In this section of Chapter 9, King Solomon shifts from reflecting on death and the uncertainty of life to practical counsel: making full use of one's time and energies in this world. The two verses before us - "Whatever your hand finds to do" and "I returned and saw under the sun" - are two sides of the same coin: on the one hand, a demand to act with all one's might, and on the other, the realization that man does not control outcomes, and that everything depends on time, circumstance, and prayer.
כֹּל אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא יָדְךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּכֹחֲךָ עֲשֵׂה, כִּי אֵין מַעֲשֶׂה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְדַעַת וְחׇכְמָה בִּשְׁאוֹל אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה הֹלֵךְ שָׁמָּה׃ - Whatever your hand finds to do within your power, do it, for there is no deed, reckoning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol, where you are going.
Rashi explains: "Whatever your hand finds to do" - doing the will of your Maker, as long as you are in your strength. While you are still young, healthy, and vigorous, and possess the strength to serve Hashem - utilize it. Do not settle for the bare minimum, but strive for maximum utilization: whatever your hand finds to do of your Maker's will, while you still have your strength - do it.
And the verse continues: "For there is no deed, reckoning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol, where you are going." Rashi comments: there is no deed, knowledge, or wisdom there to grant you merit once you die. There is no studying there; there is no adding knowledge there. The Chafetz Chaim noted that every person should strive to go through the entire Torah at least once in their lifetime - through Shas, both Bavli and Yerushalmi - at least once. Why? Because Up Above, one does not learn new things. What you studied here will be expanded and deepened for you there, but new topics are not learned. This is the meaning of "there is no deed, reckoning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol, where you are going" - one cannot add there; growth occurs only here. And whatever you learn here, they will teach you there in depth.
A second explanation in Rashi: "There is no deed, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol" is said regarding the wicked, whereas "no reckoning" is said regarding the righteous, meaning the verse is inverted. In other words: when the sinners give an accounting, you - having fulfilled your duty - will not be held to account. Regarding the wicked: you can no longer acquire mitzvot there. Regarding the righteous: they will not make a reckoning with you over what you failed to do, for you did everything and are pure and unblemished, having fulfilled all your obligations here in this world.
Rashi adds: for one who wishes to explain the verse without transposition, according to its straightforward meaning, "cheshbon" (reckoning) is an expression of thought. That is: what further thought or pretext can you devise there to escape judgment? There is no reckoning there. In simple terms: here in this world, one can invent excuses and tell stories, which is all well and good, but what will you say Up Above?
This was indeed the approach of the gedolim, mashgichim, and Roshei Yeshivah. When reproving a student who naturally began making excuses, they would tell him - especially in a yeshivah gedolah with older bochurim - "You do not need to make excuses to me. Just think to yourself, and you do not even have to tell me what you think: Would this excuse hold up in the Heavenly Court? Would you stand before the Master of the World and offer this pretext? Take an honest reckoning with yourself." If a person is remotely honest, he knows that flimsy excuses might pass in this world, but in Heaven, the Holy One, blessed be He, probes heart and mind and knows what a person is truly capable of; He knows that in other matters, when something genuinely mattered to us, we exerted ourselves and succeeded, whereas here it simply was not important enough, so we did not bother. This is "cheshbon" as thought: there, no clever rationalizations or schemes can exempt a person from judgment. Only here. Here in this world, make calculations - another mitzvah, another good deed, another measure of sanctification - and all these reckonings will lead you to be vindicated in the Heavenly judgment.
The Alshich asks: on the surface, the verse appears to give free rein - "Whatever your hand finds to do within your power, do it," in our terms: do whatever you feel like, as in "Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and follow the ways of your heart." Rather, he explains based on the teachings of Chazal that when the righteous person departs from this world - "Those who pass through the Valley of Tears make it into a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings" - even the tzaddik passes through Gehinnom. Why? In order to extract souls from there. He passes through unharmed, passing through solely to elevate souls connected to the root of his soul.
