From this point onward, King Solomon begins to describe all the acquisitions and everything he attained in his lifetime. One after another, he lists the houses, vineyards, gardens, pools, servants, livestock, silver, gold, and pleasures - and ultimately he will tell us that it is all vanity. Let us first read the verses and then explain them.
הִגְדַּלְתִּי מַעֲשָׂי, בָּנִיתִי לִי בָּתִּים, נָטַעְתִּי לִי כְּרָמִים. עָשִׂיתִי לִי גַּנּוֹת וּפַרְדֵּסִים, וְנָטַעְתִּי בָהֶם עֵץ כָּל פֶּרִי. עָשִׂיתִי לִי בְּרֵכוֹת מָיִם, לְהַשְׁקוֹת מֵהֶם יַעַר צוֹמֵחַ עֵצִים. קָנִיתִי עֲבָדִים וּשְׁפָחוֹת, וּבְנֵי בַיִת הָיָה לִי, גַּם מִקְנֶה בָקָר וָצֹאן הַרְבֵּה הָיָה לִי מִכֹּל שֶׁהָיוּ לְפָנַי בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם. כָּנַסְתִּי לִי גַּם כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב וּסְגֻלַּת מְלָכִים וְהַמְּדִינוֹת, עָשִׂיתִי לִי שָׁרִים וְשָׁרוֹת וְתַעֲנֻגוֹת בְּנֵי הָאָדָם שִׁדָּה וְשִׁדּוֹת. - "I enlarged my works; I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and orchards for myself, and planted in them every kind of fruit tree. I made pools of water for myself, to irrigate from them a forest sprouting trees. I acquired male and female servants, and had homeborn servants; I also had much property in cattle and sheep, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered silver and gold for myself, and the royal treasures of kings and provinces; I provided myself with male and female singers, and the delights of human beings - chests and treasures of luxury."
The Targum interprets the verse on the side of good deeds: I multiplied good deeds in Jerusalem. "I built houses for myself" - this is the Beit HaMikdash to atone for Israel, the royal palace, the inner chamber, and the hall of the court made of hewn stone where the Sages sit and judge cases - which is the Lishkat HaGazit (Chamber of Hewn Stone). I made an ivory throne as a royal seat. "I planted vineyards for myself" - in Yavneh, vineyards of grapes to drink wine from, both myself and the Sages of the Sanhedrin, and also to pour libations of wine and strong drink upon the Altar.
The Imrei Shefer explains that Solomon is describing here the external pursuits in which human beings see purpose. And he tells us: know that in all the external pursuits that people chase day after day, in all of them "I enlarged my works." The houses and vineyards I built were grand, magnificent, and extraordinary. For it is human nature, when one accomplishes something imperfectly and remains unsatisfied, to think: "Had I only done it to perfection, I truly would have been content." Solomon says: No. I built the absolute best of the best, the grandest and most magnificent buildings, so there would never be a situation where I might say to myself, "Perhaps if it were bigger, it really would fulfill me." I achieved the maximum possible, so that my imagination would not mislead me into thinking that had I only done more, I would have been satisfied.
Furthermore, he shows us: I did all these works in the proper order. I acquired the more necessary thing first, leaving the less necessary for the end. The first thing - "I built houses for myself," for before any other acquisition, a person needs a place to live. Afterward, "I planted vineyards for myself," as planting a vineyard is already less essential, since a person can manage without a vineyard. Then, "I made gardens and orchards for myself, and planted in them every kind of fruit tree," which are of lesser prominence than the wine of the vineyards, for wine gladdens God and man. And even less essential than that - "I made pools of water for myself, to irrigate from them a forest sprouting trees," trees that are not necessarily fruit-bearing, whose entire purpose is merely to delight in their beauty and aesthetic appeal.
