Chapter 5, Verse 10: "When good things increase, those who consume them increase"
A single verse in Kohelet opens ten gates of understanding. King Solomon presents an equation here: when goodness increases, those who partake of it increase as well. And immediately he asks: what remains for the owner of that good himself? The answer is: "only the sight of his eyes." Let us examine the various commentaries and see how each reveals a distinct perspective on divine service and life's outlook.
בִּרְבוֹת הַטּוֹבָה רַבּוּ אוֹכְלֶיהָ וּמַה כִּשְׁרוֹן לִבְעָלֶיהָ כִּי אִם רְאוּת עֵינָיו׃ - When good things increase, those who consume them increase, and what advantage is there to their owner except the sight of his eyes?
Rashi: What Does the Holy One, Blessed Be He, Gain from Our Deeds?
Rashi explains: when Israel improves their deeds - "when goodness increases" - they perform many good deeds, and then "those who consume them increase," meaning they enjoy the reward of the mitzvot. "If you walk in My statutes" - "I will grant peace in the land," "and your threshing shall reach to the vintage." If you do good, you will partake of good. And then the question is asked: "and what advantage is there to their owner" - the One who commanded us, the Master who told us to do good, what did He gain from all their good deeds? To this Solomon answers: "except the sight of his eyes" - the nachat ruach before Him, that I have spoken and My will has been fulfilled.
This is a fundamental principle: do not imagine that by your actions you have given Him anything. "If you are righteous, what do you give Him, or what does He receive from your hand?" The Holy One, Blessed Be He, derives no personal benefit from what you have done. What, then, is the purpose? To bring nachat ruach before Him - that I have spoken and My will has been fulfilled.
The same applies to sacrifices: "When good things increase, those who consume them increase" - when many voluntary offerings are brought, the Kohanim who eat from the meat of the sacrifices multiply, as voluntary offerings include shelamim and the like, in which the Kohanim receive a portion. "And what advantage is there to their owner" - what does the Holy One, Blessed Be He, gain from this? Hashem does not eat the sacrifice; the Kohanim eat it. And the answer is the same: "except the sight of His eyes" - it is a nachat ruach before Me, for I have spoken and My will was fulfilled.
Pesikta Zutreta: The Host's Pleasure of the Eyes
The Pesikta Zutreta explains differently: a person who has an abundance of food - "those who consume it increase" - invites people to come and eat with him. This is precisely the purpose of the Todah offering (the thanksgiving sacrifice), with which forty loaves of bread were brought and had to be consumed in a single day. The purpose is clear: you have so much bread and so little time, so invite many people to dine at your table. You cannot say, "I will eat this over the next two weeks" - it must be finished today. And when everyone arrives, they ask: what is this feast for? He then recounts the miracle Hashem performed for him, which led him to bring a thanksgiving offering, thereby publicizing Hashem's deeds.
And if you ask: "And what advantage is there to their owner" - what does he gain beyond anyone else, given that everyone is eating? The answer is: "except the sight of his eyes." Just as they enjoy the taste, he also enjoys the sight, for it is all his. The guests enjoy only the taste, and it does not belong to them; but the host, who is the giver, also derives pleasure from seeing that it is all his and watching them eat from his bounty. That is a wonderful feeling. We find this distinction in the verse as well: "And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes" - there is the aspect of eating, and there is the aspect of being "a delight to the eyes."
Whether One Offers Much or Offers Little
The Midrash applies this same concept to sacrifices. Regarding an animal burnt offering it says, "a fire offering, a sweet savor"; regarding a bird burnt offering, "a fire offering, a sweet savor"; and regarding a meal offering, "a fire offering, a sweet savor." An animal offering is substantial, whereas a meal offering is merely a fistful of fine flour. Yet the exact same phrase is used for all of them, to teach you: whether one offers much or offers little, provided that he directs his heart toward Heaven. Whether you bring much or bring little, what matters most is how much your intent was directed toward the honor of the Creator, blessed be He.
The Gemara in Menachot (110a) asks: What is the biblical source for this - from where is it derived? Rav Adda bar Ahavah said: "When goods increase, those who consume them increase; what advantage, then, does the owner have, except seeing them with his eyes?" The wealthy person, who has an abundance of goods, can bring a large offering, whereas the poor person brings a small offering. "What advantage, then, does the owner have" - what superiority does the one who brought a large offering possess, given that concerning all of them it is said, "a pleasing aroma"?