According to this, the Alshich explains: "Whatever your hand finds to do" - to bring souls out of Gehinnom; "do with your strength" - with the strength of your mitzvot. For "there is no work, reckoning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going": in Sheol itself there are no mitzvot, so how could you bring them out? Only through the power of the mitzvot you performed here in this world. Therefore, multiply your mitzvot, so that you will have the strength to bring those souls out from the Sheol where you are going.
In this way, the Maharsha explains the statement of Chazal that the wicked do not repent even at the entrance of Gehinnom. Why is this so? After all, he sees that he is being led into Gehinnom! Rather, he tells himself: No, no, I am only being led here to gather the souls bound to me and bring them with me into Gan Eden. What a delusion: at the very threshold of Gehinnom, he is still convinced that he arrives as a tzaddik, the foundation of the world, that they will immediately clear a place for him on high, and that he has come only to escort souls with him into Gan Eden. Here in this world he was a "great holy man," impressing everyone, so he is sure that up there, too, they buy into all his theatrics and posturing. The verse therefore comes to tell you: Up there, excuses will not help, and explanations will not do. A tzaddik is brought into Gehinnom only to gather the souls of the wicked, but one who is not on that level enters there for long years.
We have already mentioned the words of the Ben Ish Chai: it is written that when a tzaddik arrives near Gehinnom, he is terrified. He does not know that it is merely a passageway, and he assumes he is being brought inside to stay. The wicked person is confident it is only a passageway, but the tzaddik - who spent his entire life demanding more of himself - is certain they are taking him in to Gehinnom, and he is alarmed. Only afterward does he see that they are raising him up from there together with the souls connected to the root of his soul, and only then does he find peace of mind.
Why does the Holy One, Blessed is He, do this to him? The Ben Ish Chai explains: The tzaddik never committed an actual transgression, but "there is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin" - it is very possible that he entertained a sinful thought. A sinful thought means that he contemplated committing a sin, and only at the very last moment stopped himself. In practice he did not sin, but the thought was there. The Holy One, Blessed is He, says, as it were in human terms and with multiple caveats: You gave Me a fright - it looked as though you were about to sin, contemplating how to transgress, and only at the last second did you reassure the Master of the World that you did not do it. Measure for measure: they bring him to the entrance of Gehinnom, take him inside, and terrify him - "Woe is me, I am about to be in Gehinnom!" - and only then does he see that they are actually taking him out from there and that he is gathering with him the souls bound to his own. Since you did not commit an actual sin, you do not deserve Gehinnom in reality; but since you caused alarm in Heaven, alarm is likewise caused to you - and this is your rectification.
The Alshich continues: This causes fear in the tzaddik, lest the Attribute of Justice be aroused against him over some slight flaw in his perfection. This is his fear: If I am already inside Gehinnom, perhaps an accusation will suddenly be found regarding some subtle flaw in my past, and they will say: Since he is already here, let us keep him here! Here the danger is far greater, as in the Talmudic adage, "When the ox falls, sharpen the knife" - once the ox has fallen ill, they say: sharpen the slaughtering knife quickly; there is no longer any need to cast it down, for it has already fallen. So too with a person who falls ill and takes to bed: it is difficult to bring him out of it and requires many merits. As long as he is healthy, let him pray now, for it is much easier to maintain his health.
Therefore, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai said (Berachot 28b): "I do not know by which path they are leading me" - perhaps they are leading me through Gehinnom, and perhaps in the end I will remain there on account of some exceedingly subtle accusation. King David, on the other hand, says the Alshich, did not fear this at all; he rejoiced in his trust and declared: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me."
Based on this foundation, the Alshich explains the continuation of the verses. Lest one say: All that you admonish me regarding engaging in Torah and mitzvot will not avail me, for there is no end to the performance of mitzvot. The toil of Torah, mitzvot, and the service of Hashem has no end, and no person in the world can ever say, "I have completed my work." There is always room to add, always room to advance, always room to attain higher levels.
