Ecclesiastes · Chapter 2

I said to myself. Since that is so, I will refrain from wisdom, and I will indulge in drinking. I will try. אַנַסְּכָה is an expression of mixing wine [=מֶסֶךְ to drink, as in, “she mixed her wine,” the mixing of wine with water to improve it or the mixing of spices with wine for create a spiced wine. — Notes: (1) Alternatively, אנסכה means “I will test [=נסה].” (Metsudas Tzion); or “I will govern [=נסיך].” (Sforno) (2) Mishlei 9:2. And enjoy the good life. וּרְאֵה is the same as וּרְאוֹת [=to enjoy]. ) — Notes: (3) I.e., וראה is not a command. (Sifsei Chachomim And behold, this too was vanity. For I saw prophetically that much evil is caused by lighthearted frivolity, [e.g.,] Belshatzar died as a result of a banquet, [and] the people of the generation of the flood were inundated because of the abundant goodness that You bestowed upon them.

"I said" — He speaks with his own soul concerning the essence of madness. "Come now, I will try you with mirth" — [meaning:] if wisdom generates vexation, I will abandon [it] and return to occupy myself with matters of joy, and to pour out wine, as in the matter of "and drink of the wine that I have mixed" (Proverbs 9:5). And if these are two [different] roots — [in one reading] it is from the intensive conjugation, like "adabberah" (I will speak), and "va-yenasekh" (and he poured) is like "va-yedaber" (and he spoke). And some say that it ("anasekhah") is from the root "n-s-h" (to test), and the "kaf" [suffix] is used for the second person, as in the matter of "ansah otach" ("I will test you"), like "achavcha" ("I will declare to you," Job 15:17), "shema li" ("hear me"), "akankha" ("I have surnamed you") — "ve-lo yeda'tani" ("though you have not known Me") (Isaiah 45:4).

"I said in my heart" — I thought in my heart and said to myself: now, gird yourself for the matter of the test, for I will test you through engaging in joy and the sight of things pleasant and desirable to the eye that gladden the heart, to examine and see whether perhaps this is the right way. "and, behold" — but I understood that the matter of joy too is hevel (vanity).

"Come" (lekhah) — this is an expression of urging, like "and now come (lekhu), let us kill him" (Genesis 37:20) — but was not Joseph already coming to them? "Now" (na) — now (attah). "I will try you" (anaskhah) — from the language of trial and testing, meaning, "I will test you (anaseh otekha)," like "why (lammah akekah)" (2 Samuel 2:22), whose meaning is "[why should] I strike you (akkeh otekha)."

Of laughter I said it is senseless. Mixed with cries and sighs. — Notes: (4) Alternatively, ‘מהולל’ means praiseworthy [=הלל], referring to the joy and delight awaiting the righteous in the World to Come, which is indeed praiseworthy. See Maseches Shabbos 30b. And of joy, what does it [accomplish]? [What] good is it if it ends in grief.

"Of laughter" — I said concerning the one who inclines toward laughter that he is mad (meholal), and I said concerning mirth, "what does this accomplish? what benefit does it bring? what good does it do?" And the "lamed" [prefix, in "of laughter" and "of mirth"] is like the lamed in "say of me, he is my brother" (Genesis 20:13), and "Pharaoh said of the children of Israel" (Exodus 14:3).

"Of laughter" — for concerning the laughter that comes from joy, I said of it that it is madness; and concerning joy I said, "what benefit does this accomplish?"

"Mad" (meholal) — an expression of confusion/derangement.

I searched in my heart. I repeatedly searched in my heart to grasp them all, partying, wisdom, and folly, and to stimulate and to pamper my body by imbibing in wine. Every luxurious banquet is referred to as wine [=יַיִּן. And my heart conducted itself with wisdom. Even if my body is imbibed with wine, my heart conducted itself with wisdom and Torah observance. And to grasp foolishness. To things that appear foolish to me, concerning which I said, “Because God is with me, I will be able,” for example, the [prohibition against] wearing sha’atnez and having mingled species in a vineyard, which Satan and the nations of the world are critical of, and so it states, “It is best to take hold of one,” and also, regarding Shaul, in whose eyes it seemed foolish to kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, but it was the commandment of the Omnipresent, and he called it foolishness! — Notes: (5) Mishlei 30:1. (6) Below 7:18.

"I searched" — when I saw that wisdom alone generates pain, and laughter alone does not profit, I sought a way to join the two of them together, and "I drew out/pampered my flesh with wine" so that I might rejoice; and the meaning of "besari" ("my flesh") is "my body." "and my heart conducting itself with wisdom" — "my heart" stands in place of "my intellect" and "my soul," and "noheg" ("conducting/leading") is a transitive verb whose object is elided; and its meaning is: "and my heart leads its affairs with wisdom," while it takes hold of a little folly, which is the desire of this world — and all this until it shows which is the good way.

"I searched in my heart" — I searched in my heart to find a proper way to hold on to all three things together: to engage in the drinking of wine, which pampers the flesh and draws it on to increase and grow fat; and my heart would conduct itself with wisdom in the wisdom of Torah; and also to hold on to matters of folly — these are things that do not enter into the body, and yet people desire them, like fine buildings and musical instruments and the like; and because they are things external to the body, he calls them folly. "Till I might see" — I would hold on to all of them until I might see which way is best for the sons of men to pursue in this world under the heaven, throughout the whole number of the days of their life; as if to say, once I see which is proper, I will hold to that alone and withdraw my hand from the other ways.

"I searched" (tarti) — an expression of searching and investigating, like "ve-latur be-chokhmah" (and to search out with wisdom) (above, 1:13).

I made great works. In the days of my greatness.

"I made great" — [meaning] I performed great deeds, or, I increased my wealth, like "he has acquired all this wealth" (Genesis 31:1).