Rashi explains that "its owner" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He: "except seeing them with his eyes" - what Hashem sees, that his intention was for the good. This is the "advantage": the true merit is measured by the degree of intention for the sake of Heaven, bringing pleasure to Hashem, blessed be He. The Maharsha, on the other hand, explains that "its owner" refers to the one offering the sacrifice himself: What is the advantage of the one bringing the large offering? "Except seeing them with his eyes" - that superficially to the human eye, it looks as though you brought more. In truth, however, between what you brought, the dove or pigeon of the poor person, and the fine flour of the most impoverished individual, before the Holy One, blessed be He, they are all entirely equal as "a pleasing aroma." The entire "advantage" exists only in the sight of the eyes.
"The Eye Sees and the Soul Is Satisfied" - From Here It Is Derived That the Blind Eat and Are Not Satisfied
Chazal expound from the verse, "what advantage, then, does the owner have, except seeing them with his eyes" - from here it is derived that the blind eat and are not satisfied. For one who sees his basket empty and becomes hungry is not comparable to one who sees his basket full and becomes satisfied. "The eye sees - the soul is satisfied": when a person sees an abundance, it already satisfies him, and he can eat just a little. But if they bring him only a little at a time and tell him there is not enough, he remains hungry, eating more and more.
A memorable incident illustrates this well: years ago at a hotel, an organizer rented the venue and arranged all the provisions himself. The planning was lacking in every respect, with the catered food arriving late and in short supply. Particularly memorable were the french fries: only a small bowl was brought out, with repeated promises that more was on the way, bringing out a little bit each time. In the end, probably four times as much was consumed as would be eaten at a normal meal. Why? Because each time there was only a small amount, anyone who saw it immediately grabbed some, feeling that "there isn't enough, grab it quickly before it runs out." Who normally eats such quantities? But once a sense of scarcity was created, the eye did not see - the soul was not satisfied, and everyone wanted more and more. Had a mountain of food been set out from the start, people might have consumed only a quarter of what was ultimately served: a person sees there is plenty, tells himself that if he wants more he can always take later, takes a small portion, and is content.
There is profound psychology in this, and modern marketing understands it well: merchants know how to display merchandise so that the buyer's eye is satisfied by the sheer abundance. Conversely, when they want to show that a product is in high demand, they pile up massive stacks outside, signaling to people that the item is moving rapidly in huge quantities.
A blind person cannot see, and therefore he always feels hungry - he constantly senses a need to eat more. "The eye sees and the soul is satisfied," but since his eyes cannot see, his soul is never truly satisfied. This is the meaning of "what advantage, then, does the owner have, except seeing them with his eyes": when goods increase, the bounty affects a person for good specifically when he can see it. Sight is what satisfies; without it, one constantly feels hungry.
"Do Not Long for Their Table" - The Table of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa
The book Eretz Chemdah cites an explanation from the Chavot Yair based on the words of the Tanna in Avot: "Do not long for their table, for your table is greater than their table." About whom was this said? The Midrash Shmuel there explains in light of what Chazal taught: a Heavenly voice went forth and proclaimed, "The entire world is sustained for the sake of Chanina My son, yet Chanina My son is satisfied with a kav of carobs from one Erev Shabbat to the next."
It follows that if we break this down, Rabbi Chanina attained what the greatest magnates never achieved. After all, even a fabulously wealthy philanthropist who establishes soup kitchens throughout the entire land - how many people does he feed? Thousands? Tens of thousands? He has not even begun to approach Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, for whose sake the entire world is sustained. Therefore, "do not long for their table": do not say, "If only I had wealth like his, I would feed so many people" - you are already giving far more than he gives, exerting vastly more influence on the world than he does.
This is what Kohelet is saying: "When goods increase" - if you are a righteous person who abounds in good deeds, "those who consume them increase" - many people are fed in the merit of the good you have done, in the merit of your good deeds and your Torah study. "What advantage, then, does the owner have" - what is the power of the men of wealth, the rich, even if they are philanthropists? "Except seeing them with his eyes" - they can give only to those whom they see before their eyes. Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa sits and learns, and thereby sustains a person in Australia; whereas the wealthy man, in order to give, must see whom he is giving to. The righteous person sustains even those he never sees at all.
According to this, we can understand what the leading Torah sages have always taught: anyone who is able to engage in Torah study should engage in Torah study. That is why we educate our children and young people to devote themselves to Torah. And should one argue, "Are there not also acts of lovingkindness (gemilut chasadim) in which one must abound?" - certainly, acts of kindness will flow naturally from Torah, and in fact, the greatest Torah leaders were the foremost practitioners of chesed. But even beyond that, there is no greater kindness to the entire world than studying Torah. A person secluded in his home, sitting and learning, performs kindness for the entire world, for he sustains the universe. "Do not long for their table, for your table is greater than their table" - it may very well be that the entire world is sustained in the merit of that individual sitting in a corner engaged in Torah. His Torah is a Torah of lovingkindness, and his study channels chesed to all of creation.
