In this part of Chapter 8, King Solomon continues the line of thought he opened with earlier: "For every matter has a time and a judgment, for the evil of man is great upon him." Man lives in a world where the times are not in his hands, and knowledge of death and the future judgment is concealed from him. The two pesukim before us teach a complete lesson in faith and serenity of soul: Why should a person be troubled about future events, when neither their coming nor their departure depends on him?
כִּי אֵינֶנּוּ יֹדֵעַ מַה שֶּׁיִּהְיֶה, כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה מִי יַגִּיד לוֹ. - For he knows not that which shall be; for when it shall be, who can tell him?
The Pesikta Zutreta explains: "For he knows not that which shall be" - what will be after he departs from the world. And who can tell him? This is a direct continuation of the previous verse: for every matter has a time and a judgment, and the evil of man is great upon him, and he is destined to give an accounting; yet nonetheless, he does not know what will be after his death, and there is no one to inform him.
Rashi explains: When the wicked person commits a transgression, he does not take to heart that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to bring him to judgment, and woe to him for this. This is "he knows not that which shall be" - he does not calculate the future reckoning. And on "for when it shall be, who can tell him?", Rashi says: When retribution comes, who will tell him, to confer with him, take counsel with him, and seek permission? It will come upon him suddenly. When retribution arrives, no one asks the person in advance, and no one consults with him.
The Imrei Shefer adds an explanation: "For he knows not that which shall be" - concerning all the afflictions destined to befall a person, he knows neither when they will come nor when they will disappear. In a single moment, an affliction can vanish. Moreover, there is a person who weeps and complains over something that is actually for his benefit, yet he fails to understand that it is for his good. On the other hand, there is a person who rejoices and exults over something that will ultimately bring him down in mourning to the grave. "He knows not that which shall be" - you do not know what will ultimately come of this, whether good or bad. Therefore, a person has no reason to rejoice excessively when good comes, nor to grieve excessively when misfortune comes, for it is possible that the good is destined for ill, and it is possible that the misfortune is destined for good.
Furthermore, "for when it shall be, who can tell him": Even when misfortune befalls him, who will consult with him beforehand? If so, what exactly are you worried about? The misfortune, whether it comes or does not come, does not depend on you. And secondly, even if it appears bad to you, who said it is bad? And as the Imrei Shefer concludes: How can a person complain about his afflictions and all his circumstances, good and bad, since they are not in his hands, neither in their coming nor in their passing.
This is wonderful advice that King Solomon gives us for coping with fears, anxieties, and uncertainty, which are among the most difficult things for a person to bear. How unfortunate are those who live without faith and without a connection to the Creator of the world, for this is precisely where their downfall lies. When a person clings to Hashem, he is not troubled by what the future holds, for two reasons: First, even the things that seem bad to you are ultimately for your good. Second, a person should only be troubled by what he can control, and the believer knows that everything comes from Him, blessed be He.
It follows that after a person passes away, one should not think: "What a shame, someone gave me the phone number of a specialist and it's such a pity that I didn't..." These are futile thoughts. If the time arrived to take him, he was taken, and the Holy One, blessed be He, arranged that you would not reach that specialist. It is not merely a matter of "picking up the phone" or not picking it up; it was decreed from Heaven, and that is all. When a person understands this, he attains serenity of soul and inner calm. "For when it shall be, who can tell him" - no one asks you about the future, because it does not depend on you.
This does not mean that one should not make an effort. Making an effort (*hishtadlut*) is man's obligation, as taught at length in *Chovot HaLevavot* in *Sha'ar HaBitachon* (The Gate of Trust), where there are two dimensions: "before" and "after." Before the fact, a person must exert the maximum necessary effort according to the parameters of *hishtadlut*: protecting oneself from harm, finding a good doctor, providing for one's livelihood, and so forth. But after the fact, one must never think, "If only I had done this, reality would be different." After the fact, one must realize that this was decreed and this was His blessed will, and there is no room to contemplate any other reality. A person who lives with this insight leads a tranquil life, for all of his circumstances, both good and bad, are not in his hands - neither when they arrive nor when they pass. If so, why should a person be troubled by what the future holds?
