Pemikiran Yahudi Pengkhotbah 4:13: Derashot HaRan & Guide for the Perplexed

I have already written that ease of attainment is a function of a natural inclination for the object to be attained. It is in this respect that Moses says: "And now, O Israel, what does the L-rd your G-d ask of you? — only to fear…" That is, He is not asking something overburdensome of you, something beyond your nature; to the contrary, you have a natural inclination for it and will rejoice in its attainment. The reason most men do not attain it is the extreme difficulty it presents in a different respect, the antagonism to it of the lower-oriented faculty of man, whose natural inclination is opposite that of the intellect — namely, the imagination. This faculty is constantly oriented towards the lusts that man shares in common with the animals, and the senses are far more subservient to it than they are to the intellect. This, for three reasons: first, because of their similar natures, the imagination and the sense all being corporeal faculties, while the intellect is a distinct, non-corporeal entity, and all things are attracted to their like — second, because those imaged objects under the dominion of imagination are tangible and visible, whereas the objects of the intellect are intangible and invisible — and, third, because of the precedence of the dominion of imagination in time. One's imagination rules his senses from the time he is born, his intellect not doing so until he attains the age of reason. This is the intent of our sages' statement (Medrash Hagadol Bereshith 4:7): "The evil inclination precedes the good by thirteen years, as it is written (Bereshith 4:7): 'At the door [of life] lies sin.'" The senses, then, meet a similar fate as those foolish men who are ruled for many years by a foolish king. His reign, from long habit, becomes so natural to them that they will be averse to the leadership of a more perfect monarch. And this is the intent of King Solomon's analogy (Ecclesiastes 4:13, 15, 16): "Better the poor, wise child than the old, foolish king, who can no longer care for himself… I have seen all of life that transpires under the sun with the second child, that stood up after him. There is no end to all the people — to all whom he came before; the later ones, too, will not rejoice in him." The explanation is as follows: Because the people have become accustomed to the rule of the first, the fool, they will not rejoice in the rule of the wise child, which is more perfect than that of the first. The same is true with imagination and intellect relative to the senses. Because the dominion of the imagination over the senses and the awakening faculty preceded the dominion of the intellect over them, therefore, its reign is more pleasing to most people than that of the intellect, though the latter is superior. And, with the ascendancy of imagination and the senses, intellect sinks and is lost, as an infant captured by the gentiles. It does not rejoice in its unique objects and is not awakened to them. It is in this respect that love and fear of the L-rd are difficult for most people.

I would say, however, that there is a respect in which pride is even less appropriate for a king in point of his kingship than it is for the rest of the populace in point of any superior qualities that they might possess. For it is well known that kingship is not an intrinsic quality of the king's, but is rather something accorded him by the Blessed One or by the people for the common good — or for his good. This is Solomon's intent in: a) (Ecclesiastes 4:13-14): "Better a poor wise child than an old foolish king, who can no longer take heed; for out of prison he came forth to reign." It is seen, then, that kingship is not an intrinsic quality of the king's, but a title accorded him for the good of the kingdom. It is proper, therefore, that the king not see himself as a governor and ruler over the people, but as a servant of G-d charged with their welfare. This is the intent of b) (Horioth 10a): "Do you think I am giving you rule? I am giving you servitude!" As it is written (I Kings 12:7): 'And they spoke to him, saying: "If you will be a servant this day to this people…"'" And this was David's intent in c) (Psalms 24:7): "Lift up your heads, O you gates… and let the King of Glory enter." It was found to be interpreted thus in a privy scroll of Rabbeinu Yonah: All kings of flesh and blood do not rule over glory, but glory rules over them. To the extent that the people accord their king glory, to that extent will they have kingdom. So that, if they should desire to divest him of all of his glory, they would be divested of all of their kingdom. It is found, then, that kings do not rule over glory, but glory rules over them. But the Blessed One is, in truth, the King of Glory, truly ruling and reigning over it. And since the glory of the king and of his kingdom are not for himself but for his people, it follows that it is less appropriate for him to vaunt himself in his kingdom than for a sage to vaunt himself in the wisdom which he has acquired, the object of the kingdom being first and foremost, not his own betterment, but that of the people.

The Hebrew, satan, is derived from the same root as séteh, “turn away” (Prov. 4:15); it implies the notion of turning and moving away from a thing; he undoubtedly turns us away from the way of truth, and leads us astray in the way of error. The same idea is contained in the passage, “And the imagination of the heart of man is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21). The theory of the good and the evil inclinations (yeẓer ha-tob, ve-yeẓer ha-ra’) is frequently referred to in our religion. Our Sages also say, “Serve God with your good and your evil inclinations.” (B. T. Ber. 57a.) They also say that the evil inclination we receive at our birth: for “at the door sin croucheth” (Gen. 4:7), as is distinctly said in the Law, “And the imagination of the heart of man is evil from his youth” (ibid. 8:21). The good inclination, however, comes when the mind is developed. In explaining the allegory representing the body of man and his different faculties, our Sages (B. T. Ned. 32b) said: “The evil inclination is called a great king, whilst the good inclination is a child, poor, though wise” (Eccles. 9:14). All these sayings of our Sages are contained in their writings, and are well known. According to our Sages the evil inclination, the adversary (satan), and the angel [of death], are undoubtedly identical; and the adversary being called “angel, “because he is among the sons of God, and the good inclination being in reality an angel, it is to the good and the evil inclinations that they refer in their well-known words, “Every person is accompanied by two angels, one being on his right side, one on his left.” In the Babylonian Gemara (Shabbath 119b), they say distinctly of the two angels that one is good and one bad. See what extraordinary ideas this passage discloses, and how many false ideas it removes.