is it written here? Because there is no early or late in Torah.

I, Kohelet, was king. Over the whole world, and later, over Israel, and then, over Jerusalem alone, and finally, only over my walking staff, for it says, “[I] was king ... in Jerusalem,” but now, I am no longer king.

Midrash Mishley 16 tells the following: When Solomon lost his throne he was forced to go begging. Whenever he would come to the door of some house he would identify himself saying: “I am Kohelet, and I used to be king in Jerusalem.” Once he met two men who used to know him when he was king. One of them bowed down before him and accorded him the honor due to a king. He invited him to share a meal with him on that day. He took him home to the upper floor of his home and served him a fatted ox. During the meal his host reminded Solomon of the times when he used to be king over Israel in Jerusalem. Solomon broke out crying because he had been reminded of his past glory and contrasted it with his present circumstances. In the end, he could not even eat the meal because he felt so depressed. When he met the other man whom he used to know, this one too bowed down before him and he too invited Solomon to dine with him on that day. Solomon asked him if he too was going to remind him of all the glory he used to enjoy, etc, just as his other one time friend had done. The host replied that he was only a poor man and that the only kind of meal he was able to offer the erstwhile king was vegetable soup, etc. Solomon accompanied the man to his house. They arrived there, his host washed his hands and feet for him and served him a simple meal. During the meal he made a point of consoling Solomon over what he had lost. He said: “My lord king, God has sworn an oath to your father David that the kingdom of Israel would not depart from his descendants. The scriptural verse he quoted (Psalms 132,11) was: “the Lord swore to David a firm oath that He will not renounce, ‘One of your own issue I will set upon your throne’”. He explained to Solomon that it was the custom of God to subject a man to afflictions when He wanted to discipline him but to relate to him with goodwill again after He had done so. He added that God subjects particularly those whom He loves to such trials and tribulations, just as a father does when he wants to discipline his child (Proverbs 3,12). His host added that he was certain that God would restore his kingdom to Solomon. When Solomon heard these words he felt greatly encouraged and enjoyed this meal of simple vegetable soup far more than the meal he had been served on the day before. When his kingdom was eventually restored to him, he recorded his feelings on the matter in the verses we have quoted from Proverbs.

To probe with wisdom - to tour [with] wisdom....Alternatively, to make a name for wisdom.

All the happenings - except for teshuvah and good deeds.

With regard to the possibility to compensate for a prayer that he failed to recite at its appointed time, the Gemara raises an objection based on what was taught in a baraita. The meaning of the verse: “That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered” (Ecclesiastes 1:15), is as follows: That which is crooked cannot be made straight refers to one who omitted the evening Shema and the morning Shema, or the evening prayer, or the morning prayer. And that which is wanting cannot be numbered [lehimanot] refers to one whose friends reached a consensus [nimnu] to perform a mitzvah and he was not part of their consensus [nimnu] and, consequently, he missed his opportunity to join them in performance of the mitzvah. This baraita clearly states that there is no way to compensate for a missed prayer.

And furthermore, Rabbi Eliezer said: One who did not eat a meal on the evening of the first day of the Festival should compensate with a meal on the evening of the last day of the Festival, on the Eighth Day of Assembly, despite the fact that he will not eat it in the sukkah. And the Rabbis say: There is no compensation for this matter, and with regard to similar cases where it is impossible to rectify failure to fulfill a positive mitzvah, it is stated: “That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered” (Ecclesiastes 1:15).

That which is crooked. During his lifetime. He will not be able to straighten it after he dies. Whoever toiled on the eve of Shabbat will eat on Shabbat....

Crooked, etc. - The world to come is like Shabbat, while this world is like the day before Shabbat. If one doesn't prepare on the day before Shabbat, what will he/she eat on Shabbat? Hence, that which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is lacking cannot be made good.

That which is crooked - Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai says, we only call crooked someone who was honest originally and then became crooked. Who is this? A scholar who departs from the Torah.

I understand now, that also wisdom has frustration in it, for in great wisdom, a person relies on his great wisdom and does not distance himself from the prohibition, and much vexation comes to the Holy One, Blessed Is He. I said, “I will get many horses, but I will not return the people to Egypt,” but ultimately, I returned. I said, “I will take many wives, but they will not turn my heart away,” but it is written about me, “his wives swayed his heart.” And similarly it states that he relied on his great wisdom and did many things, as it is stated, “the words of this man to Itieil, because God is with me, I will be able.”

For as wisdom grows, etc. - so long as one increases wisdom, one increases in anger. And the more one grows in knowledge, the more one's sufferings increase, as Solomon said: "For as wisdom grows, vexation grows; to increase learning is to increase heartache."

I said to myself. Since that is so, I will refrain from wisdom, and I will indulge in drinking all the time.

I will treat you to merriment, etc. - Rabbi Pinhas said, I will treat and I will treat - I will try with words of Torah, and I will try with words of heresy. I will flee words of heresy for words of Torah, and see the good - the goodness of Torah. If so, why say that this, too, is vanity? Because all of the Torah that one learns in this world is vanity when compared with the Torah of the next world. In this world, one learns Torah and forgets, but in the future that will come, it says (Jeremiah 31:33), "I will give them my Torah in their midst."

I will treat you to merriment, etc. - The Rabbis say....all tranquility that one sees in this world is vanity when compared with the tranquility of the world to come. In this world, one dies, and bequeaths his tranquility to another. But in the world to come, it says (Isaiah 65:22), "They shall not build only to have others dwell."

To laughter I said, in time of affliction. It is mockery; and to mirth, what profit is it to the man who indulges in it?

And my heart conducted itself with wisdom. Even if my body is inclined to wine, my heart conducts itself with wisdom and Torah observance.

Tempt with wine, etc. - with the wine of Torah.

My mind directing with wisdom - with the wisdom of Torah....

