Chapter 11 of Kohelet opens with a powerful call to action: "Cast your bread upon the waters," "Give a portion to seven and also to eight" - King Solomon rouses man to act, to give, to sow, and not to wait for ideal conditions that will never arrive. In this lesson we will examine two verses that seem at first glance to be simple, self-evident statements - clouds emptying their rain onto the earth, and a tree that falls and remains where it fell - and we will see the profound depths hidden within them, through the teachings of Rashi, the Midrash, Rabbeinu Bachya, the Alshich, and the Ibn Ezra. From there we will proceed to "He who watches the wind will not sow," a verse entirely devoted to life's practical wisdom: one who constantly fears and waits will accomplish nothing.
אִם־יִמָּלְאוּ הֶעָבִים גֶּשֶׁם עַל־הָאָרֶץ יָרִיקוּ וְאִם־יִפּוֹל עֵץ בַּדָּרוֹם וְאִם בַּצָּפוֹן מְקוֹם שֶׁיִּפּוֹל הָעֵץ שָׁם יְהוּא׃ - If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will be.
This seems to be an extremely puzzling verse. What does it come to teach us? Clouds full of rain will naturally empty themselves upon the earth. A tree that falls to the south will obviously not be found in the north. What did Solomon in his wisdom wish to teach us here? Regarding this, we will examine several interpretations.
Rashi explains: If you see clouds filled with rain, know that they will ultimately empty their rains upon the earth - in the place where goodness can grow and be seen, that is where it will ultimately come to rest. The Holy One, blessed be He, did not design rain to fall into the heavens; what purpose would that serve there, and what would it affect? He created rain to fall upon the earth. There are no other planets where rain falls - scientists are constantly searching to see which planet might possess water - only on Earth is there rain. In other words, when the Holy One, blessed be He, brings goodness, He directs it to a place where it can yield benefit, to a place where it flourishes and makes an impact.
So too with the continuation of the verse. Rashi, following Chazal, understands the "tree" as an allegory for the tzaddik who shields his generation: if a wise and righteous person settles in a city or a land, in the place where he dwells his deeds will remain visible even after his death - his wisdom and sublime character traits - and goodness will be repaid to the inhabitants of that place for the upright path along which he guided them. When a tzaddik resides in a place, he transforms it; this is why when a tzaddik leaves, its splendor departs, its radiance departs, its glory departs. The departure of a tzaddik leaves an indelible mark, because the presence of the tzaddik inevitably influences its inhabitants. This is "in the place where the tree falls, there it will be" - there the people will be shaped by his deeds.
And what is the meaning of "falls" (yipol)? After all, this is not describing a collapse, but rather taking up residence in a place. Rashi explains that yipol means to dwell, as in "and upon the face of all his brethren he fell" (settled). And why is a Torah scholar compared to a tree? "The righteous man shall flourish like a palm tree," but the primary comparison is that a tree provides shelter and shade, just as a Torah scholar protects and shields his generation - "And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water."
Chazal expound: "If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves upon the earth" - if Torah scholars are filled with Torah, they will pour it out upon Israel, for the Jewish people are called "earth" (eretz), as it says, "for you shall be a land of delight." Rain represents water, and water is Torah; when Torah scholars are filled with Torah, upon whom do they bestow it? Upon Israel, who are called the land.
"And if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, there it will be" - when the time arrives for a Torah scholar to teach, whether in the south or in the north, the people of Israel gather there and learn from him. Wherever he goes, they will follow him. We see this in reality: wherever great Torah luminaries resided, people assembled around them. Although in the case of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach this did not succeed, because the disciples did not want to leave Yavneh, the central seat of Torah, under ordinary circumstances, wherever the sage may be - in the north or in the south - people flock around him to learn Torah from him.