And following that, "I acquired male and female servants, and had homeborn servants" - not servants merely to attend to my needs, for I already had household members, but rather to multiply honor, so that all would see how distinguished I was. And even beyond that - "much property in cattle and sheep," far beyond my needs, which were not essential to me except for prestige. And beyond that - "I also gathered silver and gold for myself, and the treasures of kings and provinces," which are utter luxuries, whose entire value lies either in enjoying them when they are openly displayed, or in telling and announcing to others how much one possesses. And note the wording: "I gathered" [kanasti] - amassed silver and gold stored away, unseen by anyone, whose sole function is for people to tell tales about your wealth. And finally, "male and female singers, and the delights of the children of man - chests and treasures of luxury," all of which are completely without utility. Solomon says: see how I progressed in order, from the most essential to total luxury - and know that I possessed it all, I tested it all, and it is all vanity.
קָנִיתִי עֲבָדִים וּשְׁפָחוֹת וּבְנֵי בַיִת הָיָה לִי, גַּם מִקְנֶה בָקָר וָצֹאן הַרְבֵּה הָיָה לִי מִכֹּל שֶׁהָיוּ לְפָנַי בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם. - "I acquired male and female servants, and I had homeborn servants; I also had much property in cattle and sheep, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem."
The Kol Ephraim explains that Solomon is describing here things acquired through legal ownership. First, he acquired male and female servants, who are halachically compared to real estate, and through them he had homeborn servants. Next, he acquired livestock, which are movable property but possess the breath of life, and are therefore more significant than inanimate objects. And after that, he gathered silver and gold, which is money itself and the most significant of all, for with it one can purchase everything.
He notes that with Yaakov Avinu, the order is different: "And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and donkeys" - there it begins with the flocks, whereas with Shlomo the livestock comes at the end. What is the difference? Yaakov Avinu earned his livelihood from the flocks, and therefore the flocks were most important to him; the maidservants were for the needs of his wives and children, the menservants for his own needs, and the camels and donkeys were already for the escape from Lavan's house. But the primary element was the flock, which was his main livelihood, and so his sons said: "Your servants are shepherds" - our livelihood is from sheep.
In contrast, Shlomo needed many servants in order to care for the houses and vineyards he had planted, and therefore this was the first thing: "I bought servants" - this was what was most necessary, for someone had to maintain all these estates. The maidservants were there to be paired with the menservants so that they would be fruitful and multiply, and from them he had home-born servants. The livestock is mentioned last, because for him, livestock was primarily for food and personal consumption, not for earning a living. Furthermore, the main purpose of Shlomo's livestock was for sacrifices, for Shlomo would offer up a thousand burnt offerings in a single day, and thus he required vast herds and flocks.
Our Sages expounded: "'I gathered for myself also silver and gold' - these are words of Torah, as it is stated, 'More desirable than gold, even much fine gold.'" Why is this specifically applied to words of Torah? The Me'am Lo'ez cites the Chida in Nachal Eshkol, who explains that the words of Torah possess both the virtue of gold and the virtue of silver. On the one hand, gold is extremely precious, whereas silver does not match the value of gold; on the other hand, gold has a drawback that silver does not - gold is not readily spent in daily commerce, and one cannot purchase things with it everywhere. With silver, one can go anywhere and make purchases, but if one comes to pay someone in gold, the seller will say: What can I do with this? It is like someone trying to buy everyday goods with diamonds. It is not easily circulated in common trade, yet its intrinsic value is immense.
The Chida explains: Not without reason were both of these examples given to us, for they allude to the revealed dimension (nigleh) and the hidden dimension (nistar) of the Torah. The revealed part is suitable for everyone, like silver, which is readily spent, circulates everywhere, and is universally accepted in commerce. And the Torah is also compared to gold - this is the sublime and precious part, which is not freely circulated among everyone but is kept hidden in a vault. This is the esoteric wisdom of the Torah: immensely precious, but concealed, and not something to be utilized in every setting.
From here emerges a profound moral lesson: the esoteric wisdom of the Torah must remain guarded, not broadcast in the public squares, nor trivialized through various "Kabbalah centers" and modern fads. One sometimes encounters people who eagerly explain what they are studying in Kabbalah. But how did one arrive at Kabbalah? Have you already mastered the Shulchan Aruch? Do you know the basic Halachot, the laws of tzniut, before leaping into the realm of Kabbalah? In any case, matters of esoteric secrets must remain concealed and safeguarded - like gold, which is not readily circulated for everyday spending, yet is exceedingly precious.