I multiplied good works in Jerusalem. I built houses; that is, the temple, to make atonement for Israel, and a royal palace, and the conclave, and the porch, and a house of judgment of hewn stones, where the sages sit and the judges give judgment; I made a throne of ivory for the throne of royalty; I planted vineyards in Yavne, that I and the Rabbis of the Sanhedrin might drink wine, and also to make libations of wine, new and old, upon the altar.

I made watered gardens and parks, and I sowed there all kinds of herbs, some for food, some for drink, and some for medicine, and all kinds of aromatics; I planted therein sterile trees, and aromatic trees, which the spectres and evil spirits brought me from India, and all kinds of fruit-bearing trees ; and its boundary was from the wall of the city of Jerusalem to the margin of the river Shiloah;

Every kind of fruit tree. For Shlomo with his wisdom recognized the veins of the earth: which vein goes to Cush, and there he planted peppers; which one goes to a land of carobs, and there he planted carob trees. For all the veins of the lands come to Zion, from where the world was founded, as it is stated, “Out of Zion, perfect beauty.” Therefore, it is stated, “every kind of fruit tree.” [This is found] in Midrash Tanchuma.

Also my wisdom. Also, I did not forsake my wisdom because of all these affairs, and it remained with me and I did not forget it. Another explanation: it stood by me to aid me against all these.

Than anyone before me - and who was before him? David, his father.

For what value is the man who would come after the king. To supplicate him concerning a decree that they decreed upon him, and they already executed the decree and it is already in effect. It is better for him to consider at first his actions, and he would not find it necessary to appeal.

The wise man, his eyes are in his head. In the beginning [=בְּרֹאשׁוֹ] of the matter, he contemplates the end results.

The wise man reflects in the beginning what there will be at last, and prays and averts the evil decree from the world; while the fool walks in darkness; and I also know that if the wise man does not pray and avert the evil decree from the world, when retribution shall come upon the world, the same destiny shall befall them all.

The wise man, his eyes are in his head - and do fools have their eyes in their legs? Rather, when a wise person considers a matter, he can see its outcome.

And I said in my heart, a destiny like that of Saul, the son of Kish, the king, who turned aside, and did not keep the commandment given to him about Amalek, and the kingdom was taken from him, will also befall me; and how then am I wiser than he? And I said in my heart, that also this is vanity, and there is nothing except the decree of the Lord.

And I said to myself, etc. Since they will both die, perhaps I will think in my heart from now on that as it happens to the wicked man, so will it happen to me, so why should I be righteous?

Then I said to myself. If I think like this, that is vanity, for the remembrances of the wise man and the fool are not equal. After their deaths, both of them will not be remembered together, for this one will be remembered for good, and this one will be remembered for evil.

For the remembrance of the wise man is not with the fool in the world to come, for after the death of a man, that which happened long ago in his lifetime, when the days come follow him after his death, everything will be disclosed; and why, then, do people say that the end of the righteous is like that of the wicked?

And I hated all evil life, because the evil work which is done against people under the sun in this world displeased me, for it is all vanity, and breaking of spirit.

And who knows, etc. - Rabbi Meir would earn three selas weekly. He would eat and drink with one, and obtain shelter with one, and support the Rabbis with one. His students said to him, Rabbi, what will remain for your children? He said to them, if they will be righteous, hasn't David already said, "I have not seen the righteous abandoned [and his children begging for bread]." And if not, why should I give anything of mine to the enemies of the Presence? This is why Solomon said, "And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish and control all my wealth?"

I turned, etc. - I turned myself to stop my heart from toil, and said again, just as others have toiled for me, so, too, will I toil for others.

There is nothing better for a man but that he eat, drink, and make his soul see good in people, in order to do the commandments, to walk in the straight path before him, so that it may be well with him from his labour; also this I saw, that if a man prospers in this world, it is from the hand of the Lord, who decrees it so for him.

That he eat and drink - Rabbi Yonah said, all eating and drinking in this book refers to Torah and good deeds....

For everything there is a season. Let not one who accumulates possessions out of vanity rejoice, for although he possesses them now, they will ultimately pass on to the righteous, only the time has not yet arrived, for everything has a set time¹The word עת [=time] is repeated 29 times in this section, corresponding to the number of days in a lunar month. when it will be²I.e., nothing is coincidental, rather there is a specific time for everything (Metsudat David). Alternatively, one should not say that he has no time for Torah study or the performance of Mitzvot, because in reality לכל זמן, there is time for everything when, ועת לכל חפץ, if it is for an activity that he really desires [=חפץ], there is always time. (Kehilat Yaakov).

To every thing there is a season - that is, nothing happens by chance....

A time to be born, etc. - what is a time to be born and a time to die? [For all these times are mentioned as though a person may choose when to do them. But this is difficult: how can birth and death have fixed times? They are not in a person's control. We do not decide when to be born or to die....The explanation is that it is truly in our power to strive to be free of sin at the time of our death as we were at the time of our birth.]....

A time to kill, etc. - in a time of war, and a time to heal in a time of peace; a time for tearing down is during wartime, and a time for building up is during peace.

A time to mourn. In the days of mourning.

A time to weep, etc. - a time to weep during mourning, and a time to laugh when mourning has been completed...

[...It is forbidden to mourn a loved one excessively...Even one who still feels sadness must not keep mourning, because there is a time for every thing....]

An opportune time to throw away a heap of stones, and an opportune time to gather stones for a building; an opportune time to embrace a wife, and an opportune time to abstain from embracing her, in the seven days of mourning.

An opportune time to wish for riches, and an opportune time to lose riches; an opportune time to keep merchandise, and an opportune time to throw merchandise into the sea, during a great storm.

A time to seek. As the matter is stated, “I will seek the lost,” concerning the scattered among Israel.

And a time to abandon. And a time when God causes them to be lost in exile, as it is stated, “And you will become lost among the nations.”

An opportune time to tear the garment for the dead, and an opportune time to sew together the torn pieces; an opportune time to be silent and not to rebuke, and an opportune time to speak words of reproof.

