Kaisipang Hudyo sa Eclesiastes 9:7: Akeidat Yitzchak

People partaking of the pleasures in this world can be divided into three categories. 1) One partakes of the forbidden pleasures. 2) One partakes of those pleasures that are not forbidden. 3) One partakes of only those pleasures which are at the same time vital for survival and promote good health of the body. The person who indulges in all physical and material pleasures regardless of G'ds ordinances, is so enslaved to his evil urge that Solomon says of him "whatever it is in your power to do, do it; for there is no work, device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave whither you go. (Kohelet 9,10) Of the second category of person, the one who indulges in everything that the Torah does not specifically forbid, regardless of his need for these pleasures, Solomon observes in Kohelet 9,7, "go and eat your bread in joy." The third category is the type of person who does not indulge unless his vital needs are involved. He does not wish to partake of anything which might deprive another person who is in need of it of such pleasure. The fact that someone does not steal or rob, or otherwise break the law, does not make such a person holy, saintly. The Talmud in Yevamot 20, advises that if someone strives for holiness, he should abstain from the permitted pleasures. Most of our sages have not been portrayed as saintly, although doubtless all of them were righteous and pious. Only a handful qualified for the appellation "saintly." Rabbi Yehudah hanassi, who never touched the flesh of the lower part of his body, is an example of a saintly person. (Shabbat 118) Even a Rabbi Yossi, who never indulged in small talk, does not seem to rate the description "holy." (Sukkah 28,) Only those who apply to themselves the criteria we have listed for category number three above, can qualify for that distinctive appellation.