אֵין אָדָם שַׁלִּיט בָּרוּחַ לִכְלוֹא אֶת הָרוּחַ, וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת, וְאֵין מִשְׁלַחַת בַּמִּלְחָמָה, וְלֹא יְמַלֵּט רֶשַׁע אֶת בְּעָלָיו. - "No man has mastery over the wind to restrain the wind, nor is there dominion on the day of death, nor is there discharge in battle, and wickedness will not rescue those who practice it."
The Midrash expounds: this refers to the Angel of Death, as it says, "He makes the winds His messengers," where "wind" (spirit) means an angel. "No man has mastery over the wind to restrain the wind" - a person has no ability whatsoever to confront the Angel of Death and ward him off, regardless of whether he is the wealthiest man alive or the most accomplished specialist.
"Nor is there dominion on the day of death" - no man can say, "Wait for me until I instruct my children and my household." "Wait a moment, two minutes, I haven't had time to write a will yet" - you cannot even stall for two seconds. And the Rabbis say: no person has the authority to say to the Angel of Death, "Wait for me until I settle my accounts, and then I will come." Consider how dreadful it is for a person to still have unsettled accounts before he departs this world. And even if we interpret this as his spiritual accounts, that he wishes to repent, even then the Angel of Death says: "I do not operate by your clock; I have a clock of my own."
"Nor is there discharge in battle" - no one can say, "I will send my son or my servant in my place." The Angel of Death has come to take you, and you cannot dispatch a substitute. There is a story told of a man who woke up in terror and saw the Angel of Death standing before him. He asked, "What are you doing here?" The angel answered, "I have come to take your soul (*neshama*)." He immediately shook his wife awake and whispered, "My soul (*neshama sheli*), they've come to take you..." This is what the verse means by "there is no discharge." The Angel of Death has the exact address, the name, and the precise details; he needs no biometric ID to identify you.
Rabbi Yose HaGelili said: Forty-two times it states here "King David," but once death is mentioned regarding him, Scripture writes, "The days of David drew near to die," rather than "The days of King David drew near to die." From here we learn that there is no dominion on the day of death. He is about to die - what king is he now? In death, no man is king, and his kingship has already departed. This is a well-known Midrash, and it serves as one of the examples showing how the expositions of Chazal are embedded directly within the text itself for anyone who knows how to read correctly (as elaborated in the introduction to our Tanach series).
Upon examination, in actuality "King David" appears twenty-two times. There is another textual variant of the Midrash that reads 52 (נ"ב), which fits even less. But if we say that a scribal error occurred and 22 (כ"ב) was misread as 52 (נ"ב), this fits very well, since "King David" appears 22 times, and the letter *kaf* was likely shortened into a *nun*, as commonly happens in such scribal errors. Furthermore, if we also include the phrase "David the King" (*David HaMelech*), we reach thirty-seven times, which is already closer to forty-two. Apparently, there are additional places where royalty is mentioned in connection with David using similar expressions, which brings the Midrash to its count of forty-two, rather than intending strictly the exact phrase "King David."
This also provides an explanation for the exposition of Chazal regarding the verse, "The king of Egypt died," where one Sage says he was afflicted with *tzara'at* (leprosy) and another says he actually died. At first glance, this is difficult: why propose an explanation contrary to the plain meaning of the text? After all, wherever Scripture writes "and he died," we do not interpret it as being stricken with *tzara'at*, nor do we interpret it this way concerning King David. Rather, the answer aligns precisely with our principle: the verse states, "The king of Egypt died" - and if he literally died, why is he still referred to as "the king of Egypt"? For there is no dominion on the day of death! Indeed, we find in many places where the death of monarchs is mentioned that the royal title "King" is omitted. Thus, from the fact that it says "The king of Egypt died," we learn that he did not die in the literal sense, but suffered something that is considered equivalent to death. It could not mean he became impoverished, for a king cannot be poor. Nor would blindness fit. And Chazal knew that he slaughtered Jewish children to bathe in their blood, which corresponds specifically to *tzara'at*, as he did this in pursuit of a cure.