A time to rip apart. The kingship of the House of David, [as it is stated,] “And I tore the kingship, etc.”

A time to be silent. These are the times when a person is silent and receives a reward, as it is stated, “and Aaron was silent,” and he [therefore] merited that the Divine speech addressed him personally, as it is stated, “And the Lord spoke to Aaron, [saying] ‘Do not drink intoxicating wine.’”

An opportune time to love each other, and an opportune time to hate the wicked; an opportune time to make war, and an opportune time to restore peace.

What benefit [then] has the worker. What is the benefit of the one who does evil, in all that he labors? He too, his time will come, and all [his ill-gotten gains] will be lost.

Beautiful in its time. In its proper time, it is beautiful that reward be given for good deeds, but at the time of evil, it is appropriate for meting out punishment for evil deeds....

He has set in their heart, etc. Also the wisdom of the world that He instilled into the hearts of mankind, He did not instill it all into each one’s heart, rather a little to this one and a little to that one, in order that man should not fully grasp the workings of the Holy One, Blessed Is He, to know it; [and thereby] he will not know the day of his visitation [death] and on what he will stumble, in order that he put his heart to repent, so that he will be concerned and say [to himself], “Today or tomorrow I will die.” Therefore, ‘הָעֹלָם’ is written here defectively [i.e., without a ‘vav’], an expression of “hidden,” for if man knew that the day of his death was near, he would neither build a house nor plant a vineyard. Therefore, he says that, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” The fact that there is a time for death is a beautiful thing, for a person optimistically says [to himself], “Perhaps my death is far off,” and he builds a house and plants a vineyard; and it is beautiful that it is concealed from people.

King Solomon said by the spirit of prophecy, I know that there is nothing good among the children of men but that they rejoice in the joy of the law and do good in the days of their life.

I know. Now, since the time of visitation [death] is concealed, that there is nothing better for man than to rejoice with his portion and to do that which is good in his Creator’s eyes, while he is yet alive.

Fear of Heaven is like a treasurer [gizbar] to whom they gave keys to the inner doors of the treasury but they did not give keys to the outer door. With what key will he enter? Although the Torah is the inner key, without fear of Heaven one cannot gain access to the genuine Torah. Similarly, Rabbi Yannai would proclaim: Woe unto one who does not have a courtyard, and who makes a fence for the courtyard, i.e., a person who lacks fear of Heaven and is nevertheless involved in Torah study. Rav Yehuda said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, only created His world so that people would fear before Him, as it is stated: “And God has so made it that men should fear before Him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

In the place of justice, etc. I saw with the Holy Spirit, the place of the Chamber of Hewn Stone in Jerusalem, which was, “full of justice,” there they judge wickedly, as it is stated, “Her leaders judge for bribes,” and I saw their punishment.

I said in my heart, etc. Therefore, I say everything is judged by the Holy One, Blessed Is He, in due time, and even though the matter [appears] delayed, it will eventually reach its time, for there is a time for everything. Even for retribution and for the visitation of judgement there is a time that comes.

I said in my heart concerning people, as to the chastisements and evil events which come upon them, God sends these to try and to prove them, to see whether they will return in repentance and be forgiven and healed. But the wicked who are like beasts do not repent; therefore, they are reproved thereby to their own condemnation.

Master of all worlds! Not upon our merit do we rely in our supplication, but upon your limitless love. What are we? What is our life? What is our piety? What is our righteousness? What is our attainment, our power, our might? What can we say, Lord our God and God of our ancestors? Compared to You, all the powerful are nothing, the famous, insignificant. The wise lack wisdom; the clever lack reason. Our actions, for all their profuseness, are meaningless; the days of our lives, emptiness. Human preeminence over beasts is an illusion when all is seen as futility.

Who knows. As in, “Whoever knows, let him repent.” One who understands knows that the spirit of man ascends on high and stands in judgment, and the spirit of the beast descends to the earth, and does not have to give a justification and reckoning. [Therefore,] one must not behave like a beast, which does not [have to] care about its deeds.

All the oppressed. Who were made to be oppressed in Gehinnom for the deeds that were committed.

The fool folds, etc. - To what may this be compared? To two people who toiled in Torah. One toiled and became better, while the other toiled and left. After a while, the one who left saw the one who improved standing in the company of tzaddikim, while he, the one who left, was in the company of evildoers. Immediately, he began to fold his hands and eat his flesh.

The fool folds, etc. - This world is like Friday, and the world to come is like Shabbat. Whoever prepares on Friday has food to eat on Shabbat, and whoever does not prepare on Friday ends up grinding his teeth and eating his flesh, as it says, "The fool folds his hands and eats his flesh."

Better is a handful, etc. - Better is one who gives even a little tzedakah from his own than one who robs and steals and cheats but gives great sums to charity....

One who is alone, etc. - this is the Holy One, as it is said, "God is one" - and there is no other. There is no partner to God.

Neither son nor brother - this is Israel, who are called God's children, as it is said, "You are children to the Lord your God". And they are called brothers, as it is said (Psalm 122), "For the sake of my brothers and friends."

There is no end to his work - to all that God did in the six days of creation.

For whom do I labor and deny myself - if the righteous do not do mitzvot and good deeds before God, is this not futility in the world that God created?

Than one. Therefore, a person should acquire for himself a companion and marry a woman, for they will have a greater return from their labor. Much work is accomplished by two, because [there are tasks that] an individual would not start on his own.

Two are better, etc. - Two are better than one when engaging in Torah, for if one of them falters, the other will lift him up. If one of them forgets a halakhah, his partner will remind him. A threefold cord is not readily broken refers to their rabbi, who corrects them both.

Two are better, etc. - Two are better than one when engaging in business. If one of them falters and is at risk, the other will lift him up. A threefold cord is not readily broken refers to when there are three partners.

