Кохелет 5:9 Комментарий: Rashi

He who loves money will never be satisfied with money. Whoever loves [to perform God’s] commandments never has his fill of them.¹²See the Gemara in Maseches Makkos 10a which interprets that this verse is referring to Moshe.

And he who loves abundance. Of many commandments

Will have no produce. And among them none has a specific and distinguishable commandment, e.g., the building of the Beis Hamikdosh or a synagogue, or [writing] a beautiful Torah scroll.

This too is vanity. So are these two verses expounded upon in the Midrash, and there are other suitable interpretations, but I stated this one first because it is related to the matter of, “and there are higher ones over them,” which Scripture juxtaposed to them.

Another explanation: The profit of the earth is desired by all. The reward for tilling the soil is most important of all, for even the king must be subservient to the field; if the earth produces fruits, he will eat, otherwise, he dies from hunger.

He who loves money will never be satisfied with money. He will not eat money.

And he who loves abundance. Of money.

Will have no produce. That he does not gather for himself produce, this too is vanity.¹³Alternatively, “one who loves [an] abundance” of slaves, maidservants and other household members, “will have no produce,” i.e., he will be unable to sustain his household staff, for they will consume everything (Metsudas Dovid).

Another explanation: The profit of the earth is desired by all. The reward of Yisroel is in all aspects of Torah, be it in Scripture, in Mishnah, or in Gemara.

The king himself is subject to the soil. If the king is well versed in Scripture and Mishnah, he must still be subservient to the one well-versed in Gemara, because he arranges before him the practical decisions regarding prohibition and permissibility, ritual impurity and purity, and practical laws.