Introduction: The Conclusion of the Book of Kohelet
We arrive at the two verses that conclude the Book of Kohelet, which contain the essence of everything said throughout the entire book. After all the calculations, after all the examinations of vanity of vanities, King Solomon arrives and summarizes in a few words what man's duty is in his world - and warns that there is judgment for everything, even for that which is hidden from man's own eyes.
"The end of the matter, all having been heard" - One who possesses fear of Heaven, his words are heard
סוֹף דָּבָר הַכֹּל נִשְׁמָע, אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים יְרָא וְאֶת מִצְוֹתָיו שְׁמוֹר, כִּי זֶה כָּל הָאָדָם. - The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man.
Our Sages expounded: One who wishes that everything he says be heard and heeded - "fear God." One who possesses fear of Heaven, his words are heard; one who lacks fear of Heaven, his words are not heard.
It is told that Rabbi Raphael Baruch Toledano once rebuked his congregation, but they did not listen to him. He began to weep. They asked him: Why is the Rav weeping? He said: Because I have no fear of Heaven. They were shocked: God forbid, why does the Rav say such a thing? After all, he was known as an exceptionally God-fearing person, a blazing fire. He said to them: One who possesses fear of Heaven - his words are heard. And if my words were not heard, it is a sign that I lack fear of Heaven.
There is also a story of a man who approached the Dubno Maggid and said to him: Forgive me, sir, but your honor has no fear of Heaven. And consider who the Dubno Maggid was - the Vilna Gaon would ask him to come and deliver words of mussar to him, yet this maskil came and asserted that he had no fear of Heaven! The Maggid asked him: On what basis do you say this? He replied: Look, one who possesses fear of Heaven - his words are heard. You spoke for an entire hour, and I was not influenced in the slightest. This is a sign that your words are not heard, and a sign that you lack fear of Heaven.
The Dubno Maggid replied: I will tell you a parable. A man once visited the big city and saw a bellows - an innovative product in those days, like an accordion with two handles brought together that pumps out air. They placed it next to the fire, and within seconds a blaze erupted. He said: I will bring this to the village and sell hundreds! He bought two hundred bellows, had them packed, and announced in the village: Gentlemen, premiere demonstration tonight, I will show you the bellows! He brought a pile of coals and began to pump - but other than ash flying in the air, nothing happened. Excuse me for a moment, perhaps this bellows is defective; I will take out another one. He pumped again, and again, only ash. People began inhaling ash, coughing, and leaving the scene. He returned to the city in anger: What a loss you caused me! They asked him: What did you do? He told them. They said to him: Did you not light a coal? You need a spark! If there is a spark, you blow air and the fire blazes. The Maggid said to him: Within you, the spark has been extinguished. No matter how much wind blows upon you, at most you will catch a cold, but nothing will ignite you. For something to ignite, the spark must not be extinguished. If there is a spark, a bellows can fan it; but if even the last spark has gone out, what good will it do? And this is what the verse means: Do you want "the end of the matter, all to be heard"? "Fear God." One who possesses fear of Heaven, his words are heard.
The Wisdom - To Know This at the Beginning of the Journey
The Dubno Maggid further explains, as cited in Likutei Batar Likutei: "The end of the matter, all is heard" - at the end of a person's days, you will hear this very thing from everyone's mouth. Believe me, the main thing is the service of Hashem, the main thing is devotion, the main thing is prayer. You will hear this from every single person. There is no ninety-year-old who will tell you: Believe me, the main thing in life is desires and physical pleasures. When one reaches old age - you hear this truth from everyone. Yet in his youth, he did not exactly live by these standards; in his youth, you saw him wanting to swallow the entire world.
Regarding this, the Maggid says: "The end of the matter, all is heard: fear God" - how wonderful it would be if this were at the beginning of man's deeds! The reality is that at the end of the road, it is heard from everyone that one must "fear God," but that is no great wisdom; the real wisdom is to know this at the beginning of your life, to remember in your youth that this is the purpose and this is the goal. And Likutei Batar Likutei adds: This is the meaning of the verse, "Better is the end of a matter than its beginning" - how good it would be if what people realize at the end, they had realized at the beginning, so that already at a young age they would begin serving Hashem from this conviction rather than chasing after pleasures and desires.
