Commentaire sur L’Ecclésiaste 2:3
תַּ֣רְתִּי בְלִבִּ֔י לִמְשׁ֥וֹךְ בַּיַּ֖יִן אֶת־בְּשָׂרִ֑י וְלִבִּ֞י נֹהֵ֤ג בַּֽחָכְמָה֙ וְלֶאֱחֹ֣ז בְּסִכְל֔וּת עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁר־אֶרְאֶ֗ה אֵי־זֶ֨ה ט֜וֹב לִבְנֵ֤י הָאָדָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר יַעֲשׂוּ֙ תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם מִסְפַּ֖ר יְמֵ֥י חַיֵּיהֶֽם׃
Je résolus, à part moi, de prodiguer à mon corps les plaisirs du vin et, tout en restant attaché de cœur à la sagesse, de faire une place à la folie, de façon à voir quel est le meilleur parti que puissent suivre les fils d’Adam sous le ciel, au cours de leur existence.
Rashi on Ecclesiastes
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.
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Kohelet Rabbah
“I searched in my heart to tempt my flesh with wine, and, my heart conducting itself with wisdom, to grasp folly, until I will see which is best for the sons of man that they should perform under the heaven during the limited days of their lives” (Ecclesiastes 2:3).
“I searched in my heart to tempt [my flesh] with wine” – Solomon said: “I searched in my heart to tempt [my flesh] with wine,” to tempt my flesh with the wine of Torah; “and my heart, conducting itself with wisdom,” with the wisdom of Torah. “To grasp folly” – Rabbi Yudan raised a question before Rabbi Aḥa: What is this that is written: “To grasp folly [sikhlut]”? He said: To grasp with wisdom [sukhlenuta].11He interprets sikhlut to mean wisdom, as in the word sukhlenuta; this is the opposite of the common translation of sikhlut.
“I searched in my heart to tempt [my flesh] with wine” – Solomon said: “I searched in my heart to tempt [my flesh] with wine,” to tempt my flesh with the wine of Torah; “and my heart, conducting itself with wisdom,” with the wisdom of Torah. “To grasp folly” – Rabbi Yudan raised a question before Rabbi Aḥa: What is this that is written: “To grasp folly [sikhlut]”? He said: To grasp with wisdom [sukhlenuta].11He interprets sikhlut to mean wisdom, as in the word sukhlenuta; this is the opposite of the common translation of sikhlut.
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Rashi on Ecclesiastes
And my heart conducted itself with wisdom. Even if my body is imbibed with wine, my heart conducted itself with wisdom and Torah observance.
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