יֶשׁ־הֶבֶל֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נַעֲשָׂ֣ה עַל־הָאָרֶץ֒ אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ יֵ֣שׁ צַדִּיקִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר מַגִּ֤יעַ אֲלֵהֶם֙ כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה הָרְשָׁעִ֔ים וְיֵ֣שׁ רְשָׁעִ֔ים שֶׁמַּגִּ֥יעַ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה הַצַּדִּיקִ֑ים אָמַ֕רְתִּי שֶׁגַּם־זֶ֖ה הָֽבֶל׃
Ada suatu kesia-siaan yang terjadi di bumi: ada orang-orang saleh yang mengalami apa yang sepadan dengan perbuatan orang-orang fasik, dan ada orang-orang fasik yang mengalami apa yang sepadan dengan perbuatan orang-orang saleh. Aku berkata bahwa ini pun kesia-siaan.
Tze'enah Ure'enah
“There is vanity” [8:14]. There is a thing that frightens people, that things are very difficult for the righteous. It would be just if it would be the same for the evildoer. However, when things go well for the evildoer, with wealth. I thought that this is also a foolishness that is in the world.119Rashi, Ecclesiastes, 8:14.
Rashi
There are righteous men. To whom evil happens [as though] they acted wickedly, and there are wicked to whom good happens [as though] they acted righteously.28Alternatively, there are righteous men who acquire a bad reputation as though they acted wickedly, is referring to a foolish righteous person who takes the practices of his piety to ridiculous levels (Sforno). Mesilas Yeshorim states that one must not decide upon the saintliness of a deed on the basis of its surface appearance alone, rather he should view the deed, including its consequence(s), from every angle of human intelligence, and then determine whether or not to perform the deed. I said that this too is one of the vanities that prevails in the world. However, our Rabbis expounded it in a different manner in Maseches Horiyos,2910b. but it is not explained satisfactorily to me, according to the words that the wise man concludes by saying, “This too is vanity.”