Comentario sobre Eclesiastés 1:15

That which is crooked. During his lifetime, will not be able to be straightened after he dies. Whoever toiled on the eve of Shabbos will eat on Shabbos.⁴⁶See Maseches Avodah Zarah 3a. And our Sages explained this as referring to one who had illicit relations with a woman and begot a mamzer, or to a Torah scholar who abandoned the Torah, [i.e.,] he was originally straight, and became crooked.⁴⁷See Mishnayos Chagigah 1:7. Another application of this verse is in reference to a person who failed to recite Shema or Tefillah in their respective required time periods; in Maseches Berachos 26a.

“That which is warped cannot be straightened, and that which is lacking cannot be counted” (Ecclesiastes 1:15).
“That which is warped cannot be straightened.” In this world, one who is warped can be straightened, and one who is lacking can be counted. But in the future, one who is warped cannot be straightened, and one who is lacking cannot be counted. There are those among the wicked who were friends with each other in [this] world. If one of them repented during his lifetime, before his death, and one of them did not repent before his death, the one who did so in his lifetime is privileged to stand in the company of the righteous, and the other one stands in the company of the wicked. He sees his counterpart and says: ‘Is there, perhaps, favoritism in this world? Woe to that man.¹⁰⁷He is referring to himself. The same is true of the third-person reference (“he”) in the next sentence. He and that one, we were together in the world. We were as one, we stole as one, we robbed as one, and we did all the evil deeds in the world together. Why is that one in the company of the righteous and this man is in the company of the wicked?’ They say to him: ‘You great fool, you were repulsive after your death for two or three days. They did not place you into a coffin, and they dragged you to your grave with ropes. “The maggot is spread under you and worms cover you” (Isaiah 14:11). Your counterpart saw your repulsiveness and took an oath to abandon his wicked path, and he repented like a righteous man. His repentance enabled him to take life, honor, and a portion here with the righteous. Why [are you being punished] to this extent? It is because you had the opportunity to repent, and had you repented, all would have been well for you.’
He says to them: ‘Allow me, and I will go and repent.’ They respond to him and say: ‘Oh, you great fool, don’t you know that this world is comparable to Shabbat, and the world from which you came is comparable to the day before Shabbat? If a person does not prepare on the day before Shabbat, what will he eat on Shabbat? Don’t you know that the world from which you came is comparable to dry land and this world is comparable to the sea? If a person does not prepare on dry land, what will he eat at sea? Don’t you know that this world is comparable to a wilderness, and the world from which you came is comparable to a settlement? If a person does not prepare in the settlement, what will he eat in the wilderness?’ Immediately, he grits his teeth and eats his flesh, as it is stated: “The fool folds his hands, and eats his flesh” (Ecclesiastes 4:5). He says: ‘Allow me and I will see the glory of my counterpart.’ They say: ‘You great fool, we are commanded from the mouth of the Almighty that neither will the righteous stand among the wicked, nor the wicked among the righteous, not the pure alongside the impure, nor the impure alongside the pure. What are we commanded regarding this gate? “This is the gate of the Lord, the righteous will enter it” (Psalms 118:20).’ Immediately, he rends his garments and pulls out his hair, as it is stated: “The wicked will see and be angered” (Psalms 112:10).

And that which is wanting cannot be counted. The one who excluded himself from the group,⁴⁸I.e., that was formed to perform a mitzvah; see Maseches Berachos 26a. cannot be counted with them to share their reward.

