Introduction: The Wise Man and the Fool in the Eyes of King Solomon
As Chapter 2 of Kohelet continues, King Solomon arrives at a fundamental question: What is the true advantage of wisdom over folly if, ultimately, "one fate befalls them all"? In the verses before us, he contrasts the wise man with the fool, delineates the difference between them, and then challenges himself: If both share the same end, what did I gain from my wisdom? These verses offer a profound lesson in navigating life, yielding one of the most vital practical pieces of advice: to foresee things in advance.
"The Wise Man Has His Eyes in His Head" - The Eyes Receive Orders from the Brain
הֶחָכָם עֵינָיו בְּרֹאשׁוֹ וְהַכְּסִיל בַּחֹשֶׁךְ הוֹלֵךְ וְיָדַעְתִּי גַם־אָנִי שֶׁמִּקְרֶה אֶחָד יִקְרֶה אֶת־כֻּלָּם׃ - The wise man has his eyes in his head, while the fool walks in darkness; yet I also knew that one fate will befall them all.
Rabbeinu Saadia Gaon explains the phrase "his eyes are in his head" quite literally: the eyes are adjacent to the brain, and that is what is meant by "in his head." From the brain, light, as it were, reaches the eyes, and the eyes receive their directives from the brain. It follows that the wise man draws his vision from a sound and proper source. Based on what does he look? Based on the head, guided by intellect, considering what is worthy and right to do.
"While the fool walks in darkness" - the fool does not see, and if he does see, he sees incorrectly. Therefore, he walks in darkness, stumbling, falling, and faltering. He does whatever he feels like, lives however he pleases, and when warned, he replies: "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
"The Body Balances Itself"
Someone once told me about his father, who suffered from diabetes. People warned him that it was dangerous, but he had a motto: "The body balances itself." So he never bothered to check his levels. One Shabbat, as he was reciting Kiddush, he suddenly forgot the words, sat down, and could not continue. His son had to finish Kiddush in his place. They examined him and took him to the hospital, where it turned out that he had suffered from very high blood sugar for a long time, causing irreversible damage to his brain cells. This happened when he was around fifty-five, and for the last twenty years of his life, he was like a person whose light had been switched off: barely aware of what was happening around him, unable to drive, unable to do anything, having to be led everywhere like a small child. I knew this man - he was exceptionally sharp, clever, and witty - and in a single moment, everything changed. It breaks the heart. This is what it means to walk in darkness: someone who walks along a treacherous path is bound to stumble and fall, and taking action when you will ultimately pay such a heavy price for it is a tragedy.
The Ingenuity of One Driven by Desire
I once heard an interesting theory from a chronic smoker. I said to him, "You know it's dangerous, and today the damage caused by cigarettes is completely clear." He answered, "All those studies aren't worth anything." I replied, "Not worth anything? Do you have different studies in your pocket? What you have in your pocket, I already know - cigarettes." Then he laid out his theory, and I am continually amazed by the ingenuity of a person driven by physical desire. He told me, "None of those studies were conducted on observant Jews." I said, "Fascinating. Are observant Jews made of different material?" He said, "No, but an observant Jew doesn't smoke one day a week, whereas all the studies were done on people who smoke seven days a week." According to this scholar's theory, that one day detoxifies the body, so the cigarette on Motza'ei Shabbat enters a clean system, and one can start a fresh week without any problem! I told him, "Your theory is very intriguing, but I would suggest visiting an oncology ward to see if it stands the test of reality. You will see both Shomer Shabbat and non-Shabbat observant patients there, of every kind and background." This is precisely what Solomon means: the fool walks in darkness, constructing theories for himself that ultimately shatter against the bedrock of reality, completely oblivious to where he is heading.
The Yerushalmi: "While the Wise Man Is at the Head of the Matter"
The Torah Temimah cites a wonderful question from the Yerushalmi in Masechet Sotah: "The wise man has his eyes in his head" - are the fool's eyes in his feet? Were the fool's eyes placed somewhere else? Rather, explains the Yerushalmi, while the wise man is still at the head (beginning) of a matter, he already discerns what will happen at its end. This is the true meaning of "a wise man has his eyes in his head": at the head of the issue, right at the outset, he foresees where problems are likely to arise and neutralizes the pitfalls from the start. The fool, by contrast, wakes up only after he has fallen: "I didn't notice, I didn't know." But why didn't you check beforehand?
