The fourth chapter of Kohelet continues King Solomon's discourse praising partnership: "Two are better than one." In the passage before us, we examine the continuation of this theme: why do two specifically have warmth ("they have heat"), what is the power of "a threefold cord," and who is that "poor and wise youth" who is better than an "old and foolish king"? We will follow the order of the verses, accompanied by the explanations of Targum, Rashi, Ibn Ezra, the Midrashim, and the author of Imrei Shefer.
גַּם אִם יִשְׁכְּבוּ שְׁנַיִם וְחַם לָהֶם וּלְאֶחָד אֵיךְ יֵחָם׃ (יא) - Again, if two lie together, then they have heat; but how can one be warm alone? (11)
This verse is a direct continuation of what we saw: "Two are better than one." In practical life, this refers to matters of mutual help and support, to Torah, and to the propagation of the world - through two come offspring, as it is said, "It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper opposite him." "Because they have a good reward for their labor" - says the Midrash: a man brings wheat, and his wife kneads and prepares bread; he brings flax, and she makes him a garment.
One who reflects will see that the Holy One, blessed is He, implanted certain soul-powers in a man and different soul-powers in a woman, so that each may contribute their proper share in building the home. When one interferes in the other's domain, quarrels, arguments, and friction often arise. Each person must know the specific strength given to them and invest themselves in it. The wife should not fret over what her husband is learning, and the husband should not fret over what his wife is cooking or what furniture she purchased. Household matters should remain with the wife, and spiritual leadership should be left to the husband. Man and woman were created to complement one another: the husband goes out to his work and brings home wheat, and the wife prepares bread from it. Each contributes their share to the partnership, and the harmony is complete. In contrast, someone who lives alone must do everything by themselves: bring the wheat, grind, knead, and bake.
Today, a seeming paradise for singles has emerged. Laundry - a laundromat is cheap; food - one orders from a restaurant and is set. A reality has developed where a person feels no necessity or drive to marry, and in matters of modesty the world has become so permissive, Heaven spare us, that one imagines having no need for a home at all. But a more accurate description is: a Gehinnom for the lonely. Society gives a person the illusion of managing just fine alone, yet they have lost what is essential: they have no continuing generation, they grow old alone, and from a certain point onward, loneliness sets in. Everyone else arrives with children and grandchildren, while they arrive alone. Up to a certain age, it may seem pleasant; beyond a certain point, one realizes the magnitude of the mistake.
This is what Solomon adds: "If two lie together, then they have heat." What does "they have heat" mean? The Midrash explains that this is an expression for procreation, related to the verse "and the flocks conceived (vayechemu)," referring to conception. "But how can one be warm alone?" - as it is written, "And what did the one seek? A seed of God." Can an isolated individual ask Hashem for offspring? One needs a spouse, and through this they are blessed with children. Here too, modern reality presents a seeming paradise - or rather, a Gehinnom - for single men and women: a woman can bear a child without a husband through a clinic. "I do not need a husband to bake, cook, and clean for," and through the clinic she has a child without needing a man. A man might not actively seek a child, but even if he wishes to, there are surrogates of various kinds, Heaven spare us. Thus, even marriage and family are no longer viewed as indispensable.
וְאִם יִתְקְפוֹ הָאֶחָד הַשְּׁנַיִם יַעַמְדוּ נֶגְדּוֹ וְהַחוּט הַמְשֻׁלָּשׁ לֹא בִמְהֵרָה יִנָּתֵק׃ (יב) - And if someone overpowers him who is alone, the two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (12)
Targum continues along its allegorical approach and explains that this refers to two righteous individuals in a generation, concerning whom it was said, "Two are better." "If someone overpowers him" - if a powerful, wicked man arises in that generation whose deeds are corrupt and who threatens to bring calamity upon the world, two tzaddikim stand against him and nullify the decree through their merit. One person alone is often fearful and apprehensive, and at times does not possess sufficient merit; but when there are two tzaddikim in the generation, they wield vastly greater fighting power. And if there are three tzaddikim in a generation who live in peace with one another, it is like a cord woven from three strands that is not quickly broken, being far stronger and more powerful.