"For this is the whole of man" - The Part That Remains in Your Choice
The author of the Melo HaOmer explains: All of a person's traits and qualities - "everything is heard" already prior to his birth, for even then everything was decreed. It was decreed whether he would be handsome or ugly, tall or short, wise or foolish, rich or poor. All these matters were decreed in advance. Only one thing was not decreed: whether he will be righteous or wicked. And this is what the verse means by, "The end of the matter, all having been heard" - everything was already heard and determined in advance by the decree of the Omnipresent; "fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man" - this is man's sole purpose, the only part that Hashem does not, so to speak, do for him. Not that He is unable to, but rather He restricted Himself, leaving it to your free choice. This, then, is man's entire mission, and these matters were not decreed upon him from on High.
The Final Verse: "Concerning Every Hidden Thing"
כִּי אֶת כָּל מַעֲשֶׂה הָאֱלֹהִים יָבִא בְמִשְׁפָּט עַל כָּל נֶעְלָם, אִם טוֹב וְאִם רָע. - For God shall bring every deed into judgment, concerning every hidden thing, whether good or bad.
The Pesikta Zuta explains: Every deed performed by human beings will be brought by God into judgment in the World to Come - "concerning every hidden thing," and all the more so regarding overt actions, when Hashem will judge each person.
Our Sages teach (Chagigah 5a): Whenever Rabbi Yochanan would reach this verse, he would weep. He said: A servant whose master weighs inadvertent acts as intentional sins, what remedy does he have? For "hidden" refers to that which was concealed from him, an inadvertent error, and if he is judged for it as if it were intentional, what hope does he have?
The Gemara asks: What is meant by "concerning every hidden thing"? Rav said: This refers to one who kills a louse in the presence of his fellow, who is repulsed by it. Rav offers an example of a hidden thing to which a person does not pay attention. In their days it was common: a person finds a louse on his head or garment, removes it, and kills it. Yet the person sitting next to him is repulsed by this action; he finds it repulsive. The person did not realize his fellow was particularly squeamish, assuming he was just like him, since most people would not be repulsed by it. Nevertheless, he will be held accountable for it. This is "concerning every hidden thing."
Shmuel said: This refers to one who spits in the presence of his fellow, who is repulsed by it. Here, the case is even more remote: a person walked in the street, felt an urge to clear his throat, and spat, leaving the residue visible to passersby. Another person came by, saw it, and was disgusted, feeling nauseated. The first person had no idea who was walking behind him or what disgust he caused those who followed - it was completely hidden from him, yet for this, too, God will bring him into judgment.
How meticulous a person must be in his actions, so as not to do anything that might cause another person even slight disgust. Notice that our Sages did not cite examples of damages, monetary theft, or physical harm; we are not discussing major sins here, but rather a minor matter - unpleasantness caused to someone else. Therefore, a person must be very careful: sometimes he blows his nose or clears phlegm publicly, near other people, and there are those who shudder at such sights, finding them repulsive.
And it is very common that someone eats in the presence of others and his eating is crude - he does not use a knife and fork, claiming, "We follow ancestral custom." In your own home, no one is judging how you eat, but around others you are perceived as someone lacking basic manners and proper conduct. And if you say: Did Moshe Rabbeinu eat any differently? When we live in the generation of Moshe Rabbeinu, or when you become Moshe Rabbeinu, we can discuss that. But you live in a generation in which such behaviors are unacceptable, and if it is unacceptable, the Chofetz Chaim says this falls under the category of "those who make Me hated." Just like a Torah scholar who goes out into the street with a stain on his garment, and nowadays this is not limited to a Torah scholar: any observant Jew who walks around with a stain on his clothes, people look at him and say, "Look at these observant Jews, they lack cleanliness, they lack common courtesy." And that is a Chillul Hashem. How careful a person must be in these matters, for they fall into the realm of "concerning every hidden thing."
"Whether Good or Bad" - When Even the Good Is Brought into Judgment
The Gemara asks: What is meant by "whether good or bad"? After all, the examples given were of things that are improper, so what does it mean that a person will be judged even for the good?
The school of Rabbi Yannai said: This refers to one who gives charity to a poor person in public. He performed a good deed, giving tzedakah to a poor person, but he made sure that others saw it; and even if he did not intentionally orchestrate it, others saw it and he did not care. And what happened in reality? That poor person now feels like a pitiful beggar to whom someone tossed a few coins. You embarrassed him. You performed a mitzvah - yet there is good for which a person will also be judged.