If so, a person might argue: Who has ever departed this world with all 613 mitzvot in hand, or with all the wisdom of the Torah in hand? Not even half of it, nor one-thousandth of it, for it is endless and boundless - just as the Holy One, Blessed is He, Who created it is boundless and endless, so too is His wisdom. And if I must pass through Gehinnom, they will hold me accountable not only for what I could have achieved, but even for things beyond my capacity, for the heavenly demand is infinite, and there will always be something to claim against me. Chazal have already stated in the Gemara that had the Holy One, Blessed is He, applied the strict Attribute of Justice to Avraham Avinu, he would not have been able to endure it. Avraham Avinu! If so, a person might say: No matter how much I exert myself and toil, some flaw will always be found in me, and some shortcoming will always remain - and in doing so, he discourages and weakens himself, saying: What is the point of making an effort?
Regarding this, Scripture comes and says: Do not fear. "Whatever your hand finds to do with your strength" - according to your capacity and effort - "do it," and do not fear. Why? "For there is no action or reckoning" - you will not be asked to have performed mitzvot constantly without interruption, nor will you be held to an accounting of all the mitzvot as to why you did not complete everything, once you have done whatever was in your power. Scripture comes to reassure a person: do not think that the demand is infinite. True, the demands for spiritual ascent are endless, but a person is held accountable and punished only for things that were within his power and ability yet he treated them lightly; no one is out to catch you or pin sins onto you that could not legitimately be demanded of you. "The Holy One, blessed be He, does not deal tyrannically with His creatures," and He does not demand of a person beyond his abilities. Therefore, do not think they will ask you why you did not complete the full tally of all the mitzvot - after spending your days engaged in performing mitzvot, you are not obligated to complete all of them. That is to say: whatever mitzvah came to my hand and was within my ability, I performed, and I did not treat any mitzvah lightly or defer it; you are not required to actively fulfill all 613 mitzvot, for there are mitzvot that are simply not within our power to complete.
We have already written regarding this topic in the teachings on reincarnation (gilgulim), that this is the purpose of reincarnation: often a person completes through a gilgul a mitzvah he was unable to perform previously. If a daughter was born to him first, how could he fulfill the mitzvah of pidyon haben (redemption of the firstborn son)? He will return in a gilgul in which a son is born to him first, and thus fulfill it. There is a mitzvah in the Torah that one who divorces must do so with a get (bill of divorce), one of the 613 mitzvot - yet a person lives peacefully with his wife, so should he divorce her just for the sake of the mitzvah? There was once a man who suffered terribly from his wife and told her that there is a mitzvah of remarriage to one's divorced wife (machazir gerushato), and what a shame it would be to miss out on it; he said to her: "Let us divorce and then remarry, and fulfill the mitzvah of machazir gerushato." Naturally, it was a one-way ticket, for once he sent her away, he never took her back.
The holy Ari explains that the requirement for a person to return in a gilgul applies only to mitzvot that he was capable of performing and failed to perform, things that were in his power. But regarding mitzvot that were beyond his capability - such as living happily with his wife and never giving a get, or having a daughter rather than a son and never performing pidyon haben - he does not need to return in a gilgul; it suffices for him to return through ibbur (spiritual impregnation). "Ibbur" means that his soul descends and temporarily enters a person who is performing that mitzvah at that very moment, merits the mitzvah along with him, and can then ascend back to its place. If it wishes, it may remain in him and merit additional mitzvot, but the moment that person commits a sin, it will feel distress and depart from him. This is a far better arrangement: he does not need to return for seventy years, but rather arrives for a brief moment to merit the mitzvah, and thus is rectified.