Two are better, etc. - Rabbi Yohanan said, two are better refers to a man and wife. Than one refers to each one being alone. And the threefold cord refers to the Holy One, who blesses them with children.

They can be warm. [To be understood] according to its apparent meaning, regarding male and female, who are aroused by one another and procreate.

A threefold cord, etc. - It is taught, Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says, whoever has tefillin on his head and arm, tzitzit on his garment, and a mezuzah on his doorpost is deemed unlikely to sin, as it is said, a threefold cord is not readily broken.

Is not readily broken - Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzhak said, if a man has kept himself from sin once, twice, and three times, from that point the Holy One keeps him [from sinning], as it is written (Job 33), Truly God does all these things two or three times to a man.

Rabbi Zeira said, provided that he does not repent/repeat. What is the reason? It says, a threefold cord is not readily broken - not that it can never be broken. If it is stretched enough, it will break.

Better - this is Abraham, who is the poor youth, and in whom was the spirit of prophecy from the Lord, and to whom the Lord was known when three years old, and who would not worship an idol—than the wicked Nimrod, who was an old and foolish king. And because Abraham would not worship an idol, Nimrod threw him into the burning furnace. A miracle was performed for Abraham by the Lord of the world, who delivered him from the furnace. Even after this, Nimrod had no sense to be admonished not to worship the idol that he worshipped before.

They say that for the first thirteen years [of a person’s life] the Evil Urge is greater than the Good Urge. There in his mother’s womb, a person’s Evil Urge grows with him. [After he emerges into the world,] he starts breaking the Sabbath, and nothing is there to stop him; [killing people, and nothing is there to stop him; going out to sin, and nothing is there to stop him.]
After thirteen years, the Good Urge is born. Then when he breaks the Sabbath, it says to him: Empty one! Isn’t it written (Exodus 31:14), “One who breaks it will surely die”? When he kills, it says to him: Empty one! Isn’t it written (Genesis 9:6), “One who spills the blood of a person, his own blood will be spilled”? When he goes out to sin, it says to him: Empty one! Isn’t it written (Leviticus 20:16), “Both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death”?
When a person heats himself up, and then goes to commit some act of lewdness, all of his limbs will obey him, because the Evil Urge rules over all 248 limbs. When he goes to perform a mitzvah, his limbs begin to grow lazy, because the Evil Urge in his stomach rules over all 248 of a person’s limbs. The Good Urge, meanwhile, is like someone trapped in a prison, as it says (Ecclesiastes 4:14), “From the prison, he comes forth to rule” – that is the Good Urge.
Some say, that verse refers to Joseph the Righteous, when that wicked woman came and tortured him with words. She said to him: I will lock you up in prison! He said to her: But God releases the bound. She said to him: I will poke out your eyes! He said: God gives sight to the blind. She said to him: I will bend you down! He said to her: God straightens the bent. (She said to him: I will make you into a wicked man! He said to her: God loves the righteous. She said to him: I will make you an Aramean! He said to her: God protects the strangers. Until finally he said [Genesis 39:9], “How can I do this evil thing?”)
And do not be surprised at Joseph the Righteous. For behold, Rabbi Tzadok was the greatest of his generation when he was captured. And a matron took him and presented before him a beautiful maidservant. When he saw her, he turned his eyes to the wall so he would not see her. And he sat and recited his learning the whole night. In the morning, the maidservant left and complained to her mistress: I would rather die than be given to that man! The matron sent for him and said to him: Why didn’t you do with this woman as all people do? He said to her: What can I do? I come from the lineage of the high priest, from a great family! I said to myself, Perhaps I will sleep with her and increase mamzerim in Israel! When she heard this, she commanded he be released with great honor. (And they say:) Do not be surprised at Rabbi Tzadok. For behold, Rabbi Akiva was greater than him! When he went to Rome, informers slandered him to a local prefect, who then presented before him two beautiful women. [The prefect] bathed and anointed them dressed them up like brides, and they fell upon [Rabbi Akiva] the whole night. This one said: Come to me! And that one said: Come to me! But he sat between them and spat, and would not turn to them. They went before the prefect and said to him: We would rather die than be given to that man! He sent for [Rabbi Akiva] and said to him: Why didn’t you do with those women as all people do with women? Weren’t they beautiful? And weren’t they human beings just like you? Didn’t the One who created you create them as well? [Rabbi Akiva] said: What could I do? Their scent was worse to me than carcasses and vermin! And do not be surprised at Rabbi Akiva....

There was no end to all the house of Israel, to all the righteous before whom he ruled; but they advised him in their wisdom to lighten their yoke, and he in his folly went and took counsel with the youth, and they in their folly, advised him to make heavier the yoke of his kingdom upon the people of the house of Israel, and he left the advice of the aged, and followed the advice of the latter; but these latter ones were afterwards confounded and displeased with him, and they caused him to flee, so that the ten tribes should separate from him; and the wicked Jeroboam ruled over them; I said this too is vanity for Rehoboam my son, and breaking of spirit to him.

A person should not enter the Temple Mount with money bundled in his cloak, and with dust on his feet, and with his money-belt tied on him on the outside as it is said, “Watch your feet when you go to the House of God …” (Ecclesiastes 4:17)

(Not a translation, but an explanation)

JewishDestiny.com -

In the 1060s, the community of Morocco was reeling from the radical persecutions of the Almohadin Moslems, who demanded that Jews either leave, convert, or die. This led many people to practice Judaism secretly, the predecessors of the famous Marranos. They rationalized their public adherence to Islam by saying that Islam is not idol worship. However, a certain sage wrote to them and said that they are all idol worshippers who are constantly transgressing the Torah, and they will therefore not receive reward for their Mitzvot done in secret. Additionally, he declared that anyone who even says that Mohammed is a true prophet is considered a denier of God’s existence. This made many people in the Moroccan community decide either to give themselves up or die Al Kiddush Hashem (In Sanctification of God’s name), or convert to Islam.

