Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Pengkhotbah 8:12

Now that we have explained [that the verse “Do not be overly righteous or excessively wise” refers to how one is to practice a commandment even if the rationale for that commandment is inapplicable], we [now] need to explain the end of the verse, “Why become demented?” [The explanation is] that this refers to being punished [mentally]; King Saul who, after having been overly kind [to the Amalekites], was troubled with an evil spirit,²³See I Sam. 16:14: “An evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.” and King Solomon who over-philosophized, expelled his knowledge and forgot it.²⁴Midrash Rabbah to Ex. 6:1. This form of punishment lacks a scientific explanation, as it would be unnatural for one who attempts to make himself more righteous or wise, beyond [what is willed by] the Torah, to lose his sanity. However, [this penalty] is a metaphysical punishment decreed with the wisdom of the One who is to be blessed, similar to the way the punishment of kares [is exacted against those] who transgress the thirty-six prohibitions that are punishable by excision.²⁵The thirty-six prohibitions that carry the punishment of excision are enumerated at the beginning of Tractate Kerisos. Therefore, when there are those who sin a hundred times and the Holy One, blessed be He, is patient with them,²⁶Eccl. 8:12. though they are not excised in this world, they will receive a two-fold punishment in the World of Reckoning. Similarly, there are many who think that they are wiser than the Torah in this manner, and they are not punished in this world with madness. Their punishment is being saved for the World of Reckoning. Everything that [we have stated] regarding the explanation of these warnings is provided by the sages of blessed memory. [However, this explanation does not accord with the simple meaning of the verses.]

AND THEY ‘TUKU.’ This is like ‘huku’ (and they were smitten)⁴⁹The tav in the word tuku replaces the letter hei [huku], and as explained further on: “‘they were smitten’ and endured all hardships because they followed You wherever You took them.” Rashi explains that the word tuku is derived from the word toch (middle) — “and they placed themselves in the middle.” According to this interpretation the tav cannot be in place of a hei. [at Thy feet], as Scripture says ‘tirgalti l’Ephraim’ (I taught Ephraim to walk)⁵⁰Hosea 11:3. in place of hirgalti.⁵¹Here, too, the tav replaces a hei. Similarly the feminine hei is exchanged for a thav in the following expressions: I will not give ‘sh’nath’ (sleep) to mine eyes;⁵²Psalms 132:4. The word sh’nath is in place of sheinah (sleep). The letter thav thus replaces a hei. a sinner doeth evil ‘m’ath’ (a hundred times),⁵³Ecclesiastes 8:12. The word m’ath is in place of meiah (a hundred). and there are many such examples. He is thus stating that “‘they were smitten’ with every plague in the wilderness by following You wherever You went; they cared not for hunger, thirst, the affliction of serpents and scorpions. They only followed Thy feet and ran after You.” This is similar to what is stated, I remember for thee the affection of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, thy going after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.⁵⁴Jeremiah 2:2.

והם תכו ברגלך, ”and they planted themselves at Your feet.” They always feel drawn to the site of the Holy Ark which symbolises Your Presence, which they perceive as הדום רגלך, “the footstool for Your feet.” The word תכו is the same as הכו, the letter ת being a substitute for the letter ה. This letter is used interchangeably in a similar manner in Kohelet 8,,12 where the words עושה רע מאת should normally have been עושה רע מאה, “doing evil one hundred times.” Or in Psalms 132,4 we find the words אם אתן שנת לעיני “if I will allow my eyes to sleep,” when we would have expected the psalmist to write אם אתן שנה לעיני. [The author quotes more such examples. Ed.] We sometimes find the ת replacing the letter ה, whereas on other occasions the letter ה replaces the letter ת. In the phrase (verse 11) commencing with ישימו קטורה, “they shall prepare incense,” etc., the letter ה, I believe, is also a substitute for the letter ת in the word קטורת, incense. I believe this is a rule in grammar, seeing that the letter ה normally symbolizes the feminine gender, such as in אמרה, שמרה, קראה,, as well as in all the other verbs; the letter ת seeing that it is the final and last letter in the aleph bet, also symbolizes something feminine, passive. This is the reason it was made the last letter. The letter ה at the end of the third person of the verb is also reminiscent of the last letter of the tetragrammaton. The letter ת is used in many forms of the verb in the third person feminine future. In other words, the function of the letter ת and the letter ה frequently overlap, so that we need not be surprised to see them used as alternate spelling for each other.