The Pesikta Zutreta explains "and there is no discharge in battle": when a person is released from battle, meaning he is saved from it peacefully, like "and he sent him away, and he went in peace," this is not of his own doing. There is no discharge on the day of battle; salvation and being dismissed in peace come only from Hashem, Blessed is He.
And regarding "neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it," the Pesikta says: one who trusts in his wealth and his strength, his wealth will not deliver him from the judgment of Gehinom, but only teshuvah and good deeds. According to this, "wickedness" (resha) here is not in the sense of an evil person, for what does one who trusts in his wealth have to do specifically with being wicked? Can there not be a wealthy person who is not wicked? Rather, "wickedness" here is in the sense of "and wherever he turned, he triumphed" (yarshia), meaning he will succeed. His success and his money will not avail him to escape the judgment of Gehinom, and certainly not to escape death: when it is decreed upon him, the Angel of Death will take him, and financial success will not help him. What will help him for the Day of Judgment? Only teshuvah and good deeds.
The Ibn Ezra asks: if one were to know when a person will die, how would that help him? Even if a person were informed of the time of his passing, could he stop it? The verse indicates that the spirit is like a prisoner in jail, imprisoned within the person, and when it is released, it does not depend on him at all. Against your will you are born, and against your will you die.
"And there is no authority on the day of death" - royalty will not avail the king, nor the weaponry prepared for war. A person can be a ruler, a king, a master of missiles, yet what will it avail him? A tiny virus can bring him down. Rulership and power will not delay death in the slightest, and an abundance of weapons, which can help against an enemy, will not avail against the Angel of Death, even nuclear weapons.
And in explaining "and there is no discharge (mishlahat)," the Ibn Ezra presents an original insight: it does not mean a delegation in our sense, like "a delegation of evil angels" (mishlahat mal'achei ra'im), but is related to "and his life from passing by the sword (shelach)," where shelach means a weapon, a knife, or a sword. Thus, "there is no discharge in battle" means that weapons of war will not avail to save a person from the hand of the Angel of Death.
Regarding "neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it," the Ibn Ezra cites commentators who explain that this refers to the battle of physical constitution. That is, a person's health is sustained by his bodily constitution, and the forces that preserve the body until its end fight against the sickness that enters it; if this constitution weakens, the person will die. In modern terms: a person's immune strength. If the immune system weakens, it leads to a person's death. This is why the elderly were harmed by Corona more than the young, as their immune system is weaker.
Similarly, transplant recipients are at very high risk, and as soon as it is known that there is a virus, they go into isolation. Rabbi Haber, of blessed memory, who was dedicated to transplants, entered isolation as soon as he heard of the virus, but it did not help him; they say a person came to help him bring down the Pesach dishes, and that is where he caught it. This itself teaches us that when a person's time arrives, nothing will help him; you can relocate, you can go into isolation, but if the time has come, Heaven will arrange for the Angel of Death to reach him.
As to the matter itself, why are transplant patients at risk? The body views the transplanted organ as a foreign entity that entered it and attacks it, which is why the body rejects transplants and why many transplants fail. To deal with this, doctors suppress the immune system, and then the body does not reject the transplant, but any minor virus can endanger the person. According to this, "neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it" is said about that very battle, the battle of the immune system. And "wickedness" (resha) is in the sense of "wherever he turned, he triumphed" (yarshia), an expression of initiative and victory: no matter how many measures you take, it will not avail if a person's defense system has weakened. It is like entering a battle without weapons, where your chances of victory are slim.