So too, says the Alshich, one is not asked for "knowledge and wisdom" beyond one's capacity: if you were unable to attain knowledge and wisdom, but attained according to the measure of understanding that the Holy One, blessed be He, endowed within you - that is sufficient. Whatever is in your power to do, do; and whatever is within your intellect and understanding to grasp, grasp.
And lest you say: if they do not lead me through Sheol, I have no fear; but if so, why are they leading me through Sheol at all? To this the Alshich answers: pay attention to the cantillation marks (ta'amei hamikra). The word "bishe'ol" comes with a zakef gadol, as if to say to you: In Sheol? What are you talking about? Is that what you fear? You have nothing to worry about. For when you are led to Sheol, you have reason to fear; but when "you are going there," meaning you go in order to rescue souls bound up with the root of your soul from there - why should you fear? Had it said, "to Sheol where they lead you," meaning that you are being led to give an accounting, there would be room for fear. But it says, "to Sheol where you are going" - you are going in order to rescue other souls and do good for them, and for that you certainly have no reason to fear.
The Imrei Shefer follows the same direction as the Alshich, opening with a foundational principle: it is not easy to be a Jew. "It is known to every Hebrew that it is very burdensome to be a servant of Hashem." Indeed, this is one of the proofs that the Torah is a Torah of truth. Founders of religions have always sought to make things easy for their believers, not making excessive demands, in order to multiply followers; after all, if your demands are too harsh, why would anyone adopt your religion? What is required of a good Christian? To attend church once a week and listen to the priest's sermon, to baptize the child upon birth, to come to confession once in a while and receive absolution for another two weeks. And what is required of a Muslim? True, he prays five times a day, yet not one of those prayers reaches the length of our Shacharit; true, he is forbidden to drink wine, yet this does not begin to approach even a fraction of the prohibitions placed upon a Jew, or the vast web of halachic obligations he carries from the moment he wakes in the morning until he closes his eyes, and even during sleep itself: how to sleep, on which side, what to recite before sleeping, which Keriat Shema, what thoughts to entertain in his mind.
If you were to gather all the commandments of all the sects and religions combined, they would not equal the laws of lashon hara alone, with all their rules and fine details, which stem from a single mitzvah in the Torah: "Do not go about as a talebearer among your people." And to this one must add the laws of financial integrity, guarding one's eyes, and vigilance against lying and flattery. In short: it is not easy to be a Jew. And the explanation is simple: when dealing with a Torah of truth, diamonds are expensive. Garbage can be found everywhere cheaply, dirt and gravel are cheap, but diamonds are precious. That is why the Land of Israel is acquired through suffering, because it is precious; and the World to Come is acquired through suffering, because it is precious. Want to know the true worth of something? Look at its price and rate. No one looks at a luxury villa and asks, "What kind of price is this?" - people tell him: you don't have to buy it, go buy in Dimona; no one is forcing you to buy in Tzahala, where things are expensive, when cheaper alternatives exist elsewhere. But what do people want? They want Tzahala at the price of Dimona. That is human nature in every realm: we want the World to Come with minimal effort. But if a person understood, he would realize that achieving something precious demands effort, and nothing precious ever comes cheaply, easily, or without toil.
The Imrei Shefer continues: for every mitzvah a person desires to do, many adversaries stand in his way to prevent him from performing it. For every mitzvah you want to fulfill - how many obstacles arise! Consider someone who decides to begin learning Daf Yomi: suddenly he needs to go grocery shopping, suddenly he cannot leave the house, suddenly one complication after another crops up - endless distractions. Conversely, when he is about to commit a sin - how many instigators and helpers push him forward! Not only that, but look at how much bitterness and difficulty he encounters in trying to refrain from the sin and from lust, as his fierce desire compels him to succumb. Therefore, Shlomo comes and says: whenever any good deed comes your way, and the yetzer hara places ambushes and obstacles before you to stop you - do not be deterred by it; do it! Strive, overcome, and do it with all your strength.