There is a well-known expression whose true meaning many misunderstand: "wise at night" - wise after the fact. While we were struggling with the problem, deliberating and considering exactly what to do, he had no solutions; he did not know what to do or how to find a way out. Only after we finally succeeded in finding a path and resolving the problem does he come along and say: "Well, obviously, that is the simple way, that is what should have been done." You are wise at night! Let us see you offer counsel in the light of day. Once all the problems are resolved and the outcomes are clear, being wise is no great achievement. The wise man's eyes are in his head: he discerns the end at the very beginning of the matter.
"Seeing the Last Tree"
It is told of the Brisker Rav that he said of himself: Many people think I have "nerves" - meaning, that I am constantly consumed by anxieties and doubts, wondering whether we will fail to fulfill an obligation, whether something is amiss, or whether a stumbling block might arise. He told them: I have no "nerves" at all. I simply look ahead and anticipate what will happen in the end. He once stood near a forest and said: What can I do when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave me the ability to see all the way to the last tree? Some people see up to the fifth or tenth tree; to me, the Holy One, blessed be He, granted the vision to see all the way to the last tree. And there are those who do not even realize a forest lies before them. And so it was: when people told him, "Do not worry, there is no problem at all, you are seeing shadows of mountains as mountains and making an elephant out of a mouse," in the end it became clear that he had foreseen correctly, and everything he said was accurate.
Once, a man came to him asking for help. He had purchased a large quantity of merchandise that he needed to transport by train abroad, but there were customs checkpoints along the route, and none of the goods were declared. He asked the Brisker Rav what to do. The Rav told him: "Tell me the train's exact route, where it departs, and which stations it stops at, and we will think." The man laid out the entire route, and the Rav gave him a precise itinerary: "At such-and-such a station, unload the merchandise, wait for the next train, board it, travel three stations, disembark there," and so on. He did so, and by the grace of Hashem bypassed all the inspections. People began to speak of Ruach HaKodesh (Divine inspiration). The Rav said to them: "There is no Ruach HaKodesh here at all. I simply weighed human psychology and logic: where it made sense for them to set up an inspection post and station inspectors to check. And Baruch Hashem." And what was the "Baruch Hashem"? Baruch Hashem that they, too, thought with straight logic like the Brisker Rav, for there could easily have been a gentile there with crooked logic! In any event, the wise man's eyes are in his head: he knows in advance, weighing and examining everything.
A Lesson for Life: Beware the "Trust Me" Type
This is truly practical guidance for life, for often people stumble simply because their eyes are not in their heads - meaning, they failed to look ahead and anticipate the problems that could arise. When a person anticipates problems in advance, he is capable of handling everything. We are all familiar with the type known as the "trust me" type: "We will manage, do not worry, we will improvise something." And that is the worst approach of all, when a person fails to prepare beforehand. We saw this after the Carmel fire, when suddenly people scrambled to look for someone to blame: why was there no supertanker, why were there not enough fire engines? What happened? Until then, they said, "Trust me, it will be fine," and when disaster struck, they were left facing a broken trough.
A person must apply this very same principle to spirituality. A person is about to go on a trip, to a vacation cabin, to some place in the country. "What will happen? Do not worry, it will be fine." Wait a moment, what will be fine? Did you check if there is a minyan there? Did you check what food is sold in that area? Did you check the standard of tzniut (modesty) in the area? Had he prepared beforehand, he could have resolved many of the problems: bringing items from home, organizing himself, clarifying in advance where there is a minyan, and knowing which nearby place to travel to. So too with someone traveling to a simchah: you know who is coming and what the atmosphere will be like. Had you checked beforehand, you could have decided to arrive at a specific hour, stay for ten minutes, minimize spiritual stumbling blocks, and leave immediately. Anything you deliberate over and examine in advance, you can manage successfully. But if not, the fool walks in darkness, trips and falls, and then claims: "I did not know, I did not pay attention."
