Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Pengkhotbah 10:11

Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 26,2 quotes Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmeni as saying that when the serpent was asked: “why are you always found near the fences?” It answered: “because I was the one that breached the fences of the universe.” When asked further: “why are you constantly sticking out your tongue?”, It answered: “He makes me do it.” When asked: “why is the bite of any other free roaming beast not lethal whereas your bite is lethal?” The serpent answered: “do you suppose that I do anything of my own free will which has not been ordained for me from above?” The latter question is reflected in Kohelet 10,11 אם ישך נחש בלא לחש ואין יתרון לבעל הלשון, “if there were to be found a snake which bites without being provoked (from above), what purpose is there to the art of the snake-charmers?” When the serpent was asked further: “why is it that when you bite a single organ all other organs are affected by that bite?” The serpent answered (angrily) “why are you asking me instead of asking why the people who merely speak evil are able to kill without biting? Such people open their mouths here (Palestine) and the lethal effect of what they said is felt as far away as Rome!”

(Translated by Chat GPT) Isaac Abravanel said: Three characteristics are found in humans. The first characteristic is in their souls, as they will be engraved and formed within them with their intellect and wisdom, the true forms of things as they exist. According to how this characteristic will be in a person's soul, the level of wisdom and completeness will be in a wise person or a prophet. As long as one engraves within their soul the true forms of things, the level of the wise who perceive through investigation and inquiry, and the prophets in whom the spirit of God speaks, will be superior. Therefore, this first characteristic pertains to things that exist in the wise and prophetic soul. The second characteristic is that which is engraved in language and speech according to what is depicted in the soul. Just as the soul depicts what is in reality, language and speech will depict what is in the soul. In this characteristic, there is also a great distinction among people, according to the eloquence each possesses in speech. This is what is called the language of scholars, to speak and express oneself clearly and elegantly, reflecting whatever the soul depicts without inhibition. In this, the advantage of eloquent speakers and poets over one another lies. And generally, every wise person or prophet will have an advantage over their peers in this characteristic as well. The third characteristic is in writing. When a wise person or a prophet writes in a book what he has spoken or what he desires to speak, just as the drawing of the soul is the first characteristic, and the articulation in speech is the second, so the narratives of language and its assertions will be inscribed in writing. This is the third characteristic. In this, there is also a significant difference among people, not only in the form of writing and its eloquence but also in the accuracy and correctness of the writing. There should be no mistake or error, neither in gender nor plurality, neither in tense nor any other aspect that would imply an error in meticulous writing. Thus, these three characteristics encompass the virtues and advantages of the wise or the prophets over the authors of books. This includes the ability to depict the soul, the eloquence of speech, the accuracy of writing, and correctness in the book. King Solomon elaborated on all of this at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes. As he said, "Moreover, the Preacher was wise; he still taught the people knowledge, and he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly." This means that the completeness found in the wise person is greater than the first characteristic, which is the depiction of one's soul and the extent of wisdom. When he said, "Moreover, the Preacher was wise; he still taught the people knowledge," it shows the completeness found in him is also greater than the second characteristic, which is eloquence of speech. For the learning of others, it is fitting that it be according to their reception. For a suitable student, they should learn with much inquiry and balance, and for an inferior student, if they begin with inquiry, they should learn with parables according to their level of inquiry. Therefore, it was said concerning learning, "and he pondered and sought out," which is for the suitable students, and "set in order many proverbs," which is against those who begin with wisdom. However, against the completeness of the third characteristic, which is in writing and compiling books, it was said, "The Preacher sought to find delightful words," which is the beautiful and well-ordered language included in the second characteristic. Concerning writing and compiling books, it was said, "and to write words of truth correctly," meaning that the writing should be like its companions, accurate without error, words of truth without falsehood or error at all. Solomon, the king, explained the necessity of perfection in language, to teach the people in writing and compiling books. Because at the beginning of his wisdom, these two were not necessary for him, as he was the king of Israel, and it was sufficient for him to attain wisdom and depict the soul. Therefore, he said first, "Moreover, the Preacher was wise, still teaching the people knowledge," meaning that he did not suffice with the completeness of his soul alone but also completed the people of his generation in learning and those who came after him in studying his books. Thus, he also said here, "The Preacher sought to find delightful words," meaning that his words were like nails firmly fixed, and even though the authors of books may learn and take from the words of their predecessors as if they are thieves of words, there is no shame in being compilers who collected and received from the words of others, as all wisdom comes from one source, which is God, from whom wisdom and understanding come, and all the wise have learned from Him. From these words, it is understood that everyone should learn beautifully in his saying, and even more so should those who are cautious produce many books and complete them. And the intention is not to avoid making them but to be cautious and diligent in making them, and not to say, "Many have already written before me, why should I bother with other compositions?" for our fathers left us a place to excel in it.

את הנחשים השרפים, the fiery snakes. It appears that as a result of the continued complaints by the Israelites against G'd and Moses, He sent the very beasts against them which their לשון הרע had given birth to. We have explained on numerous occasions that the מזיקים, destructive forces in our world, are nothing but the creatures we cause to come into being through our sins. The incident of the serpents in this paragraph proves how true the words of our sages in Taanit 8 are when they said that in the messianic future the other wild beasts will ask the serpent why it kills with a poisonous bite seeing it does not even get a physical satisfaction out of the damage it causes; the serpent replies with the verse (Kohelet 10,11)אין יתרון לבעל הלשון, "the slanderer does not get anything out of his slander." It asks: "why not ask the same question of the slanderer? What does he get out of spreading lies against people?" את הנחשים השרפים, the fiery serpents, etc. It seems quite appropriate that seeing the Israelites continued to slander G'd and Moses, that G'd sent the serpents created by these slanderous remarks against those who had caused their existence, against the slanderers themselves as per the Talmud in Taanit. In this instance the complaints of the Israelites gave birth to two kinds of serpents. The one called נחש has a poisonous bite which destroys the body, whereas the bite of the one called שרף burns the soul. The meaning of the word וישלח here is that G'd allowed the evil creations of the people's slanderous remarks to be turned against them. We find a similar use of that word in Job 8,4 וישלחם ביד פשעם, "He expelled them by means of their sin." In this instance the נחשים were the result of their slander against Moses, whereas the שרפים were the result of the Israelites having misrepresented what G'd had done. The Midrash too mentions that the שרפים were the punishment for what they said against G'd, as these serpents burn the soul.