And what is the motivation to act? "For there is no action, calculation, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol, where you are going." The greatest incentive is the awareness that a time will come when a person will yearn to perform a mitzvah and plead for a mitzvah, but not even a single mitzvah will be granted to him. "If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned" - my friend, it is over, there is no more. It is no longer possible to perform mitzvot.
This is the famous parable of the Maggid of Kelm. Once, there was a resurrection of the dead in Kelm. An announcement was made that tomorrow all the dead would rise from their graves for a single hour, because Heaven saw that they were righteous. What excitement gripped the town! Everyone put on their finest clothes, and everyone gathered at the cemetery to meet their relatives and embrace. Suddenly, a tremendous rumbling sound was heard, the tombstones shattered, and people arose from the graves. Incredible. People began calling out: "Here is Zalman, here is Yankel!" Excitement and fervor filled the air, and they came to embrace - but the resurrected pushed them away: "We have no time, we have no time, we have only one hour!" And they rushed in a great frenzy to the synagogue. The relatives stood stunned, as no one paid them any attention. Entering the beit midrash, each one snatched a book; some remained outside, some reached their hands inside to grab whatever they could, two or three studying from a single sefer. The herald proclaimed: "Half an hour left until returning to the grave!" - and the sounds of study and cries tore through the heavens. "Ten minutes left!" - and the clamor and commotion grew, with people packed into every centimeter of the synagogue, no one stopping for even a second. Until the gong sounded, and all returned silently to their graves, without having spoken to a soul. Not a single reunion, not a "Shalom aleichem, how are you, how are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren?" Nothing. They did not pause for a moment. Why? There was an opportunity to engage in Torah for one hour - and for socializing, there would always be time later.
So it was with the Vilna Gaon, when his sister came to visit him after years of not seeing one another, and they sat for a friendly chat: "How are you? How are the children?" He said to her: "See, my sister, I already have white hair - a sign that Heaven is signaling that the fuel is nearing its end." And he told her: "There comes a time when a person rests peacefully upon his bed, and there he has all the time in the world, and then we will meet and speak and share our experiences; but here, life is short." These are not our levels nor our attainments, but at least we can learn and understand from people who knew what life truly is, and who knew how to cherish every moment. This is the great encouragement: although there are many obstacles in this world, "there is no action, calculation, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol, where you are going" - when lying in the grave, one will no longer be able to achieve anything, neither in action nor in intellect, meaning delving into Torah and wisdom. There, even great toil will be of no avail to acquire action, thought, knowledge, or wisdom. Therefore, acquire it all now, purchase it all now - for if not now, when?
We should also mention the Zohar on this verse, which interprets it in a fascinating way: "There is no action, calculation, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol" - from an action done with calculation, you will not fall into Sheol. That is to say, there is no action performed with calculation, knowledge, and wisdom that will bring a person to Sheol. How, then, does one arrive at Sheol? When one acts without knowledge, without wisdom, and without calculation. But an action endowed with calculation, knowledge, and wisdom does not lead to Sheol; rather, it leads to eternal life and everlasting existence.
שַׁבְתִּי וְרָאֹה תַחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי לֹא לַקַּלִּים הַמֵּרוֹץ וְלֹא לַגִּבּוֹרִים הַמִּלְחָמָה וְגַם לֹא לַחֲכָמִים לֶחֶם וְגַם לֹא לַנְּבֹנִים עֹשֶׁר וְגַם לֹא לַיֹּדְעִים חֵן, כִּי עֵת וָפֶגַע יִקְרֶה אֶת כֻּלָּם׃ - I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the mighty, neither yet bread to the wise, nor riches to the discerning, nor favor to the knowledgeable; but time and chance happen to them all.
This is one of the most famous and well-known verses among King Solomon's sayings, and Chazal expound it in reference to several historical figures who serve as wondrous proof of just how right King Solomon is in every single phrase. Rashi explains "I saw" (ra'oh) as meaning "remembered" - that is to say, this reality stands continually before my eyes.