"Why Then Was I More Wise?" - Shlomo's Question
וְאָמַרְתִּי אֲנִי בְּלִבִּי כְּמִקְרֵה הַכְּסִיל גַּם־אֲנִי יִקְרֵנִי וְלָמָּה חָכַמְתִּי אֲנִי אָז יֹתֵר וְדִבַּרְתִּי בְלִבִּי שֶׁגַּם־זֶה הָבֶל׃ - Then I said in my heart: As the fate of the fool will befall me too, why then was I wiser? And I spoke in my heart that this too is vanity.
כִּי אֵין זִכְרוֹן לֶחָכָם עִם־הַכְּסִיל לְעוֹלָם בְּשֶׁכְּבָר הַיָּמִים הַבָּאִים הַכֹּל נִשְׁכָּח וְאֵיךְ יָמוּת הֶחָכָם עִם־הַכְּסִיל׃ - For there is no remembrance of the wise man along with the fool forever, since in the days to come everything is already forgotten; and how does the wise man die just like the fool!
On these verses, the Midrash offers a series of examples - "God made one corresponding to the other" - the wise man versus the fool. And the recurring answer in all of them is: "And how does the wise man die just like the fool?" Could it enter your mind that their measure is the same and that in Heaven they will be judged equally?
Avraham and Nimrod, Moshe and Bil'am, David and Nevuchadnetzar
"The wise man's eyes are in his head" - this refers to Avraham Avinu; "and the fool walks in darkness" - this refers to Nimrod. As it were, Avraham said: "I said in my heart, as it happens to the fool, so it will happen even to me" - this one is called a king and that one is called a king, so why was I more wise? Why did I sacrifice my life for the sanctification of the Holy One, Blessed is He's Name? But when the Jewish people face distress, they say, "Remember Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yisrael, Your servants." Do the nations of the world ever say, "Remember the deeds of Nimrod"? Who has ever seen a non-Jew say: Master of the Universe, save us in the merit of Nimrod? This is what is written, "And how does the wise man die like the fool!" Even though in this world it seems to you that this one is a king and that one is a king, and both left their mark, know that for eternity there is a distance of heaven and earth between them: this one is in the highest heights of heaven, and that one is somewhere deep within Gehinnom.
Another interpretation: "The wise man's eyes are in his head" - this refers to Moshe; "and the fool walks in darkness" - this refers to Bil'am. Moshe said in his heart: As it happens to the fool, so it will happen even to me; this one is called a prophet and that one is called a prophet, so why was I more wise and why did I give my life for the Torah? But when the Jewish people face distress, they say, "Then He remembered the days of old, Moshe and His people" (Yeshayahu 63). Do the nations of the world say, "Remember the days of old, Bil'am"? Who even mentions Bil'am, who remembers him, and who appeals for Hashem to do something in his merit? This is what is written, "And how does the wise man die like the fool!"
Another interpretation: "The wise man's eyes are in his head" - this refers to David, king of Israel; "and the fool walks in darkness" - this refers to Nevuchadnezzar. David said in his heart: As it happens to the fool, so it will happen to me; this one built the Beit HaMikdash and reigned for forty years, and that one destroyed it and reigned for forty years. This requires explanation, for David did not actually build the Beit HaMikdash! Rather, it seems that because David desired so intensely to build it, Scripture credits him as if he had built it, which is why the Midrash says of him, "this one built the Beit HaMikdash." If so, why was I more wise, and why did I give my soul for the building of the Beit HaMikdash? But tomorrow Shlomo stands and builds the Beit HaMikdash, praying, "Remember the loving deeds of David Your servant" - Master of the Universe, open the gates in David's merit! And it is written that the faces of David's enemies then turned black as the bottom of a pot, like the charred underside of a cauldron. Look what a tzaddik he was: the gates of the Beit HaMikdash did not open until the name of David was invoked! And does Evil-merodach stand and say, "Remember the loving deeds of Nevuchadnezzar your servant"? Perhaps "Remember the wicked deeds of Nevuchadnezzar"! For it is written that when Nevuchadnezzar died and they saw him arriving in Gehinnom, terror seized them. Gehinnom itself is like Gan Eden compared to Nevuchadnezzar, and when they saw him approaching, they fell into panic: who knows what will happen to us here now! This is what is written, "And how does the wise man die like the fool!" - how could it ever enter your mind that they are equal?
