Musar su Ecclesiaste 3:78

Behold it has been explained from the two verses that we mentioned - [as well as] from the words of the Sages, may their memory be blessed - that the soul of the evildoers goes down to the pit. And it has also been stated (Proverbs 15:24), "For an intelligent man the path of life leads upward, in order to avoid the pit below." And it has also been stated (Ecclesiastes 3:21), "Who knows if the spirit of men does rise upward and if a beast’s spirit does sink down into the earth?" The explanation [of this] is who can recognize the righteous ones and the evildoers in this world? For there are are evildoers whose actions are in the dark, and people will not know it about them; and there are righteous ones that fear the Heavens in private, like the matter that is stated (Micah 6:8), "and walk humbly." And he called the soul of an evildoer, the soul of a beast, because it follows its physical desire like a beast. And [this is] like the matter that is stated (Jonah 4:11), "who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well!" But he called the righteous ones, "the spirit of men" - like the matter that is stated (Ezekiel 34:31), "you are men." And the explanation of the wording of the verse is like this: Who knows the spirit of men - which are the righteous ones - which goes above; for there are many righteous people that a person cannot determine in this world that they are truly righteous, and that their souls will arise above, like the matter that is stated (I Samuel 16:7), "man sees only what is visible, but the Lord sees into the heart." And also since there are many righteous ones whose fear of the Heavens is secret, and their righteousness is not known, and like the matter that is stated, (Micah 6:8), "and walk humbly with your God." "And the beast's spirit, etc." is that there also many evildoers that a man would not recognize from their actions, like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 29:15), "who do their work in dark places and say, 'Who sees us, who takes note of us?'" And they, may their memory be blessed, likewise explained in Midrash Kohelet (Kohelet Rabbah 3:21) that the "spirit of men" is the righteous ones, "and the beast's spirit" is the evildoers. But a person cannot say that he is in doubt whether the soul of a man rise up; for behold it is written (Ecclesiastes 12:7), "and the spirit returns to God who bestowed it." And also how can he doubt whether the spirit of a beast descends below? Is the spirit of a beast not from the earth? So how could it rise? And it is explained in the Torah that the soul of man is supernal. As it is written about the spirit of an animal that it is from the ground, as it is stated (Genesis 1:24), "Let the earth bring forth living spirits according to their specie." But about the spirit of man, it is written (Genesis 2:7), "and He blew into his nostrils a living soul." Therefore the soul of man rises above with the death of the body; since all things return to their source, like the matter that is stated (Ecclesiastes 12:7), "And the dust returns to the ground as it was, and the spirit returns to God who bestowed it." And it is stated about the soul of the righteous one (Zechariah 3:7), "and I will permit you to move about among these ones standing." Its explanation is among the angels that are standing and enduring - as it is stated (Psalms 148:6), "And He made them stand forever." And it is [also] stated (Daniel 7:16), "approached one of the standing." And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 152b), "The souls of the righteous are hidden under the Throne of Glory, as it is stated (I Samuel 25:29), "the life of my lord will be bound up in the bundle of life." And all men of heart will consider this world like a temporary dwelling; so they will only use it for the service of the Creator, may He be blessed, and prepare provisions for their souls. For if a man lives many years - even if he lived twice a thousand years - since there is a number to his years, the number will end, and his end will be as if they had not been. But the world of repayment has no end, like the matter that is stated (Job 16:22), "For a few more years will pass, and I shall go the way of no return." Even more so, since the days of man are like a passing shadow, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 90:10), "The span of our life is seventy years, etc." And it is [also] stated (Psalms 144:4), "his days are like a passing shadow." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Kohelet Rabbah 1:3), "Not like the shadow of a tree or the shadow of a wall, but rather like the shadow of a flying and passing bird." It means to say a person is obligated to compare in his heart, this world to the shadow of a bird that if flying and passes over in a small instant - especially since a man does not know whether he is here today but in the grave tomorrow. And it would come out in his efforts today for tomorrow, that he has taken pains for a world that is not his. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 100b), "Grieve not about tomorrow’s trouble, because you know not what a day may bring."