Another matter, “that which is warped [me’uvat] cannot be straightened” – since the waters were corrupted [nitavetu]¹⁰⁸They became salted. during the six days of Creation, they have not yet been repaired. “And that which is lacking cannot be counted” – since the Holy One blessed be He subtracted eleven days from the lunar year relative to the solar year, how many years, cycles, and intercalations [have passed], and [yet the time has not arrived when] the solar year [will be the same as] the lunar [year].
Another matter, “that which is warped [me’uvat] cannot be straightened” – once the actions of the generation of the flood were corrupted [nitavetu], they were not repaired. “And that which is lacking” – since the Holy One blessed be He minimized their years, as it is stated: “His days shall be one hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3), they have not been restored.
Another matter, “that which is warped [me’uvat] cannot be straightened” – if a person does not divert [me’avet] himself from Torah [study], he can repair himself.¹⁰⁹Even if he sins. “And that which is lacking cannot be counted” – if a person does not detract from his Torah [study], he can still be counted.¹¹⁰Among the Torah scholars. Once a person diverts himself from Torah [study], he cannot repair [himself], and once a person detracts from his Torah [study], he cannot be counted. As in the case of Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Elazar who studied together, and Rabbi Yehuda married his wife. Rabbi Elazar preceded him by the seven days of the wedding feast,¹¹¹He arrived at the yeshiva seven days earlier than Rabbi Yehuda, who waited until after the seven days of festivities following his wedding to go to the yeshiva. and several years passed in which [Rabbi Yehuda] tried to catch up to him [in his studies] but he was unable to catch up to him; that is: “And that which is lacking cannot be counted.”
If the time for reciting Shema arrived and he did not read it at its time, in his regard, the verse says: “That which is warped cannot be straightened.” If the time of prayer arrived and he did not pray by then, in his regard it is stated: “And that which is lacking cannot be counted.” We learned that Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya says: What is “that which is warped cannot be straightened”? It is one who engages in relations with a forbidden relative and he begot a mamzer¹¹²A mamzer is a child born as a result of certain forbidden relations. It is prohibited for a mamzer and his or her descendants to marry a natural-born Jew who is not also a mamzer. from her. Say, perhaps, [it is referring] to a thief or a robber; he can repair the situation.¹¹³By returning what he stole. Rabbi Shimon says: Only one who was straight at the outset and was corrupted is called warped. Who is that? It is a Torah scholar who forsakes the Torah. Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya says: If a person steals, he can return the stolen item. If he robbed, he can return the robbed item. It is not in that regard that it is stated: “That which is warped cannot be straightened.” However, one who has relations with a married woman has cast his life from the world, and has forbidden her to her husband. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: One does not say: Examine this camel, perhaps it is blemished; examine this pig, perhaps it is blemished. What does one examine? It is the daily offerings. What is that? It is a Torah scholar who forsook the Torah. Yehuda ben Lakish [said] in the name of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel: In his regard it is stated: “Like a bird straying from its nest, so is a man [who wanders from his place]” (Proverbs 27:8).
He further states: The thought of creating one thousand generations entered His mind. How many were obliterated? Nine hundred and seventy-four, and what is the reason [to say this]? “He commanded the matter for one thousand generations” (Psalms 105:8). What is this? It is the Torah.¹¹⁴God had thought to create one thousand generations before the giving of the Torah, but He created only twenty-six. Rabbi Levi [said] in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: Nine hundred and eighty [generations were obliterated], and what is the reason [to say this]? “He commanded the matter for one thousand generations” – this is circumcision.¹¹⁵God had thought to create one thousand generations before giving the command regarding circumcision, but He created only twenty. Rabbi Yaakov bar Aḥa [said] in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: A person should never abstain from going to the study hall, as several times this halakha regarding a boat in the Jordan was questioned in Yavne: A boat in the Jordan, why is it ritually impure? No one got up, and no one said anything about it, until Rabbi Ḥanina ben Akavya taught it in his city: A boat in the Jordan, why is it ritually impure? It is because they load it on dry land and lower it into the water.¹¹⁶Since it can be moved on dry land when it is loaded, it is susceptible to ritual impurity (see Shabbat 83b). They answered him: But the seafarers in Ashkelon submerge it…?¹¹⁷They load and unload the boat in the water; therefore, it should not be susceptible to impurity. Rabbi Elazar ben Yosei answers: It is different [than other types of boats] because it is partially sunk into the ground.¹¹⁸It is loaded while partially on the ground and then dragged fully into the water. When it arrives at its destination, it is dragged partially onto the ground and then unloaded. He also taught another matter: The hard branches of a palm tree that one cuts for wood require tying if one wants them for lying or for a tent [on Shabbat].¹¹⁹One must do this before Shabbat to change the designation of the palm branches from wood that is set aside from use on Shabbat, to wood that is permitted for use on Shabbat.