Musar para sa Eclesiastes 9:11

God, Mighty and Exalted, has created the expanse of the smaller world¹There is evidently an omission in the Arabic text, p. 4, line 5; the Hebrew version includes a line omitted through the mistake of an early copyist, who skipped from the former עלי טבאיע ארבע to the latter, thus omitting the intervening line or lines. This Arabic omission is supplied by Kaufmann ("Sinne," pp. 37, 38). dependent upon four elements: He places in man blood corresponding to air, yellow gall corresponding to fire, black gall corresponding to earth, and white moisture corresponding to water.²"Fons Vitas" of Gabirol, Tractate iii. (Guttmann, p. 117, note 3); Dieterici, "Mikrokosmus," pp. 89, 90; and "Logik," p. 103; "Anthropologie der Araber im Zehnten Jahrhundert," Leipzig, 1871 (pp. 4, 42, 189); M. Friedlander, "Essays on the Writings of Abraham ibn Ezra," London, vol. iv. (p. 24, note 4). This purely Greek conception was speedily incorporated into Jewish teachings. Gabirol's immediate successor in point of time Bahya, follows him here. (Cf. Introduction, p. 13, note 2.) The teaching that man is a microcosm, constituted of the four elements, found its way even into the poetry of the Middle Ages. Cf. a poem of Abraham ben Meir ibn Ezra, cited by Sachs (p. 115, and p. 42 of the Hebrew supplement), who refers to an eleventh century exposition of this theory in a Piut of K. Isaac ibn Giiat ("Ritual of Tripoli," p. 92 b). Moreover God, exalted be He, equipped him, i.e., man, with perfectness of form and with every organ complete and not wanting in any respect; and He created within him five senses, as we shall relate. Solomon the Wise alludes to them when he says (Eccl. ix. 11), "I returned and saw under the sun";

And there is yet another fence for faith, from which come many good qualities — namely, to believe in [Hashem’s] providence, may He be blessed, over the lower beings in every single detail, and that “no person bruises his finger below unless they decree it upon him above” (Chullin 7b). And both good and evil come from the mouth of the Most High, whether by the hand of heaven or by the hand of man, for the Omnipresent has many messengers, for good or for bad. And “he gives you power to be successful” (Deutoronomy 8:18), for “not to the wise [belongs] bread, nor to the swift [belongs] the race”. Consequently, one should not be concerned for the loss of his money when it comes to serving his Creator and doing his will, and he should not exert himself to become wealthy through something forbidden. Rather, he should conduct his affairs with judgement, properly and uprightly, according to the Torah. And he should not become angry, flatter [others], hate his fellow, take revenge, or bear a grudge, for he knows and believes that Hashem said to him, “Curse”, and everything is from him, to diminish his liability [for sin], for his own benefit. “A G-d of truth and without iniquity, he is just and right” (Deutoronomy 32:4). “Hashem is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works” (Psalms 145:17). And all that the Merciful One does, he does for the good (Berakhot 60b). And thereby one should take upon himself the judgement of heaven with joy, and not loathe rebuke.

The general principle is, “In all your ways, know Him” (Mishlei 3:6). In all your affairs recall and do not forget that everything is a gift from Hashem, for, “bread is not to the wise” (Koheles 9:11). You can see for yourself that many intelligent people go without food or sustenance, spending all their days in deprivation and suffering. Meanwhile there are foolish and lowly individuals who enjoy abundance and wealth. This demonstrates that everything is dependent upon the will of the Holy One Blessed is He.