meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Writings/Ecclesiastes/English/The Rashi Ketuvim by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein.txt"}
text: Ecclesiastes
  קהלת
  The Rashi Ketuvim by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
  
  
  Ecclesiastes
  
  
  
  
  
  	The words of [reproof of] Koheleth [(Solomon, who gathered [kihel] many wisdoms)], the son of David, who reigned in Jerusalem [(the city of wisdom)].
  	The vanity (1) of the vanities (2) [of the seven days of creation (Seven "vanities" are intimated in this verse)], said Koheleth — the vanity (1) of the vanities (2) [is that] all is vanity (1, all together 7).
  	What profit is there to a man in all of the toil that he toils in exchange for the sun [(i.e., for the light of Torah)]?
  	A generation goes and a generation comes [(and a succeeding generation will recover from the sons of the "toiler" whatever he exacted unscrupulously by his toil)], but [the humble one, who lowers himself to] the earth endures forever.
  	["A generation goes and a generation comes"] as the sun rises [in the morning] and the sun sets [in the evening], aspiring [to return] to its place whence it rose.
  	It goes to the south [(of the world in the daytime)] and turns to the north [(at night)]. Round and round [(the eastern and western sides)], the circuit goes, and [on the morrow], the circuit [of the previous day] is retraced. [(And thus with the wicked: Though their sun rises, it is destined to set, and the wicked are destined to return to the place of putridity whence they arose.)]
  	All the rivers go to the sea, and the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers go, there [i.e., downwards] they return to go. [And thus with the wicked (viz. 6 above)]
  	[(a reversion to verse 3)] All words [of "toil"] are wearying; a man cannot speak [all of them]. The eye is not sated with seeing. The ear is not filled with hearing.
  	[Torah words bring new insights, whereas in the realm of what is exchanged for Torah] — that which was [(in the seven days of creation)], that is what shall be; and that which was done, that is what shall be done, and there is nothing new in exchange for the sun [(of Torah)].
  	There is a thing [(in the world)] of which one might say: See, this is new. But, [the truth is that] it had already been of yore, in what had come before us.
  	For there is no remembrance of the first ones, [i.e., the earlier generations, for which reason the thing seems to be new]; and the later ones, too, who will be [after us], will not be remembered by those who come after them.
  	I, Koheleth, was king [(over all the world, and then, only] over Israel, [and then, only] in Jerusalem.
  	And I set my heart to seek out and ponder with wisdom [i.e., Torah] everything [evil] that is done under the sun, [and I understood that it is a function of] the [freedom for] evil conduct placed by G-d before the sons of men to conduct themselves by [viz. Deuteronomy 13:15].
  	I saw all the deeds done under the sun, and, behold, they are all vanity and breaking of spirit.
  	The crooked [deed] cannot be corrected [after one's death], and the [one who is] lacking [(from the number of the righteous)] cannot be counted [(with them for the receiving of reward)].
  	[Now, that I have fallen from my greatness,] I commune in my heart: [Who would have thought that I would come to this pass,] I, who had amassed and increased wisdom over all who were before me in Jerusalem, and whose heart had seen [so] much wisdom and knowledge!
  	And I set my heart on knowing [the nature of] wisdom [i.e., its end] and [the nature of] distraction and folly, and I found that this [i.e., wisdom], too, is breaking of spirit.
  	For in much wisdom [i.e., when one relies too much on his own wisdom, he is bound to sin and to cause] much anger [to the L-rd], and the increaser of knowledge increases sorrow.
  
  
  