One of the reasons the paragraph of vows (Numbers 30) is adjacent to the paragraph of the festivals (Numbers 28) is that the 9th of Av is also called a festival, מועד. The ראשי המטות are the Sanhedrin of the people, the Supreme Court. The laws governing vows were addressed to them specifically. The reason that the line "Moses spoke to the children of Israel," is inserted between the paragraph dealing with the festivals and the paragraph dealing with vows and oaths when the former had concluded with the words "Moses told the children of Israel all that G–d had told him to tell them" is in order to separate the two subjects (one disaster from another). Tragically, what happened to the Sanhedrin in the days of Zedekiah (who had accused them of annulling his vow to be loyal to Nebuchadnezzar) later also happened to the Jewish community at large due to our many iniquities i.e. those mentioned in Parshat Massay, the penalty for which is exile or execution. This is what the prophet Jeremiah 9,20 refers to when he says: כי עלה מות בחלונינו, ואשר לחרב לחרב (ibid. 15,2). The prophet refers to a variety of deaths experienced by the population. The former refers to pestilence, the latter to violent death. Still later in the same verse, the prophet speaks to those who have survived, telling them that they will experience exile, i.e. ואשר לשבי לשבי. The attribute of Justice mentioned in several instances in פרשת דברים, struck the Jewish nation subsequently, also making no distinction between the rich and the poor, the learned and the ignorant. G–d's judgments demonstrated that He certainly did not play favorites, a fault His representatives on earth had been guilty of. Due to our many sins the catastrophe also hit the site whence justice should have been dispensed, i.e. the seat of the Jewish Supreme Court within the Temple precincts. Rashi comments on Kohelet 3,16 ומקום הצדק שמה הרשע, "In the place of righteousness there is wickedness," that when Solomon describes this as something he had "seen," he refers to a vision of his which foretold of what the prophet Isaiah later on described (1,21): "Righteousness lodged in her, but now murders." Solomon also foresaw the retribution. The site became one where Nebuchadnezzar and his henchmen issued severe decrees against the Jews remaining in Jerusalem.

And the man of heart must reflect always upon what Chazal have said in Midrash Rabbah Parshath Emor 27 on the verse (Koheleth 3:15): "And G-d seeks [i.e., stands up for] the pursued." R. Huna said in the name of R. Yosef: "G-d always 'seeks' the pursued." You find a tzaddik pursuing a tzaddik — "And G-d seeks the pursued"; a tzaddik pursuing an evildoer — "And G-d seeks the pursued." R. Yehudah said in the name of R. Yossi b. Nahora: "The Holy One Blessed be He always claims the blood of the pursued from the pursuers." R. Elazar said in the name of R. Yossi b. Zimra: "It is also so with sacrifices. The Holy One Blessed be He said: 'An ox flees a lion; a goat flees a leopard; a lamb flees a wolf — Do not sacrifice before Me [animals] from the pursuers, but from the fleers.'" And if so, one must give thought to distancing himself from abetting machloketh, from taking one side over another, since, in the final analysis the Holy One Blessed be He claims their blood from his hand. And instead of emerging "the victor" and gaining honor thereby, in the end he will be seen in his shame, being punished by either tzara'ath or poverty. But if one guards himself from machloketh, he is honored by men, as it is written (Mishlei 20:3): "A man's honor is abstention from a quarrel." And Chazal have said: "Now if a man is honored by suppressing a quarrel which is his own, how much more so [is he to be censured] for intervening [and taking sides] in a quarrel which is not his own. And thus is it written (Mishlei 26:17): 'As one who seizes a dog's ears is he who grows wrathful over a quarrel that is not his.'"