The Rambam was furious about this sage’s remarks, which he found totally incorrect, and wrote a letter of reassurance to the Jews of Morocco refuting these remarks. In the letter, he rebuked the sage’s ignorance, and told the Jews of Morocco that they had not transgressed these serious prohibitions and were, in fact, allowed to live this double life under the circumstances. However, he advised them to leave and find a place where they could freely practice the Mitzvot. The Rambam wrote this letter at the age of twenty-seven.

In the letter, Rambam quotes our verse in his condemnation of the wordy opinion by the first rabbi who, he said, showed his ignorance by using so many words to express it. That first rabbi made no distinction between people voluntarily worshipping idols and those who were under the threat of death by sword if they didn't outwardly embrace Islam, and Rambam writes that this is a serious error.

[...]It is therefore proper for one who would steer his course of life aright to shun their company [of foolish gossipers] and refrain from talking with them, that he should not be caught in the net of evil and arrogant men. The company of wicked mockers follows this usage: At the outset, they indulge in much idle talk, as it is written: "A fool's voice comes with a multitude of words" (Ecclesiastes 5:2). Thereupon they fall into discrediting the upright, as it is written: "Let dumbness strike the lying lips that speak insolence against the just" (Psalm 31:19). Then they get into the habit of talking against the prophets and discrediting their words, as it is written: "They mocked God's messengers, despised his words, and derided his prophets" (II Chronicles 36:16). Then they come to speak against God and to deny the very principle of religion, as it is written: "The Israelites devised things that were not right against the Lord their God" (II Kings 17:9). It is written moreover: "They set their mouthings against heaven, and their tongue roams the earth" (Psalm 73:9). What caused them to set their mouthings against heaven? Their tongue, which first roamed the earth. Such is the conversation of the wicked, occasioned by their sitting at street corners, the meeting places of the ignorant, and the company of drunkards in the taverns. The conversation of worthy Jews, on the other hand, is permeated with words of Torah and wisdom. For this reason, God lends them aid and bestows wisdom upon them, as it is written: "When those who revered the Lord spoke to each other, the Lord heeded and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and adhered to him" (Malachi 3:16).

This is as it is taught in a baraita with regard to the verse “Better that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:4), that better than both this and that is one who does not take a vow at all. This is the statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: Better than both this and that is one who vows and pays. Consequently, Rabbi Meir advocates abstaining from all vows and Rabbi Yehuda advocates making vows and fulfilling them, but neither of them distinguishes between vows and gift offerings. The mishna, however, indicates that virtuous people do not make vows but do bring gift offerings.

Don't let, etc. - Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi likened this verse to those who proclaim charity in public but do not give.

And don't plead before the messenger - this is the hazan.

that it was an error - I changed my mind.

lest God be angered by your talk - your talk in which you pledged to give. [...]

Similarly, Rabbi Ḥanan said: Even if the master of dreams, in a true dream, an angel tells a person that tomorrow he will die, he should not prevent himself from praying for mercy, as it is stated: “For in the multitude of dreams and vanities there are many words; but fear God” (Ecclesiastes 5:6). Although the dream may seem real to him, that is not necessarily the case, and one must place his trust in God.

And he who loves abundance. Of many commandments.

Sweet is the sleep of the laborer. One who tills the soil sleeps, and he enjoys his sleep, whether he eats little or a lot, for he is already used to it. But the satiety of the rich...

will not permit him to sleep. But the satiety of possessions of the rich man, who owns much merchandise, does not allow him to sleep because he thinks about it all night. Another explanation: The year [Hebrew: shnat, translated above as "sleep"] of the one who serves God is sweet; whether he has a short life or a long life, he will partake of his reward, the one [who lives few years] like the one who [lives] many [years]. [E.g.,] Moshe led Yisrael forty years, and Shmuel the prophet led them ten years, and Scripture equates them one to another, as it is stated, “Moshe and Aharon among His kohanim, and Shmuel among those who invoke His name, etc.” So is it expounded upon in Tanchuma.

And behold that which I have seen good for people, and that which is comely for them to do in this world, that they eat and drink from their labours, in order not to put forth the hand to oppression and rapine, and to keep the words of the law, and to have compassion on the poor, so that they may see good in all their labours wherewith they labour in this world under the sun, the number of the days of a man's life, which God in his providence gives to him; for this is his portion, and none's beside him.

To take his share. At his death, that he merited to engage in Torah [study] and in [the performance of] commandments during his life, which will enable him to receive reward.

Does not give him the power. Because he did not achieve [knowledge of] Gemara, he consequently has no benefit from his studies in any practical decision-making [literally, teaching].

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana went to a certain place where he found Rabbi Levi sitting and preaching: A man to whom God gives riches, and properties, and honor, and nothing is missing of anything he might desire, but God does not let him take possession to eat from it, for a stranger will eat from it. Riches, that is Scripture. Properties, these are laws. And honor, these are the additions. And nothing is missing of anything he might desire, these are the great Mishnah collections, such as the Mishnah of Rabbi Ḥuna, the Mishnah of Rabbi Hoshaia, or the Mishnah of Bar Qappara. But God does not let him take possession to eat from it, that is the master of Aggadah who neither prohibits nor permits, neither declares impure nor pure. For a stranger will eat from it, that is the master of Talmud. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana got up and kissed him on his head, saying, just as you were worthy to preach this standing, may you be worthy preaching this sitting.

And his soul is not sated. From that goodness, for he is not happy with his portion, to be satisfied with what is his.

According to the Midrash, this phrase refers to the soul which comes from Above and is not sated with physical pleasures. Rather, its needs are spiritual, e.g., studying Torah, performing mitzvot and doing good deeds.

Better off than he - it is like a parable, with two men on a ship. When they reached the shore, one got off and saw various kinds of food and drink and rest and tranquility. When he returned to the ship, his friend asked him what he saw. He answered, "I saw various kinds of food and drink and rest and tranquility." His friend asked, "Didn't you enjoy any of them?" "No," he said. "In that case," his friend responded, "I'm better off for not going and not seeing...."

