KOHELES PEREK 3

Welcome back to another episode of NachDaily with the 3rd perek of Koheles, probably the most famous. As my Rebbe, Rabbi Kurland, likes to joke, “It’s a “famous song later made into a passuk!”

It opens with the words “Lakol z’man v’eis l’chol cheifets tachas hashamayim – Everything has its season, and there is a time for every purpose under the heaven.”

There’s a time to give birth and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to destroy and a time to build. A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather. A time for closeness, and a time for distance, a time to seek, a time to keep and a time to lose, a time to rend and a time to mend. A time to be silent, and a time to speak, a time for love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. At the end of the day, what is there really to work for?

As we go about our daily lives, everything has a time. Hashem created us to experience the gamut of human experience and emotions from good to bad, from happy to sad. Therefore, knowing that we’re all subject to the human experience, a person doesn’t have to be excessively stressed, depressed or worried. This is how Hashem created us as part of His world. When difficult times arise, we can console ourselves knowing that we’re not the exception to creation. We are part of creation itself, and all experience has its place and time.

On a deeper level, the Targum explains these pessukim as referring to our ever- changing relationship with Hashem. We as individuals and as a nation go through ups and downs, high times and low times.

In verse 10, Shlomo explains that he has observed how Hashem has given us free will with which to navigate life.

Verse 12 says, “Ki ain tov bam, ki im lismo’ach, v’la’asos tov b’chayav – The only worthwhile thing for them is to be happy to do good in their lives.

He also began to understand that a person’s success is totally dependent on God. It doesn’t make a difference how much he struggles and tries to succeed because it’s all in God’s Hands.

In verse 16, Shlomo observes good things happening to bad people and bad things happening to good people, but at the end of the day, God judges both. So what? Does it really make a difference? (This was the topic of the entire sefer Iyov. Check out the NachDaily archives for further information).

Shlomo thought that people should use their minds to see the difference between themselves and animals, but realized that both meet the same fate.

Verse 20 says, “Hakol holech el makom echad, hakol haya min he’afar, v’hakol shav el he’afar – all go to the same place. All come from dust and return to dust.”

Therefore, Shlomo ends in passuk 22, “I observed that there is nothing better for man than to rejoice in what he does since that is his lot. For can anyone enable him to see what will occur after he’s gone?” At the end of the day, what else is there left except for a person to enjoy what he does? So often we look towards the end product or goal of what we need to accomplish, but Shlomo Hamelech is saying to enjoy the process and moment to moment experience of what we have in life. Don’t wait to accomplish to be happy! You can be happy exactly the way your life is now, with all its struggles, highs and lows.

Stay tuned to the next episode of NachDaily. Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day!