전도서 4:13의 인용 해설

Hence, the lusts overpowered the intellect, for the intellect is likened to a poor youth [in scripture as in "better a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king who no longer knows to receive admonition" (Koheles 4:13)"], while the lusts, which are the yetzer hara (evil inclination) is a foolish elder, since he came before the yetzer tov [good inclination which starts to come after 13 years of age].

The word עזאזל continues to exercise the mind of our author who claims to follow the approach of Nachmanides in this regard. He suggests that it is a form of reinforcing the meaning of the word עז, strong, hard, obstinate. He also claims that Satanic forces to the extent that they too are rooted in the Divine seeing that there are no competing forces to G’d unless G’d Himself had created them and given them their authority, always end with the letters אל, a form of the name of G’d. The word עזאזל could be understood as equivalent to עזי-אל “my strength is G’d-like,” or something to that effect. He finds an allusion to Satanic forces being described as “strong, hard, חזק,” in the words of the Psalm 35,10 מציל עני מחזק ממנו, “He (the Lord) saves the poor from forces stronger than he” (the reference being to Samael). We find G’d described as עזוז וגבור, in Psalms 24,8. This is a redoubling of the normal עז, for “strong, tough,” etc. The word עזאזל may reflect the evil urge=Satan, Samael, (Baba Batra 16) in its most potent form. Our sages have told us that “Satan” and “evil urge” are merely two different words describing the same phenomenon.

Maror Korekh: Even if some disagreement or bitterness burns in his heart, let him ‘wrap up’ (hikhrikh) any hurts with love and let him judge all people favorably, as we learn in Masekhet Shabbat: “Our Rabbis taught: He who judges his neighbor in the scale of merit is himself judged favorably,”¹³BT Shabbat 127b and elsewhere in the Talmud. The sages of blessed memory also quote the following verse: “Better to be forbearing than mighty; to have self control than to conquer a city.”¹⁴Proverbs 16:32 There are those who remain calm even when their body is aching, a fire is burning in them and bitterness is dripping within them – such people are subject to terrible diseases. Others, however, remain completely calm and do not allow their hearts to become angry. This is a great quality – greater than conquering a city. The body is called a city as Ecclesiastes said: “Better a poor youth than an old but foolish king who no longer has the sense to heed warnings.”¹⁵Ecclesiastes 4:13 This is a pillar of worship; and now I will speak about acts of kindness.