The Imrei Shefer continues this theme regarding those who choose a solitary life. "If someone overpowers him" - if enemies come to strike him or do him harm, "the two shall withstand him": a wife is devoted to protecting her husband as her very soul; she fights his battles and he fights hers. This is not the case with other relatives - even if they offer assistance, they will not risk their lives; their help is qualified. The ones who truly stand by each other are husband to wife and wife to husband. "And the threefold cord" - if they are blessed with children as well, father, mother, and child form a single united bond that will not be severed in times of trouble, like a threefold cord where each helps and supports the other, and none abandons their fellow; the love among the three is as strong as death.
The Imrei Shefer further explains the phrasing "is not quickly broken": even if the cord is stretched taut, it will not snap. Often situations of tension arise, an argument between parents and children or between the parents themselves, but "it is not quickly broken," because the bond between them is far more powerful and resilient. Likewise, one who is blessed with children has their memory carry on from generation to generation, possessing continuity. One who does not was present in a single generation and is cut off, childless, and their memory is severed upon their passing.
Midrash Zuta brings that the threefold cord is a teacher instructing his students, for even if they forget something - he returns and teaches them again. It also explains this in terms of travelers setting out on a journey: if someone sets out alone, he is in trouble - if he falls or needs help, who will help him? But three - "is not quickly broken." And so it is brought: when Rabbi Meir saw one person setting out on the road alone, he shouted after him, "Master of Death!" - as if to say, you are committing suicide, why do you set out on the road by yourself? When he saw two walking on the road, he shouted to them, "Masters of Strife!" - you are going to quarrel; when two travel together, there is a strong chance they will fight. When he saw three, he said to them, "Masters of Peace!" - you will have peace. This is "and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."
Rashi interprets the threefold cord as referring to a Torah scholar, his son, and his grandson - Torah will never cease from his descendants, as it says, "they shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, nor from the mouth of your seed's seed," and from then on it endures forever. However, the Midrash teaches us that this is not an absolute guarantee.
In Menachot 43b, the Sages said: Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says, whoever has tefillin on his head and on his arm, tzitzit on his garment, and a mezuzah on his doorpost is presumed not to sin, as it is said, "and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." And further in the Midrash: Rav Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak said, if a person guards himself from sin once, twice, and three times - from then on the Holy One, Blessed is He, guards him, as it is said, "Behold, all these things God works, twice, three times with a man." After "twice, three times with a man" - "God works," the Holy One, Blessed is He, watches over him.
And here comes the qualification: Rabbi Zeira said, provided that the righteous person does not turn back from his righteousness. What is the reason? For it is written, "and a threefold cord is not quickly broken" - it is not written "it will never be broken," but rather "not quickly broken." There are no absolute guarantees; there is only "not quickly." And the Yerushalmi says: but if you overburden it - it will snap. If you strain hard and take the trouble to sever it, it will break. In simple words: there is Divine assistance (siyata di'shmaya) here, but free will is never revoked.
Someone once asked one of the great Torah leaders of the generation: There are families with three and four generations of great talmidei chachamim, and afterward the children turn out to be unlearned (amei ha'aretz) - how is that possible, when "the Torah returns to its lodging"? Or in another version of the question: Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov are three generations of righteous men, so all of the Jewish people should have been Torah scholars forever! He answered them with a parable: A man was accustomed to lodging with a certain host; whenever he passed through town, he knocked on his door, and the host welcomed him inside, once, twice, and three times. One day the guest arrived, knocked and knocked, but no one opened the door. What should he do, stand there waiting indefinitely? He moved on. This is "the Torah returns to its lodging": it comes to knock on your door, a merit not everyone is granted - you, coming from three generations of scholars, will have it knocking at your door. But if you decide not to open, will it force its way inside? There is no guarantee that they will necessarily emerge as talmidei chachamim, for one always has the free will to refuse and not open the door to the Torah.
And so the Yerushalmi likewise states: whoever possesses knowledge of Scripture, Mishnah, and derech eretz (proper conduct) will not quickly sin, as it is said, "and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." And there too Rabbi Zeira says: provided he does not turn back from his righteousness, for it does not say "never," but "not quickly." Even someone versed in Scripture, Mishnah, and derech eretz is not guaranteed never to commit sins; after all, Yochanan the Kohen Gadol served for eighty years in the High Priesthood, yet was not guaranteed never to sin. This teaches you that you have Divine assistance, but if you overburden it - it snaps.