  	I said to myself: Come, then, I will [forbear from wisdom and constantly] mix [wine] with joy, and see good; and, behold, this, too, is vanity [(for I saw prophetically that indulging in joy leads to many evils)].
  	Of laughter I said: It is commingled [with tears and sighing], and of joy: What [good] does it do?
  	I [then] sought in my heart [to combine all of them] — to indulge my flesh in [feasts of] wine while my heart conducted (itself) with wisdom, and to hold on to "folly" [(those mitzvoth e.g., sha'atnez and the like] that my reason could not fathom)], until I saw which was good for the sons of man to do under the heavens the number of the days of their lives.
  	I increased my works [(in the days of my greatness)]. I built me houses; I planted me vineyards.
  	I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.
  	I made me pools of water, to water from them a forest sprouting trees.
  	I bought man-servants and maid-servants, and children of the household were mine. Also, much kine, cattle, and flocks were mine, more than all that were before me in Jerusalem.
  	I gathered unto me also silver and gold, and the treasures of the kings and the provinces. I made me sharim and sharoth [(types of instruments)], and the delights of men, shidah and shidoth [(ornate coaches)].
  	And I increased and amassed, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. And my wisdom, too, stood me in good stead.
  	And all that my eyes sought, I did not keep back from them. I did not withhold my heart from any joy. For my heart rejoiced in all my toil. And this [(according to one view, his staff; according to another, his cup)] was my portion from all my toil.
  	And I turned [from all my affairs to consider] all my works that my hands had wrought, and the toil that I had toiled in, and, behold, all was vanity and breaking of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
  	And I [now] turn [from all my affairs] to consider wisdom, distraction and folly [i.e., the punishment for transgression]. For what is the man who shall come after the King [has already rendered His decree (to entreat Him to alter it)], when it has already been wrought? [(It were better had he considered beforehand, so that he had no need of entreaty)].
  	And I saw that there was an advantage of wisdom over folly, as the advantage of light over darkness [i.e., wickedness].
  	The wise man — his eyes are in its [(a thing's)] beginning [(to see what its end will be)], but the fool walks in darkness. And I, too, [(who praise the wise man)], knew that one fate befalls them all [i.e., that both the wise man and the fool will die)].
  	But would I say in my heart that as it befalls the fool so will it befall me, so why should I become even wiser? Rather, I said in my heart that this, too, [i.e., this mode of thought] is vanity.
  	For there is no [(common)] remembrance of the wise man and the fool forever [i.e., after death, the first being remembered for the good, and the second for evil.] For [I saw, of the evil ones] who had already been [(and had succeeded greatly)], (that) in the days that came [after them] all [of their success] was forgotten. How, then, should the wise man die with [i.e., in the same manner as] the fool? [(Rather, the merits of the wise will not be forgotten and will avail their children after them.)]
  	And I hate the living [(Solomon here prophesies over the wicked generation of Rechavam)]. For evil to me is the deed which is done under the sun; for all is vanity and breaking of spirit.
  	And I hated all my toil wherein I toil under the sun, and which I leave to the man who comes after me.
  	And who knows whether it will be a wise one or a fool who will preside over all my toil wherein I toiled and wherein I became wise under the sun? This, too, is vanity [i.e., one of the vanities created in the world].
  	And I turned to cause my heart to despair over all the toil wherein I had toiled under the sun [(so that I would toil no more)].
  	For there is a man, whose work is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in understanding; and to a man who did not toil therein shall he give it as his portion. This, too, is vanity and great evil.
  	For what does it profit a man in all of his toil and in the breaking of heart [(in toil and worry)] wherein he toils under the sun [(if he leaves the fruits of his toil to others)]?
  	For all of his days are painful, and anger is his lot. At night, too, his heart does not rest. This, too, is vanity [i.e., one of the vanities prevalent in the world.]
  	Is it not good in a man that he eat and drink and show his soul [inclined to] good in his toil? [viz. Jeremiah 2:15] This [inclination], too, have I seen to be from the hand of G-d.
  	[And the wicked ones (who will leave their toil to others) say: Why should I not rejoice in the fruits of my toil?] For who should eat and who should hasten [to swallow] aside from me?
  	For to the man who is good before Him, He has given [(viz. 2:24)] wisdom, and knowledge, and joy [i.e., a heart to occupy himself with Torah and mitzvoth and to rejoice in his lot with food and drink and clean garments]; and to the sinner He has given preoccupation with the amassing and the gathering [of wealth] — to give (it) to him who is good before G-d [viz. Esther 8:2]. This, too, [(one man toiling; the other, taking)] is vanity [(i.e., one of the vanities placed before men)] and breaking of spirit.
  
  
  
  	For all there is a season, and there is a time for every thing under the heavens.
  	There is a time to be born [(nine months)] and a time to die [(the allotted years for each generation)]. A time to plant [(nation and kingdom)] and a time to uproot what has been planted.
  	A time to kill [(an entire people, e.g., Isaiah 14:30)], and a time to heal [that "killing," viz. Ibid. 19:22]. A time to breach [(the wall of the city, viz. Nechemiah 1:3)], and a time to build [viz. Amos 9:11].
  	A time to cry, [(on the ninth of Av)], and a time to laugh, [(in time to come, viz. Psalms 126:2)]. A time to mourn, [(in the days of mourning)], and a time to dance [(with grooms and brides)].
  	A time to cast out "stones" [(the youths of Israel, cast out at the ruin of the Temple, viz. Eichah 4:1)] and a time to gather in "stones" [(from the exile, viz. Zechariah 9:16)]. A time to embrace [(viz. Jeremiah 13:11)], and a time to refrain from embracing [(viz. Isaiah 6:12)].
  	A time to seek [(the outcasts of Israel, viz. Ezekiel 34:16)], and a time to cause [them] to go lost, [(in exile, viz. Leviticus 26:38)]. A time to keep [(i.e., to protect you, when you do His will, viz. Numbers 6:24)], and a time to cast away, viz. Deuteronomy 29:27)].
  	A time to rend [(the kingdom of the house of David, viz. I Kings 14:8)], and a time to sew [together again, viz. Ezekiel 37:17]. A time to be silent [(and to receive reward for being so, viz. Leviticus 10:3)], and a time to speak [(viz. Exodus 15:1, Judges 51, Hosea 14:3)].
  	A time to love [viz. Deuteronomy 7:13], and a time to hate [viz. Hosea 9:15], a time for war and a time for peace.
  	What profit is there to the doer [of evil] in [all] that he toils? [(His time, too, will come, and all will go lost.)]
  	I have seen the [mode of] conduct which G-d has given to the sons of men whereby to conduct themselves.
  	He made everything beautiful in its time. [(A time of good is "beautiful" [i.e., appropriate] for the rewarding of a good deed, and a time of evil, for the punishment of an evil deed.)] Also, the [wisdom of the] world [lit., of what is hidden], [which] He placed in their heart, [He did not place there in its entirety, in the heart of each one], so that a man not find out the act that G-d had wrought [i.e., projected] from beginning to end. [(So that, not knowing the day of his death, man plans and builds and the world is perpetuated.)]
  	I know [now, since the time of death is hidden,] that there is nothing better for them than for (each one) to rejoice [in his lot] and to do what is good [in the eyes of the L-rd] in his lifetime.
  	And also, every man who eats and drinks and sees good [(Torah and mitzvoth)] in all of his toil, this is a gift of G-d.
  	I know that everything made by G-d [(in the creation)] is fit to endure [as is] forever, not to be added to or diminished; and [on those rare occasions when] G-d wrought [changes in the natural order, it was] so that men fear Him. [(This, then — doing mitzvoth and fearing G-d — should be the end of man.)]
  	What happened [(before us)] has already taken place [and is known to us], and what is to come will be [consistent with] what has already been, [(the L-rd not changing in His tributes)] — G-d seeks out [the cause of] the pursued one [(to punish the pursuer. What profit, then, can accrue to him who toils for wrongful gain?)]
  	And I have further seen [(by the Holy Spirit)] that in the place of justice [(the chamber of hewn stone in Jerusalem, viz. Isaiah 1:21, the seat of Sanhedrin)], there will wickedness be adjudicated [viz. Michah 3:11], and in the place of righteousness [(the middle gate, where halachoth were formulated)], there will [the counsels of] wickedness [be seated].
  	[Therefore,] I say in my heart [(that all of these injustices will be redressed, for)] G-d will judge the righteous one and the wicked one. For there is a time for all things [(even for retribution)], and there [i.e., at that time, G-d will judge a man] for every deed [that he has done.]
  	I said in my heart [(when I saw all this)] that G-d [has chosen] to apprise all those who assert lordship [over those beneath them that their power is naught)], and to show [them] that they [(and all potentates)] are as beasts unto themselves.
  	For what befalls the sons of men and what befalls the beasts — one thing befalls them [both]! As one dies, so the other dies, and there is one spirit to all. And the superiority of man over beast [(in his lifetime)] is naught [i.e., unapparent, at his death], for all is vanity [(everything returning to dust)].
  	All goes to one place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.
  	Who knows [i.e., Who impresses upon himself that it is the spirit of man that ascends on high [for judgment] and the spirit of the beast that descends below, to the earth [(free of all accounting, and that he should not conduct himself as a beast, which gives no thought to its acts)]?
  	And I have seen [(through all these things)] that there is no good [(for a man)] than for a man to rejoice in his acts [(i.e., in the toil of his hands, and not to aspire to luxuries and superfluities)]; for it [(the toil of his hands)] is his portion [(given him by Heaven to rejoice in)]. For [(after his death)], who will bring him to see what will transpire [with his children] after him? [i.e., whether they will or will not prosper as he did with the wealth that he heaped up for them]
  