Our Sages also expound: If the time has arrived for a Torah scholar to depart from this world, whether in Tzippori or in Tiberias, there all of Israel will perform loving-kindness with him. According to this explanation, "shall fall" fits very well in its literal sense, like the phrase "fell in battle": the tzaddik passes away from the world, and do not worry - wherever he may be, all of Israel will gather there to perform kindness with him. When the Baba Sali passed away in Netivot, all of Israel traveled to Netivot to perform this final kindness with him. And when Rav Moshe Feinstein was brought to Eretz Yisrael for burial, all of Israel traveled to Jerusalem; and when Rav Ovadia Yosef passed away, people arrived from all across the land.
The book Olot Ephraim cites Rabbeinu Bachya explaining that "if a tree falls" refers to man, as it is written, "for man is a tree of the field." "To the south" refers to the midpoint of his days. And what is the connection between the south and the midpoint of life? The south in Hebrew (darom) is so called because the sun is at its height there - dar rom, meaning it dwells on high. The north (tzafon), by contrast, is not a luminous place; the sun does not shine directly upon it. Thus, "if it falls to the south" means if he passes away in the prime of his days, when his sun dwells on high, when he is at the pinnacle of his success, like a meteor at the heights of the world. "And if to the north" refers to the days of old age, when the time for his sun to set has arrived.
Regarding this, the verse says, "there it shall be" - whether he passed away in the middle of his days or at the end of his days, there it shall be; this was his appointed time, and he completed his work; he finished what he was meant to accomplish. How many great Torah giants died in the prime of life! The holy Ari - who knows, had he lived another thirty or forty years, how much Torah we would have possessed, and perhaps the Redemption itself would have arrived, as he was destined to be Mashiach ben Yosef. Likewise the Ramchal, the Or HaChaim, the Rama, and many other giants who passed away at an early age, and who knows how much we would have gained had they lived longer lives. Regarding this, Scripture tells us: know that whenever he falls - whether when the sun dwells on high or in the time of old age - "there it shall be," that was the exact time allotted to that tzaddik. Just as with Chanoch, "for God took him": although he died young, above he stands and serves as the angel Metatron. There is no real loss here, so to speak, for this is the will of the Creator - this was the lifespan in which he was designated to operate in this world, and during that time he achieved everything he was meant to accomplish.
He cites another homiletic teaching: "If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth" - if the prophets are filled with prophecy, they pour it out upon Israel, just as we saw regarding the Torah. "And if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall be" - if the time has arrived for the prophets to prophesy, whether in the south or in the north, Israel gathers there to hear their prophecy.
And Rabbi Yitzchak further stated: If you see troubles approaching, "they empty themselves upon the earth" - for the sake of Israel, who are called "earth," as it says, "for you shall be a delightful land (eretz)." And the continuation, "and if a tree falls to the south or to the north," as we have seen - if the time has arrived for a Torah scholar to depart from this world, people perform loving-kindness with him there. The first part of the derashah comes to teach that everything that happens in the world is for the sake of Israel: why "do they empty themselves upon the earth"? Because it is for the sake of the people of Israel, who are called the "land."
According to this, it is somewhat puzzling, for rain is generally a sign of blessing, yet here it is treated as a reference to troubles. Rather, "if the clouds be full" must be understood differently. There is a classic halachic ruling that a kohen does not inspect afflictions (nega'im) on a cloudy day - one must inspect with complete clarity, and an overcast day is not a time for viewing blemishes. And the Masters of Chassidut say: when there is a period of suffering, persecutions, and catastrophes - may Hashem protect us - that is not the time to begin looking for blemishes in Israel and saying, "The Jewish people have this flaw or that problem." On the contrary, that is the time to see how to save the Jewish people, how to pray for them, and how to protect them - not to pick at their shortcomings and afflictions. We see, then, that clouds are an expression of a time of gloom and darkness. In common parlance as well, when describing a difficult era, people say "dark clouds gathered over the skies of Europe." Our Sages similarly use darkness to describe the oppressive empires - "'and darkness was on the face of the deep,' this refers to the evil kingdom," and so forth. According to this, "if the clouds be full" does not refer to clouds of blessing, but to dark, ominous clouds whose rain pours down in a destructive torrent. If you see troubles approaching, they empty themselves upon the earth, and it is all for the sake of Israel, as we have discussed at length several times.