Imrei Shefer: Many Depend on You - But What Remains for Eternity?
The Imrei Shefer explains: The more a person's wealth increases, the more people eat at his table and partake of his bread. This is not merely because he suddenly acquires more relatives - although that is also true, for when a person has money he suddenly becomes a "missing relatives bureau," and everyone discovers that they are his fourth cousin. When he was poor you did not know him, but once he became wealthy, you suddenly began to remember him.
We once noted regarding the verse concerning the Jubilee: "And you shall return each man to his ancestral holding, and each man to his family you shall return." People ask: Returning to his ancestral holding is understandable, but what is the meaning of "each man to his family you shall return"? When you were poor, no one knew you or acknowledged you; if you walked on one side of the street, your relative crossed to the other side, lest you say you are related to him, fearing it might harm his family's shidduchim (marriage prospects). But once you become rich, everyone suddenly seeks your closeness, asks how you are doing, and tells you how closely related you are. It turns out that when each man returns to his holding, automatically "each man to his family you shall return" - you suddenly see what a vast family you have.
However, the Imrei Shefer intends a deeper point: by the very fact that his table grows and he becomes a man of property, many people come to depend on him - employees, servants, laborers, people who guard his wealth and develop it. "Those who consume it increase." And what does this person gain from all of it? "And what advantage does its master have, except what his eyes behold" - his entire benefit is what he sees here in this world: that he has become a wealthy magnate with numerous servants. Had he acted differently, using his bread and the abundance Hashem granted him to satisfy the hungry and the poor, they would have thanked him for his kindness, this would have been counted as tzedakah before Hashem, and he would have acquired eternal merit. But now, what does he have? An employee says to him, "Good morning, thank you for providing my livelihood" - and that is merely "what his eyes behold."
One could also say that this does not necessarily mean bringing poor people into his home to eat, but rather aligns with the words of the Rambam: "Let the poor be members of your household." If you need to maintain a household staff, servants, and assistants, hire the poor rather than people whose financial standing is sound, so that Hashem will credit it to you as tzedakah for supporting someone in need. Here too, had you made sure that your employees were specifically those truly in need, it would not have been merely "what his eyes behold" and receiving a thank-you; rather, you would have acquired eternity through the chessed you performed.
Me'am Lo'ez in the Name of Ateret Shmuel: Who Can Look into Whose Face?
The Me'am Lo'ez cites a clever insight in the name of the Ateret Shmuel. Chazal said in the Yerushalmi in Masechet Kilayim: One who eats from that which is not his own is embarrassed to look into the face of the one who feeds him (bahit le'istakulei be'apeih). This is the concept of nehama de'khisufa, "the bread of shame." But one who eats of his own has no such deficiency.
This is the meaning of the verse: "When good things increase, those who consume them increase" - when there is great abundance, many come to eat at your table. And if you ask what advantage the host has over all the others eating at his table, given that both eat from the same table and in the same amount, the answer is: "except what his eyes behold" - he can look at them, but they cannot look at him. His advantage is that he is not embarrassed to look into their faces, because the food is his own; whereas they are embarrassed to look into his face, because it is not theirs.
Meshal U'Melitzah: The Factory Owner Who Merely Churns Money
Some explain, as cited in the book Meshal U'Melitzah, that this refers to a person who has a trade and earns a decent living, but decides that instead of being an employee he will become self-employed - opening a large business and hiring workers. Yet at times, the loss outweighs the gain: when he examines the bottom line, he sees that all the profits are distributed to the workers; rent for the premises costs money, the machinery costs money, and the tax authorities leave him with very little. In the end, it turns out that everything he thought he was earning is nothing more than cash flow churn.
Regarding this it is said: "When good things increase, those who consume them increase" - when you have a large factory, those who feed from it increase. "And what advantage does its master have" - what does the owner actually gain from all this? "Except what his eyes behold": he struts around like a peacock, he is the boss, the factory owner, the director, he has stationery with "CEO" printed on it, and anyone who sees him is convinced he is extremely well-off - when in reality he is merely churning money. What does exist here? "Those who consume it increase" - thank G-d, many workers earn their livelihood from the large business you established; but for yourself, you are just recycling cash.