Though he live. And if he had lived two thousand years, what advantage would he have, since he did not experience any pleasure? Will he not ultimately return to the dust like all the poor people?

Yet his appetite is never filled. This is a question; i.e., but this one, did he not even gratify his desire with a small pleasure? This is similar to, “I will satisfy my lust with them,” an expression of attaining a desire. And since this is so ... [see next verse]

Whatever has been has already been named. The stature and greatness that had been established during his [according to the Midrash, this refers to Adam] lifetime, “has already been named,” i.e., it already was and passed, he already had attained fame, and now it has passed, and it was made known that he was a man and not god, and his end was that he died, and he was unable to strive with the angel of death, who is more powerful than he.

Which he spends. Those deeds, in the limited time that he lives, for this time is as short as the shadow of a passing bird, and although Solomon said, “like a shadow,” in general, and did not specify whether the shadow of a palm tree, or the shadow of a wall, which are permanent, his father David had already explained it, “his days are like a passing shadow,” that this is the shadow of a flying bird. It is thus expounded in this manner in the Midrash.

Than to go to a house of feasting. [Where] the type of conduct serves only the living.

Upon going to a house of mourning, a person realizes that he, too, will be mourned when his time comes. This will cause him to be humbled and make him aware of sin. (Metsudat David)

For that is the end of all men. Because mourning marks the end of every person. Every person will ultimately come to this. Therefore, the living should take it to heart: whatever kindness I bestow upon the dead, I will need to be bestowed upon me upon my death. He who raises his voice in lamentation, they will raise their voices in lamentation for him; he who bears the dead, they will bear him; he who eulogizes, they will eulogize him; he who escorts the dead, they will escort him.

The heart of the wise mourns over the destruction of the Temple, and grieves over the captivity of the house of Israel; and the heart of fools is in the joy of the house of their scoffings; they eat and drink and fare sumptuously, and do not take to heart the affliction of their brethren.

Better to listen, etc. - Better to listen to the rebuke of a sage - these are the preachers. Than to hear the sound of fools - these are the translators, who raise their voices when singing for all to hear.

Under a pot. Under a copper pot turned over a fire of thorns, and they rattle into it. Rabbi Yehoshua the son of Levi said, that all [other] woods when they are kindled, their sound does not travel [far], but when thorns are kindled, their sound travels [far], as if to say, “We, too, are of wood”. They publicize, “We too are wood, and we are needed.” So do fools speak excessively, [as if] to say, “We, too, are important.”

Better the end of a thing than the beginning thereof, for in its beginning man knows not what its end will be, but the end of a good thing is known to a good man; and better before the Lord is a man who rules over his spirit and subdues his thoughts, than a man who walks in the pride of his spirit.

Another explanation: Better is the end of a matter than its beginning. When it is good from its beginning, [i.e.,] that they had good intentions when they started it...

We have a tradition based on Tana de bey Eliyahu Rabbah chapter 5 that when someone concludes his life on earth in a happy frame of mind his entire life may be considered as having been a happy one...Solomon has expressed a similar thought in Kohelet 7,8 when he said that "a good ending is better than a good beginning." [...]

It is good to have wisdom, etc. Their wisdom stood for them together with the heritage of the merit of their forefathers, for wisdom is good.

For as a man is sheltered under the shadow of wisdom, so he is sheltered under the shadow of money, when he does alms with it; and the advantage of knowing the wisdom of the law is that it raises its possessor from the grave for the world to come.

All this I saw in the days of my vanity, that from the Lord are decreed good and evil to be in the world, according to the planets under which the children of men are created; for there is a righteous man perishing in his righteousness in this world, and his merit is kept for him for the world to come; and there is a wicked man who prolongs his days in his guilt, and the account of his evil doings is kept for him for the world to come, to be requited for it in the day of the great judgment.

It is best that you grasp, etc. - this is Scripture. Without letting go of the other - this is Mishnah. For one who fears God will do his duty by both - like Rabbi Abahu in Caesarea.

For there is no righteous man in the land, who does good all his days, and sins not before the Lord; but the man who sins before the Lord, it behooves him to return in repentance before he dies.

See, this is what I have found, says Kohelet, adding one to another to find an accounting. All the commandments that the righteous perform, and the transgressions that the wicked commit, are counted before the Holy One, Blessed Is He, one [is placed next] to the other, and they combine to a large amount. So did our Rabbis explain it in Tractate Sotah.

There is another thing which my soul is still seeking, and I have not found, namely, a perfect and just man, without any corruption, as Abraham; from the days of the first Adam till the righteous Abraham was born, who was found faithful and just among the thousand kings that gathered together to build the tower of Babel? And a woman like Sarah, among all the wives of those kings, I have not found.

Truth is one. For example: Saying of a silver vessel that it is a silver vessel is the truth. But saying that it is a gold vessel is false. We see that the truth is one, because the only true statement one can make [about its substance] is that it is a silver vessel. Nothing more. Falsehood, on the other hand, is manifold. It could be said that it is a gold vessel, or a copper vessel, or any other designation. We see then that falsehood is the aspect of “they chased after many intrigues” (Ecclesiastes 7:29).

And who knows how to interpret things. As we find with Daniel, because of his wisdom - for he was wise in the fear of Heaven - secret solutions were revealed to him.

[Alternatively, reading pesher as compromise] Who is like Moshe, who brought about compromises between Israel and their Father in Heaven?

