Musar para sa Eclesiastes 9:18

Our Sages have taught (Pirkei Avos 3:15): “The world is judged for the good but everything is determined according to the abundance [or “the majority”] of deeds.” My illustrious father, the great Rabbi Aharon Keidnover, z”l, explained this in his commentary on the Torah Birkas Shmuel (Parashas Noach) in the light of another teaching of the Sages. In Kiddushin (40b) the Sages say: A man should always view himself as if he were half guilty and half meritorious. Thus, if he performs one more good deed he is fortunate, for he inclines himself and the entire world to the side of merit. If he does one more evil deed, woe to him! For he inclines himself and the entire world to the side of guilt. Thus it is written, “And one sinner causes much good to be lost” (Koheles 9:18). The Mishnah from Pirkei Avos addresses a question that was asked by Moshe himself (see Berachos 7a): We see that there are righteous people who have good fortune and righteous people with bad fortune, evildoers who have good fortune and evildoers with bad fortune. How, then, can the Sages say that, “the world is judged for the good”? In answer to this question Sage goes on to say that, “everything is determined according to the majority of deeds.” Therefore, even if a man is completely righteous, if he then commits a single transgression at a time that the world is half meritorious and half guilty — thereby inclining it to the side of guilt — he will become a “righteous person with bad fortune.” Conversely, if a wicked person performs a single good deed at a time that the world is half-half — thereby inclining it to the side of merit and benefiting the multitude — he will become an “evildoer with good fortune.” Thus the words of the Mishnah are very precise, “everything is determined according to the majority of deeds.” This is clear and it illustrates principle that “the words emanating from the mouth of a wise man are pleasing” (Koheles 10:12).