"And the treasure of kings" - who are the kings? This is the Torah and its teachers, as it is stated, "By me kings reign," and "Who are the kings? The Rabbis." "And of the provinces" (vehamdinot) - these are the Torah scholars who debate (medaynim) the Halachot, from the language of deliberating the law. "I got me male and female singers" - these are male and female vocalists. "And the delights of the sons of men" - this refers to the delights of Israel. "Shiddah veshiddot" - these are male and female judges. Now this seems difficult: is a woman not disqualified from serving as a judge? The Radal explains that it does not mean actual halachic judges, but rather mediators in disputes between women: when women had quarrels among themselves, women were appointed to mediate between them.
Rav Anka interpreted the verse as referring to their entry into Eretz Yisrael, explaining that all this praise was said regarding the time of entering the Land. "I enlarged my works" corresponds to "When you come into the land of your habitations." "I built myself houses" corresponds to "and houses full of all good things" that they found upon arriving in the Land. "And I planted in them fruit trees of all kinds" corresponds to the verse, "And you shall plant all manner of trees for food." All this they did when they arrived in the Land.
The Me'am Lo'ez cites the Lev Chacham, who explains that up to this point Shlomo spoke of possessions related to estates and households, and from here onward he speaks of possessions related to royalty. "I gathered for myself also silver and gold" - yet did we not learn in the Mishnah, "One who increases servants increases robbery"? If so, what benefit was there in all that he gathered, since the servants would rob him? To this Shlomo replies: Know that even though I acquired many servants, I amassed silver and gold and they never touched my wealth. This was his extraordinary achievement - that I gathered silver and gold despite having so many servants.
And as it is said of the era of Shlomo: "The king made silver in Jerusalem as stones." The Gemara asks: As stones? Could it be that they lay in the streets and courtyards and were not stolen? How could you place silver and gold without anyone bending down to take it? Rather, the Midrash explains: they were massive, stones measuring eight cubits and ten cubits. Even the scale weights used in Shlomo's time were made of gold - they would place a weight of gold upon the scale, so abundant and widespread were silver and gold in their tremendous wealth and proliferation.
The Me'am Lo'ez further cites the Michlol Yofi regarding "the treasures of kings and provinces": people would arrive from all over the world to hear Shlomo's wisdom, and each brought him from the treasures of his own region. There were regions where ivory - elephants' tusks, which were exceptionally precious - was found, and Shlomo made use of this as well. From other places they brought crystal gemstones, and from every locale they brought according to its natural riches as gifts for Shlomo. As it is written of the Queen of Sheba: "And she came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, very much gold, and precious stones." Thus we learn that they possessed immense wealth and rare treasures, for tribute was brought to Shlomo from across the world consisting of these precious items.
Many ask: female singers? Surely hearing a woman's voice in song is an ervah (*kol be'ishah ervah*), so how could Shlomo maintain women to sing before him? Rashi resolves this difficulty: *sharot* refers to types of musical instruments. "Male and female singers" does not mean men and women vocalists, but rather instruments that produce deep and high notes, instruments on which melodies are played, and it does not refer to human singers at all. Nevertheless, Rashi brings another explanation: that there were actual male and female singers - male singers for Shlomo, and female singers for his wives. Others resolve this by noting that *kol be'ishah ervah* is a rabbinic enactment, and in the era of Shlomo this decree had not yet been enacted; therefore, Shlomo recounts having both male and female singers.
The holy Zohar offers an entirely different explanation: "male and female singers" (*sharim vesharot*, related to *sarim*, celestial princes) means that King Shlomo merited to know the supernal songs sung by the heavenly ministers. "I acquired for myself *sharim vesharot*" - meaning, I attained the supernal songs; that which the angels sing, I attained.
The Kol Efraim explains regarding "and the treasures of kings": not like my father David, who gathered gold, silver, and copper solely for the sake of a mitzvah, but rather I gathered for myself the treasures (*segulah*) of kings. And what is a *segulah*? Something you hide away and keep locked in a safe, a treasure, as in the phrase: "and you shall be to Me a treasured possession (*segulah*) from among all the peoples" - like a treasure hoard. Thus, when David gathered, it was out of necessity and purpose, whereas when Shlomo gathered, it was for the sake of gathering itself. And we see that in doing so, he transgressed the command: "he shall not multiply for himself silver and gold."