שֹׁמֵר רוּחַ לֹא יִזְרָע וְרֹאֶה בֶעָבִים לֹא יִקְצוֹר׃ - He who watches the wind will not sow, and he who gazes at the clouds will not reap.
We have explained several times that the word shomer in Scripture often means waiting: "and his father kept the matter in mind (shamar et hadavar)" - he waited to see how it would be fulfilled; "watchman (shomer), what of the night?", "more than watchmen wait for morning" - those who wait and yearn for the arrival of morning, not people merely standing guard. "He who watches (shomer) the wind will not sow" means he who waits for the wind will not sow. Why? Rashi explains: sometimes he waits, and it never comes. "And he who gazes at the clouds will not reap" - a person who fixates on the clouds, seeing them darken, says: now one cannot harvest, soon it will rain, and I will be caught in the mud; how can I go out to harvest today? Such a person will never reap, because he is constantly afraid.
In simple terms, according to most commentators, the verse comes to teach: one who is overly timid, constantly worrying, "let us not act now lest this happen," and "let us not act now lest that happen" - will never accomplish anything, because there are always doubts and there are always apprehensions. The one who watches the wind waits until the favorable wind arrives - do not wait, sow now! And the one who gazes at the clouds waits for all threat of rain to clear - do not wait, reap now!
Someone once asked Rothschild how he became Rothschild. He said: I would buy merchandise at a cheap price. People would tell me - wait until it goes up, until it is worth a lot, and then sell. I didn't wait; it went up a little - I sold immediately. And again, I would find merchandise and go to buy it, and they told me: No, wait for it to drop a little more, and then buy. I didn't wait; I bought. And those people are still waiting - this one waits for it to drop and that one waits for it to rise. Do you understand how many deals I closed during that time? That is the pitfall of people waiting for the big windfall. Rothschild did not wait for a single jackpot: I made a modest profit here - excellent, let's move on; I made another profit - let's move on.
This is also the type of person mentioned previously: someone looks for a job, and insists on starting at least as a vice president - so he has room to aspire to become CEO. Start from the bottom? Absolutely not, should he stock shelves in a supermarket? So he keeps waiting. Apparently, companies in the market have not yet recognized his genius, and the boardrooms have not yet realized that here is a powerful force capable of elevating any corporation - so he waits. And Shlomo says: Do not wait. "One who watches the wind will not sow, and one who looks at the clouds will not reap." Whatever is available right now - seize it, take it, and you will find blessing and livelihood from it.
Ibn Ezra explains that this is a parable for the generous person, continuing what we saw earlier - "Cast your bread upon the waters," "Give a portion to seven, and also to eight." Here he presents an example of the sluggard and the miser: he tells you - look, there is wind now, a sign that it will not rain, so why should I put seed in the ground now? Sowing would be a waste. Such a person will never sow, because the miser and the sluggard always have every sign to prove that now is not the right time.
Others say that this refers to the matter literally, to an actual sower of seeds. We saw earlier that Shlomo praises working the land as the finest of labors, in keeping with the custom of people in his day, and here he comes to say: Do not rely solely on past experience, for times change. A person says: Last time there was wind, and afterward things turned out poorly. And the answer is - what was, was; sow now. He says: But last time there were clouds, and then there was a problem. And the answer is - do not judge by what happened before, for times are not identical. It may be that what was an unfavorable time in the past is favorable now; last time the rain arrived at the start of winter, and this time it will come later. Do not say, "What is the point of sowing now, the beginning of winter has already passed" - you can always find excuses why not to act. And just because you succeeded last time, does that guarantee you will succeed now?