  
  
  	And I again saw [(by the Holy Spirit)] all of those who are scourged [(in Gehinnom) for the deeds] which are done in exchange for the sun [of Torah]. And, behold, the tears of the oppressed, [(weeping for their souls, that are scourged by destructive angels, viz. Psalms 87:4)], and who have no consoler. And in the hand of their scourgers there is power [(which they cannot resist)]; and they have no consoler.
  	And I praise the dead, who have already died [(before the evil inclination could gain control of them and thrust them away from the L-rd)] more than the living who are still alive.
  	And better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil deed which is done under the sun.
  	And I saw all the "toil" [i.e., transgressions] and all the perfection of deed [(motivated not by fear of Heaven, but)] by the envy of one man for another — this, too, is vanity and breaking of spirit.
  	The fool [(the wicked one)] folds his hands [(in sloth and eats from theft)], and he "eats his flesh" [(on the day of judgment, witnessing the glory of the righteous and his own undoing)].
  	Better a handful of gratification [(acquiring few possessions by one's labor, which pleases the Creator)] than two handfuls of toil and breaking of spirit [(acquiring many possessions by transgression and perverseness)].
  	And I again saw vanity under the sun.
  	There is one [(who acts alone)] with no second. Neither a son [(a disciple)] nor a brother [(a companion)] has he; and there is no end to all his toil. His eye [i.e., his intellect], too, will not be sated with wealth [(learning)]. And for whom am I toiling and depriving my soul of good [(if I do not set up disciples)]? This, too, is vanity and ill conduct.
  	[(In all areas,)] better the two than the one, who have goodly reward of their toil.
  	For if they fall, the one will raise up his fellow; but woe to the one who falls and has no second to raise him.
  	Also, if two lie down together, it is warm for them; but how shall one be warmed?
  	And if the one be attacked, the two will stand up against him; and [how much more so is] the three-fold cord not quickly sundered!
  	Better a child [(the good inclination, which asserts itself in a male at the age of thirteen)], poor [(the limbs not obeying it as they do the evil inclination)], and wise [(directing one to the way of good)], than a king [(the evil inclination, which rules over all the limbs)], old [(asserting itself from birth, viz. Genesis 4:7)] and foolish [(directing one to the way of evil)], which can no longer take heed [(having grown rooted in its ways)].
  	For [(in the end, men will say that)] from the prison-house has he [(the poor one)] gone forth to reign. [And it is, indeed, right that he do so,] for even in his reigning he assumes [i.e., invests himself with] humility.
  	I have seen all the living who walk under the sun with the second child, which arises after him.
  	There is no end to all the people, to all [the good] that was before them. The latter ones, too, will not rejoice in it. For this, too, is [the outcome of] vanity and breaking of spirit.
  	Guard your feet when you go to the house of G-d [(that you bring the proper sacrifice there)]. And be close(r) to hear [(the word of G-d)] than to bring sacrifice as the fools do, [(sinning and sacrificing)]; for they know not that they do evil [thereby].
  