The Kol Efraim further notes that as we proceed through Shlomo's pleasures, we are dealing with things that are less and less necessary, belonging increasingly to the realm of indulgence and luxury. And what is meant by *shiddah veshiddot*? Phenomena that transcend nature, which human beings cannot achieve naturally, but which are operated through supernatural forces.
And so the Gemara in Gittin explains: "'Male and female singers' (*sharim vesharot*) - these are types of musical instruments." Incidentally, the phrasing "types of music" (*minei zemer*) fits Rashi's interpretation that they were instruments, since it does not say "these are male and female vocalists," but "types of musical instruments." "'And the delights of the sons of man' - these are pools and bathhouses. '*Shiddah veshiddot*' - the Gemara offers two interpretations: here in Babylonia they translate it as male demons and female demons (*shida veshidatin*)."
And what does this mean? We know that King Shlomo had dealings with demons and understood their language, and we know how he was ousted from his throne through his involvement with Ashmedai and all that unfolded there. He describes his connection to these forces here: he possessed *shiddah veshiddot*. Even the Sages in the Talmudic era made use of demons - when they wished to locate a lost object or dispatch an errand, they would send a demon to carry out their errands. When Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai went to Rome to annul the evil decree, Heaven dispatched a demon named Ben Temalyon to assist him. Rabbi Shimon then remarked: see the difference between the maidservant of my father's house - Hagar - to whom five angels were sent to assist her, whereas to us, what do they send? A demon, a servant demon. In any case, we see that they made use of demons and spiritual forces, and this is the aspect of *shiddah veshiddot*.
Another explanation: In the West (Eretz Yisrael) they say shidata - this refers to special, luxurious carriages for transporting noblewomen and ministers. "Shidah" is related to the phrase "a chest (shidah), a box, and a cabinet" found in the language of the Mishnah, and this explains shidah ve-shidot.
וְגָדַלְתִּי וְהוֹסַפְתִּי מִכֹּל שֶׁהָיָה לְפָנַי בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם, אַף חָכְמָתִי עָמְדָה לִּי. - "So I grew and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me."
"So I grew and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem" - Pesikta Zutreta notes that this includes even his father, David. See here: King David did not build the Beit HaMikdash, as he was told, "You shall not build the House, but rather your son," whereas I grew and surpassed all who came before me, in that I was privileged to build the Beit HaMikdash.
"My wisdom also (af) remained with me" - Shlomo says: all the strain and toil (af) that I endured while studying wisdom is what endured for me into my old age. This is what Chazal meant when they said that the wisdom learned through af (exertion and strain) is what stood by him. What does this mean? There is wisdom a person learns leisurely and casually, like a university student, but that is not wisdom that lasts. The wisdom that endures is the wisdom learned through af - where a person invests all his strength and devotes himself entirely, and then merits that the wisdom stands by him and endures within him. And so said Rav Chama bar Pappa: All the Torah I learned through af remained with me. But Torah studied out of comfort and indulgence endures far less.
Pesikta Zutreta offers another explanation: "My wisdom also stood by me" - whatever I planned with wisdom to accomplish, succeeded for me. In simple terms: everything I set out to do, I ultimately accomplished; I had heavenly assistance, and my wisdom served me well in bringing all my plans to fruition.
Rashi explains: After all these pleasures, what would seemingly remain of what you learned, given that you detached yourself from it all? Shlomo answers: No, understand that I did not abandon my wisdom either; it too remained with me. Do not think that because I engaged in pleasures, in pools, in male and female singers, that I had forsaken matters of wisdom - I did not abandon wisdom on account of these pursuits; it remained with me and I did not forget it. And another explanation: You might ask how all these things did not distance me from the Torah? To this he replies, "my wisdom remained with me" - the wisdom itself protected me so that these pursuits would not estrange me from the Torah.