A different approach to the meaning of the expressions אימה, חשיכה, גדולה-נופלת, is taken by the Arizal, who sees in אימה, an allusion to the generation of Enosh, during whose lifetime one third of the earth was flooded. G–d had done this in order to inspire fear and reverence for Him in mankind, hence the word אימה, fear. חשיכה refers to the generation of the deluge, when according to our sages the luminaries ceased to function, hence the word חשיכה, darkness (Yerushalmi Pesachim 1,1). The word גדולה refers to the generation of the Tower, i.e. מגדל, and the word נופלת refers to the destruction, i.e. תהפוכה of Sodom whose inhabitants were destroyed body and soul. What Abraham experienced was the awareness that these four events represented delays in G–d's plan for His universe, and that the earth needed תקון, a reformation in order to get back on the "right track." Abraham was seventy years old when He received G–d's first assurance that his descendants would possess the Holy Land. An allusion to this is found in the verse יצב גבולת עמים, "He establishes the boundaries of the nations" (Deut. 32,8). In that verse Israel is contrasted with the other seventy nations.

There are times when silence is good, as when divine justice strikes against a man, as in the case of Aaron, as it is written, "And Aaron held his peace" (Lev. 10:3). If a person hears people reviling him, he should be silent. And this is a great quality, to be silent in the face of one's revilers. And one should also accustom himself to be silent in the synagogue, for this is modesty and it requires great alertness properly to direct his heart in prayer. And if one is sitting among the wise he should be silent and listen to their words, for when he is silent, he hears what he does not know, but when he speaks he does not add anything to his knowledge. However, if he is doubtful as to the meaning of the words of the wise he should ask them, for to be silent in such a case is very bad: King Solomon said, "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Eccl. 3:7) — there are times when speaking is good and there are times when silence is good. And the wise man said, "When you do not find a man who can teach you morality, then cleave to silence lest you speak folly." And since the tongue is very facile, one must take care to make it heavy, to guard it so that it does not speak. An abundance of words is like a heavy burden, and the weight of many words is more difficult to bear than the weight of much silence. And if a man hears his neighbor speaking he should be silent until he finishes, "He that giveth answer before he heareth, it is folly and confusion unto him" (Prov. 18:13).

Yet, for everything there is an occasion, and for every experience, a time.¹²Compare Ecclesiastes 3:1-2. R. Salanter is saying that the epidemic has created a time for grief in our life. We also are pained by the untimely loss of life. Nevertheless, we should guide our emotions not to fear the plague. Now that this plague has appeared in the land, and even here—may the Merciful One save us—this is the teaching that should guide a person,¹³Compare II Samuel 7:19. The verse in II Samuel carries the overtone that this guidance is a gracious, unmerited gift from God. and this is common sense: Do not be afraid of [the disease] at all. For what is human life in any case? Who knows if his [future] path [in life] would have turned out [to be] upright. Furthermore, we must act in accordance with the wise doctors’ instructions - for our religion tells us to walk by the light of their words¹⁴Halakhah considers “you shall safeguard your lives very much” (Deut. 4:15) to be a mitzvah. Halakhah also rules that saving a life overrules all of the Torah’s commandments except for three. and thus uphold this life to be good and do good.

To what can this be compared? To [the instance of] a wealthy man, a merchant in precious gems, who, journeying from home, asks one of his companions to take care of his possessions, permitting him first to see his beautiful gems. Upon opening the chest, he sees them, and, beside them rotted earth. At this, he says to himself: "This wealthy one is a fool! How can he leave rotted earth together with such beautiful jewels!" The analogue is self-explanatory. Is it not obvious that all the dead things of the world, in the course of years, all turn to dust, both he himself and all the things he yearned for in his lifetime, as it is written (Koheleth 3:20): "All came from dust and all returns to dust." And he will be astonished at himself forever. How could he have combined in his chest [i.e., in his heart] two loves together? Love of the L-rd and His Torah, the true gems, more desirable than gold and fine gold, and the love of dust — together! Did he not know in his lifetime that in the end all would return to dust? Therefore, one must take great care to drive out of his mind, thoughts of lust for the desires of the world. This is the intent of "And make our hearts one … and let us not be ashamed, forever." And this is the intent, in the recital of Shema, of (Devarim 6:5): "And you shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart, etc."