  
  
  	Be not rash with your mouth, and let your heart not be over-hasty to utter a thing against G-d; for G-d is in the heavens [i.e., omnipotent], and you are on the earth; therefore, let your words be few.
  	For a dream comes with much preoccupation [(with a particular thought in the daytime)], and the voice of a fool with a multitude of words [(wherefore I say: "Let your words be few.")]
  	When you make a vow to G-d, do not delay to pay it, because there is no desire in fools [(i.e., He does not desire the wicked, who vow and do not pay.)] What you vow, pay.
  	Better that you not vow than that you vow and not pay.
  	Do not allow your mouth to bring sin upon your flesh [i.e., upon your children.] And do not say before the messenger [(who comes to claim the charity that you pledged in public)] that it [(your vowing)] was a mistake. Why should G-d be angry at [i.e., because of] your voice, and destroy the work of your hands [(the mitzvoth that you have already done)]?
  	For [(you should pay no heed)] to a multitude of dreams and vain [prophecies] and a multitude of words [(bidding you to depart from the L-rd)], but fear G-d.
  	If oppression of the poor and miscarriage of justice and of righteousness you see in the land, do not wonder about the will [(of G-d when He brings evil upon the evildoers)]. For high upon high is the Watcher [(and He sees their deeds)], and there are those who are higher than they [(and who execute the L-rd's command to exact payment of them)]
  	and [(to exact payment)] of the lofty of the land [(who anger the L-rd)]. With every thing [at his command] he [(G-d's messenger) fulfills His embassy]. The King subserves Himself to the "field" [(of Zion) to exact payment of its shamers and to reward its builders].
  	The lover of silver [i.e., of mitzvoth] will not be sated with mitzvoth; and he who loves [mitzvoth] promiscuously [(without attaching special value to distinct mitzvoth)] will not [reap their] produce. This, too, is vanity.
  	With the increase of good [i.e., when Israel improves its ways], their eaters [(of the reward of mitzvoth)] increase. And what benefit to their Master, but the seeing of His eyes [(i.e., His beholding of their allegiance to Him)]?
  	Sweet is the sleep of the worker, whether he eat little or much, but the fullness [(of possessions)] of the rich man does not allow him to sleep [(in his anxiety over them)].
  	There is a sore evil that I have seen under the sun — wealth stored up for its owner, for his ill.
  	And that wealth is lost by ill conduct, and he begets a son with nothing in his hand [(not even the merit of the fathers.)]
  	As he emerged from his mother's womb, naked, so shall he return to go as he came; and [(when he dies)] nothing shall he bear of his toil, [(no merit of charity that he did with his wealth in his lifetime)], to take in his hand.
  	And this, too, is a grievous evil. Just as it [(that wealth)] came, so shall it go. And what does it profit him that he works for the wind?
  	Also, all of his days shall he eat in darkness, and [know] much ire, and sickness, and wrath.
  	Behold what I have seen to be good. It becomes one to eat and to drink and to see good [i.e., to occupy himself with Torah (and not to seek to amass great wealth, but to rejoice in what he has been given)], in all of his toil wherein he toils under the sun the number of the days of his life which G-d has given him; for this is his portion.
  	Also, every man to whom G-d has given wealth and possessions, and dominion to eat of it [in his lifetime] and to bear his portion [at his death (G-d enabling him to occupy himself with Torah and mitzvoth in his lifetime so as to receive eternal reward)], and to rejoice in his toil — this is the gift of G-d.
  	For not for long will he remember the [short] days of his life. [Why, then, should he exert himself to acquire wealth? Let him exert himself in the eternal Torah for the eternal world]. For G-d is testimony [in the next world] to the joy of his heart [(i.e., in his having rejoiced in doing good in his lifetime)].
  
  
  
  	There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it besets many men:
  	a man whom G-d gives wealth, and possessions, and honor, and his soul lacks nothing of all that it desires; but G-d does not grant him the power to eat of it [(and give charity of it and enjoy it.)] This is vanity and a sore evil.
  	If a man beget a hundred [sons], and live many years, and the days of his years suffice [for all manner of good] — if his soul not be sated of that good, [(the man not rejoicing in his lot)], and burial, also not be his [(all of these having obtained with King Achav)], then I say that better than he is the still-born, [(who had never seen good nor lusted for it)].
  	For in vanity he comes and in darkness he goes and in darkness his name is covered.
  	He has neither seen the sun nor known it. This one [(the still-born)] is more "gratified" than the other.
  	And even if he [(this wealthy one)] lived a thousand years twice over and had seen no good [i.e., had not rejoiced in his wealth], do not all [(both he and the pauper)], go to the same place [in the end]?
  	All the toil of man is for his "mouth" [i.e., that he enjoy both this world and the world to come]; and shall the desire [(for this world as well as for the next)] also not be fulfilled [by this wealthy man]?
  	For what advantage has this wise man over the fool? What does the poor man lack in respect to him]? He [(the poor man)] also knows how to walk among the living!
  	[It would have been] better [(for this wealthy man to behold his wealth and enjoy it)] with the vision of his eyes than [to enjoy food and drink], which courses through the body. This, too, is a vanity and a breaking of the spirit [accorded the wicked].
  	What was [i.e., the distinction that this man enjoyed in his lifetime] was already called by name [i.e., acknowledged, and now it is past,] and it is known that he is [only] a man [and not a god] and that he cannot contend with the angel of death], who is stronger than he.
  	For there are many [inane] things [which he occupied himself with in his lifetime], which increase vanity; and what advantage [do they prove] for a man [when he dies]?
  	For who knows what is good for a man [to do] in his lifetime [(to stand for him in the eternal world)], the few days of his life of vanity, so that he should do them [in this time, which is] as [short as a passing] shadow? For who will tell a man how his wealth will fare that he amassed unscrupulously for his sons] after him under the sun?
  