טוֹב יֶלֶד מִסְכֵּן וְחָכָם מִמֶּלֶךְ זָקֵן וּכְסִיל אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַע לְהִזָּהֵר עוֹד׃ כִּי מִבֵּית הָסוּרִים יָצָא לִמְלֹךְ כִּי גַּם בְּמַלְכוּתוֹ נוֹלַד רָשׁ׃ (יג-יד) - "Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to take heed. For out of prison he emerged to reign, though even in his kingdom he was born poor." (13-14)
The commentators also take this verse in many directions because it is obscure: Who is the poor child? Who is the king? Why "does he no longer know how to take heed"? From what prison did he emerge to reign? And why "even in his kingdom was he born poor," when in his kingdom he is seemingly already rich and exalted?
Let us begin with the Targum, which applies these verses to Avraham Avinu. "Better is a poor child" - this is Avraham, who possessed a spirit of prophecy from Hashem and was recognized by his master, Nimrod, when he was just three years old, yet refused to worship idols. And he is better than the wicked Nimrod, who is the "old and foolish king." When Avraham refused to worship idols, Nimrod cast him into the fiery furnace, and a miracle was performed for him by the Master of the World, Who rescued him from there. "Who no longer knows how to take heed" - that even after this, Nimrod lacked the sense to take heed and cease from idolatry; he saw the tremendous power possessed by those who believe in Hashem, yet did not take heed. "For out of prison he emerged to reign" - from a family of idolaters, Avraham emerged to rule over the land of Canaan. "Though even in his kingdom he was born poor" - that from Avraham's kingship was born the poverty and destitution of Nimrod; from there Nimrod's descent began and Avraham's star rose. And as is well known, Nimrod was ultimately killed by Esav, on the very day Esav turned to wicked ways.
And what is the meaning of "who no longer knows how to take heed"? According to Rashi, it refers to an old, foolish king who has aged, and because he has grown old, he no longer accepts reproof. Ibn Ezra explains that this old man has grown old in his folly: when a person has been accustomed all his life to acting foolishly, there is very little chance that in his old age you will be able to change him. And that is what Rashi means by saying he grew old and does not accept reproof - as an elder, he is convinced that he is the one who teaches others: "You are going to teach me? You are going to tell me that something with me is amiss?" His old age brought him to a state where he refuses reproof and can no longer take heed.
The Midrash applies this verse to the yetzer tov (good inclination) and the yetzer hara (evil inclination). Why is the yetzer tov called a "child"? Because it joins a person only from age thirteen and onward - it arrives when one is already a child, rather than right at birth. Why "poor" (misken, also pitiable)? Because it truly is pitiable; not many listen to it. The yetzer hara has branches everywhere and its merchandise flies off the shelves, while the yetzer tov - how pitiful it is! And why is it called "wise"? Because it teaches people the upright path. The yetzer hara sells through schemes and deceit: "Come take, enjoy" - a momentary pleasure at the cost of eternity, yet it wraps it in cellophane and manages to persuade. People of the world listen to it, but the one offering sound, truly worthwhile advice is the yetzer tov. Therefore, it is good - that poor and wise child.
And why is the yetzer hara called a "king"? Because it reigns and rules, and everyone listens to it. Why "old"? Because it joins a person from birth - "sin crouches at the entrance" - and stays until old age. And why "foolish"? Because it teaches man a corrupt, wicked path. "Who no longer knows how to take heed" - man does not know how to guard himself properly from this old, foolish king, and does not realize how much torment, corruption, and suffering come to him on its account.
"For out of prison he came forth to reign" - some in the Midrash explain that it rattles before people "like from among the thorns" (ke-mibbein ha-sirim), making noise, attracting them, and enticing them. "Even though in his kingdom he was born poor" - when the yetzer tov reigns, the yetzer hara is reduced to poverty (rishut). Do you want the yetzer hara to be destitute? Give dominion to the good, wise, and young child, and then the impoverishment of the yetzer hara will be born.