Now we see that everything depends upon Fear of Heaven, and that the whole Torah is of no use to a man unless it is accompanied by Fear of Heaven, which is the very peg upon which everything hangs. And it is Fear of Heaven alone that stands by a man forever and ever. And thus did David testify, "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever" (Ps. 19:10). And thus also King Solomon testified and said, "And God hath so made it, that men should fear before Him (Eccl, 3:14). And it is written, "Better a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and turmoil therewith" (Prov. 15:16).

I have explained at length that "evil" is distilled from "good,” that it has only been created, נברא, for the sake of the good, i.e. הטוב. Without רע, "evil," there could not have been such a concept as טוב, "good." G–d arranged that people should fear him; this is why the advantage of light is something that is due to the potential power of darkness. This is the deeper meaning of the Torah saying that both luminaries were created equal in size even though the word מארת is spelled defective, without the letter ו indicating the plural. The idea is to tell us that the luminary later described as המאור הקטן, the smaller luminary, is really part of the overall expression "luminaries." The טוב must be understood as the "great luminary," whereas the "small luminary" refers to darkness, חשך. When you look closely at the letters in the word מאורות (when spelled plene), you will find the words for "light" and "death," i.e. אור and מות. The word מות is separated by the letters spelling אור, light. This is a hint that light (the light of Torah) separates or neutralises the power of מות, death. The same does not apply to the Gentiles or to the wicked. They walk in [unbroken] darkness, not in light, and in the language of our sages are referred to as "dead" even while their bodies are "alive" (Berachot 18). For them death is an ongoing experience, not broken or interrupted by light. Of the righteous the Psalmist says (Psalms 116,15): יקר בעיני ה' המותר לחסידיו, "The death of His pious ones is a precious event in the eyes of G—d." Elsewhere I explained the meaning and nature of death at length. The letter מ is an allusion to the angel of death. It is the very letter from the word מפריו from Genesis 3,6 :"ותרא האשה…ותקח מפריו ותאכל ותתן". We have the letter ו and ת four times in that verse plus the letter מ. This is an allusion to Eve having surrounded herself with the angel of death from all four sides. I have written more about this in my treatise תולדות האדם. Anyone who wants a deeper understanding of this must take the trouble to read the entire introduction even though it is lengthy.

Concerning this concept, Solomon says in Kohelet 3,21, מי יודע רוח בני אדם, העולה היא למעלה, ורוח הבהמה היורדת היא למטה לארץ, "Who knows under which conditions man's spirit rises on high, and when the animal spirit descends to the nether regions." Solomon means that there are occasions when the animal's spirit ascends, such as when man consumes בהמה טהורה, and such a בהמה is fit to eat according to the criteria of what is kasher according to Jewish dietary laws. On the other hand, when man indulges in animal food forbidden to him, his own spiritual force descends to the level of the animal instead of the spiritual level of the animal being raised to his level. All this is alluded to in our פרשה in the words לכלב תשליחון אותו, throw it to the dog; i.e. man is relegated to the "hard" קליפה. (a Kabbalistic term denoting forces in the universe not susceptible to sanctity)

David goes on: "One may lie down weeping at nightfall; but in the morning there are shouts of joy." Why did David not contrast "weeping" with שחוק, "laughter?" After all Solomon in Kohelet 3,4 describes the opposite of weeping as laughter. When David mentions that by morning there will be "joy," he thereby tells us something that goes beyond the antithesis of weeping. Rabbi Moshe Alshich has explained this in his commentary on Psalms 126,2, where he says that the joy referred to at the time under discussion in that Psalm will spill over from the mouth (lips) to the tongue. It is only by a miracle that the tongue can rejoice at a time when the mouth is full of laughter. When the Gentile nations observe this, (126,3) they will comment that G–d has indeed done great things for the Jewish people. At any rate, the trials do not last longer than from evening to morning.