One Who Buys Wheat for Three Years
The Midrash continues: "The wise man's eyes are in his head" - this refers to one who purchases wheat for three years; "and the fool walks in darkness" - this refers to one who purchases wheat for a single year. That is to say, the wise man is the one who prepares for himself properly. "I said in my heart, as it happens to the fool, so it will happen to me" - this one eats and that one eats, so why was I more wise? Why did I pawn my clothes to prepare food for myself? I lacked money, so I pawned my clothes in order to have wheat for three years. But tomorrow a year of famine arrives; this one eats at low cost, and that one eats at great expense. I purchased when a kilogram of wheat cost ten shekels, whereas in a year of famine it costs a hundred, if it can even be found at all. This is what is written, "And how does the wise man die like the fool!"
On the other hand, we must take into account that there is also a Midrash that teaches not to acquire food today for tomorrow, and the Mishnah Berurah mentions such a practice: "Do not worry about tomorrow's trouble," and "Hashem daily bears our burden." Such was the way of the Brisker Rov, who would not buy anything for tomorrow. Even though he had great difficulty obtaining bread, because he was scrupulous regarding the prohibition of Chadash (new grain), and outside the Land of Israel the issue of Chadash is something in which one can easily stumble, nevertheless he made it an absolute principle not to purchase today for tomorrow. Once, his household saved bread for him for the next day, and told him: "Rabbi, tomorrow is Erev Yom Kippur, there is a mitzvah to eat a festive meal with bread, and perhaps the Rav will not have bread from Yoshon flour (aged grain)." He said: "Why do we need to save? We never save for tomorrow." They stood their ground, and he did not argue. The following day around noon, the baker arrived at his house and said: "I know that the Rav is scrupulous regarding Chadash, so I specially brought challahs made from Yoshon flour." And he added: "Know that I also brought a plate full of fish, but there was shelling in Jerusalem, and a shell landed not far from me, and from the blast everything flew. The challahs were spared, but the fish became soiled and unusable." The Brisker Rov said to the members of his household: "Do you see? Had we relied on the Holy One, Blessed is He, we would have had fish as well. But the Holy One, Blessed is He, said: You worry for yourself? Then you will have to provide for yourself alone." From here we understand that when a person relies on Hashem, he does not need to worry about tomorrow.
Nevertheless, the Midrash here seemingly intends to express a different idea: that a person should not look only at today, but should keep his gaze directed forward. In its plain sense, this does not necessarily refer to physical matters, but rather to a person who rises and commits himself entirely to the service of Hashem, so that when he arrives in the World Above, he has an eternal reward, whereas one who did not exert himself will find himself there in spiritual starvation. This is what the Midrash wants to convey: "the wise man's eyes are in his head," and the matter of storing wheat is merely a parable.
What Is a "Fool"? Not an IQ, but a Way of Life
All aspects of wickedness are characterized by Shlomo under the title of "ksil" (fool), and he mentions this many times in Sefer Mishlei. Make no mistake: he does not mean a person of low intelligence. Shlomo would not mock people whose intellectual abilities are limited; what can they do, this is what they were given. Is the fact that one received more wisdom than any man upon the face of the earth a reason to be arrogant? Certainly not. Rather, his intention is to teach that a person can be a professor and yet live his life as a fool. For if a diabetic eats a very sweet cream cake knowing full well that within minutes sirens will be wailing, that his blood sugar will spike and put his life in mortal danger, we would not call him clever, but an absolute fool. And if you should say, "What are you talking about, he holds four degrees!" - nonetheless, he is an utter fool. How can a person thrust his hand into the fire and play with his own life?
It turns out that foolishness is not related to IQ, but to the question of whether a person lives correctly. A fool is someone who does not live right. According to this, anyone who says, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die," or "After me, the deluge," is an absolute fool. Do you not think that you will have to give an accounting? He may be highly educated, yet he remains a fool. In contrast, the wise man is one who looks ahead: he arises in this world and prepares for life in the World to Come, toils and exerts himself here, and relinquishes his transient pleasures for the honor of the Blessed Creator. This is the wise man, and this is the one who "stores for the years to come."