The More Those Who Consume Increase, the More the Good Has Increased
A tremendous fundamental principle is further explained in "When good things increase, those who consume them increase": when those who eat increase, the goodness increases. As Chazal taught: every child comes with his loaf of bread in hand. When a child is born, he is born with his bread in hand. Whoever thinks that if there are many children we will not manage to support them is fundamentally mistaken, for the reality is that the more children the Holy One, blessed is He, grants, the more livelihood He provides accordingly. Hashem sustains from the horns of re'emim to the eggs of lice, and gives bread to all flesh.
"When good things increase, those who consume them increase" - do you wish to know how much the good has increased? To the degree that its consumers have increased. Do not worry: what if there is a "population explosion" in the world, what will they eat? Why are you troubled? After all, the world continues to develop, and we do not see hunger increasing compared to two hundred years ago - quite the contrary: we see countries destroying food because of massive surpluses. Indeed, its consumers have increased, but the Holy One, blessed is He, provides goodness accordingly. This is the insight: as consumers multiply, goodness multiplies to match them, often far beyond the natural order.
The Miser - His Entire Pleasure Is in the Seeing
It is also explained concerning "and what advantage is there to its owner, except what his eyes behold?": this refers to the miser. What does he get from his treasure? Only the sight of his eyes. This is the "fellow who lies upon his gold dinars" - the miser who sleeps on his coins and derives no benefit from them, only gathering and gathering. He opens the safe, looks, rejoices, and locks it back up. There are people who love to count their money over and over, and it makes them feel good. And what is left for such a person? Only the sight of his eyes - that is the only pleasure he will ever derive from his money.
To what may this be compared? A parable is told of a miser who bought a large diamond, putting his entire fortune into it. Out of fear of thieves, he buried it in the ground - as people used to conceal valuables in the earth, for Chazal said that money has true safekeeping only in the ground. Every so often he would go, uncover it, gaze at it, rejoice, and cover it back up. One day he came and dug, only to discover that someone had dug before him and taken the diamond. He began to weep, shout, and tear his hair, inconsolable. Finally, someone came and said to him: Why grieve for nothing? Take a stone, a river pebble, put it in the hole, and cover it up - and that will suffice. For you never actually enjoyed the diamond anyway, and your entire pleasure was just looking at it; so imagine that this is the diamond, and that is enough. You never gained anything while it was buried down there anyway.
The Poor Man and the Wealthy Man - Who Enjoys More?
And in conclusion, a wonderful parable. A story is told of a poor man who was hosted in the home of a wealthy man and ate the Friday night meal with him. The table was set with every delicacy, diverse fine vessels, and royal abundance of wine. The host saw the poor man gazing in admiration at the luxurious serving dishes and the silverware in the display cabinet, and asked him, "Well, do you enjoy seeing all this?" The poor man replied, "I certainly do enjoy it, no less than the master of the house!"
The rich man felt slighted: "What do you mean, no less than the host? The dishes are mine, not yours; surely the one who owns them has greater pleasure than someone who merely looks at them, like someone gazing at his neighbor's luxury car!" The poor man said to him: "How is it evident that the dishes are yours and not mine? You enjoy looking at them, and I enjoy looking at them." The host countered: "If I wish, I can put them in a chest and lock it up!" The poor man replied: "On that point we are also equal - right now we both see them, and if you lock them in a chest, neither of us will enjoy them, equally so." The host said: "Yes, but I can also sell them if I need money." The poor man replied: "If you sell them, there is nothing left to talk about - neither of us will have the dishes. If so, what is your advantage over me? Before, at least you had dishes, even if you couldn't see them; now, neither I nor you have dishes, and there is nothing to look at either. In plain terms - we are both equal."
And this is "and what advantage is there to its owner, except what his eyes behold?": the entire "advantage" of the owner is that he can look at the vessels - and in this regard, the poor man looking at them has the exact same "advantage," and he is equal in this to the owner.
In summary: One verse - "When good things increase, those who consume them increase, and what advantage is there to its owner, except what his eyes behold?" - containing an entire framework of hashkafah. Looking upward: the Holy One, blessed is He, does not derive worldly benefit from our actions, and His only "gain," as it were, is the gratification that He commanded and His will was done, where one who brings much and one who brings little are equal, provided their heart is directed toward Heaven. And looking downward: sight is what satisfies the soul, and therefore "the eye saw and the soul was satisfied"; wealth in and of itself adds nothing other than the sight of the eyes - whether for the miser lying upon his coins, the factory owner turning over funds, or the wealthy patron who receives only the gratitude of his workers. The real advantage lies in what a person leaves for eternity: in acts of chesed for those who are genuinely in need, and above all in Torah - for there is no greater table than the table of one who engages in it, in whose merit the entire world is sustained.