Rebbi Yehudah bar Ilai drank his four cups in the Passover night and had a headache until Sukkot. A lady saw that his face was shiny. She said to him, old man, old man, one of three things applies to you. Either you are drunk from wine, or you are lending on interest, or you are raising pigs. He answered her, this woman’s spirit shall be blown away, not one of these three things applies to me, but my learning is ever present with me, as it is written, a man’s wisdom illuminates his face. Rabbi Abbahu descended to Tiberias. The students of Rabbi Joḥanan saw that his face was shining. They said before Rabbi Yoḥanan, Rabbi Abbahu found a treasure. He asked them, why? They told him, his face is shining. He said to them, maybe he understood a new teaching. He came to visit him. He asked him, what new teaching did you hear? He said, an old Tosephta. He recited about him, a man’s wisdom illuminates his face.

And do so because of the oath to God. Which we swore to Him at Horev, to keep His commandments.

And in the time of the anger of the Lord do not cease to pray before him, tremble before him, go and pray and seek mercy from him, because you can not stand in an evil matter; for the Lord of all worlds, the Lord, will do what he pleases.

Rav Ḥinnana bar Idi said: Anyone who performs a mitzvah as it was commanded, others do not apprise him of bad tidings, as it is stated: “He who keeps the commandment shall know no evil thing” (Ecclesiastes 8:5).

These are the wishes of one’s wife: Rabbi Eliezer said: He should speak seductively to her at the time of intercourse. Rabbi Judah said: He should make her happy at the time when he is engaged in fulfilling the commandment towards her, as it is stated, One who keeps the commandment [for husbands to satisfy their wives] shall know no evil thing.

For every matter. When a person does what he likes and transgresses the law, a time to exact retribution [is cast], and justice and punishment are made ready.

Man has no power over the spirit. Over the spirit and inclination of the emissary of the Omnipresent [i.e. the angel of death], to retain and withhold from him the spirit in his body, so that the angel of death should not take it.

He has no power. [The power] of any king [is not] discernable on the day of his death. Everywhere [in Scripture] you find [that David is referred to as], “King David,” but on the day of his death [it states], “And the days of David drew near that he should die,” and no kingship is mentioned here.

Nor dispatch in battle. By saying, “I will send my son or my servant instead of me.”

And I applied my heart to [understand] all the work. And also to all mankind’s work I applied my mind, and I saw the time that a man ruled over another and overpowered him, and ultimately it turned to his own detriment. Amalek overpowered Israel, and ultimately [it states about Amalek], “and his end will be that he will be lost forever.” And the same happened to Pharaoh, and the same with Nebuchadnezzar, and the same with Sanheriv.

I have seen how the wicked were buried. In this prophecy, I saw wicked men buried, who were worthy of being buried in the dust, for they were held in contempt by the nations, about whom it is stated, “this people has never been,” and they ruled over the house [the Temple] of the Holy One, Blessed Is He, which is a holy place. And when they went from there to their land, they boasted in their city that they did such and such in the house of the Omnipresent. Do not read ‘וְיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ’, [=and they will be forgotten,] but ‘וְיִשְׁתַּבְּחוּ’, [=and they will boast]. So did our Rabbis of blessed memory expound it.

Concerning the forgetting, it is expounded as follows in the Aggadah: And ultimately, their name and their remembrance will be forgotten from that very city, that they did so therein, as it is stated, “I will gather all the nations [and I will take them down] to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.” In the place where they angered Him, He will mete out retribution upon them, and so it states, “O Lord, in the city, You will despise their form.”

Because the execution of sentence. Punishment for the evil deeds [is not done] quickly. For the Holy One, Blessed Is He, does not rush to exact retribution from the evildoers, and therefore, they think that there is no judgment, and they are encouraged to do evil.

[...] I know that it will be well in the world to come for those who fear the Lord...and do his will;

§ Rabbi Elazar said: Any Torah scholar who does not stand before his teacher is called wicked, and he will not live a long life, and his studies will be forgotten, as it is stated: “But it shall not be well for the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before [millifnei] God” (Ecclesiastes 8:13)...

There are righteous men. To whom evil happens [as though] they acted wickedly, and there are wicked to whom good happens [as though] they acted righteously. I said that this too is one of the vanities that prevails in the world. However, our Rabbis expounded it in a different manner in Tractate Horayot, but I am not satisfied with the words that the wise man concludes by saying, “This too is vanity.”

Rejoicing. That he should be happy with in his lot and engage in the upright commands that cause the heart to rejoice, and he should not be immersed in increasing his wealth by means of usury, interest and robbery. Whoever is not happy with his lot and is immersed in amassing wealth, eventually commits the sins of robbery, fraud, and usury. Also, one who is not happy with his lot in love for his wife is immersed in [a passionate lust for] women, and harbors sinful thoughts about married women.

To eat and drink. From that which the Holy One, Blessed Is He, graciously granted him, and to be happy with his lot. And the Midrash Aggadah [states], that all mention of “eating and drinking” in Kohelet refers only to the study of Torah...

There is no death without sin, as it is written: “The soul that sins, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:20). A person dies only because of his own sins and not because of some preexistent sin. And there is no suffering without iniquity, as it is written: “Then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with strokes” (Psalms 89:33).

The Gemara raises an objection from the following baraita: The ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, why did You penalize Adam, the first man, with the death penalty? He said to them: I gave him a simple mitzvah, and he violated it. They said to Him: Didn’t Moses and Aaron, who observed the whole Torah in its entirety, nevertheless die? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them, citing the verse: “All things come alike to all; there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him who sacrifices, and to him who does not sacrifice; as is the good, so is the sinner; and he who swears, as he who fears an oath” (Ecclesiastes 9:2). Apparently, death is not dependent upon one’s actions. Everyone dies.

The Gemara answers: Rav Ami stated his position in accordance with this tanna, as it was taught in a baraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Even Moses and Aaron died due to their sin, as it is stated: “And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: Because you did not believe in [better: were not faithful to] Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation in to the land which I have given them” (Numbers 20:12). Had you believed in [better: been faithful to] Me and spoken to the rock as commanded, your time would not yet have come to leave the world. Apparently, even Moses and Aaron died due to their sins.

All things come alike to all. All perceive that the same event happens to all mankind, and they know that ultimately each person is recompensed according to his ways.

