Introduction: Kohelet's Praise at the Conclusion of the Book
At the conclusion of the Book of Kohelet, after the thorough clarification of the vanity of this world, Ruach HaKodesh comes and testifies about King Solomon and his life's work. This is not Solomon writing praises about himself, but Ruach HaKodesh testifying to his deeds and imparting wisdom to us in several areas. Let us examine the verse:
וְיֹתֵר שֶׁהָיָה קֹהֶלֶת חָכָם, עוֹד לִמַּד־דַּעַת אֶת־הָעָם, וְאִזֵּן וְחִקֵּר תִּקֵּן מְשָׁלִים הַרְבֵּה. (קהלת יב, ט) - "And besides being wise, Kohelet also taught the people knowledge, and he weighed and searched out, and composed many proverbs." (Kohelet 12:9)
"Ve'izen" - He Fashioned Handles for the Torah
"Ve'izen" - he fashioned "ears" (handles) for the Torah. Rashi explains what these handles are: this refers to the teaching of Chazal that Solomon instituted eruvin, which serve as a protective fence for the observance of Shabbat; he instituted netilat yadayim, which is a fence for ritual purity; and he decreed against secondary forbidden relationships (sheniyot la'arayot), beyond those explicitly forbidden in the Torah. All of these are protective fences, and they serve as handles for the Torah.
The meaning of this is: if you hold the Torah just as it is, it is liable to slip from your grasp, much like holding a heavy basket without handles that easily slips away. But when it has handles - you grip it firmly and it does not fall. So it is with the Torah: without protective fences, one can God forbid stumble. These fences are boundaries that warn a person: do not come too close. "Go around, go around, we say to a nazirite, do not come near the vineyard!" It is like a cliff without a guardrail - a person might say, "I am sensible, I am watching my step," yet in a split second he can plummet. When there is a fence stopping you five meters before the edge, you are protected. In this way, rabbinic fences ensure that we do not transgress the Torah's actual prohibitions.
"His Staff and His Jug" - What Remained for Solomon
Chazal teach that after Solomon lost his throne, his reflection on the verse "And this was my portion from all my toil" referred to "his staff and his jug" (maklo umikdo). The staff was what he walked with, and the jug was his drinking vessel, a kind of canteen. Only these two items remained with him. The sacred books offer a wonderful explanation: the staff hints at the eruv, since an eruv boundary uses a post (lechi); and the jug is the washing cup used for netilat yadayim. Solomon says: of all my immense toil, what has remained for me for all eternity are the enactments I instituted. Everything else was vanity of vanities - I had it and it passed, and who cares about it today? What endures is that all of Kelal Yisrael, to this very day, observe mitzvot whose foundation and source lie in Solomon's enactments. Through this he acquired eternity, and this is "my portion from all my toil."
The First Lesson: Let No One Say "My Own Wisdom Is Enough for Me"
The holy Alshich explains that Ruach HaKodesh comes here to teach us wisdom in several areas. The first is that a person should never say, "The wisdom I have acquired is enough for me; why should I spend time teaching others?" - for teaching another person requires time, and in that time one could have advanced on one's own.
As is well known, one of the least popular assignments in yeshivot is when the rosh yeshivah, mashgiach, or Rebbe pairs an outstanding student with someone who is struggling, a student who needs to be carried along. The stronger student feels as though an anchor has been tied to him and he is drowning. After all, instead of advancing and delving deeply into the text, he has to explain the Gemara a fourth time, and it still has not sunk in, over and over again. Naturally, a person wants to progress, not spend time on others when he could be advancing himself.
Regarding this, the verse declares: "And besides being wise, Kohelet also taught the people knowledge." Solomon did not say that his own wisdom was sufficient. And if we consider his lofty stature, would we ever expect him of all people to spend his time with the common folk? In that time, he could have attained tremendous wisdom! Even if you were to say he should teach the sages of his generation, the disparity was still immense, for Solomon was wiser than all men, wiser than Eitan HaEzrachi, Heiman, Kalkol, and Darda. For him, sitting with anyone else was seemingly a waste of time. Nevertheless, see what happened: it was not enough for him to rest on his own wisdom; rather, he continued to teach knowledge to the people.