A Torah Scholar Well-Versed in His Studies
The Midrash continues further: "The wise man's eyes are in his head" - this refers to a talmid chacham who is well-versed in his studies; "and the fool walks in darkness" - this refers to one who is not well-versed in his studies. "And I said in my heart, as it happens to the fool, so it will happen to me" - this one is called a rabbi and that one is called a rabbi, this one is considered a chacham and that one is considered a chacham, so why was I more wise and why did I pour my soul into my Torah? Both are called a sage, both are seated at the head of the table, and this one has not looked inside a sefer for years and has not seen the inside of a kollel! Perhaps people even honor him more, because his Homburg hat is more impressive and the buttons on his frock coat are polished brighter. But tomorrow both enter the Beit HaVa'ad (the assembly of sages) or another gathering, and both are questioned: this one is asked and answers, while that one is asked and cannot answer. This is what is written, "And how does the wise man die like the fool!"
A story was once told about Rabbi Horowitz, if memory serves, a rav in Beit She'an, who related seeing a man who looked like a talmid chacham, wearing a Homburg hat and a long coat, as someone holding a rabbinic title. He asked him: "Who is the honored gentleman?" He replied that he was a rav in a certain place. He asked: "And where does the rav learn?" He answered: "I do not learn; I already told you, I am already a rav!" Look at that. The person thinks the rabbinate is a mere degree: you finish university, receive a diploma, and that is it, you no longer need to study. Regarding this, the Midrash calls him a fool. The day will come when one will be asked a question and the other will be asked a question, and it will become clear that the former has long forgotten what he learned and what title he obtained, whereas the wise man is constantly immersed in the subject, spending his entire life reviewing his learning, constantly reviewing his Torah.
The Or Same'ach once said of the Rogatchover Gaon, who possessed a phenomenal memory: "There is no special genius in the fact that whatever he is asked, he answers immediately, for he reviews all of his Talmud once a month." Not once a year, the way Rav Chaim Kanievsky would review once a year, but once every month. Consequently, he is truly like someone who just learned it right now, fully immersed in the sugya. And this is not merely a matter of memory. He certainly had an extraordinary memory, but the point was that the Rogatchover did not rely on his memory, saying, "I learned it, and therefore I remember." Rather, his entire life was spent reviewing again and again. Do not say in your heart: "Well, both are the same." They are not the same. When one is asked a question and the other is asked a question, that is when you see the difference.
The Parable of the Calendar Owner, and the Examination on High
The Chafetz Chaim told a parable of a man in a small town who owned a calendar. As the owner of the calendar, he became the local authority: when to read a particular haftarah, what to do on a given Shabbat, when the fast begins and when it ends, when to recite this liturgical poem (krovetz) and when that one. Gradually, he changed his attire and began acting like a rabbi, since he was the only one with answers, and he began to think highly of himself. Not that he had learned, but to their questions (which were presumably quite basic) he knew how to answer. One day he arrived in Vilna and entered the beit midrash. There he saw the scholars fiercely debating and analyzing, a fiery discourse of sages and scribes, arguing back and forth. Since he was a rabbi in his own town, he said: "Tell me, what is being discussed here? Perhaps I can help?" Glad that someone had arrived who could help, they told him: "We are discussing the law of tzarat habat (the co-wife of a daughter)." He said to them: "Tzarot (troubles) I know plenty of, but which daughter are we talking about? Whose daughter?" This is how a person may think of himself, but when he arrives Up Above, he will be tested, and that is what the verse means.
Rav Eliyahu Lopian once said: A person learns and thinks he knows, that he has attained knowledge. But when is a person truly tested? "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land." Here in this world, he is respected, considered prominent and wise. But when is he truly "known"? When he sits among the elders of the land. Up Above, when they wish to seat him among the sages, they will ask: "Wait, who is this? What did he learn? What does he know?" And what a disgrace it will be then.