"The race is not to the swift" - Asahel's fleetness of foot did not stand by him when his time arrived. When Asahel pursued Avner, Avner said to him: "Turn aside from following me; why should I strike you down?" Yet Asahel was swift-footed, and as noted in the lessons on Nevi'im, his swiftness of foot expressed more than mere physical speed - it involved rashness of mind, a person acting without sufficient deliberation. And so it was: he continued to pursue, and Avner struck him under the fifth rib. Asahel had the status of a pursuer (rodef), and while Avner should have incapacitated him by striking one of his limbs, as the Gemara states, he nevertheless had the status of a pursuer. And what did his swift feet avail him? "The race is not to the swift."
This brings to mind the story of a man who attended a concert and hung his expensive coat in the cloakroom, worried that someone might steal it. He left a note: "Belongs to the strongest boxer in the world." Who would dare tamper with it? Afterward, he returned and found a different note: "Now belongs to the fastest sprinter in the world." How could he possibly catch him? This is the meaning of "The race is not to the swift": do not think that your swift feet will grant you life - see what became of Asahel.
"Nor the battle to the mighty" - Avner's might did not avail him when his day arrived. "Neither yet bread to the wise" - Solomon says: I testify concerning myself. My daily provision was sixty kor of fine flour, I possessed a magnificent royal table, and now "this was my portion from all my toil" - my staff and my bowl, a stick and an earthenware jug, that is all that remained. "Nor riches to the discerning" - this refers to Job. Initially, Scripture writes of him: "His possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east." Yet when his time came: "Have pity on me, have pity on me, O my friends" - that someone might do an act of kindness and give me something to eat. "Nor favor to the knowledgeable" - consider Moses, for there was none more knowledgeable or discerning in all of Israel, yet he did not find favor in his prayer to enter the Land; even though Hashem had told him, "You have found favor in My sight," when he pleaded to enter the Land, he did not find favor.
The Midrash brings another interpretation of "Nor favor to the knowledgeable" - this refers to Joshua. For Rabbi Acha bar Rabbi Zeira said: Joshua spoke two things before Moses, and they did not meet with favor in his eyes. We find two utterances by Joshua to Moses in the Torah, and in both instances his words were rebuffed. The first was regarding the appointment of the elders: he said to him, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp," and Moses replied, "Are you zealous on my account?", rejecting his words. The second was at the incident of the Golden Calf: he said to him, "There is a sound of war in the camp," and Moses answered, "It is not the sound of a shout of victory, nor the sound of a cry of defeat; a sound of distress I hear" - you do not comprehend what you are hearing; this is not the sound of war, but the sound of blasphemy and reviling. Here was Joshua, than whom none was more knowledgeable or discerning, the minister of Moses, who "did not depart from the tent," dedicating his very soul to the Torah - yet despite all this, his words did not find favor in the eyes of Moses.
"For time and chance" - Rashi explains: according to its plain meaning, as in "for a time shall befall them." There is a reality that can surprise a person, even if you are wise, even if you are discerning, and even if you possess everything. And what should the response be? "Pega" (chance/occurrence) - an expression of entreating (*lehafgi'a*) and pleading insistently, an expression of prayer and supplication, that these misfortunes should not come upon them.
Chazal expound the entire verse as referring to Yaakov Avinu. "The race is not to the swift" - yesterday, "And Yaakov lifted up his feet," yet today, "And he gathered his feet into the bed." "Nor the battle to the strong" - yesterday, "And Yaakov drew near and rolled the stone," like a person uncorking a bottle or removing a lid from a flask; yet today, "And the children of Israel carried Yaakov their father" - physically, he cannot move, he has no strength. "Nor bread to the wise" - yesterday, "And he offered a sacrifice upon the mount, and they ate bread," yet today, "Buy us a little food." "Nor riches to the discerning" - yesterday, "And the man increased exceedingly," yet today he has no livelihood, "And Yosef sustained his father." "Nor favor to men of skill" - yesterday Yaakov said, "I know it, my son, I know it," meaning I know the incident of Yehudah and Tamar, and I know the incident of Reuven and Bilhah; yet today he does not know where he will be buried: "If now I have found favor in your eyes, please do not bury me in Egypt" - whereas previously, he knew everything.