The Midrash offers another explanation: "Better is a poor and wise child" - this is Yosef, who kept the whole world alive during the famine, and in this we saw his wisdom. "Than an old and foolish king" - this is Potiphar, who witnessed so many miracles through him. After all, Yosef was his servant, and Potiphar saw that he served him in an instant: he told him to heat water, and it was hot immediately. "What do you have, an instant hot-water dispenser? How did you do that?" Potiphar would see him whispering prayers and assumed he was practicing sorcery. He saw a wise man before him, entrusted everything he owned into his hands, and relied on him completely - yet how did Potiphar's attitude not change? To the point that Heaven had to castrate him, because his corrupt intentions still lingered. How many miracles he saw through Yosef, yet he took no heed, and in the end even threw him into prison. "For out of prison he came forth to reign" - what did you think, that you would bury him there? The wise child came out of the prison house to become king. "Even though in his kingdom he was born poor" - during Yosef's reign, the downfall and poverty of Potiphar were born.
And some say: through his kingdom, the impoverishment of Pharaoh was born, for through Yosef rising to reign, Pharaoh was diminished. Yosef was thirty years old when he reigned, and Pharaoh told his people: "Do whatever Yosef tells you, for he decreed that your grain rot, and if he decrees that you die, you will die too; do not try to be clever with him." When they came weeping before him about their lands, he told them: "You had better listen to him." Suddenly Pharaoh became impoverished and helpless, while Yosef rose to greatness and royalty.
Rashi explains "For out of prison (ha-asurim) he came forth to reign" as referring to the old and foolish king, namely the yetzer hara: right from the place of filth and foulness, it came forth to reign. "Ha-surim" is linked to the Aramaic word sarya, meaning foul-smelling; that is, from the moment the newborn emerges from the place of foulness, the womb, the yetzer hara emerges to rule, and from that very point it becomes the master. According to this, "For out of prison he came forth to reign" does not refer back to the wise child - the yetzer tov, Avraham, Yosef, the positive side of the picture - but continues describing the negative: from the moment the newborn leaves its mother's womb, the yetzer hara comes forth and clings to it, "sin crouches at the entrance," and from there it becomes a king over him.
And Rashi brings another interpretation: "Than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to take heed" - he has grown old in his wickedness and does not guard himself properly, continuing in his old ways as before. "For out of prison he came forth to reign" - of the poor child, it will ultimately be said that he emerged to reign from poverty and degradation. Like Yosef, who emerged to reign from degradation, and like David, who was an outcast shepherd and emerged to reign - "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep." Though he came from a lowly, degraded place, we saw how he became king. "Even though in his kingdom he was born poor" - even when he achieved kingship, he acted contrary to the typical manner of rulers, conducting himself instead in the humble manner of the poor. Do not think that upon attaining royalty he suddenly acted with arrogance; come and see that he ascended to royalty yet conducted himself like an impoverished person, his humble origin always before his eyes. This is like the word "nolad" (born or formed) in the verse, "A wild donkey's colt is born a man" - he became and conducted himself with humility, like a poor man, and did not become arrogant because of his kingship.
The Imrei Shefer explains that after Shlomo finished debating the misguided - those who claimed one need not marry or bear children and that a person should look out only for himself - he returns to the initial subject he addressed: I have seen that most people toil for the wind, everything is futility, and most miss the purpose for which they descended to this world. And from this I arrived at the conclusion that "better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king."
For if we observe man's path in the world, we see that everyone is, in a sense, a king over a small part of the world: you have a house, you have a car, you have a job - in all these places you rule, and you are a king there. In his old age, we can call him an "old king," and when he is born he is in the status of "poor," for he has nothing yet. And if throughout his life he did not see how to amass wealth - and this does not mean financial wealth, but wealth that will endure for him forever: Torah, mitzvot, the service of Hashem - if he did not set his eyes on the days to come but lived only for the moment, then when they remove him from his kingship he will return to his home empty-handed. "His home" is in the sense of the Gemara's phrase "he shall destroy his home" - his grave, the permanent place to which he goes; for here in this world he is here for only seventy or eighty years, dropping in for a visit, what is this compared to eternity? And when they remove him from his kingship, he will no longer be able to touch the treasures of the realm over which he reigned, and he will take nothing from here.