Another explanation of "nor will wickedness deliver those who practice it": wealth gathered through wickedness, through wicked deeds, will not rescue a person. As we have explained in the past, when a person gathers wealth honestly and legitimately, that money has the power to save him - not physically, but spiritually - because Heaven may take his money instead of taking his life, in the sense of "money touched blood" (damim bedamim nagu). But if the money is not yours, if you stole it from your fellow, what life will they give you in exchange for someone else's money? Only kosher, honestly earned money can deliver a person, where his money is taken rather than his life.
Rabbi Nechemiah says: No prophet in Israel has control over the spirit of the Holy One, blessed be He, to withhold it from himself, as it is stated: "Then I said, I will not mention Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it in, and I could not." When prophecy comes upon a person, he cannot withstand it. The prophet is obligated to receive the prophecy and deliver it, and a prophet who suppresses his prophecy is liable to death - and this was the claim against Yonah. Not only that, but the matter burns within him and he is compelled to utter it. Yirmeyahu, seeing that his words aroused the wrath of the people against him (as explained at length in the shiurim on Sefer Yirmeyahu), said: That is it, no more; I will not mention Him, nor speak any more in His name. But he immediately added: "And I was weary of holding it in, and I could not" - I cannot contain the spirit of Hashem that enters me; I am compelled to deliver the prophecy.
Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: No man has control over the wind of exiles to turn it away from himself. Exile is a decree, and a person cannot remove the decree from upon himself. Once the spirit of Hashem has decreed that a person must go into exile, he cannot stubbornly insist, "I will not be exiled," for in the end, exile will surely come. There were those who thought they could contend and fight against the enemies, but it did not help them.
Another exposition: No man has control over his own spirit to extinguish it from within himself. This is what the Tanna taught: Against your will you are born, and against your will you die. A person cannot simply decide at a given moment, "I do not want to live; stop the world, I want to get off." There is no such reality, and you are not the one who decides. And if a person were to do so, Heaven forbid, there is no sin more severe; one who takes his own life commits the gravest of all transgressions in the Torah. There is a story of a great villain who came to a rabbi and said, "I have committed every single transgression in the Torah, all of them - I tried to be systematic - except for one: suicide." The rabbi told him, "Had you committed suicide, it would not have been a sin, but the mitzvah of 'and you shall purge the evil from your midst'..." In any case, a person does not have dominion over his spirit; even if he wishes it to leave him, he cannot bring that about. Iyov too lamented, "Why was the afterbirth not turned over my face?", yet he knew he could not harm himself or end his life, for man has no license to destroy his own spirit.
Rabbi Yitzchak says: There were mockers in the generation of Yirmeyahu, who would chatter with their mouths and gesture dismissively with their fingers, saying: "Son of man, behold, the house of Israel says: The vision that he sees is for many days to come, and he prophesies of times that are far off." The prophet said to them: By your lives, it shall be in your days, rebellious house! The people were saying: It is true, Yirmeyahu speaks terrible, harsh words, but the vision he sees is for the distant future; the prophet speaks now, but it will happen in seventy years. In plain terms: "After me, the deluge" - this does not concern us. He said to them: By your lives, it will be in your own days, rebellious house! And this is the meaning of "nor will wickedness deliver those who practice it," which is expounded in reference to the exiles: do not think that your wickedness will rescue you from exile; you yourselves will be exiled. No man has rulership over the wind; you control nothing, and when it arrives, it will come swiftly, in your very days, rebellious house, for you rebel against Hashem.
The Imrei Shefer explains that there is another dimension here that a person must keep before his eyes. "No man has rulership over the spirit" - when the bitter moment of death arrives, man has no power to stay the Angel of Death for even a single moment. "And there is no authority on the day of death" - there is no earthly ruler who can withstand him, for the Angel of Death holds sway even over the greatest ruler; he rules over all rulers. "And there is no discharge in war" - when all the bodily organs of a person fight, it is literally a battle between life and death; they battle the illness and the affliction, and in that war there is no proxy you can send to fight in your stead. The person himself stands before the Angel of Death, and when his strength expires, he falls before him.