It is related that one Friday night he was reciting Eshet Chayil, and suddenly a tear rolled down his cheek. His wife did not know why and asked what troubled him. He told her: "Look, everywhere I go, people honor me. I enter the yeshivah study hall and they immediately set up a shtender for me; someone runs to bring me a siddur; people stand up for me; I enter a wedding and they sing Yamim. But this world is alma deshika (a world of falsehood). There, 'Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land' - they will call me and say: 'Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian? Who is Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian? What is he? Why should he be seated here? What is he doing here? What does he actually know?'" And over this, he began to weep. This is the complete opposite of the usual human mindset, which complains, "People do not appreciate me enough." He said: Here, everything is vanity, but there, they truly know how little a person is worth, and that is what pained him.
The Humility of Rav Eliyahu Lopian
He once related that while traveling on a train, he was told that the Rogatchover was on board. He said: "How wonderful, an opportunity to meet the Rogatchover." He went over and said: "Rabbi, may I share a piece of Torah with the Rav, a novel insight, an approach?" He replied: "Please do." The Rogatchover asked him: "Who is the honored gentleman?" He replied: "A simple layman." Not "Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian," not "a yeshivah mashgiach," not "a disciple of the Chafetz Chaim," but simply an ordinary layman. The Rogatchover said: "Well, go ahead." He presented a profound Talmudic analysis before him, wanting to hear what the Rav had to say and how he would respond. The Rogatchover said to him: "Nu, nu, nice insights for a simple layman." The Rogatchover, as is well known, showed deference to no one. And Rav Eliyahu Lopian recounted this about himself - consider such humility! - and added: "Know that what I shared with him was the original analysis that I had prepared to say in the World of Truth." That is, he had prepared what he would say when questioned Up Above, when they evaluate whether one arrived with his learning in hand and ask: "What do you have to tell us? Share a word of Torah, share something." That was what he had prepared to present there, and the Rogatchover told him: "Nu, nice for a simple layman!"
It is also related that he once went to the Rebbe of Gur to receive a blessing. The Rebbe looked at him in astonishment and said: "A Jew who has merited the revelation of Eliyahu HaNavi comes to ask me for a blessing?" To understand this: already at the time of the dybbuk in Radin, when Rav Eliyahu was quite young, the dybbuk said of him that he was a "holy mouth," and that this was how he was regarded in Heaven. And the Chafetz Chaim remarked that in Heaven he was considered like a Tanna. (The full story of the dybbuk in Radin is recounted in Mishnat HaGilgulim.) Years later, he merited the revelation of Eliyahu, a fact known only among his inner circle. Yet the Rebbe, who did not know him personally and had no idea who he was, looked at him and saw it. To this Rav Eliyahu remarked: "A person who is capable of seeing such a thing about me is truly worthy of blessing me."
How Can the Wise Man Die Just Like the Fool?
To return to our subject: the Midrash explains that in the end, both enter the house of assembly or another venue, and both are questioned. One is asked and answers, while the other is asked and cannot answer. If you ask, "What did I gain by learning?" the answer is that the difference is immense. "And how does the wise man die just like the fool?" - Do you think the wise man dies along with the fool and both are identical? Ultimately, everything will be revealed, and it will become crystal clear who truly dedicated his soul to the Torah and who did not.
In summary:
"The wise man's eyes are in his head" - his eyes draw their vision from the intellect, from rational guidance. And according to the Yerushalmi: while he is still at the beginning of a matter, he already knows what will be at its end. The fool, in contrast, walks in darkness, constructing theories that shatter against the bedrock of reality, and only after the fall does he say, "I didn't know." Foolishness is not a matter of IQ, but a way of life: an educated person can live like a fool, whereas one who looks ahead and prepares in this world for the life of the World to Come is the truly wise person. From here emerges practical advice for life: to examine, deliberate, and prepare in advance, both materially and spiritually, rather than relying on "it will be fine." And Shlomo, who raised the difficulty, "As the fate of the fool will befall me too," answered it himself: "And how does the wise man die along with the fool!" Avraham and Nimrod, Moshe and Bil'am, David and Nevuchadnezzar, one who leases a field for three years and one who leases for one year, one who reviews his learning regularly and one who does not - in this world they appear equal, yet their ultimate memory is not equal at all. There, in the World of Truth, when sitting with the elders of the land, everything becomes clear.