The Alshich HaKadosh offers a fascinating explanation here, based on what he explained in Mishlei on the verse, "He who gathers in summer is a wise son": A person in this world sows - sowing mitzvot in the world, Torah, ransoming souls, and so forth; and afterward, in the later portion of his life, he reaps. And what is this reaping? Reaping, as a person matures and approaches the end of his days, is the sifting and separation between deeds that are not good and good deeds, between flawed conduct and uprightness, between material matters and spiritual ones. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, created a reality in which, as a person matures, material matters appeal to him less - cravings and endless pursuit have already "retired" - and the purpose is that during this time he should reap. Everything you have sown until now, reap it: begin to separate out what is subpar and bad, to sift and purify, and then your deeds will become refined. He removes any material motive from his deeds, like a reaper who uproots his produce from the soil and separates it from the dirt and the weeds.
And now, says the Alshich, come and understand what is being said here. There is a person who says: Why should I exert myself during youth and young adulthood? My mitzvot right now are flawed, mitzvot mixed with desires, with earthliness, with ulterior material motives and ambitions for prestige - these are not complete mitzvot. Better that I invest in mitzvot toward the end of my days, when a person is more spiritual, less coarse, and no longer caught in the endless pursuit of the material. In contrast, there is another person who sows mitzvot all his days, but treats worldly affairs and their coarseness as primary - he sows mitzvot, yet his core focus remains on physical matters, earthly ambition, and material achievement. Regarding both of these, Shlomo says they are flawed: neither the one who postpones the performance of mitzvot until he matures, nor the one who performs mitzvot early but remains immersed in materialism.
And why? Consider "One who watches the wind [ruach] will not sow": this refers to one who waits and watches for "spirit" [ruach] before sowing mitzvot - that is, he currently possesses only the level of nefesh, which is the lower spiritual state, and waits for the additional ruach that should arrive as he matures - such a person will never sow. For from where does ruach come? It is through engaging in Torah and mitzvot that you bring spirituality. And this person did not sow in his youth, doing nothing to usher in spirituality - why then do you assume that in old age you will accomplish anything? If you did not cultivate spirituality, it will not come. Therefore, a person must occupy himself with Torah and mitzvot from his youth, even if they are not yet performed in perfection, so that in his maturity he will be able to bring forth the ruach.
And this idea has been expressed several times in different words: reality proves that people who never set foot in a Torah shiur in their youth never show up in their older years either. You meet such a person on the street, "How are you doing?", and he says: When I retire, when I do this and that. Yet you never see him anywhere near the beit midrash, not from a mile away, not from a hundred yards; he doesn't even walk past. Why? As the Alshich says: How can the ruach arrive in his maturity if he did not bring it in his youth? If you did not begin in your youth to acquire Torah and mitzvot and a connection to them, why would it suddenly appear at age sixty? On the contrary, at those ages people rarely make fundamental changes; what you carry from earlier you can renovate, but only rare, individual transformations occur at that stage of life. How many people who become ba'alei teshuvah at age sixty do you know? At age seventy? Returning in teshuvah usually happens at the more revolutionary, younger age.
And "One who looks at the clouds [avim] will not reap" - this is the second type: a person who begins performing mitzvot in childhood, but is immersed in the density and coarseness [aviyut] of this world. Such a person will not reap, for the coarseness of this world will not permit him to reap - to separate and sift, to extract the wheat from the dirt and the debris. Because he is so deeply immersed, you see him even at age sixty, seventy, and eighty chasing every deal, searching for another business venture, looking to profit here and extract there. When will someone say to him: Where are you running, my friend? You are set with a pension, go to the beit midrash - what else do you need to do now? Yet he is still in the rat race: I have to go to the bank, I have to go here and there. Says the Alshich: It will not help, he will not reap. Why? Because he "looks at the clouds [avim]" - his primary focus is on coarseness [aviyut] and physical pursuit, in which he was immersed the entire time. Therefore, he will not reach the time of spirit, nor will he reap and sift his good deeds to rectify them, but will instead remain mired in earthly matters.