"I made me great works" etc. — Behold, he now begins to explain his earlier statement "and to take hold of folly," that he took hold of the affairs of this world, to build for himself houses and vineyards, etc. And according to our approach, he has taught us that he did not begin immediately with what pertains to himself; rather, behold, first he built the House of Hashem, and only afterward his own house. And this is what he says: "I made me great works" first, for I did a thing of great quality — even though my works were the works of flesh and blood — namely, the House of Hashem, whose glory reaches above the firmament, as is known; and only afterward "I builded me houses," etc. Or he means: behold, I would not have had the strength to build houses of delight and to plant vineyards, etc. — everything being hevel (vanity/breath) in my eyes — were it not that "I made me great works," meaning that I set it in my heart as though these were great things, and by this I built, etc. And the matter is that he wished to gratify each of his five senses. The sense of touch he gratified by what he said, "I builded me houses," for a house is that in which one sits and lies down, which is the matter of the sense of touch. And also the sense of taste, for "I planted me vineyards," and also gardens and orchards. And also the sense of smell, for I planted among them every kind of fruit tree in the world, which includes pepper and all kinds of spices, as is known from our Rabbis of blessed memory, that pepper and all kinds of spices that are found at the ends of the earth he planted in Jerusalem, so that he might know the foundation of the earth — the particular strips of land suited to each species. And also the sense of sight, for behold, "I made me pools of water," to water from them a forest of growing trees, even though they did not bear fruit — and what advantage is there to their owner except the sight of the eyes, which delight in seeing many pools of water watering a whole forest full of trees? And likewise, "I bought me menservants and maidservants," who were not needed for service, for behold, he had home-born servants and also cattle, etc. — and what advantage is there to so great a king as he in these, except the pleasure of the sense of sight alone? And likewise, by this same reasoning, "I gathered me also silver" — for although silver was not accounted of value in the days of Solomon, why did he gather silver too, and not gold and pearls alone? But this too was only to gratify the sense of sight in all its varieties. And for the sense of hearing, "I made me male singers and female singers." Behold, the pleasure of each of the five senses, and also the pleasure of all flesh in general — and this is "the delights of the sons of man": bathhouses in winter, and pools to cool oneself in during the summer, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said. And by the same reasoning, all the other kinds of pleasure, which are "shidah and shidoth" — for this is the whole fruit of the pleasures of the children of man: that male and female demons (shedim) come into being, since from feasting and excessive marital relations and the like there follow seminal emissions from evil thoughts, from which the forces of impurity are formed; and also from desires apart from this, from which too demons and forces of impurity are created. Behold before you the good that follows from the good things of this world. And do not say that the making of "shidah and shidoth" would follow only in the case of a man who is young and small, as I was, who became king at twelve years of age, but that as a man grows older he will loathe all the good of this world and regard it as hevel, and will cling to the good things of the world to come. This is not so; on the contrary, even as he grows older he will not turn away from it, but rather he will continue further to be drawn after the good things of the world. For behold, so it happened to me: that after I grew older in years, I added to what came before. And this is what he says: "and I grew great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem." Now, it would have been fitting that neither all my labor in the affairs of the world nor my Torah [study] should endure for me — along the lines of what our Rabbis of blessed memory said: the earlier generations made their Torah [study] fixed and their labor incidental, and both this and that endured for them; the later generations made their labor fixed and their Torah [study] incidental, and neither this nor that endured for them. And by this he means: in that I increased beyond all that was before me in the good things of this world, it would have been fitting that neither this nor that should stand or endure for me. But I, since I was wiser than all men, both this and that endured for me — and this is [the meaning of] "also my wisdom stood by me": specifically for me, unlike for another who does likewise. And this is what he means by saying "my wisdom": namely, also my wisdom in my labor endured, for both this and that endured for me. Or he means: also my wisdom in my labor stood by me, and not for another, for it was I who made my wisdom the essential thing and the good things of this world incidental — as he says, "and my heart conducted itself with wisdom," continually making it the essential thing, and only afterward taking hold somewhat of folly — namely the affairs of this world — so that the affairs of this world endured for him, and also his wisdom endured. And yet another thing follows from the good things of this world: that the eye sees and the heart desires, and there is no strength to turn back from joys and rejoicing. And this is [the meaning of] "and whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them" — for I had no strength to turn my eyes away from seeing vanity, but rather "I kept not from them"; and after the seeing, immediately the heart desired. And this is [the meaning of] "I withheld not my heart from any joy" — for I had no strength, after the seeing of the eye, to prevent the heart from desiring. And the reason is that "my heart rejoiced because of all my labor," and excess joy restrains the hand of the good inclination (yetzer tov) from doing further good. Thirdly, this is the flaw of the good things of this world: that there is no permanence in it, and there is no good quality in it except a passing joy, in that a man's heart rejoices only while that good is still with him. And this is what he means by saying, "and this was my portion from all my labor" — for this, that his heart rejoiced within it, was "my portion from all my labor" — unlike Torah and mitzvot, by which one acquires the light of the abundant radiance of the world to come (olam haba), which is of great quality and endures forever.

"I made great my works" — meaning, so I did, and I held on to all three, for I performed great and wondrous works. And he goes on to explain: I built myself many houses and planted myself many vineyards.

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 normally does not grow in Eretz Yisroel]; which one goes to a land of carobs, and there he planted carob trees. For all the veins of the lands come to Tzion, from where the world was founded, as it is stated, “Out of Tzion, the perfect beauty.” Therefore, it is stated, “every kind of fruit tree.” [This is found] in Midrash Tanchuma. — Notes: (7) Tehillim 50:2. (8) The Gemara in Maseches Bava Kamma 82b states that it is forbidden to plant gardens and orchards in Yerusholayim. Apparently that is what prompted the Targum for this verse to describe that the boundaries for these plants and orchards were from “the wall of Yerusholayim until the banks of the water of Shiloach.” (Gishmei Bracha)

"I made" — "gan" (garden) is grammatically masculine, [as in] "a garden locked" (Song of Songs 4:12), and also grammatically feminine, [as in] "to work it and to keep it" (Genesis 2:15); and its plurals are "ganim" and "ganot." And a "gan" (garden) has in it many trees of many kinds, whereas a "pardes" (orchard) is of a single kind, and the proof is "pardes rimonim" ("an orchard of pomegranates," Song of Songs 4:13).

"Trees of every fruit" — trees of every kind of fruit.

"Gardens" (gannot) — a place sown with vegetables and flowers. "And parks" (u-fardesim) — a place planted with fruit-bearing trees.

Pools of water. בְּרֵכוֹת is] similar to ponds for fish, which are dug into the ground.

"I made me pools of water" — which are formed by the gathering of rain from the heavens, to water a forest growing trees that have no fruit, such as cedars and cypresses.

"To water" — in order to water from these pools the forest that grows barren (non-fruit-bearing) trees, so that its branches would be fresh and large, pleasing to the eye of the beholder.

"Pools" (berekhot) — a place built of stones and lime/plaster where the water gathers; and similarly, "at the conduit of the pool (ha-berekhah)" (2 Kings 18:17).

"I acquired" — and also home-born servants (lit. "sons of the house") who were born in my house; and the word "tzon" (flock) is a general term encompassing both sheep and goats, and the proof is "draw out and take for yourselves flocks" (Exodus 12:21).

"And sons of the house" — these are those appointed over the needs of the household, to oversee what is necessary, who would not perform labor like a manservant or a maidservant. "More than all who were..." etc. — more than all the kings who reigned before me in Jerusalem (and this refers to the kings of the nations, as I have written above).