  
  
  	Better a [good] name than good oil, and [in] the day of one's death more than [on] the day of his birth.
  	Better to go to a house of mourning [(in which both the living and the dead are "subsumed")] than to go to a house of feasting [(in which only the living are subsumed)], in that it [(the mourning)] befalls all men. And let the living one take [this] to his heart [(that as he shows lovingkindness to the dead, so will others show lovingkindness to him at his death)].
  	Better (the) wrath [of the L-rd, (which turns one to repentance)] than [His] "laughter" [i.e., His indulgence]; for with a stern countenance, the heart [will be moved] to better [its ways].
  	The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning [i.e., their thoughts are on the day of death]; and the heart of the fools is in the house of feasting.
  	Better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of the fools.
  	For as the sound of the thorns [crackling] under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool [("crackling" with self-importance)]. And this, too, [(the "toil" of contending with the fools)] is a vanity [(relegated to men by G-d)].
  	For the taunting [of the fool] confounds the sage and destroys the bestowed heart [i.e., the gift of understanding bestowed upon a man].
  	Better the [(good)] end of a thing than the [(good)] beginning [(the goodness of the first being certain, and of the second, uncertain.)]
  	Be not hasty in your spirit to be wroth, for anger lies in the lap of fools.
  	Do not say: How is it that the earlier days were better than these? [i.e., that the earlier tzaddikim merited more good than today's] For not with reason do you ask this [(for all is relative to the merit of the generations)]
  	Goodly is wisdom (together) with [the] inheritance [of the fathers], and an advantage to the seers of the sun [i.e., to all the creation].
  	For [whoever is] in the shadow of wisdom (is) in the shadow of silver. And [a further] advantage of knowledge [over silver] is that wisdom gives life to its possessors.
  	See the work of G-d [(how perfectly ordered it is, all according to man's deeds; paradise for the righteous, gehinnom for the wicked. See which you choose)]; for who can make straight [(after death)] what was made crooked [(in his lifetime)]?
  	On a day of [opportunity of doing] good, be among [the doers of] good; and on a day of evil [i.e., when punishment is visited upon the wicked], see [i.e., be among the lookers-on, and not upon the looked upon.] Also this [(the good and its reward)] against this [(the evil and its punishment)] has G-d made, so that a man find nothing [to "bethink himself" of] in regard to His conduct.
  	I have seen everything in the days of my vanity: There is a tzaddik, who [though going] lost, persists in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who extends his wickedness.
  	Do not be over-righteous, and do not be over-wise. Why should you become desolate?
  	Do not be over-wicked [i.e., If you have been wicked, do not add to your wickedness], and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
  	It is good that you hold on to this [(righteousness)]; and also from this [("wickedness")] do not let your hand go [i.e., Always obey the righteous prophet; for even what may strike you as a wicked command, in the last analysis will be found to be a righteous one.] The fearer of G-d will fulfill all [(that the prophet says)].
  	Wisdom shall fortify the sage more than ten rulers who were in the city, [(his wisdom causing him to examine his deeds and repent of them, as opposed to the wicked rulers, who lack the wisdom to repent)].
  	For the man is not (so) righteous in the land, who will do good and never sin [(wherefore such self-examination is an absolute necessity)].
  	Also, to all the words which they [(slander-mongers)] speak, do not pay heed, so that you not hear your servant curse you.
  	For your heart knows full well that many times you cursed others.
  	All this I probed through wisdom [(the Torah)]. I said I would become wise [(and master wisdom)]; but it is far from me:
  	Far is what was [(the recondite matters of the creation)], and exceedingly deep. Who shall find it? [(the studies of such matters is forbidden)].
  	I cast about in my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom [(that of the mitzvah of the red heifer)], and accounting [(of the time of the redemption)], and to know [i.e., to plumb] the wickedness of folly [i.e., heresy], and its intermixture of madness.
  	And I find more bitter than death the "woman" [(heresy)], whose heart is snares and nets. Her hands are bonds. The good before G-d shall escape her, and the sinner shall be snared by her.
  	See, this have I found, said Koheleth: [(All the mitzvoth of the righteous and the transgressions of the wicked, respectively,)] [are added] one to one, to emerge [in a great] account.
  	[(Aside from everything mentioned above, which I sought to fathom but could not)], there was another thing that my soul sought, [(a woman of complete integrity)], but I could not find (one). One man [(of such integrity)] among a thousand I found; but [such] a woman among a thousand I did not find.
  	See, this alone have I found: G-d made Adam straight, but they [(the combination of Adam and Eve)] sought many [sinful] schemes.
  