Chazal expound in the Midrash: "He who watches the wind will not sow" - one who watches the spirit of earthly kingdoms will not sow mitzvot and good deeds. "And he who looks at the clouds will not reap" - one who looks at the clouds of earthly kingdoms will not reap mitzvot and good deeds. What does this mean? A person must know not to take the kingdom's dictates into account, but rather serve Hashem under every circumstance. As we saw with Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah, who told Nebuchadnezzar: If it is regarding taxes and levies - we are your servants; but regarding the fulfillment of the Torah and mitzvot - you and a dog are equal, with apologies to the dog for the offense. Meaning: What right do you have to dictate our spiritual life? Will you tell me whether to bow down to an idol or not? Whatever you wish to believe - believe for yourself, and I will serve my God. Cast me into the fiery furnace - and indeed he did.
We must recognize, therefore, that in matters of spirituality, one must never be one who "watches the wind," waiting to see which way the winds of the authorities are blowing. There are those whose entire spirituality is like a weather vane: waiting to see which way the wind turns, acting as "the establishment rabbi" - the rabbi of Golda, the rabbi of Ben-Gurion. Because he wants to advance in status and secure an appointment, he waits to see what they want, what they ask for, and which way the wind is blowing. But one who watches the wind of the regime - know that he will never sow mitzvot and good deeds, because he is constantly seeking to appease the government and do its will, rather than the will of the Master of the World.
And what is "one who looks at the clouds of earthly kingdoms"? It can be explained as we noted above, that clouds (avim) denote a threat - the skies have become overcast with dark clouds. One who constantly trembles before the malice of the regime will never reap mitzvot and good deeds. Do not fear the authorities; do what you are commanded. Avraham Avinu did not fear Nimrod, and Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah did not fear Nebuchadnezzar. One who constantly cowers before the clouds will not reap. It can also be understood in the opposite sense, that the clouds here represent beneficial rain: the government dispenses bounty, like rain, and he is always watching which way the government's rain is falling, whom it favors and where, and all his actions are calculated to find favor in their eyes so the rain will fall upon him. Therefore, "he will not reap mitzvot and good deeds," because he is perpetually consumed with appeasing and satisfying them.
Ibn Ezra offers a fascinating interpretation here. He explains that all of Shlomo's words regarding "he who watches the wind" and "he who looks at the clouds" were directed against diviners - people who gaze at the clouds, imagining forms and figures in them, seeking to perform divination and determine at the outset of their undertakings whether they will succeed or not. It is recounted in Sefer Yosippon and elsewhere that before certain difficult periods, people would gaze at the clouds and discern the shape of a warrior bearing a sword - not in reality, of course, but as an illusion, the way a person projects shapes into the clouds - and from this they would draw conclusions and deduce what the future held and what calamity was about to strike. This falls under the category of "one who looks at the clouds."
Likewise, "he who watches the wind": he checks which direction the wind is blowing from and where it is heading, as if consulting the wind - in which direction should I sow? Will I succeed in merchandise or not? If the wind blows this way I will succeed, and if that way I will fail. This is what Chazal call nichush (divination). It is as though the wind driving the clouds is instructing him: Behold, I am bringing bounty, there are clouds - go and sow! But if the clouds stand still and there is no wind, he takes it as a sign to halt his business and not venture out to work that day. And so it was in those days - "they consult their stick, and their staff tells them" (Hoshea 4:12): he would cast a staff, and based on the way it fell, he would decide whether he would succeed. Or he would take an arrow and shoot it upward, as the Gemara recounts regarding Nero Caesar, who came here and shot arrows to the four winds, and all of them pointed toward Jerusalem. And similarly, if the arrow dropped straight down - shot in a certain direction but suddenly falling like a stone - he took it as a sign of failure. They devised all manner of omens to determine whether they would succeed or not, but all this is strictly forbidden as divination, and it is nothing but futility.