And treasures of kings. The treasures of the kings, gold, silver and precious stones, which the kings collect in their treasure houses. And provinces. The treasure of all merchants. Singers and musical instruments. Various types of musical instruments. — Notes: (9) See Maseches Gittin 68a. According to Rashi, שׁרים ושׁרות are various types of musical instruments. Alternatively, שׁרים ושׁרות are male singers and female singers respectively. Chests and chests of them. Beautiful coaches, covered wagons, a term used in the Gemara, “a coach שִׁדָּה, a chest and a closet.” — Notes: (10) Mishnayos Keilim 18:3. (11) Alternatively, שׁדה ושׁדות refers to a harem, i.e., women taken forcefully [שדד=plunder]. (Ibn Ezra)

"I gathered" (kinnasti) — [this means] I assembled, like "Go, gather (lech kenos) all the Jews" (Esther 4:16). And the word "segulah" (treasure) — a cherished thing kept in order to take pride in it, like the precious stones found among kings, and cherished things that are found in only a single province. And the meaning of "shiddah ve-shiddot" — they are women, and this is proven by [the phrase] "and the delights of the sons of men" [in the same verse], and further by the fact that he had already mentioned all the desirable things of the world — building, planting, cattle, treasure, and the hearing of song — and there was no mention of women. The commentators disagreed about the word "shiddah," and the best of [the explanations] is that it is from [the root] "shadad" (to plunder) — [meaning] captive women, seized by force through plunder and captivity, from among whom he would choose according to his desire. And the term "shiddah" and "shiddot," singular and plural, is like "racham rachamatayim le-rosh gaver" (a damsel, or two damsels, for the head of each warrior) (Judges 5:30) — one who possesses a "rechem" [womb, i.e. a woman] may be one woman or two. And the point is that one should not say [it must be] only one, for there is one who has taken two.

"I gathered for myself" — I collected for myself. "And the treasure of kings" — precious things that kings store away in a treasury. "And the provinces" — what the community of the province stores away in the treasury designated for all the people of the province. "And delights" — pleasant things in which people take delight. "Shidah and shidot" — meaning, one that is exceptional in every kind of beauty, and further, many chariots.

"And the treasure" (u-segulat) — thus is called a precious thing hidden away in a treasury; and similarly, "and you shall be to Me a treasure (segulah)" (Exodus 19:5). "I got/made" (asiti) — I prepared and made ready, like "and the calf which he had prepared (asah)" (Genesis 18:8). "Men-singers" (sharim) — male singers. "And women-singers" (ve-sharot) — female singers. "Shiddah" — a carriage surrounded by a partition on top, resembling a chest; and in the words of our Rabbis of blessed memory, "shiddah, teivah, u-migdal" (a chest, an ark, and a tower) (Shabbat 120a).

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. — Notes: (12) Alternatively, אף means “anger” and the verse is translated as, “only the [Torah] wisdom that I acquired through exertion [אף] is what remained with me.” The Gemara in Maseches Berachos 63b and in Maseches Eiruvin 54a indicates that the study of Torah during trying times is most commendable and will result in great success and will not soon be forgotten. Or, unlike some preachers who do not practice what they preach, I, says Koheles, internalized and conducted my life [עמדה לי] according to what I preached. (Yismach Moshe)

"So I was great" (ve-gadalti) — [this is] an intransitive verb [po'el omed]; I was great in all my affairs, and I increased [my] greatness in worldly matters; moreover, my wisdom remained with me.

"And I was great" — and I performed great and wondrous deeds, increasing far more than all the kings who reigned before me in Jerusalem. "Also my wisdom stood by me" — even though I was engaged in all these matters, nevertheless my wisdom endured within me, and I did not forget it on account of the abundance of preoccupations with varied affairs.

"Stood" (amdah) — it endured; and similarly, "to keep his covenant, that it might stand (le-omdah)" (Ezekiel 17:14).

I did not deny. I did not distance myself to separate from them, and similarly, “and He held back some of the spirit [that was upon him] and he gave it unto ... the elders,” like a candelabrum from which many candles are kindled, and none of its light is diminished. — Notes: (13) Bamidbar 11:25. And this was my portion [reward]. And after doing all these, I have nothing more than this. Rav and Shmuel, one says, his staff, and one says, his cup. מַקֵּידָה is an earthenware cup, from which people drink. Others in the Midrash Aggadah interpret the entire section as referring to study halls, students, and synagogues. — Notes: (14) See Maseches Sanhedrin 20b. The Gemara in Maseches Eiruvin 21b states that Shlomo established eiruvei chatzeiros [a procedure which allows carrying in courtyards on Shabbos] and netilas yodayim [ritual washing of one’s hands before eating]. Accordingly, מקלו [=his staff] alludes to eiruvei chatzeiros and קידו [=cup] alludes to netilas yodayim. (R’ Eliyahu Greiditzer) (15) See Rashi in Maseches Sanhedrin 20b. The forest growing with trees. The ignorant people, for working in fields and vineyards. ) — Notes: (16) This Rashi on verse 6 appears to be out of place. Some texts treat the caption as part of Rashi narrative, i.e., that “the Midrash Aggadah interprets the entire section ... and synagogues, and the forest growing with trees [refers to] the ignorant people, etc.” (Sifsei Chachomim

"And whatsoever" (ve-khol) — some say [the form] "atzalti" is from [the root] "etzel" (beside), meaning "I took it thus from beside them" [i.e. I did not withhold it], and it is in the kal (light/simple) binyan [conjugation], whereas the word "va-ya'atzel" (Numbers 11:25) is in the kaved (heavy) binyan; and it would have been proper for the alef to show, as in "yechezak bi-me'uzzi" (let him take hold of My stronghold) (Isaiah 27:5), which is from "hechezik" (to hold fast). "And my heart had joy of my labor" (ve-samachti ve-amali) — this was the reward of my toil, and it alone was my portion.

"Whatsoever my eyes asked" — since the heart does not desire a thing except after the eye has seen it, he therefore said "my eyes asked"; meaning, all the things that my heart sought and desired, I did not withhold myself from them. "From any joy" — from anything that brings joy. "For my heart..." etc. — meaning, although indeed in occupying myself with these matters I had some measure of sorrow, on account of the labor involved in them, nevertheless I did not abandon them, because the measure of joy that my heart had in them outweighed the measure of sorrow of the labor, which was in my eyes almost negligible compared to the joy of the heart. "And this was my portion" — the joy alone was my portion from all my labor; even though within the labor there was both sorrow and joy, nevertheless I took for myself the portion of joy and cast aside the portion of sorrow; meaning, I was not concerned about the sorrow, but only about the joy alone.

"I withheld" (atzalti) — an expression of setting apart and separating, like "and I will set apart (ve-atzalti) some of the spirit" (Numbers 11:17).

Then I looked. Now at all my deeds, and I see that there is no benefit in them, for from all of them I am lacking. — Notes: (17) I.e., they do not yield the eternal benefit I had expected of them.

"Then I looked" (u-faniti) — and just as I turned to all my deeds, my heart saw that all is hevel (vanity/breath).