  
  
  	Who is as [distinctive as] the sages, and who knows [(as he does)] the meaning of a thing? A man's wisdom will light his face, and the splendor of his countenance will transcend [(the faces of other men, so that they will come to fear him)].
  	[Therefore,] I [need and prepared to] heed the mouth [i.e., the words] of the King according to the oath of G-d [into which we entered in Chorev, to observe His mitzvoth].
  	Do not be hasty [to think] that you can escape Him [(for wherever you may go, there He reigns)]. Do not persist in [the doing of] an evil thing. For whatever He wishes He may do [(in exacting punishment of you)].
  	For the King's word rules, and who can tell Him what to do?
  	[But] the keeper of a mitzvah will not know an evil thing; and the heart of the wise one knows (of) the time of retribution [upon the wicked].
  	For every [evil] will [acted out] has a time [for punishment], when a man's evil is great upon him [i.e., when his "measure" of evil is full].
  	For [when the wicked man transgresses], he does not know what [punishment awaits him]. And when it arrives, who will tell him [(in the swiftness of its onslaught, what counsels to take)]?
  	No man keeps the spirit [i.e., the will of the L-rd's messenger] from depriving him [(the man)] of the spirit [(i.e., the breath of his body,) so that the Angel of Death not take it]. And [no king's] rule prevails [on the appointed] day of his death. [e.g., we always find “And King David did, etc."; but, on the day of his death, we find (I Kings 2:1): "And the days of David drew near to die."] And there is no deputation [(of another to serve as a stand-in)] in this war. And evil will not rescue its practitioner.
  	All of this [(the above)] I saw. And I [also] applied my heart to all the deeds [of men] done under the sun, seeing how one man lorded it over another to his [own] undoing.
  	And then I saw [prophetically], wicked men [deserving to be] buried, who came [to destroy Israel], and who went from the holy place [(the Temple, which they had defiled], vaunting themselves in [their] cities for having done so. This, too, is vanity [(intended to try humankind, leading them to think — from the delay of punishment — that there is no judgment and no Judge.]
  	The fact that punishment for wrongdoing is not hastily executed fills the hearts of men within them to do evil
  	in that [they see that] the sinner does evil a hundred [times] and that He withholds [punishment] from him. For [in spite of this] I know also that [in the end] it will go well for the fearers of G-d for fearing Him.
  	But it shall not go well for the wicked one and his days will not be prolonged, [(but he will be)] like a shadow, for not having feared G-d.
  	There is vanity [(confounding men)] that is done upon the earth — righteous men being visited [with evil,] which befits the deeds of the wicked, and wicked men being accorded [good,] which befits the deeds of the righteous. I said: This, too, is vanity [i.e., one of the vanities incident to the world].
  	And I praised the happiness [(of rejoicing in one's lot and occupying oneself with joy-giving mitzvoth and with shunning transgression)], there being nothing better for a man [all] the days of his life that G-d has given him under the sun than eating, drinking, and rejoicing [in this manner]. And it [(this joy)] will accompany him in his toil.
  	When I set my heart to know wisdom and to see what is done upon the earth, that both day and night, he [(the wicked one, who is steeped in the pursuit of wealth and of lust)] does not see [i.e., does not attain the object of his desires],
  	Then I saw, of all the acts of G-d [that He revealed to men], that a man could not discover the full meaning of the deed that is done [by G-d] under the sun [e.g., the wicked prospering and the righteous failing]. For [I have seen] many men toiling to seek it and not finding it. And even if the sage claims to know it, he cannot know it, [(as even Moses could not know it), viz. Exodus 33:13, etc.]
  
  
  
  	For all of this I took to heart and [I endeavored] to elucidate all this, that the righteous and the sages and their servants [(their disciples, attendants, and emulators] are in the hand of G-d. [He assists and judges them to benefit them in their latter end.] [Parameters of] both love [i.e., what would make men loved by the L-rd] and of hatred are unknown to [other] men; but all [lies revealed] before them [(the righteous and the sages)].
  	All [take it to heart] when [they perceive that] all [men receive their just desserts]. [And all men know] that one fate [(death)] befalls all men in this world. But the righteous, knowing that judgment awaits all men in the world to come, choose to be righteous in this world.] [Some instances of the above phenomenon:] the righteous one [(Noach)] and the wicked one [(Pharaoh Nechoh), both of whom were lame], the pure one [(Aaron)] and the unclean one [(the spies) — the same fate [(not entering Eretz Yisrael) befalling both, though Aaron spoke in praise of the land, and the spies, against it]; the sacrificer [Yoshiyahu, viz. II Chronicles 35:11) and the non-sacrificer [(Achav) — both of whom were slain by arrows]; the good man [(David, who built the Temple)] and the sinner [(Nevuchadnezzar, who destroyed it) — both reigned forty years]; the false swearer [(Tzidkiyahu, viz. II Chronicles 36:134)] and the fearer of oaths [(Shimshon, viz. Judges 15:12,) both of whom died by having their eyes gouged out.]
  	This is an evil among all that is done under the sun — that one fate befalls all. And the heart of men, too, is full of evil. '[(They say that there is no punishment for the wicked and that everything is governed by chance, the same thing happening, sometimes to the righteous and sometimes to the wicked. There is revelry in their hearts in their lives, and afterwards — to the dead [i.e., Gehinnom].
  	For one [(even a wicked one)] who is connected to all that lives [(even to wicked men)] has hope [(of repenting before he dies)], for [(in this respect]) it is better to be a living dog than a dead lion.
  	For the living know that they will die [(and the thought of death might move them to repentance)]. But the dead know nothing, and reward [(for new mitzvoth)] no longer awaits them, their remembrance having been forgotten.
  	Also their love of [(idolatrous folly)]; also their hatred [of wisdom]; also their [objects of G-d's] envy, [i.e., their idols], have already gone lost; but they will never have a portion [i.e., the merits of their children (to atone for them after their death)] in all that is done under the sun.
  	[But you, the righteous one,] go and eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a good heart, for G-d has already accepted your good deeds [and you will merit the world to come.]
  	At all times let your garments be white, and let oil not be lacking upon your head [i.e., be constantly engaged in mitzvoth, so that if you die today, you will enter the world to come in peace.]
  	See life with the woman that you love [i.e., choose an occupation that will provide sustenance for you, together with your Torah study], all the days of the life of your vanity [i.e., your life in this world] that He has given you under the sun all the days of your vanity. For it is your portion in this life and in your toil wherein you toil under the sun [i.e., if you do this, you will enjoy life both in this world and in the world to come; for engaging in both (labor and Torah study) banishes sin.]
  	All that your hand finds to do [(in accordance with the will of your Master)], while you are [yet] in your strength [(in this world)], do it. For there is no act [to your credit after you die. And if you act righteously during your lifetime, there is no] accounting [that you need fear] in the grave whither you go. [Neither is there act] or knowledge or wisdom [there to the credit of the wicked, who will have to give an accounting for their sins.]
  	I turned and saw under the sun that not to the swift is the race, and not to the strong is the war, and also, not to the wise is bread, and also, not the understanding is wealth, and also, not to the knowing is favor; for time and chance befall all.
  	For a man also does not know his time, like fishes that are caught in a flimsy net and like birds that are caught in the snare. Like them, men are snared in a time of evil [i.e., when their evil is visited upon them], when it falls upon them suddenly.
  	Also this [(what follows)] have I seen to be wisdom under the sun, and it is great to me.
  	A little city, and few people in it, and there came to it a great king and surrounded it, and built against it great siegeworks.
  	And he found therein a wise, unfortunate man, who rescued the city with his wisdom, and no one remembered that unfortunate man [i.e., he was regarded as naught.]
  	And I said to myself: Better is wisdom than strength [(wisdom having rescued the city where strength had failed)]; but the wisdom of the poor one is shamed, and his words are not heeded.
  	The words of the wise spoken softly are more readily accepted than the cry of the ruler of the fools.
  	Better wisdom than weapons of war; and one sinner can destroy an abundance of good.
  
