Kohelet- Yirah

ByRabbi Margie Jacobs

Kohelet

קהלת י״ב:י״ג

(יג) ס֥וֹף דָּבָ֖ר הַכֹּ֣ל נִשְׁמָ֑ע אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים יְרָא֙ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתָ֣יו שְׁמ֔וֹר כִּי־זֶ֖ה כׇּל־הָאָדָֽם׃

Ecclesiastes 12:13

(13) The sum of the matter, when all is said and done: Revere God and observe His commandments! For this applies to all Humanity [for this what it is to be Human]:

קהלת י״ב:י״ד

כִּ֚י אֶת־כׇּל־מַֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים יָבִ֥א בְמִשְׁפָּ֖ט עַ֣ל כׇּל־נֶעְלָ֑ם אִם־ט֖וֹב וְאִם־רָֽע׃

Ecclesiastes 12:14

that God will call every creature to account for everything unknown,^-s be it good or bad.

סנהדרין כ״א ב:ט״ז

ואמר ר' יצחק מפני מה לא נתגלו טעמי תורה שהרי שתי מקראות נתגלו טעמן נכשל בהן גדול העולם כתיב (דברים יז, יז) לא ירבה לו נשים אמר שלמה אני ארבה ולא אסור וכתיב (מלכים א יא, ד) ויהי לעת זקנת שלמה נשיו הטו את לבבו

Sanhedrin 21b:16

And Rabbi Yitzḥak says: For what reason were the rationales of Torah commandments not revealed? It was because the rationales of two verses were revealed, and the greatest in the world, King Solomon, failed in those matters. It is written with regard to a king: “He shall not add many wives for himself, that his heart should not turn away” (Deuteronomy 17:17). Solomon said: I will add many, but I will not turn away, as he thought that it is permitted to have many wives if one is otherwise meticulous not to stray. And later, it is written: “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods” (I Kings 11:4).

קהלת ג׳:כ״א

(כא) מִ֣י יוֹדֵ֗עַ ר֚וּחַ בְּנֵ֣י הָאָדָ֔ם הָעֹלָ֥ה הִ֖יא לְמָ֑עְלָה וְר֙וּחַ֙ הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה הַיֹּרֶ֥דֶת הִ֖יא לְמַ֥טָּה לָאָֽרֶץ׃

Ecclesiastes 3:21

(21) Who knows if a man’s lifebreath does rise upward and if a beast’s breath does sink down into the earth?

רש"י על קהלת ג׳:כ״א:א׳

מִי יוֹדֵעַ. כְּמוֹ, "מִי יוֹדֵעַ יָשׁוּב". מִי הוּא אֲשֶׁר מֵבִין וְנוֹתֵן לֵב שֶׁרוּחַ בְּנֵי אָדָם הִיא הָעוֹלָה לְמַעְלָה וְעוֹמֶדֶת בְּדִין, וְרוּחַ הַבְּהֵמָה הִיא הַיּוֹרֶדֶת לְמַטָּה לָאָרֶץ, וְאֵין לָהּ לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן, וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁלֹּא לְהִתְנַהֵג כִּבְהֵמָה שֶׁאֵינָהּ מַקְפֶּדֶת עַל מַעֲשֶׂיהָ:

Rashi on Ecclesiastes 3:21:1

Who knows. As in, “Whoever knows, let him repent,” (as Rashi understands Jonah 3:9) One who understands, knows that “the spirit of man” ascends on high and stands in judgment, “while 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 that does not consider its actions.

DR: Rashi seems to understand the verse to say:

He who understands, knows that the spirit of man ascends on high while the spirit of the beast descends to the earth.

קהלת ט׳:י״ח

(יח) טוֹבָ֥ה חׇכְמָ֖ה מִכְּלֵ֣י קְרָ֑ב וְחוֹטֶ֣א אֶחָ֔ד יְאַבֵּ֖ד טוֹבָ֥ה הַרְבֵּֽה׃

Ecclesiastes 9:18

(18) Wisdom is more valuable than oEmendation yields “everything precious.”weapons of war,-o but a single error destroys much of value.

רש"י על קהלת ט׳:י״ח:ג׳

(ג) דָּבָר אַחֵר: וְחוֹטֶא אֶחָד יְאַבֵּד טוֹבָה הַרְבֵּה. הֲרֵי שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מֶחֱצָה צַדִּיקִים וּמֶחֱצָה רְשָׁעִים, וּבָא אֶחָד וְחָטָא וַעֲשָׂאָן מְרֻבִּים, נִמְצָא שֶׁהִכְרִיעַ אֶת כֻּלָּם לְחוֹבָה:

Rashi on Ecclesiastes 9:18:3

(3) Another explanation: But one sinner destroys a multitude of good. If Israel were half righteous and half wicked, and one person came and sinned and made [the wicked] the majority, the result would be that he weighed them all down to be guilty.

רש"י על קהלת ג׳:כ״א:א׳

Rashi on Ecclesiastes 3:21:1

Who knows. As in, “Whoever knows, let him repent,” [i.e., he] 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.