Behold, "the vanities of the good things of this world, and that I labored in them, and I saw their vanity" — now I have stated above that it was not because I did not know that they are vanity, nor because I failed to see that there is no reward for Torah and mitzvot here [in this world], that I foolishly occupied myself with the affairs of this world; rather, it was in order to "do the wearisome thing," to teach them knowledge from what I saw by direct experience. And I now come to explain what this is: behold, "then I turned" — before I occupied myself with them [the good things of this world] — with the gaze of my own intellect, upon all my deeds that my hands had done among the good things of this world, and also upon the labor with which I had labored to do, which is the labor of Torah, for that alone is what brings a person to actual deeds; and this is [the meaning of] "that I had labored to do." And I recognized then, in that turning, that everything my hands had done was entirely vanity, and the breaking of the soul — that is, "a striving after wind" — while the labor with which I had labored to do, namely the labor of Torah, "there was no profit under the sun," for its profit and the granting of its reward are not in this world, which is under the daily-turning sphere, but only in the world above, and not in this world. In such a way that it was neither a lack of knowledge of the inferiority of the good things of this world, nor a failure to see the reward of my labor in Torah here, that brought me to occupy myself with these [worldly things] — for both this and that were plainly clear to me. And despite all of this, "then I turned to see wisdom, madness, and folly" — that is, to engage in wisdom, which is the wisdom of Torah, and also in madness, which is, as we wrote above, the external wisdom [derived] from man's own investigation according to the nature of the world, whose premises, postulates, and conclusions are all madness, and also in folly, which is engagement with the good things of this world. And the intent of the matter is: although I already knew beforehand the inferiority of everything besides the wisdom of Torah, I nonetheless turned to see through direct experience, in essence, what wisdom truly is, and what madness is, and what folly is — for I saw eye to eye, in occupying myself with all three, that the Torah of Hashem is truly wisdom, that the external [wisdom] is madness, and that the good things of this world are folly. And this is [the meaning of] "to see," etc. And as for my saying that external wisdom is madness — is this not because "what can the man do who comes after the king, [even] that which [has already been done]?" etc. And here is the parable of Rambam, of blessed memory, to refute the view of those who come to adjudicate the fundamentals of theology and the creation of the world through intellectual inquiry according to nature. The parable is: a pregnant woman gave birth inside a lofty, impregnable enclosure in which there was no [other] woman present. The child grew and was weaned, and they taught him natural wisdom to its fullest. When he grew up, he asked, saying, "How do people come to be?" And they related to him and said: "Behold, there is a creature similar to man, and eventually a man draws near to her and sows in her belly the seed of men, and it is shut up there nine months, its mouth sealed and its navel open, for from there it eats from whatever its mother eats; and afterward it comes out of the womb, and its navel is sealed and its mouth is opened, through which it nurses milk from its mother's breasts, until it grows." Now the youth, upon hearing this, became furious at the one speaking to him, and he cursed his day, saying to him: "Be ashamed and disgraced, you speakers of falsehood! Do you not know that if a man were shut up nine months inside a person, he could not live? And if even for a moment his mouth were sealed and his navel open, he would die before his time! So your words cannot be true." Now, it is impossible that his own statement was not true, and yet they [the informants] had not spoken falsehood to him either; rather, the resolution of the matter is that the nature of one born of woman, before he comes out of the womb, and his nature after he comes out, are not one and the same. And this was the child's error: that he wished to judge, from what pertains to the nature that comes after his birth, that which preceded it — [assuming] that the nature beforehand was not different from what it became afterward. So too in that same manner [people] wish to judge what preceded the creation of the world from what pertains to the nature that He, may He be blessed, implanted in the world after He created it — this same [error] will befall them as well. For behold, in the supernal matters, and also in what existed before the creation of the world, [these] are not comparable to what exists in the lower world after its creation, in which He, may He be blessed, implanted a newly-created nature. If so, how then can a person judge His divinity, may He be blessed, and the creation of the world, from investigations and reasonings founded upon that which pertains to nature only after the fact, according to human intellect? And this will be the statement of Solomon in his wisdom: know why I said that I saw that external wisdom is madness — for is it not that "what can the man do who comes after the king" — the King of the world — to search after His deeds, against what He, Hashem God, has already made, that is, nature, which these two Names made, "in the day that Hashem God made earth and heaven" [Genesis 2:4] — that which preceded was not so. And it says "et" [the direct-object particle], which is like the many instances of "et" throughout the Torah [that come to include something], for they come with the argument of that which He has already made, in order to judge concerning that which had not yet come to be. And this I saw, after examining their reasonings, that they are indeed madness in truth. And likewise, that which I took hold of in folly, namely the good things of this world, was in order to see its inferiority, how far it extends — a thing that cannot be recognized by one who does not engage in wisdom while also taking hold of folly. For behold, "I saw" — that is, I, the possessor of wisdom — "that there is profit in wisdom" — and by what did I recognize the profit of wisdom? Is it not from folly? For out of the inferiority of folly I recognized the profit of wisdom, just as the profit of light is recognized out of darkness. Or, according to its plain sense: he recognized that the profit is akin to the profit of light over darkness — namely, that one who has wisdom is comparable to one sitting in light, whose eyes receive from the light and see, as is known of the nature of the eye's sight when it receives from light; but one who has folly, that is, wealth and riches and the good things of this world, is comparable to one sitting in darkness, who has nothing from which to receive light to see, and so he does not see. And the matter is this: behold, a person could have spoken and said, "If occupation with Torah is good, occupation with wealth and riches is also good, in order to distribute and give to every kind of charity without number." Therefore he [Solomon] says: from the Torah, which is the light by which the eyes of your intellect see, you come to actual deeds; but with wealth, which draws toward darkness, you do not receive light to see, to observe, and to act. For behold, the wise man's eyes are not in his face, to be drawn after what he sees with the eyes of his flesh; rather, his eyes are in his head, in his brain, in the seat of intellect, to judge according to his intellect, in accordance with the Torah. But the fool, devoid of wisdom, with wealth and riches in his house that draw toward darkness, as stated — how could he be drawn to see the good of giving charity and the like? Each one walks in darkness, for out of his folly he acts, and does not learn to do good; and "in darkness," swept along by the flood of money, he walks continually. And the proof that the wise man's eyes are in his intellect and that he is not enticed after the sight of the eyes of his flesh is that: behold, I too, the wise man, knew that "one fate befalls them all," for by the sight of my eyes I see what the fool sees, for as is the death of the righteous, so is the death of the fool who follows after the sight of his eyes. And there would be room to err, just as the fool devoid of wisdom errs; and so I said in my heart: behold, as the fate of the fool, so will it befall me also, that I too shall die like him — so why then was I so much wiser? — and did I not draw myself after the good things of this world alone? However, since I am wise and my eyes are in my head, I turned back and said in my heart that this too is vanity — something the fool does not do, for he walks in darkness among the good things of this world, from which he receives no light to answer back to his inclination, as I do, from wisdom. Is this not so? Behold, I saw with the eye of my intellect, to teach from my own wisdom, that although it appears that the wise man and the fool — their souls depart from them in death in the same way — it is not truly comparable, heaven forbid. And this is [the meaning of] "for there is no remembrance of the wise man along with the fool," etc. — meaning, the wise man will not be remembered equally with the fool, for a time will come when the wise man will be remembered but not the fool who lacks wisdom, even though they died at the same time. And this will be so once, in the days to come, everything is forgotten, because many days will have passed; then the wise man alone will be recognized — similar to the matter that in a future time of distress the wise man will be remembered, so that his merit may stand for us, as in the matter of "the merit of Abraham," etc., whereas for the fool, even if he was rich, he will not be remembered. If so, then how could it be said that the wise man dies along with the fool, meaning that as is the death of one so is the death of the other, heaven forbid! Rather, the wise man, even in his death, truly lives, and his merit shields [those who remain] — which is not so for one who is not wise.