The school of Rabbi Shila said: This refers to one who gives charity to a woman in secret, for he brings suspicion upon her. Another example: he did a good deed, giving charity to a woman, and specifically in secret so that no one would know. But people saw that someone came to her, entered and exited, and thoughts and suspicions arose in their hearts. You did not take that into account.
Rava said: This refers to one who sends his wife uncut meat on Friday afternoons. He sends his wife uncut meat on the eve of Shabbat, and because they rush to prepare it, they are not meticulous about whether it was properly deveined (*menukar*). The Maharsha explains that there is a good deed here - he is providing meat for his wife for the Shabbat meal so that there will be food to eat at the meal, which appears good and done for the sake of a mitzvah. But you will be judged for this: Why didn't you go, devein it, and ensure it was ready to eat? Now she lacks the patience and time to devein it properly, and through this the "whether it be good" turns into "whether it be evil."
Rashi: The Grammar of the Verse
The verse can be read in two ways, and indeed the commentators disagree about this, but Rashi comes to establish the one grammatical and correct reading. One could read "every deed of God" - that all of God's deeds He will bring into judgment. But this is a very perplexing interpretation: Who judges the deeds of God? Do the works of God require judgment?
Therefore, Rashi explains that the reading is: "For every deed" - pause - "God will bring into judgment." First, the cantillation notes (*teamim*) prove this: above the word ma'aseh ("deed") is a zakef, and zakef means standing, a disjunctive pause. Second, in terms of vocalization: Rashi says that had ma'aseh been vocalized with a tzere, it would be in the construct state (*samuch*), meaning "the deed of God"; but since it is vocalized with a segol, it signifies an absolute state (*nifrad*): "every deed," and then "God will bring into judgment." (Rashi calls this vocalization a patach, which is understood by anyone familiar with early vocalization traditions, as among the Yemenites a segol is pronounced as a patach, and as is known there were several vocalization systems.) Rashi notes that there are places where the word is in the construct state and vocalized accordingly: "the work of our hands establish" (ma'aseh yadenu), "the work of a master craftsman" (ma'aseh choshev), where it has a tzere because it is in construct.
And there is another difference here - in the stress, whether penultimate (*mil'el*) or ultimate (*milra*). When you say "the work of our hands" or "the work of His hands," you do not stress it as a standalone word, but connect it; whereas here, ma'aseh has a pause, followed by "God will bring into judgment." Rashi concludes: The meaning is that every deed that a person performs - God will bring into judgment. Not the deed of God, but the deed of man.
Ibn Ezra: According to the Intention of the Heart
Ibn Ezra explains: The meaning of "concerning every hidden thing" is that every deed is visible, but the deed brought to judgment will be judged according to what is hidden. That is, Hashem will judge the overt act according to the intention of the heart: What was the intention behind this act, was it for good, and with what purity of heart was it performed? Ibn Ezra also cites the homiletic exposition of the Sages, that some say it even includes anything hidden from you, although the first explanation is more correct in his view.
The Alshich: "The Work of God" - Reincarnations
The holy Alshich explains that through positive and negative commandments, all of a person's limbs are sanctified. According to this, a difficulty arises: if so, no man could ever attain perfection, for who is the man who could fulfill them all, neither inadvertently nor willfully? Who is the person who could complete all the mitzvot and claim to have had no unintentional error and no willful transgression in any of his 248 limbs and 365 sinews?
He introduces a wonderful explanation. Our Sages say that on Rosh Hashanah, "the books of the living and the books of the dead are opened before Him." He asks: Why mention the dead? Why open the books of the dead? They have already been judged, and over the past year, as far as we know, they did nothing - what is there to judge them for? Rather, when a person is brought to judgment before Hashem, may He be blessed, many books of the dead must be reviewed, for a person is judged not only for his current actions, but also for his previous reincarnations (*gilgulim*), as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says that a person is also judged for his prior lifetimes. And this was Job's consolation when he was comforted: Your suffering is not for what you did now - in that you are correct, you are righteous; rather, you were a reincarnation of Terach, and Terach has much to atone for.