The Imrei Shefer notes that there are three primary hazards here that prevent a wealthy person from truly enjoying his wealth. For even if one possesses riches, wealth does not necessarily bring happiness, as we all know. Yet nevertheless, everyone strives for wealth, even though all admit that wealth and happiness are not necessarily linked. These three are: envy, desire, and honor, and all three are inextricably bound to money and wealth.
The first is envy. When a person amasses gold and silver and strives to become rich, he envies others. When I am not running in the rat race, I feel no envy. But once I am inside the race, immediately: "Did you hear? He made such-and-such an acquisition, and that one had a massive exit." Yet if I am not involved in any of this, what do I care? Let him buy it; good health to him. Stocks? I was not there when they rose and I am not there when they fall; it makes no practical difference to me. But if I am in the race, anyone who pulls slightly ahead of me and anyone who achieves something immediately irks and bothers me.
The second is desire. A person longs to gather more and more, an endless craving: "He who has one hundred wants two hundred." Do not presume to say: "He has already arrived, surely this is enough for him, thank God he is well off." Quite the contrary - the more he has, the more he wants.
And the third, which is bitterer than both of them, is honor. If an ordinary, lowly person suddenly becomes rich, he immediately seeks to rank among the nobles of the land, among the dignitaries and the elite. But how will they treat him? In Europe, as is well known, there were very distinct classes: a synagogue for the tailors, a synagogue for the shoemakers, and a synagogue for the gvirim (the wealthy magnates). Suddenly someone walks into the synagogue of the magnates. What is he? Until yesterday his status was a shoemaker, but he happened to win the lottery, or launched a startup, and suddenly became a millionaire. Now he shows up at the synagogue of the wealthy. Do they welcome him with open arms? Everyone looks down on him: "Where did this one come from?" His manners are not fitting either: "Did you hear how he coughs?" He does not realize he is in a different setting. In short, they do not receive him warmly; they look down on him and wonder why he is suddenly mingling with them, why he has come to breathe the rarefied air of the upper crust. He seeks honor - and receives humiliation instead. And others are irked that someone else is ostensibly encroaching on their prestige. Thus the affliction of honor looms large over the entire realm of wealth.
Shelomoh says: Envy, lust, and honor - know that I grew rich and yet was not stricken by any of these; I was spared from all three. Envy - whom did I have to envy? After all, "I grew great and gained more than all," I accumulated more than anyone else, and no one was above me. Lust - I had no one to compete with and nothing left to crave. And honor - "even my wisdom remained with me"; my wisdom stood by me so that I was beloved by all, and who could possibly slight my honor? My wisdom caused everyone to respect me, for everyone recognized that no one was as wise as Shelomoh, and that he was the most worthy of honor. Thus, it turns out that he was not afflicted by the three malignant evils that typically accompany wealth.
The Kol Efraim explains: I became wealthier than anyone who came before me in Yerushalayim - namely, his father David. "Even my wisdom" - that even though he also took hold of all matters of indulgence, which typically distance a person from the Torah, nevertheless I remained devoted to the Torah and my wisdom stood by me, as Rashi explained and as we noted earlier.
He further adds: What is the extra dimension conveyed by "and I grew great and gained more"? It is very possible that he is referring here to things that came to him without toil, things for which he did not need to exert himself in particular. For possessions that he amassed we have already seen in the previous verse, and for those one must make an effort; but here, "I grew great and gained more" - many things were given to me, as we noted, from the surrounding kingdoms whose emissaries came to visit him. Through this he grew and reached attainments that none could match.
King Shelomoh lays before us the full canvas of his acquisitions - houses and vineyards, gardens and orchards, pools and forests, servants and livestock, silver and gold, male and female singers, and all forms of delights - all in descending order, from the most essential to total luxuries. He magnified his endeavors and did the utmost possible, so that his imagination would not deceive him into thinking that had he added just a bit more, he would have been satisfied. Chazal expounded these verses also regarding words of Torah, talmidei chachamim, and the entry into the Land, teaching us through the silver and gold the relationship between the revealed and the concealed dimensions of Torah. Ultimately, Shelomoh testifies about himself that he was not afflicted by the three primary pitfalls of wealth - envy, lust, and honor - and that even his wisdom remained with him and was not forgotten. And this wisdom, acquired through hardship and devotion, is the only thing that truly endures within man.