"Then I turned" — after doing all these things, I turned my face to look and reflect upon all my works. "And on the labor" — meaning, on the works that I performed with labor; and this is a repetition of the same matter in different words. "And behold, all was vanity (hevel)" — because no eternal benefit came from them. "And a striving after wind" — for in doing all these things, my desire was that they should endure permanently, but that desire was shattered, for it is not so. "And there was no profit" — and there is no profit in the things I engaged in, in this world, in the place where the sun shines.

"Then I looked" (u-faniti) — from the language of turning and revolving. "And a striving" (u-re'ut) — an expression of breaking. "Wind" (ruach) — will/desire. "Profit" (yitron) — surplus and gain. "Under" (tachat) — in place of.

I [then] turned my attention to behold wisdom. I turn away from all my affairs to delve into Torah, and madness and folly, [i.e.,] the punishment for transgressions. 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 for him to appeal.

"Then I turned" (u-faniti) — the meaning is: I occupied myself with wisdom, and with madness [holelut], which is wine, since one who becomes drunk from it acts madly and loses his mind; and folly [sikhlut] is building and the acquiring of wealth. "For what [can] the man [do]" (ki mah ha-adam) — like the matter of "Hashem, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?" (Psalm 144:3), and likewise "What is enosh [man], that You are mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:5). And the meaning is: when I saw Your heavens, moon, and stars — that the world stands as it were under a single star — I said, "What is enosh, that You are mindful of him," yet You have made for him greatness and surpassing rank. And the meaning here is: what capability could there be in a man who comes after the king? Whatever he does, others have already done. And the word "those who do [it]" is elided, as in "and it was told to Joseph" (Genesis 48:1), where the name of the speaker is not mentioned; and likewise "who bore her to Levi" (Numbers 26:59), and there are many like these. And some say that "ha-melekh" (the king) is [related to the sense] of "va-yimlokh libi alai" (my heart took counsel within me) (Nehemiah 5:7), and the meaning would be: what would be the outcome, and the response, that comes after deliberation, and [that a man] pursues all that the ancients had done — but this is not correct.

"And I turned" — after this I turned my face to look at wisdom, and also at madness and folly; meaning, to hold on to both of them, sometimes to this one and sometimes to that one. "For what can the man..." etc. — of what account is man, that he should despise folly and come to be wiser than the King of the universe, who has already made and created folly? As if to say, how is it possible to despise a thing that Hashem created — was it created for nothing?

"And madness" (ve-holelut) — confusion/derangement. "And folly" (ve-sikhlut) — foolishness.

Over foolishness. That is wickedness. — Notes: (18) The analogy of wisdom and foolishness to light [אור] and darkness [חשך] can be explained that אור is an all inclusive term which can mean day or night, but חשך refers to night only. See Maseches Pesachim 2a-b. Similarly, a wise person, when the situation calls for it, can act in a foolish manner [as Dovid did when he escaped from Avimelech], whereas a foolish person cannot act as a wise person. (R. Leibish Charif)

"Then I saw" (ve-ra'iti) — just as light distinguishes shapes and shows what is near and what is far, each thing according to its true form, so is the way of wisdom.

"Then I saw" — afterward I perceived with the faculty of intellect that although indeed it is fitting to despise folly, nevertheless it was not created for nothing; for whatever superiority and advantage wisdom has comes by way of folly, since were it not for folly, the glory of wisdom would not be known — for nothing is recognized except by way of its opposite, just as the goodness of light is not known except from darkness, which is its opposite. As if to say: therefore, for this reason, He created folly, so that through it the glory of wisdom would be recognized.

The wise man, his eyes are in his head. In the beginning [=בְּרֹאשׁוֹ of the matter, he contemplates the end results. — Notes: (19) Note the similarity to “Who is wise? He who visualizes what the future holds,” in Maseches Tamid 32a. But I also understood. Also, I [know], who praise the wise man over the fool, I know that they both will die.

"The wise man" (he-chakham) — he compared the wise man to a sighted person, who has eyes in his head, so that he can go wherever he wishes and can see the straight path and the crooked one; while the fool walks in darkness, not knowing on what he will stumble. This I knew, and I also knew that one fate [mikreh] befalls them all.

"The wise man, his eyes are in his head" — now he explains how the glory of wisdom is recognized by way of folly, and the goodness of light by way of darkness. He said: does not the wise man know and recognize that his eyes are fixed in his head, in a high place, so that they may look far off? Therefore he does so, and looks far off to reflect upon his ways and not stumble in them. But the fool does not understand this, and his eyes do not look far off, and behold he is as one walking in darkness, a place where it is impossible to see, and his feet strike against stumbling-stones. If so, were it not for the fool who does not look at his ways and thereby stumbles in his walking, the goodness of the wise man who looks and does not stumble would not be recognized. And were it not for the darkness that prevents the sight of the eye from guarding its owner against the danger of stumbling, so that he stumbles — the sweetness of the light to the eye that saves from stumbling would not be recognized. "And I also perceived" — this is an inverted verse (mikra mesuras, a verse whose word order is transposed), and it should properly read "and I also perceived." And it refers back to what was said above, that it is fitting to despise folly; and he says by this: even though I also know that the fate of death is a single fate that befalls them all, whether one be wise or foolish, nevertheless one must despise folly.

"That happens" (she-mikreh) — an occurrence/event.

And I said to myself, etc. I.e., 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 more righteous? Then I said to myself. That if I will think so, 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.

"Then I said" (ve-amarti) — this fate [mikreh] is what happens to all who come into the world, whether for good or for evil. And the meaning of "and why was I then more wise" is: in all that I occupied myself with worldly matters, in which I labored and in which I was wise under the sun, I spoke in my heart that this wisdom too is hevel.

"Then I said in my heart" — meaning, indeed I pondered in my heart: since with regard to the fate of death it befalls the fool as well, what benefit comes to me now, after death, from having been wise then? "Then I said" — but I answered myself that this very musing, too, is vanity (hevel).

"And why" (ve-lammah) — for what purpose; meaning, what benefit [is there].

Since in the days to come all will be forgotten. Because I see the wicked who already lived, and who were very successful, and in the days that came after them, all their power and their success were forgotten. And how can the death of the wise man be [like the death] of the fool. I observe the righteous succeeding in their deaths and availing their children, for example, “And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, etc.,” [and] “I remember for you the kindness of your youth.” — Notes: (20) Vayikra 26:42. (21) Yirmiyahu 2:2.

"For" (ki) — because when [a man] departs, he is also forgotten. And this is [why] he said that this too is hevel, because there is no remembrance for the wise man along with the fool; and even if he had a remembrance for a few days or years, in the days to come everything will be forgotten. And the harsh evil is that the wise man dies along with the fool. And the word "be-she-kvar" (already), in this sense, is not found anywhere in Scripture except in this book. One of the commentators said that it indicates something past, and since it stood before him [with the sense of] "in the days to come already" [i.e. a future "already"], he said it ought properly to have been "ke-she-kvar" (as if already) — meaning that everything will be forgotten in the days to come just as [it is forgotten] from the time that has already passed. But it is more correct that its meaning is like "hen" (behold/indeed).