  
  
  	The flies of death [i.e., the flies of winter, though devitalized and near death, still] putrefy [and cause to] ferment the [purest] perfumer's oil. [In the same way,] weightier than [a man's] wisdom and honor is a little folly.
  	The heart of the wise man is [inclined] to his right [i.e., to good] and the heart of the fool is inclined] to his left [i.e., to evil.]
  	And even on the path that the fool walks, his heart is wanting and [in his manner of walking and speaking] declares to all that he is a fool.
  	If the spirit [of judgment] of the Ruler arises against you, do not leave your place [i.e., do not abandon those good traits that you possess], for it [i.e., the suffering that comes upon you] attenuates your transgressions and lightens [your] grave sins.
  	There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, like an inadvertency issuing from the mouth of the Ruler, [which cannot be retracted.]
  	[The evil:] He has placed folly [i.e., men of wickedness and folly, who are destined to destroy the Temple] in the height of heights, and the "wealthy" [i.e., Israel, the distinguished men of my (Solomon's) days] shall sit in lowliness [viz. Eichah 2:10].
  	I saw [(prophetically,) former slaves [(the Kasdim)] on horseback, and princes [(bound Jewish captives)] walking [before them] like slaves, on the ground [viz. Isaiah 23:13].
  	The digger of a pit will fall in it; and the breacher of a fence will be bitten by a snake.
  	The carrier of stones [from the quarry] will be wearied by them. The chopper of wood will be warmed by it.
  	[Even] if the iron [of the sword] be blunted and the edge has not been honed, he [(the commander)] may [yet] spur on [his] soldiers [to victory]. And [there is yet] an additional advantage [in] wisdom [i.e., in the sage's emboldening them by his wisdom.]
  	If a snake bites [a man, it is because] there has not been a charm [from the charmer to prevent it from doing so]. And there is no profit to the man of the tongue [(the charmer who did not use his tongue to prevent the biting). Likewise, there is no profit (but loss) to the sage, who could have used his tongue to teach the laws, so that they not be violated, but who failed to do so.]
  	The words of the sage [find] grace [in their hearers], but the lips of the fool, [(who incites men to evil)] swallow them.
  	The beginning of the word of his [(the fool's)] mouth are folly; and the last of his mouth is evil waywardness.
  	And the fool multiplies words, [(saying: "Tomorrow, I shall do this and this.")] How can a man know what is to be if what is behind him [i.e., what is immediately past], he needs someone to apprise him of !
  	The toil of the fools [i.e., the slothfulness of the forsakers of Torah, which brings upon them the "toil" of Gehinnom)] wearies them, in that they know not how to go to the city [of truth].
  	Woe unto you, O land, whose king is a child [i.e., a fool], and whose princes dine in the morning!
  	Happy are you, O land, whose king is of noble bearing and whose princes dine in season, in [the] strength [of wisdom and understanding] and not in the drinking [of wine].
  	Through slothfulness [(in repairing small cracks)] the vaulting sags, and through negligence of the hands, the house leaks.
  	For joy [i.e., for festive occasions] feasts are made, and wine rejoices the living, and money answers all [needs — wherefore let one labor so that he have the means for these necessary luxuries.]
  	Even in your thoughts do not curse the King; and (even) in your bedchambers do not curse the wealthy. For the bird of Heaven [i.e., your soul, which will ultimately return to its source] will carry the voice, and the winged creature [the angel that accompanies you thither (viz. Psalms 91:11)] will speak the thing.
  