The hearts of men are filled with evil. For they say that there is no judgment of retribution for the wicked. Everything is attributed to chance, sometimes for the righteous, and sometimes for the wicked.

For to him that is joined to all the living, there is hope. For as long as he lives, even if he is wicked and he associates with the wicked... there is hope that he will repent before his death.

For the lowliest person, as long as he is alive, can grow spiritually, whereas the wisest and most righteous who are dead cannot. (Metsudat David)

For the living know that they will die. And perhaps they will be mindful of the day of death, and they will repent of their ways, but once they die, they do not know anything, and they no longer earn reward for the actions that they do from their death and onwards, for “whoever toils on Friday will [have what to] eat on Shabbat.”

[Also] their jealousy. That they made the Holy One, Blessed Is He, jealous with the [idolatrous] work of their hands.

Solomon said by the spirit of prophecy from before the Lord, “The Master of the World will say to all the righteous ones individually, 'Go eat in joy your bread which was given to you, for the bread which you gave to the poor and the needy who were hungry, and drink with a happy heart your wine which is hidden for you in the Garden of Eden, in exchange for the wine which you mixed for the poor and needy who were thirsty. For God has already accepted your good deeds.'"

Abraham our forefather was tested with ten trials before the Holy Blessed One, and he emerged from each one complete....
And why so many? So that when Abraham our forefather comes to take his reward, the angels will say: More than us, more than anyone, Abraham deserves his reward, as it says (Ecclesiastes 9:7), “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart.”
Because Abraham was tested with ten trials [nisionot], and emerged from each one complete, the Holy Blessed One performed ten miracles [nissim] for his children in Egypt, and brought ten plagues, and performed ten more miracles at the sea, and brought ten more plagues upon the Egyptians at the sea....

The Gemara asks: And are non-Jews not rewarded for fulfilling those [seven Noahide] mitzvot? But isn’t it taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: From where is it derived that even a gentile who engages in Torah study is considered like a High Priest? The verse states: “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My ordinances, which if a person do, and shall live by them” (Leviticus 18:5). It is not stated: Priests, Levites, and Israelites, but rather the general term “person.” From here you learn that even a gentile who engages in the study of Torah is like a High Priest. This demonstrates that gentiles are rewarded for fulfilling mitzvot, despite the fact that they are not commanded to do so.

At all times let your garments be white without all stain of sin, and acquire a good name, which is compared to anointing oil, so that blessing may come upon your head and your goodness will not be lacking.

At all times, let your garments be white. Prepare yourself at all times with good deeds, so that if you die today, you will enter [the Hereafter] in peace. And Shlomo likened this to a man whom the king invited for a day of feast, without setting a date for him. If he is wise or clever, he will immediately launder his garments, bathe, and anoint himself. And similarly [he will do] tomorrow until such time that he will be summoned to the feast, all this time his garments are white [=laundered] and he is bathed and anointed. So did our Rabbis expound it in Tractate Shabbat.

The baraita further states that a father is commanded to teach his son a trade. The Gemara asks: From where do we derive this? Ḥizkiyya said: As the verse states: “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love” (Ecclesiastes 9:9). If this verse is interpreted literally, and it is referring to an actual woman, then one can derive as follows: Just as a father is obligated to marry his son to a woman, so too, he is obligated to teach him a trade, as indicated by the term: Life. And if the wife mentioned in this verse is allegorical, and it is the Torah, then one should explain the verse in the following manner: Just as he is obligated to teach him Torah, so too, he is obligated to teach him a trade.

Whatever charity your hand finds to do, do for the needy with all your strength, for after death a man has neither work nor reckoning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave where you are going and nothing will help you but good deeds and charity alone.

The words of the silent prayer of the sages are accepted by the Master of World more than the acceptance of the wicked man who rules over fools who entreats but is not accepted.

More than the shouts of a ruler of fools. Moshe passed away many years ago, yet his decrees are still accepted by Israel, and how many kings of the nations issue decrees over Israel, but their words do not endure.

Silence is a fence around wisdom (Avot 3:13); therefore shall one not reply in haste, and not speak much. One shall instruct his disciples with forebearance and calmness, without shouting and without circumlocution. That is what Solomon said: "The words of the wise men, spoken quietly, are heard" (Ecc. 9.17).

A person should view himself as though he were exactly half-liable and half-meritorious. In other words he should act as though the plates of his scale are balanced, so that if he performs one mitzva he is fortunate, as he tilts his balance to the scale of merit. If he transgresses one prohibition, woe to him, as he tilts his balance to the scale of liability, as it is stated: “But one sin destroys much good” (Ecclesiastes 9:18), which means that due to one sin that a person transgresses he squanders much good.

Dead flies decay and pollute, etc. [...]

So an insignificant thing spoiled a precious thing. So does a little foolishness outweigh wisdom and honor, for it outweighed them all. Suppose that a man was equally divided with transgressions and merits, and he came and committed one transgression, which tipped the scale [causing him] to be guilty. The result is that this foolishness which is small, is heavy and weighs, and is heavier than all the wisdom and honor that he possessed, for behold, it outweighed them all.

The heart of the wise is to attain the Torah which is given by the right hand of God, and the heart of the fools is to get possession of gold and silver.

If the spirit of the yetzer hara (evil inclination) rules over you and grows strong to overcome you, do not leave your good place where you used to stay, for the words of the Torah were created as a cure in the world so that great sins may be forgiven and forgotten before God.

Folly is set upon great heights. This is the evil that is like an error which goes forth from before the ruler, that foolishness and wickedness are placed on the loftiest heights, for the Holy One, Blessed Is He, elevated the fools and the wicked, for I see with the Holy Spirit, that they are destined to extend their hand upon His Temple and to make “their signs into signs.”

But the rich sit in low places. Israel, for despite all the greatness and honor that they have now in my days, they are destined to sit in a low place, as it is stated, “they sit on the ground, they are silent.”