"for there is no remembrance" — even after death a benefit does come, for forever the two of them will not be remembered together in one likeness/manner: this one's remembrance is for praise, and that one's is for disgrace. "seeing that in the days to come" — the word "they have passed" (chalfu) is elliptical, and the ellipsis is understood of itself; and the letter shin of "beshekvar" stands in place of "asher" (since/in that). And it means to say: since, even though the days that come after the death of the wise man and the fool have already passed — and is everything then forgotten?! (spoken in wonderment) — behold, the deeds of this one and the deeds of that one are still remembered in people's mouths, and accordingly this one is remembered for praise and that one for disgrace. "and how must [the wise man] die," etc. — it means to say: and how is it possible to equate the death of the wise man with the death of the fool, seeing that the remembrance of this one's death is a cause for praise, and that one's is a cause for disgrace?

And [so] I hated life. He was prophesying about the generation of Rechovam, who were wicked [people]. — Notes: (22) During Rechovam’s reign, ten tribes defected and joined forces with him.

"So I hated" (ve-sane'ti) — there is [a use of] "chayyim" (life/alive) in the Holy Tongue as an adjective [shem ha-to'ar] in the plural, as in "chayyim kulkhem ha-yom" (all of you alive this day) (Deuteronomy 4:4); and there is [a use of] "chayyim" that is a noun and not an adjective, as in "mavet ve-chayyim" (death and life) (Proverbs 18:21), and no singular form of it occurs, like the words "ne'urim" (youth), "zekunim" (old age), "shelamim" (peace-offerings), "millu'im" (ordination-offerings), and many like them. And "ha-chayyim" in this verse is the adjective [form].

After he said that the death of the wise man is not truly death — for his life continues even in his death — he now says, "so I hated life" — of this world — which he would not have said had he regarded some aspect of the life of this world as primary. And the point of the verse is that he speaks out of worry: for people occupy themselves with, and make primary, the good things of this world, which are hevel (vanity/breath) — and not only that, but they set their soul and spirit against themselves, for how many sins are bound up in their garments upon their shoulders on account of their desire for the vanities of the world. And this is what he means by "so I hated life, for the deed that is done was evil to me" — which deed am I speaking of? Is it not that which "is done under the sun," that is, this world? But not the deed from which lights are made above the diurnal sphere (galgal yomi — the daily-rotating celestial sphere), that is, the deed of the commandments. And the reason that I hated life over this is that everything is hevel, and over everything they [the people] have sorrows and brokenness of soul — this refers to the masses of the people. But as for what pertains to myself — since I am wise and do not squander my spirit over the good things of this world — I do not hate life on my own account, but rather I hate my toil for the good things of this world; not because I have re'ut ru'ach (a striving after wind) from it, but rather because it is occupied with what I will leave here [in this world] and not with what I will bring with me to the world to come, such as occupation with Torah and mitzvot (commandments). And this is [the meaning of] "so I hated, I who am wise and do not make these good things primary" to the point of losing [my spirit] — as pertains to myself, my harm is not great enough to make me hate life, but rather [I hated] all my toil that I built and that I toiled at "under the sun." And the reason is that I have no re'ut ru'ach (a striving after wind) from them, only worry that I labored over what I will leave to the man who will come after me. And if he were wise, so that he would not waste his spirit and soul, and it would be a help to him to serve Hashem through what I prepared for him, without his having to toil in the affairs of this world since everything is already prepared, and he would toil instead in Torah and mitzvot — I would keep silent about this. But "who knows whether he will be wise or foolish" and he will have dominion, etc. — "this too is hevel," for this envy has no substance, for what does it matter to me who will have dominion over my toil? I need not worry, except over the wasting of his time for naught.

"so I hated life" — I hate and despise the life that I still live, and I see the deed/work that is done in this world, in the place where the sun rises, for the deed is evil in my eyes and does not seem right to me. "for all is vanity" — all the deed/work is hevel (vanity/breath), and no aspect of benefit is found in it; and moreover it contains a breaking of will, for in no deed is the will of its doer fulfilled according to his intention.

"So I hated" (ve-sane'ti) — every [instance of] "amal" (labor/toil) in this book [means], for the most part, great exertion of deed, as in "asher lo amalta bo" (which you did not toil for) (Jonah 4:10); and a lesser sense of "amal" is distinguished from it — though it is not [wholly different] — as in "ve-hibbit el amal" (and looks upon amal) (Habakkuk 1:13), and "ve-rahbam amal va-aven" (yet their pride is but toil and vanity) (Psalm 90:10). And its meaning [there] is: the days of our years are numbered — they have a beginning and an end; and the days of vigor and pride, most of them are toil and vanity, and they are the days of youth, and they are quickly cut off and swept away speedily, as if flying.

"and I hated" — I hate and despise all the labor that I labor at to gather possessions, in order to leave them as an inheritance to the man who will be after me.

This too is vanity. This too is one of the vanities that were created in the world, that the wise man labors, and the fool inherits him.

"And who" (u-mi) — the interrogative heh [he ha-temiah] is always [vocalized] with a sheva and a patach, except when what follows it is a sheva na (mobile sheva) and a patach, as in a form like "ha-mevuchanim" (the tested ones), and [as in] the word "ha-yitav be-einei Hashem" (will it be good in the eyes of Hashem?) (Leviticus 10:19). And after the heh of the definite article [he ha-yedi'ah] there is a dagesh; but if after the heh is one of the guttural letters [alef, chet, he, ayin], the interrogative heh takes a patach, and sometimes also with an ayin [following], the definite article heh [behaves likewise], though mostly it is with a qamatz. And [the word] "he-chakham" (is he wise? / the wise man) comes with a small patach, on account of the heaviness of the pronunciation, since two qamatzes follow it; and there is no difference [in vocalization] between "he-chakham einav be-rosho" (the wise man, his eyes are in his head) (Ecclesiastes 2:14, with the definite article) and "he-chakham yihyeh" (will he be a wise man?) (Ecclesiastes 2:19, interrogative). And in the plural, the interrogative heh takes a patach, while the definite article heh takes a qamatz.

"and who knows" — as if to say: if he turns out to be wise there is nothing to grieve over regarding this; but who knows what he will be, whether wise or foolish? And however he turns out, he will rule over all the possessions that I gathered through my labor and through the devices of my wisdom while I was still in this world. "this also is vanity" — the gathering of possessions, in order to leave it as an inheritance to the one who comes after him, is hevel (vanity).

And [so] I turned my heart to despair. Neither to toil nor to labor.

"Therefore I turned about" (ve-sabboti) — like a person who turns his face toward another path; and this is "le-ya'esh" (to cause to despair), the opposite direction from the first path. And the word "le-ya'esh" is from the kaved (heavy) binyan, and it ought to have taken a dagesh, were it not that the alef is a guttural letter; and similarly [is] "ve-noash mimenu Sha'ul" (and Saul despaired of him) (1 Samuel 27:1).