The Angel of Death has many names and carries many visiting cards: sometimes cancer, sometimes a traffic accident, sometimes cardiac arrest. It is written that the Angel of Death came before the Holy One, blessed be He, with a complaint, saying: Master of the Universe, why did You give me such an assignment? Now everyone will curse me! He replied: Do not worry, no one will curse you. Here they will curse the driver, there they will curse the surgeon, but you they will never curse. People always ask, "Why did he die?", as though there were some other address, as if there were anyone other than the Angel of Death. We always search for natural causes, but the verse tells you: Know that no one holds dominion over this ruler.
And regarding "nor will wickedness deliver those who practice it," the Imrei Shefer explains: "wickedness" refers to the malice of man's heart and his evil deeds. There is a type of person who casts terror across this world, a fearsome man whose very name strikes dread, violent and dangerous, whose wickedness rescues him from every trouble. Even the police hesitate to meddle with the underworld; they act tough with the weak, with ordinary citizens, but try asking them to eradicate the dens of crime and wipe out the underworld. For years crime syndicates flourish, and who brings them down? Another crime family that encroaches on their territory. But on his final day, the Angel of Death is entirely unimpressed by the reputation you cultivate, and is not intimidated by the fact that you are a violent criminal. Your wickedness may deliver you here in this world, but it will not deliver you from him.
And he adds: If a wise person takes this entire matter to heart, it will fortify his heart in the service of the Creator, so that he does not deviate a single step from his good path for the sake of the vanities of this world, for he will know that even his life is placed in His hands, blessed be He. And when everything about you is in Hashem's hands, why should you think that power and dominion belong to you?
Rav Saadia Gaon explains "and there is no authority on the day of death" in two ways. On the one hand: there is no escape from the day of death. On the other hand: as long as a person is alive he can be controlled, and a king can rule over someone living, but once a person is dead there is no possibility of ruling over him. This is an additional meaning of "there is no authority on the day of death": one cannot rule over someone who is already dead.
The holy Or HaChaim says that the verse "there is no authority on the day of death" applies to every human being except for one, and was not said concerning Yaakov Avinu. For regarding Yaakov it is written, "And Yaakov finished commanding his sons, and he gathered his feet into the bed, and expired" - only once he finished commanding his sons and gathered his feet into the bed did he expire. In simple terms, he said to the Angel of Death: Now you may do your part. He held him back. This teaches us that the righteous have the power to halt the Angel of Death, and in their case, there is indeed mastery on the day of death. Moreover, Yaakov Avinu did not die, and at such levels of spiritual refinement this is possible. (This was discussed in the lessons on the Or HaChaim, and whoever wishes may listen there.)
These two verses are a lesson in faith and serenity. "For he does not know what will be" - man does not know what will happen after his death, and does not take into account the judgment he is destined to face; nor does he know what will become of any occurrence that befalls him, whether for good or for bad. "For who can tell him how it will be?" - no one consults with him prior to the arrival of misfortune, and therefore there is no point in being anxious about the future: the good and bad occurrences that happen to him are not in his hands, neither when they come nor when they pass. His obligation is to make full effort prior to the deed, and after the deed to know that such is His will, blessed be He. "No man has authority over the wind" - there is no mastery over the Angel of Death, neither through political power, nor weapons, nor by sending someone in your place, nor through wealth and wickedness. Neither the kingship of a king nor the vigor of the body's systems can stop the decree when its time arrives, and wickedness will not rescue its practitioner, neither from death nor from the judgment of Gehinnom; only repentance and good deeds, and wealth acquired honestly, stand by a person. From this it follows that the wise person who takes these matters to heart will fortify his heart in the service of the Creator and will not deviate from his good path for the vanities of this world.