Comentario citado sobre Eclesiastés 1:2

And to where are you going? To a place of dust, worms, and maggots: And if you think in your heart to where you are going, you will not desire any of the pleasures - as you are toiling for worms. You will also find vain all wealth and honor - 'as it is all vanity and bad spirit.' And about this matter King Shlomo created the Book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) and began (Ecclesiastes 1:2), "Vanity of vanities" - to show the vanity of all goods and of all honor. And after he showed the vanity of everything, he stated (Ecclesiastes 12:13), "The sum of the matter, when all is heard; revere God and observe His commandments; as this is all of man."

In this verse Solomon informed us that an intelligent human being is aware that terrestrial life, by definition, is headed for destruction, for disintegration. He is aware that the true life is to be found only in the “upper regions,” in the celestial spheres, in an environment which is eternal. As a result of such knowledge the intelligent man removes himself from the attractions of the terrestrial world, performs such tasks as are necessary only because they preserve his health and life without making them an objective in themselves. He does so in order to escape the prospect of שאול מטה, “hell and eternal damnation.”
Let me explain this by means of a parable. A person lives in a certain city, aware that his dwelling is only a temporary one. He craves to move to another town where he may be able to secure for himself a permanent residence. While such a person has hope to secure a permanent residence in another city he is certainly not going to make investments in fields, buildings, and other properties which he cannot transfer to the city which he hopes to move to. He will limit his investments and efforts in the city in which he dwells presently to a minimum, conserving his strength to acquire things useful to him when he does make the move.
The intelligent person is aware that the עולם הבא, the hereafter, is the only permanent residence; he will therefore prepare himself in this life for his hereafter so that when he arrives there he will find that a suitable residence has been prepared for him. Having this in mind, Solomon began his book Kohelet with the words הבל הבלים, “vanity of vanities,” whereas he concluded it (Kohelet 12,13) by exhorting his listeners to practice יראת השם, reverence for G’d.
Another way of understanding the verse we have quoted from Proverbs is this: אורח חיים למעלה למשכיל, Solomon is addressing the intelligent person saying to him: ”you, intelligent person that you are, should know that there is a path of life which leads upwards. In order to secure this path of life for yourself you have to abandon the path that leads to hell, downwards.” In other words, you have to abandon your cravings for all kinds of physical pleasures and indulgences as otherwise these physical pleasures will drag you down to hell.

[In order to comprehend this midrash], one first needs to understand that the sole purpose of the Prophets and Hagiographa is not [to convey a particular] prophet’s chastisements, due to be given at a certain moment, or to make known [to us] a particular occurrence. It surely is impossible to say so, for [in addition to the prophets recorded in Scripture], many more Prophets lived during the times of Elijah, Elisha, and [until the time of] Jeremiah. This is known, as it is written [in several instances], “I have sent them all of My servants, the prophets….”⁷Jer. 7:25. The verse reads in full, “From the time that your ancestors left the land of Egypt to this day, I sent them all of My servants, the prophets, every day.” This also occurred during the times of Elijah and Elisha, as a similar use of words is found in II Kings 17:13, 23; 21:10; and 24:2. And all of these [not mentioned by name] prophesied and uttered words of chastisement. [See] also Koheles Rabbah 1, which comments on the verse in Eccl. 1:2, “‘There is no remembrance of them of former times.’… Many prophets arose in Israel whose names have not been specified….” [Obviously many of the various prophets’ statements] were not meant to be recorded. [The reason why the prophecies of many prophets were not recorded in Scripture is conveyed in] Tractate Megillah 14a, in which states, “Prophecy needed for future generations was recorded, but that which was not needed was not recorded.” If anyone had recorded their words, he would have transgressed the prohibition that words that are transmitted orally must never be recorded even if they are uttered with holiness.⁸This is similar to the prohibition not to redact the Oral Law. As it is written, “Do not add to his words”;⁹Prov. 30:6. [i.e., do not record things meant to be transmitted orally], even if one is only adding to the Hagiographa. As it is said in Tractate Megillah 7a, “Is this [recorded in Proverbs] the only wisdom that King Solomon articulated?” [Solomon had expressed much more wisdom than what was revealed in Proverbs, yet no one was allowed to record it].