Chazal also expound the verse regarding Moshe Rabbeinu. "The race is not to the swift" - yesterday he soared through the heavens and ascended like a bird, as it is said, "And Moshe went up to God"; yet today, "You shall not cross this Jordan," unable to cross even a stretch of land of fifty cubits. "Nor the battle to the strong" - yesterday the angels of the heavenly hosts fled, and even Michael and Gabriel feared him; yet today Moshe says, "I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure." "Nor bread to the wise" - yesterday, "And Moshe grew up and went out to his brothers," for his greatness lay in directing affairs, having been appointed that very day over Pharaoh's palace; yet today he was forced to flee, "Call him, that he may eat bread" - he did not even have bread to eat. "Nor riches to the discerning" - yesterday the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed a quarry of sapphire within his tent from which he became wealthy; yet today, from the moment the decree of death was issued, all that wealth was of no avail. "Nor favor to men of skill" - yesterday, "For you have found favor in My sight," yet today, "Speak no more to Me of this matter"; although he possessed favor, that favor was, as it were, lost.
"For time and chance befall them all" - it is time that strikes a person and undermines all these things, related both to undermining (*ir'ur*) and transience (*ara'i*), bringing all these upon him. And what should he do? Let him engage in prayer and supplication, and he will be saved. Nothing material can guarantee anything, and what one has today guarantees nothing for tomorrow. A person must know that at all times and in every moment he must pray, so that what he has today will continue tomorrow. This is what Shlomo wants to tell us: everything is temporary, everything that happens in the world is fleeting - do not rely on what you have today or on the advantage you currently hold, for it does not necessarily guarantee you a good life, nor does it guarantee that it will last forever.
Rav Huna asked Shmuel: What is the meaning of the verse, "For time and chance befall them all"? He answered him: Sometimes a person entreats in prayer and is answered, and sometimes he entreats and is not answered. For you have no one who arranged more prayers and supplications than Moshe Rabbeinu, yet in the end it was said to him, "Behold, your days approach to die." In other words, even entreaty through prayer depends upon the proper time.
This is very intriguing, that the Midrash cites this specifically concerning Moshe Rabbeinu. There is another Midrash that states that when Moshe prayed, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Its time has passed." As has already been discussed at length, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: had you prayed on time, you would have been answered. And when was that time? Immediately after the decree was issued. But Moshe Rabbeinu thought: I have merit, I have no concern, whenever I wish I can pray. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Had you prayed then, you would have been answered; but since you did not pray then, now your time has passed. This is the meaning of "for time and chance": even entreaty in prayer has its appointed time, and the prime example of this is Moshe Rabbeinu himself.
The *Imrei Shefer* explains: according to all the advice given earlier - "Whatever your hand finds to do with your strength, do," "Enjoy life with the wife whom you love," and all the other counsels - a person can succeed in both this world and the World to Come. However, "I returned and saw" represents an additional observation: I saw that often a person's good is not in his own hands. That is, despite all the sound advice, and even though this is the recipe for success, a person can follow the most successful formulas and still falter and fail. I came to see that there are many who know the proper path and desire to walk it, yet the misfortunes of time work against them and obstruct their way. Often a person does everything required, is a tzaddik, and everything is seemingly well, yet he suffers afflictions. Why? Divine reckonings, past reincarnations - we do not know. But here you have it: I told you how to act so that it would go well for you in this world and in the next; and while regarding the next world we believe with complete faith that it is so, in this world you see that it is not necessarily the case.