  
  
  	Cast your bread upon the waters, for in the abundance of days, you will find it. [i.e., do good even to one you never expect to see again (e.g., Yithro vis-à-vis Moses, Exodus 3:20)].
  	Give a portion [of your bread] to seven [needy ones] and also to eight [others]. For you do not know what evil will befall the earth [and you may need all of them, or the merit of the charity you gave them, to survive.]
  	If the clouds be filled with rain, there [i.e., where they can be of most benefit] will they be emptied. [Likewise,] if a “tree” [(a sage and a tzaddik)] dwell in the south or in the north, in the place that the "tree" dwells, there shall it [i.e., the good deeds and virtues of the tzaddik] be [perpetuated, even after his death].
  	He who waits for the wind will not sow [(for it might not come at all)], and he who looks for the clouds [to clear] will not harvest [(for fear of rain)].
  	Just as you do not know the way of the wind, as [you do not know] what is enclosed in the full womb, so you do not know the deed [i.e., the decree] of G-d [in respect to poverty and wealth], which does all, [(so do not shrink from fulfilling His mitzvoth for fear of being impoverished)].
  	In the morning, sow your seed [e.g., in your youth, learn Torah, etc.], and in the evening [i.e., in your old age], do not slacken your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, this or the other, or whether both alike shall be good.
  	And sweet is the light [of Torah], and good for the eyes [of Torah scholars] to see the sun of Torah [in its full resplendence.]
  	For if a man live for many years, in all of them let him rejoice [in his lot], so long as he remembers [to avoid] the [eternal] days of darkness [(lived by the wicked)]. For they shall live in those [eternal days] more [than in the days of their life in this world]. All that comes [upon them in those days of the afterlife] will be punishment [(if they do not take heed in this world.)]
  	[(stated sarcastically:) Go ahead and] rejoice, young man, in your youth; and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart and in the sights of your eyes — but know that for all of these, G-d will bring you into judgment.
  	And remove [the] anger [of the L-rd] from your heart, and rid your flesh [i.e., your heart] of evil [i.e., of the evil inclination]; for childhood and youth are vanity.
  
  
  
  	And remember your Creator [(before whom you are destined to render judgment and accounting)] in the days of your youth, before the onset of the days of evil [(those of old age and weakness)] and the arrival of the years of which you say: I have no desire in them.
  	["Remember etc.",] before the sun [(the forehead, which glows in youth)] darkens [(with creases, as old age approaches)], and the light [(of the countenance, the nose, darkens)], and the moon the [(soul)], and the stars [(the cheeks)], and the [(light-obscuring)] clouds return after the rain [(of tears over the troubles that have passed over you)].
  	On the day that the keepers of the house [(the ribs)] tremble, and the men of war [(the legs)] are cramped, and the grinders [(the teeth)] cease, from fewness, and the seers in the windows [(the eyes)] darken.
  	And the doors in the marketplace [(the organs of elimination)] be closed with the muffling of the sound of the mill [(the stomach)], and he [(the old man] arise [from sleep] at the sound of a bird, and all songsters be base [in his eyes].
  	Also, of ascents [and descents in the road] will they be frightened, and [they will suffer many] fears on the road. And his [(the old man's)] coccyx will jut, and his genitals will be a burden to him, and his desire [for women] will cease. For man goes to his eternal home, and mourners go round the marketplace.
  	Before [viz. 12:2] the silver cord [(the spinal column)] crumbles and the golden bowl [(the penis)] is shattered, and the pitcher [(the stomach)] is broken [i.e., split] at the fountain, and the eye-ball is crushed into its cavity.
  	And the dust returns to the earth, as it was, and the spirit returns to G-d, who gave it.
  	Vanity of vanities, said the Koheleth, all is vanity [viz. 1:1-2].
  	And more [than is written in this book,] Koheleth was wise, and he taught knowledge to the people, ve'izen [lit., "and he made ears." (In the beginning, the Torah was like a basket without ears (i.e., handles), and he came and affixed "ears" to it, e.g.: eruvin (boundary limitations) as a fence for the keeping of the Sabbath; washing of the hands as a fence for purity; banning of secondary relations as a fence against illicit relations.)]
  	Koheleth sought to find [and found] things of desire [("laws to Moses on Sinai") and righteous writ [(the Written Torah and the Prophets)].
  	The words of the sages [(who made fences for the Torah by enacting decrees to distance the Jews from actual transgressions)] are like goads [(Just as a goad guides the bullock in its furrows, so their words guide a man in the ways of life)]; and like nails, planted [(Just as nails are fixed, so the sages' words are fixed; and just as plants multiply, so their words "multiply" [i.e., they generate new learning.])] [nails] with "great heads," given by one shepherd [(Moses, by the mouth of G-d)].
  	And more than they [("righteous writ” 12:10)], my son, take heed [to heed the words of the sages. And if you ask: If there is need of them, why were they not written down?] In the making of books there is no end [and if we began, we could never finish.]; and overmuch thought [i.e., attempts to digest more than we can understand] is a weariness of the flesh.
  	[(And if you ask: If I cannot complete the work, why should I begin it?)] the end of the matter, all having been heard — fear G-d [i.e., do whatever you can, with your heart to Heaven)], and keep His mitzvoth; for this is [the purpose of the creation of] all men.
  	For every deed G-d will bring into judgment, [even] for good or bad [(in the doing of a mitzvah, e.g., giving charity to a pauper in public)].