If so, when coming to judge a person on Rosh Hashanah, how can one judge him with true justice without seeing what transpired with him previously? It is impossible. Therefore, one must also open the books of the dead, to see which lifetimes he passed through, how much he accomplished in this one and that one, what he did, and what remains for him to rectify in this reincarnation. And this is what we recite: "The memory of all deeds came before You... to reckon every spirit and soul" - not only to reckon living creatures, but every spirit and soul.
According to this, the Alshich explains: Do not wonder how a person can achieve perfection across all his limbs, for "God will bring every deed into judgment" - and he interprets this unlike Rashi, understanding "the deed of God" literally. And what is God's deed? "Let us make man." He brings all human beings into judgment, including those who are not here, and even those who have already died - all of them. "Whether good or evil": when He judges the living inhabitants of His world, He also judges everything that preceded, and thus a person, through reincarnation after reincarnation, continues to be refined more and more. What tremendous kindness there is in this, as explained at length regarding the doctrine of gilgulim (reincarnations). And this is the meaning of "concerning every hidden thing" - for all these matters are hidden: what occurred in the previous incarnation, what one rectified then, and what remains to be rectified, all of it is hidden. Over every hidden thing the Holy One, blessed be He, sits in judgment, for He also judges those who are no longer here among us.
The Malbim: When Good Precedes and When Evil Precedes
The Malbim explains the phrasing "whether good or evil," establishing a wonderful principle: sometimes in Scripture good appears before evil, and sometimes evil appears before good. What is the rule governing this?
Wherever good and evil are absolute - clear good and clear evil - good precedes evil, because a person naturally aspires to the good; he desires good and does not desire evil. Therefore: "the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil," "knowing good and evil," and here, "whether good or evil."
However, when good and evil are not absolute but relative to those affected - that is, good for one and bad for another - evil precedes. For instance, "We cannot speak to you bad or good" - what was the "bad" there? That Rivkah would not go with Eliezer. Bad for whom? Bad for you, not for us; for us it would actually be good for her to stay here. This is bad relative to the recipient: it is bad for Eliezer, not an absolute evil. Therefore, evil precedes good. Similarly, in contexts where the sequence itself dictates addressing evil first, such as "Turn from evil and do good" - first distance yourself from evil, and likewise "Hate evil and love good" - first one must hate evil and then cling to good.
Sefer Chassidim: A Novel Insight Revealed but Not Written Down
In Sefer Likkutei Batar Likkutei, a teaching is cited in the name of Sefer Chassidim: A person to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed an insight in Torah and who did not write it down is considered like a thief. Why? Because this insight was revealed to him solely so that he would write it down. This is a profound insight. "The secret of Hashem is for those who fear Him" - and what is its purpose? "And His covenant, to make them know it," so that you make it known to others. If a novel insight occurred to you, write it down. And this is the meaning of "He will bring into judgment concerning every hidden thing": Hashem will call you to account, asking, "Why did you cause the secret I entrusted to you to remain hidden?" Had you written it down, these words would have endured for many days and the secret would have been revealed to all.
The Author of Ta'alumot Chochmah: Judgment on the Thought
In Sefer Ta'alumot Chochmah, the author writes on the verse "For God will bring every deed into judgment": Know that God will bring into judgment not only the action, but also the thought, and the judgment will be decided for good or for bad according to the thought. For it is possible that a person performed a good deed while his motive was bad, or that he did something bad while his motive was good. And as Chazal say, "A transgression performed with pure intention is greater than a mitzvah performed with impure intention" - we learn that everything depends on intention. Here Shlomo comes to teach us that everything hinges on intent, and the essence is the "hidden": to what extent was there a sincere, complete intention for the honor of the Creator, blessed be He.
In Conclusion:
The conclusion of Kohelet confronts man with his ultimate purpose: "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man" - everything else is decreed upon him in advance, and only fear of Heaven remains in his hands; one who possesses fear of Heaven has his words heard, and true wisdom is to know this at the beginning of the journey, not only at its end. Regarding this, the final verse states: "For God will bring every deed into judgment concerning every hidden thing, whether good or evil" - the judgment addresses the subtle nuances, the small act hidden from the eyes of the one who performs it that causes distress or disgust to another, and even the good done mindlessly and without proper intent. Everything is measured by what is hidden - by the intention of the heart. May Hashem grant us the merit to serve Him with a whole heart, and to fulfill all that we have learned: to learn and to teach, to safeguard, to perform, and to fulfill. Amen and Amen.