Therefore, better is the poor and wise youth, who has not yet acted with folly and has not grown old in his foolishness, and the gates of the realm are still open before him - he can still succeed, amass wealth, fulfill the Torah, perform mitzvot, and take them with him Above - than the old and foolish king "who no longer knows how to take heed," who no longer has anything to be careful about, for they have removed him from his kingship and he has passed away from the world, and all his affairs have left him and he can do nothing more with them.
And Kohelet continues: this person, "for out of prison he came forth to reign" - he is like a man who was released from prison and told: Here you shall be king, and take note, whatever you take from here is entirely yours. Not only did he not amass anything from his kingdom, but even the little he had before and brought with him from prison, he lost as well. Is there any fool like this? Such is every mortal born of woman, and this is the condition of all mankind.
"For out of prison he came forth to reign" - Rashi explained the word as related to sarya, a foul place, his mother's womb; while the Imrei Shefer explains it simply: a literal prison. A fetus in its mother's womb, as the Gemara describes, is folded and laid like a writing tablet, his two hands upon his two temples, his two elbows upon his two knees, his head between his knees, and his mouth closed. Who has ever known such a dungeon? From a literal prison he came forth to reign - perhaps this is the source of the Hebrew word tinok (baby), named after the tzinok (dungeon). They brought him to reign over a part of the world, whether over a little or over a lot, each person according to what was placed in his hand to manage, yet he fails to understand that the days of his reign will not last forever and that he is destined to be removed from his throne.
And not only does he fail to perfect his soul and advance himself spiritually, but "even in his kingdom he was born poor" - in his very reign, poverty was born within him. For if we examine what is good for man, before he enters the world or after it, we have already seen clearly that those who have not yet come are the most praised of all, even more than those concerning whom it is said, "I praised the dead"; for one who has not yet come has committed no sin and has acquired no poverty or lack. But this one who descended from the prison, from his mother's womb, and arose to reign - poverty was born in him, indigence was born in him, for he now drowns in the mire of desires drawn after this world and physicality. It turns out that even the perfection he previously possessed, by virtue of his soul having been under the Throne of Glory, he also lost and forfeited in his lifetime. Full it went - his soul emerged from beneath the Throne of Glory - and empty it returned: "he was born poor." And the word nolad ("was born") is like nolad in the laws of Muktzeh: something newly created - his wretchedness and poverty are newly generated within him.
We mentioned "fool" (kesil), and they tell a story that in Ropshitz there was a man who posed as a pious chassid, wearing sackcloth directly against his flesh. In former times, people would wear sackcloth on the body beneath their clothes and conceal it; but he made sure everyone would see it - letting it peek out here and there so people would notice he was no ordinary man, but a great ascetic. The public knew him, and as people quickly see through those seeking to make an impression, they called him "Leibele the Fool," and that became his name.
One day, he came to Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz, who was renowned for his sharp wit. Upon entering, he pulled out his sackcloth slightly so that it would show, walked in, and began speaking with the Rebbe. Then he heard Rabbi Naftali say: "He is no fool, he is no fool." His eyes lit up: here the Rebbe is testifying about me that I am no fool, while everyone else degrades me with this nickname! The Rebbe said to him: "I was not speaking about you; I was speaking of the 'old and foolish king' [the Yetzer Hara]. I was wondering: why does King Solomon call him a 'fool'? If he succeeded in putting you into sackcloth, see how shrewd and clever he is! He is no fool at all, but remarkably clever."
King Solomon teaches us the value of partnership: "they have warmth" - that husband and wife complement each other and bring generations into the world, with each contributing their part without encroaching upon the other's domain; "and a threefold cord" - that the strength of two and three, whether among the tzaddikim of the generation, in a home that has father, mother, and child, or in a Torah scholar, his son, and his grandson, is immeasurably great. Yet here too we learned: "it is not quickly broken," not "never" - there is Divine assistance, but free choice is never eliminated, and if one strains it, it snaps. And finally, "Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king": whether we explain this as referring to the Good Inclination versus the Evil Inclination, Abraham versus Nimrod, Joseph versus Potiphar, or man himself who is a small king in his temporary realm - the message is one. Do not grow old in your foolishness until you no longer know how to take heed; utilize your brief days of reign here to amass wealth of Torah and mitzvot, so that you do not go out full and return empty.