Kaisipang Hudyo sa Eclesiastes 7:1: Akeidat Yitzchak

Considering that Adam and his three sons founded a civilization that failed, even Noach and his three sons did not fare much better. In fact, we pointed out that in the absence of the words "he died" in their genealogies, there is a hint that their respective deaths did not leave behind a void that needed to be filled. When the sages debated whether it "is more comfortable for man to have been born, than it would have been if he had never seen the light of the world" (Eyruvin 13), they concluded that from that point of view it would indeed have been preferable not to have been born at all (see chapter 8). The names of Noach's three sons indicate how they should act and which character traits they were supposed to cultivate meticulously. Shem, who replaced Shet, Adam's third son, who had been born in the image of the Lord, was supposed to wear the crown of the good name ("Better a good name than good oil," Kohelet 7,1). It was to be his task to concentrate on the spiritual aspects of life. Cham, the least illustrious, would replace Cain who had been hotblooded, had followed his baser urges inordinately. Yephet, as his name indicates, was to strive after the esthetically acceptable, influenced by the spirit of Shem, thus representing the functional and useful in life, almost like what Hevel had represented in his time. Actually, it was the duty of those three sons to atone for and rectify the errors of their respective forefathers. When Noach became a man dedicated to the soil and became drunk, his son Cham decided to follow his father's example in emphasizing the earthy, material, and in indulging his senses (Genesis 9,19). Just as Adam had failed in his time, so Noach too had failed to uphold the highest standards of which man is capable. Cham invited his brothers to drink and get drunk, but they refused. Putting the blanket over their shoulders was merely a way of using clothing to restrain one's urges; their approaching their father backward is symbolic of the way one approaches a dangerous situation with caution by keeping one's head facing the danger, but keeping one's body facing the other way. In this manner they were able to pinpoint the exact location of their father, without viewing his indecently exposed body. The repetition of the word "backwards" suggests this interpretation. The nature of Noach's curse clearly demonstrates that Noach realized that the material instinct in man is undeniable-- for the multitude-- but must be harnessed so that it does not exercise unbridled power. Therefore, he decreed for Cham a state of servitude to the other two brothers, each of whom represented higher attributes of man. The blessing that G-d would feel at home in the tents of Shem is made dependent on Cham and what he stands for being held in check, in a state of servitude to the former.

In section 12, the Midrash states that Moses was afraid at the time that the holy spirit would depart from him and be transferred to the princes. G'd said to Moses "take it from them," i.e. accept it from them (Numbers 7,5) G'd said to Moses: "If I had told them to bring it, I would have told you to tell them. But, since the idea originated with them, I am telling you to accept these offerings, since the princes divined My will." Our rabbis wish to teach us from all this that it behooves us to try and emulate the princes. This is also what prompts Rashi in the name of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan to explain the significance of each part of these offerings.

Death represents the successful completion of life, since the latter is a state of inertia vis a vis the state of motion called life. Though we have a tendency of viewing death as the opposite of life, because it is a state of inertia, it is nevertheless what life had aimed at since birth. When Solomon describes the day of death as superior to the day one is born on, (Kohelet 7,1) this is to be understood within the framework of life and its accomplishments. When life is lived correctly, death is but the ultimate purpose of life. Eternity, infinity, are not part of the brief alliance between body and soul commonly known as a "lifetime." Solomon's statement in the very same verse that "better a good name than good oil," should be understood in a similar vein. A good name is an ultimate achievement. Material goods along the way are only fleeting satisfactions, transient successes. The period we spend on earth as "Adam," partially adamah earth, is transient; it is only a preamble to our achieving our real tachlit purpose in the hereafter.