It is possible that this is the conclusion of the preceding matter, in that he said: "for I saw that this envy which I felt — namely, [wondering] whether a fool would come to rule over my labor — is hevel (vanity)." Then, "I turned about my heart," and I turned back from deriving any enjoyment; rather, on the contrary, [my heart] would despair of all that I had labored in that which is under the sun, and by this he would not worry about who would rule over it afterward. And this is [the meaning of] "and I turned about," etc. Or it may be connected with what follows, in that he said "and I turned about" — I, out of a slackening of hands [dejection], on account of a greater worry than the previous ones, to the point of the despair of his heart over all the labor, etc. — so that the matter should not be taken at all as a general rule. For "there is a man whose labor..." etc., "and to a man who did not labor in it, he gives him his portion." And this is the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: every person has a portion in the Garden of Eden and a portion in Gehinnom; if he merits, he takes his own portion and his fellow's portion in the Garden of Eden. And this is [the meaning of] "he gives him his portion" — that is to say, what he gives him is his own portion that is in the Garden of Eden. Or, his word "his portion" may refer back to the man who did not labor in it, and this is that, according to this approach, he gives a reason as to why, to the one who did not labor, the good of this one [who did labor] is given; therefore he said "his portion," to say that it is the portion of this one [the recipient], stemming from the root of his soul, and everything goes to one place from this perspective. And the worry is this: what became of the man who labored in it, and why should he remain empty of his labor and his toil? Or he may mean, through his own inquiry: "if I were the cause of making my heart despair over all the labor that I labored under the sun" — that is to say, even that which was of my quality above the sun, like the performance of mitzvot [commandments], since the very existence of the labor is under the sun. And the reason is [what follows]: "for there is a man..." etc. And this is that, behold, we know the matter of gilgul (transmigration/reincarnation of the soul) — that it does not fail to occur at least three times — in such a way that if He, may He be blessed, makes the essential [body] out of the last body, to raise it up at the resurrection, or out of two of them, giving a portion of that same soul to each of the two; but in the first, [that body] will be rejected — that body will be lost — because it was not brought to completion, even though it did not fail to toil in wisdom, in knowledge, and in skill (for even the empty ones among Israel are as full of mitzvot as a pomegranate [is full of seeds]). If so, then, even though the soul in the end receives the reward for everything, will not a mortal's heart grow embittered over the suffering of his body, which toiled and labored and did not benefit from it in this world, in which it labored and toiled, nor afterward at the resurrection, since it will not rise? And this is [the meaning of]: "for there is a man whose labor is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in skill, and afterward, to a man who did not labor in it, he gives him his portion" — this being the person who comes after him, into whom his soul comes [reincarnates]. This too is hevel, since, although from the perspective of the soul — which is the essential thing — it merits everything, nevertheless this is, in itself, a great evil. For "what does man" — that is, the body — "have from all his labor and from the striving of his heart," in the exertion of his thought, which weakens the body — what is his reward for that in which he labored? For behold, all his days are "sorrows," in his engaging in the service of Hashem, since the World to Come is not acquired except through suffering; and also, "and his task is vexation" — meaning that the matter of the body, which labors and wastes away and is destroyed, is always one of vexation; and also at night he does not truly sleep, but merely dozes fitfully, troubled by ponderings upon his bed. And behold, this too is hevel, for behold, it is possible to remedy it. And this is that, behold, there is no good for man to remedy that which pertains to the physical, except that his days should not be sorrows, but rather that he should eat and drink to give the body benefit, and also perform mitzvot, in such a way that he shows his soul good through his labor. And this is that, when his soul departs from him, they will show it the good of its reward, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught regarding the verse "and she laughs at the last day" — in such a way that, if the body does not merit afterward, it will nonetheless not lack enjoyment in this world, and the soul [will not lack it] in the World to Come. However, behold, I have seen that this is not a true remedy, that the body should rejoice in what it eats and drinks. For behold, it was from the hand of God — it was a gift of Hashem — that a man be shown his soul's good, that the body rejoice and exult in eating and drinking delicacies; for who could eat as I, as is known from the food of his table? Yet despite all this I did not rejoice, for behold, who is concerned about this besides me? For I am always anxious and troubled about this: "for what does man have," etc. Behold, that food, drink, and pleasure do not gladden a man of understanding. And what I said, "it was from the hand of God," is it not that to a man who is good before Him He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, whereas to another it is not so, for he will not rejoice, as stated? However, to the sinner He gives the task of gathering the goods of this world, and of collecting and accumulating mitzvot, in order to give the good to the one who is good before God, into whom his soul will come [reincarnate], while the first one, who labored in sorrows to gather and collect, remains, and, because he is a sinner, he does not benefit from all his labor, but rather the one who comes last does. This is the matter of the statement, "for there is a man whose labor..." etc. Or, the structure of the verse, in saying "for to a man who is good [before Him]..." etc., is that it is the conclusion of the matter: that we must not question His attributes, may He be blessed, for He is the Examiner of hearts; He knows [who are] the men of falsehood and the men of kindness. Therefore, to the one who is good before Him — and not before man, who sees with the eyes — He gives, etc.; and to the sinner, because he is a sinner, He gives the task of gathering, etc., "a gift [of God]," etc. And therefore let us not be astonished when we see "a man whose labor..." etc., "and to a man who did not labor in it, he gives him his portion" — for behold, He, may He be blessed, knows the sinner, and takes it away from him for the sake of the good one.

"therefore I turned about" — I turned myself around to cause my heart to despair; meaning, not to be concerned about it and not to hate it; and this is a manner of rhetorical expression (melitzah). "concerning all the labor" — because of all the labor in which I labored under the sun to gather possessions, through the enticement of my own heart, and vanity had seduced me [into it].

For there is a man. Its interpretation is according to its plain meaning. But the Midrash Aggadah in Tanchuma interprets it as an allegorical reference to the Holy One, Blessed Is He, concerning Whom it is stated, “and upon the likeness of the throne there was a likeness like the appearance of a man.” — Notes: (23) Yechezkeil 1:26. Who labored with wisdom. As it is stated, “Hashem founded the earth with wisdom ... with His knowledge the depths were split,” and to the creatures who had not labored in it, He left a share in it. — Notes: (24) Mishlei 3:19-20. (25) This can be referring to a situation where one publicly shamed his friend, that according to our Sages his friend receives his share in Gan Eiden. (Kehilas Yaakov). Or, as the Gemara Maseches Chagigah 15a states that God created for every person a portion of Gan Eiden and a portion of Gehinnom, and when a wicked person fails to earn his portion in Gan Eiden, it is given to a righteous person in addition to his own portion that he earned. This too is vanity and a great evil. And they became a generation of vanity and “the wickedness of man was great upon the earth,” in the generation of the flood. — Notes: (26) Bereishis 6:5. The text in Bereishis which is referring to the generation of the flood, states “כי רבה רעת האדם” which is similar to the wording of this verse “רבה רעה” [and a great evil].

