פירוש על קהלת 8:8

Man has no power over the spirit. [I.e., over] the spirit and inclination of the emissary¹²I.e., the angel of death. We find the term רוח [=spirit] referring to angels in Tehillim 104:4, “He makes the רוחות His messengers.” of the Omnipresent, to retain and withhold from him the spirit in his body, so that the angel of death should not take it.

“There is no man who rules the spirit to retain the spirit, and there is no rule over the day of death. There is no release in war, and wickedness will not rescue its owner” (Ecclesiastes 8:8).
“There is no man who rules the spirit.” The Rabbis say: “There is no man who rules the spirit” of the angel of death, to prevent him from taking him. From where is it derived that angels are called spirits? As it is stated: “He makes his angels spirits” (Psalms 104:4). “And there is no rule over the day of death,” a person cannot say to the angel of death: ‘Wait for me until I make my accounting, and then I will come.’ “There is no release in war,” a person cannot say: ‘My son, my servant, or a member of my household will take my place.’ “And wickedness will not rescue its owner” – one cannot commute his sentence and one cannot appeal his conviction.
Rabbi Neḥemya said: “There is no man who rules the spirit” – there is no prophet of Israel who controls the spirit of the Holy One blessed be He, to prevent Him from [conveying prophesy through] him, as it is stated: “I would say: I will not mention Him, [and I will not speak anymore in His name, but in my heart it would be as a burning fire]” (Jeremiah 20:9). “And there is no rule over the day of death,” [as it is written:] “Those who are to death, to death…” (Jeremiah 15:2).²⁵The prophet cannot refrain from conveying his prophecy even if it is a prophecy of death and destruction. “There is no release in war,” [as it is written:] “Send them from My presence and let them go” (Jeremiah 15:1). “And wickedness will not rescue its owner.” Rabbi Ḥagai in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: The cynics of that generation were muttering with their mouths, pointing with their fingers, and were saying: “The vision that he is foretelling [is for many days to come]” (Ezekiel 12:27). The prophet said to them: “For it is in your days, defiant house” (Ezekiel 12:25).
Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: There is no man who rules the spirit of the kingdoms, to prevent their [rule] over him. “And there is no rule over the day of death,” as it is stated: “Snares of death confronted me” (Psalms 18:6). “There is no release [mishlaḥat] in war,” as it is written: “A band [mishlaḥat] of destroying animals” (Psalms 78:49).²⁶One cannot escape the retribution of God by waging war against those He sends against Israel (Midrash HaMevoar). “And wickedness will not rescue its owner” – but had they repented, they would have mitigated it.²⁷Attempting to emulate the wicked nations will not spare them; repentance will.
The Rabbis say: There is no man who rules his own spirit to bring about its termination from him. Rabbi Ḥanina said: It is written: “And fashions [veyotzer] the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1) – [God] bound [tzar] the spirit of man within him, as were it not so, when trouble would come, he would take it and cast it from within him. Rabbi Levi said: Approximately fifty-two times “King David” is written; when he was close to death, it is written: “The days of David drew near to die” (I Kings 2:1) because “there is no rule over the day of death.” Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi: The two trumpets that were [used] in the days of Moses were interred. One verse says: “They shall sound them…and they shall congregate to you” (Numbers 10:3), and one verse says: “Assemble to me all the elders of your tribe” (Deuteronomy 31:28); where were the trumpets?²⁸Moses asked the Levites to assemble the people for him instead of blowing the trumpets himself and thereby calling them to assembly. Say that they had already been interred in the days of Moses. The Holy One blessed be He said: Why should it be that he will die and his sons will be sounding the trumpets?²⁹As a sign of honor for him upon his death, as is done for kings. No, because “there is no rule over the day of death.” Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Simon: The Holy One blessed be He accorded great honor to Moses, as He said to him: “Craft for you two trumpets” (Numbers 10:2), but not for Joshua.³⁰The phrase “for you” is understood to mean that the trumpets were to be used only by Moses.

He has no power. [The power] of any king [is not] discernable on the day of his death.¹³Alternatively, all the power of the ruler is thwarted on the day of his death, i.e., to save himself from death. Everywhere [in Scripture] you find [that Dovid is referred to as], “King Dovid,” but on the day of his death [it states], “And the days of Dovid drew near that he should die,”¹⁴I Melochim 2:1. and no kingship is mentioned here.¹⁵Though in Shemos 2:23 it states “the king of Egypt died,” that is speaking of a historic event that happened in the past, however, when Scripture speaks of the event as it is occurring, kingship is not mentioned. (Likutei Yehudah)

Nor dispatch in battle. [In] this [battle by] saying, “I will send my son or my servant instead of me.”¹⁶Rashi interprets משחת as dispatch or send [שלוח]. Alternatively, משחת means weaponry, as in II Divrei Hayomim 32:5 and Nechemyah 4:11. Accordingly, this phrase means that weaponry [prepared for war] is of no avail to save one who is destined to die.