Quotation for Ecclesiastes 4:15
רָאִ֙יתִי֙ אֶת־כָּל־הַ֣חַיִּ֔ים הַֽמְהַלְּכִ֖ים תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ עִ֚ם הַיֶּ֣לֶד הַשֵּׁנִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲמֹ֖ד תַּחְתָּֽיו׃
I saw all the living that walk under the sun, that they were with the child, the second, that was to stand up in his stead.
Footnotes to Kohelet by Bruce Heitler
The inability to identify with posterity is a defect which is characteristic of living only under the sun. The alienation from ancestors and from succeeding generations results from the narrow focus of getting and spending, for living only under the sun. The first mitzvah in the Torah is to be fruitful and multiply, that is to dedicate our efforts for succeeding generations. Like all of the mitzvot, having and rearing children is a pathway for moving beyond what is under the sun.
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