When we reflect upon this, worldly affairs are divided into two categories: practical matters and intellectual matters - that is, matters of thought, from the root *lahagot* (to meditate or reflect). Within practical matters, there are two components: first, the effort and diligence to achieve what one desires, taking action and striving to attain it; and second, once he already possesses it, he must struggle to preserve what is in his hands so that it is not taken from him.
Concerning the first part, he says: "The race is not to the swift" - this pertains to diligence; it is not guaranteed that being swift on your feet will enable you to attain more. And regarding the second part: "Nor the battle to the strong" - even after you have attained it, there is no guarantee that your strength will help you preserve what is in your hand. Thus, in material matters there is no guarantee: neither that the swift will achieve more, nor that the mighty will protect more. We have seen strong and clever people, shrewd and sharp, who achieved nothing, or who lost whatever they had achieved.
In intellectual matters, matters of thought and intellect, there are three levels: wisdom (chochmah), understanding (tevunah), and knowledge (da'at). The distinctions between them are well known, and we have discussed them several times, particularly elaborating on this in the Book of Mishlei, where the Malbim revisits the subject frequently. Regarding this he says: "Nor bread to the wise" - being wise does not guarantee a livelihood. "Nor riches to men of understanding" - the discerning person, who deduces one thing from another, is not guaranteed wealth, and wealth is a higher degree than bread. "Nor favor to men of knowledge" - da'at is a higher dimension than wisdom and understanding, yet even they are not guaranteed the favor through which they might succeed. Notice that in Mishlei, Shlomo arranged them in this exact order: "Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established, and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches" - wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. And although these virtues are immense, and anyone who wishes to achieve anything needs them, nevertheless, they do not guarantee him wealth and livelihood. In other words: despite all the good advice I have given you, realize that these matters still do not lie within your control - even if you act with diligence, even if you possess the strength to fend off whoever would diminish you, and even if you possess wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, this is not what will guarantee you livelihood, abundance, and the good life of this world.
"For time and chance happen to them all." His statement that "chance happens to them all" is understandable, for the mishaps of time strike everyone. A person can devise the best plans, erect a magnificent banquet hall with an investment of millions, with blueprints, designers, and a fortune, and stand ready to inaugurate it with great fanfare, confident that he already has bookings for the entire coming year - and suddenly some tiny coronavirus arrives, barely visible under a microscope, and all his investments go down the drain. Suddenly, man discovers that something he cannot even see can disrupt the entire world. An adverse mishap can certainly strike anyone, and then neither wisdom nor cunning, neither understanding nor knowledge, neither strength nor diligence will avail - nothing will help.
However, what he says - "for time... happens to them all" - does not seem to fit. The term *mikreh* (chance, happening) applies only to something that is not predetermined: it might happen, or it might not. One does not say, "The sun rose today by chance," for the sun rises every day; but if lightning flashes, one can say it is an occurrence, for lightning might appear and it might not. In contrast, *eit* (time) implies something that arrives in its appointed, exact time. How can two seemingly contradictory expressions be joined: "time" and "happens"? The Imrei Shefer will explain this on the next verse, which we will continue with God's help, concluding with his words as is our custom.
King Solomon presents before us two complementary truths. The first: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" - utilize your strength and time to the fullest, for in Sheol there is no action, no reckoning, no knowledge, and no wisdom; there are no excuses there, no additions, and no acquisition of mitzvot. On the other hand, one need not fear an endless demand, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not deal tyrannically with His creatures, and whatever is in your power and understanding is sufficient. The second: "The race is not to the swift" - no physical or intellectual advantage guarantees anything; swiftness, strength, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge - all collapse before time and chance, as we have seen with Asahel and Avner, Shlomo and Iyov, Yaakov, Moshe, and Yehoshua. And what is man's remedy? Prayer and supplication. The lesson is therefore: to toil and exert oneself with all one's might as though everything depends on us, while knowing at the very same time that everything is in the hands of Heaven, and praying for it at all times.