Incidentally, Ibn Ezra writes, "And so it was in those days" - but do such purveyors of futility not live in our own day as well? Are there not coffee readers and card readers today? Are there not people who consult a pendulum - holding a chain, letting it spin, and if it swings to the right it means one thing, and to the left another, asking it questions? Halachic authorities are deeply concerned about this on the grounds of forbidden divination, and an entire book was published on the matter of the pendulum; unfortunately, there are even Torah-observant Jews who dabble in this nonsense. People still consult all sorts of physical omens, which is very common in our time: a person steps outside and a black cat crosses his path - he goes right back home, convinced that today will be a disaster; that is what their manuals prescribe, with explicit instructions! If you run into an annoying neighbor - you assume your day is ruined; you look through the peephole before leaving to make sure you do not bump into him, lest you have a bad day. All sorts of vanities and nonsense that these people conjure up in their minds.
Regarding this, Kohelet comes and declares: Pay no heed to the follies of these sorcerers; there is no substance to them, and they indicate nothing about the future. For "if the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth" - what does the fullness of the clouds indicate? It simply indicates that rain is about to fall upon the earth, and that is the sum total of what we can learn from it! Likewise with the stick: why look at whether it falls to the south or the north? Naturally, wherever the tree falls, there it will lie - where it must fall by its natural course, where the pull of gravity draws it, there it will fall, without indicating anything whatsoever, neither bad nor good.
And through this, these purveyors of folly will repeatedly stumble in their divinations. Why? This is the continuation of the verse: "He who watches the wind will not sow" - one who insists on divining by the wind will not sow until the wind blows from this specific angle, and sometimes he waits and it never comes, leaving him without having sown at all. Where is the blessing in this whole enterprise? You received only a curse - you failed to sow this year! "And he who looks at the clouds will not reap" - he gazes up and waits for some shape of a sickle to form in the clouds so he will know when to begin reaping, and he is waiting to this day! How long can a person wait? And if his omens do not pan out, what follows? "He will be hungry, and fret himself, and curse by his God" (Yeshayahu 8:21) - he will direct his anger at the Master of the World. But at whom do you have cause to be angry? Be angry at yourself! Did Hashem ever tell you that all these things should serve as signs and omens of whether you will succeed or not?
Ibn Ezra adds: The holy Torah and our true prophets repeatedly exposed the vanity of diviners and soothsayers (me'onenim) - those who declare that this season (onah) is auspicious and that one is not, that one must not venture out except at this specific hour, that there is currently a dark moon and it is exceedingly dangerous, along with other vanities and nonsense that people believe - and yet many among the masses were still led astray after them. Our Sages also spoke extensively about this; therefore, know that one must distance oneself completely from all these practices.
The two verses we studied teach a single fundamental principle from two complementary angles. "If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth" - goodness descends to the place where it is recognizable and beneficial: Torah scholars pour out their Torah upon Israel, who are called "earth"; prophets pour out their prophecy upon them; and the tzaddik influences his surroundings both in his lifetime and after his passing. "In the place where the tree falls, there it will be" - whether the righteous person passes away in the prime of his life or in old age, that was his appointed time and he completed his mission, and wherever he may be, all of Israel perform lovingkindness with him. On the other hand, "he who watches the wind will not sow, and he who looks at the clouds will not reap": the anxious person and the miser, who waits for flawless conditions or makes his actions contingent on the mood of earthly powers or the futility of divination - will never sow and will never reap. In the service of Hashem: do not delay the sowing of mitzvot to a time when you will be "more spiritual," for if you did not sow in youth, the spirit will not arrive in old age; and do not become submerged in the coarseness (aviut) of this world, which will not allow you to reap and clarify your deeds in your twilight years. Do your part right now - "In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening withhold not your hand."