"For there is [a man]" (ki yesh) — [meaning a man] who labored at worldly matters with great wisdom, and attained the desire of his heart which he had pursued; and another man, who did not labor for it, will be given it as his portion. And this is the same matter mentioned above, where he said, "I labored and was wise under the sun." And know that the word "chakhamti" (I was wise) is among the intransitive verbs [po'alim omedim], and its meaning is that I labored with wisdom. And the one who inherits it takes everything without labor. And it is possible that the word "yittenennu" (he shall give it) is like "yitten lo" (he shall give to him), for it is a transitive verb that takes two objects, and similarly [is] "ki eretz ha-negev netattani" (for you have given me a south land) (Judges 1:15). And the meaning of "chelko" (his portion) is the portion that came out for him by lot from Heaven, as our forebears, of blessed memory, said: "children, life, and sustenance [benei, chayei, u-mezonei]" [are not dependent on merit but on fate] (cf. Mo'ed Katan 28a).

"for there is a man" — sometimes a person is found whose labor in gathering possessions is done with wisdom and with uprightness, and it would therefore be fitting that it remain in his hand until the day of his death, and that his sons inherit it after him. But behold, it was not so: for while he is still alive he must give it, against his will, to a person who did not labor for it, to become that person's portion, even though that person is not fit to inherit it. If so, this gathering too contains vanity (hevel), for he found no benefit in it, and also great evil, in that he was compelled to give it to another while he himself was still alive. And this refers back to what was said above: that it was fitting for me to cause my heart to despair over the fact that vanity had enticed me to gather possessions, and that I did not take heed lest such an occurrence as this should befall me.

"And with skill" (u-ve-khishron) — an expression of uprightness/competence.

For what has, etc. For what advantage does man gain from all his toil and frustration he endures with [his] labor and worry, which he toils, and ultimately leaving [his possessions] to others.

"For what" (ki mah) — [what] profit will he have from all his labor and the multitude of his thoughts? For it is known that the rich man [lives] in fear and with many thoughts.

"for what has a man" — what benefit comes to a man from the labor and the heartbreak that he has in it, that he should be enticed to labor under the sun?

"Has" (hoveh) — from the language of "being" (havayah). "And in the striving" (u-ve-ra'ayon) — and in the breaking.

His lot. His custom. This too. Is one of the vanities that prevail in the world.

"For all" (ki khol) — during the day, while he is awake, all his affairs are [attended] with pain of soul and vexation, because his affairs do not always turn out according to his expectation; and even at night his heart does not rest, for most dreams correspond to the thoughts of the day.

"for all his days" — [meaning] that all his days are full of pains from the mishaps of time, and in all his necessary affairs he finds vexation, because for the most part things are not done as he wishes; and this one who plans to gather possessions, his heart does not lie down to rest even at night, because of the abundance of the troubles of thought. "this also" — the troubles of thought alone, without the labor of gathering, this too is accounted as vanity (hevel).

Is it not beneficial for man. This is a question, “that he eat and drink and shows himself content?” i.e., “he guides his heart to perform justice and righteousness with the food and drink, and so it was stated to Yehoyakim, “Did not your father eat and drink and practice justice and righteousness and then it was well with him?” — Notes: (27) Yirmiyahu 22:15.

"There is nothing better" (ein tov) — this laborer found no good in all his toil, except for eating and drinking; and a word is elided, [namely] "rak" (only) or its like, so that it is as if it said, "there is nothing good for a man except [rak] that he eat and drink," and similarly, "for they do not know how to do evil" [with the same elision]. And the meaning of "for it is from the hand of God" is that the one who gathers wealth is like a guardian, and he has no permission to touch it until God gives him permission.

"there is nothing better for a man" — [said] in wonderment: is it not indeed a good thing for a man that he should eat and drink according to the desire of his soul, and not hold back in order to leave his wealth for his children after him? "and make [his soul] enjoy" — and to show his soul what is good, through the wealth that comes to him by his labor; meaning, to perform with it charity (tzedakah) and kindness (chesed), so that his soul may see the goodness of the eternal reward. "this also" — meaning, even though this lies within man's own power, nevertheless I saw with my understanding that it is a gift given to man from the hand of God, to incline his heart to this, since it appears that most people do not act so.

For who should eat, etc. Why should I not rejoice with my portion in food and drink? Who deserves to eat what I toiled for, and who will hurry to swallow it, except me? If not I. Except me. This is the trait of the wicked, who hoard [their possessions] for others.

"For" — This is puzzling: why does he not consider that the toiler who gathers money does not [get to] eat all that he desires? For who will eat his money besides him? And the sense is: is there anyone else fit to eat it as I am? And it is known that when one says "levad" ("only/apart") from such-and-such a matter, that matter alone is thereby excluded from the general rule (yatza min ha-kelal, "goes out from the category"); and so too with the term "chutz" ("outside/apart"). And there is no instance of this usage in Scripture (Mikra) except in the words of the ancients, the transmitters of the commandments (i.e., the Sages), of blessed memory. And "ve-yachush" ("and hastens") means to hasten toward all his desire, like [the phrase] "meherah chushah" ("quickly, hasten").

"for who will eat" — this refers back to what was said above, to say that it is from the hand of God to think so; and it means to say: who is fit to eat of what is mine, and who besides me is fit to be concerned for what is mine, so that it not go to waste, and to hasten to enjoy it?

"Will enjoy" (yachush) — this is from the language of "chashash" (concern/sensation) well known in the words of our Rabbis of blessed memory.

For to the man who is good in His sight. Before God, mentioned above, “that it is from the hand of God.” — Notes: (28) Above, verse 24. He gives wisdom, knowledge and joy. A heart [i.e., intellect] to engage in Torah [study] and in [fulfilling] the commandments and to rejoice in his portion of eating, drinking, and [donning] clean clothing. But to the sinner He gives the urge. A habit and concern to hoard and gather, and to give to him who is good before God, as the matter is stated, “and Esther put Mordechai in charge of Haman’s estate.” — Notes: (29) Esther 8:2. This too. Is one of the vanities that were given to the creatures, that they labor, and someone else takes.

"For to the man" — there is a person who is good before God, and He does not give him toil, but rather gives him wisdom, knowledge, and joy in wealth after another has labored for it, similar to the matter of "he prepares it, and the righteous shall wear it" (Job 27:17); or the meaning of "his joy" is that he rejoices in his portion, whether it be much or little. "And to the sinner" — He gives him an occupation with which to busy himself, to gather money, and in the end he will give it to the man who is good before God; and so the one who busies himself gathering money is found to be busying himself with hevel (vanity) and re'ut ru'ach (a striving after wind).

"who is good in His sight" — before God mentioned in this matter; meaning, to the one whose deeds are pleasing before God. "He gives wisdom and knowledge" — to perform charity and kindness in his lifetime. "and joy" — to eat and drink according to the desire of his soul. "but to the sinner" — but to the sinner He gives in his heart a concern and a desire to gather great wealth, so that it will be kept in store for a righteous man, who will take it all. "this also is vanity" — meaning, even though the wealth that he gathered comes into the hand of a righteous man, nevertheless this too is vanity, for it would have been of greater benefit to him had he himself performed charity and kindness with it of his own will. "and a striving after wind" — because it was taken from him against his will, not with his consent, against his desire.

"And a striving after wind" (u-re'ut ruach) — a breaking of desire.