The Second Lesson: A Book Must Be Founded on the Torah
The second truth that the Ruach HaKodesh teaches us is a profound lesson for all wise-hearted individuals who follow: anyone who sets out to compose works of wisdom, mussar, and guidance "must not produce them solely from the spirit of his own understanding, as a purely intellectual matter devoid of Hashem's perfect Torah, in the manner of the sages of the nations of the world - but rather according to the Torah and founded upon it." When composing a book, its foundations must be supported by the holy Torah; all the concepts and all the fundamentals must stem from there.
This is why Chazal taught that everything written in the Prophets (Nevi'im) and the Writings (Ketuvim) is hinted at in the Torah. It is well known that this was the Vilna Gaon's approach: in his commentary on Sefer Mishlei, he demonstrates verse by verse where each matter is rooted in the Torah, and likewise on Pirkei Avot, section by section, showing where the Torah has already addressed it. The bedrock is the Torah; the foundation is the Torah.
Why There Is No Basis for "Positive Thinking"
This is one of the strongest arguments against the NLP method, which unfortunately in recent years has gained widespread acceptance in our community without sufficient examination, and which many of the Gedolei Yisrael staunchly oppose. The method is based on positive thinking: if you think good thoughts, things will certainly be good, and everything depends on what a person thinks. People are instructed to engage in meditations and visualizations, picturing themselves succeeding and riding the waves of success, under the premise that whatever you imagine will materialize.
This question has been addressed at length, explaining how this concept contradicts authentic Torah hashkafah, citing treatises from Gedolei Yisrael who voiced their clear opposition. And where did this notion come from? A non-Jew authored a book called 'The Secret', detailing the premise that one can alter reality through positive thinking: do not think negatively, do not imagine that anything bad will happen - think positive, and then all will be good.
This is vanity of vanities, utter nonsense devoid of substance, and from the Torah we see the exact opposite. Proponents have repeatedly been challenged: show a source for this in Chazal! Yet not a single person has ever been able to produce one. People cite various contemporary books, but a source in Chazal stating that through the mere power of thought one can overturn a Heavenly decree - where is that written? Tefillah is found in Chazal; bitachon and emunah in Hashem are found in Chazal; but "think good and it will be good" as an automatic mechanism does not exist.
Some argue: "The previous Rebbe of Chabad said, think good and it will be good." But who understands the teachings of Chabad better, an outside observer or the Rebbe himself? Let us examine what the Rebbe actually wrote. The late Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that "Tracht gut vet zein gut" certainly does not mean that by virtue of one's thoughts alone things will turn out well - on what basis? Who guaranteed such a thing? Rather, his meaning was that a person must strengthen his bitachon in Hashem. Thus, he himself explains that this is a matter of bitachon, not magical "positive thinking". And where did this foolishness originate? A non-Jew wrote it in a book, and later a Jewish author adapted it into an entire volume. Even those who initially gave approbations (haskamot) retracted them, explaining that they had not realized what it contained, and protested: "Why bring us methodologies adapted from gentile systems? This is not the Jewish way." Leading Torah authorities, including Rav Ba'adani, Rav Mutzafi, and others, spoke out forcefully against these ideas, demonstrating that they run contrary to the Torah.
"Wisdom Among the Nations, Believe It; Torah Among the Nations, Do Not Believe It"
The Chafetz Chaim already addressed this when asked whether there are good things to learn from the nations: I am not speaking of secular wisdom. "If told there is wisdom among the nations, believe it" - if a gentile shares knowledge of astronomy or microbiology, he has conducted empirical research. Indeed, we find that the Sages accepted the view of the gentile scholars on astronomical questions and conceded to them. But regarding "Torah among the nations" - a philosophy and way of life - do not believe it. And he added: if there were anything truly good in it, it would be written in the Torah; and if the Torah did not command it, that is a sign that it is not good, period.
This must be the fundamental principle: there is no such thing as a proper path of conduct or a worthy way of life that the Torah does not mention or recommend. And if the Torah did not recommend it, that is proof that the Torah does not view it as something good.
An Example from History: Communism
There were people who thought that the communist system was the ideal model: everyone is equal, money is distributed to all, there are no social classes, and no one acts superior. And how long did it take until that system collapsed with a resounding crash? Seventy years. If this had been a good path, the Torah would have commanded us to live that way - yet the Torah did not command this. Look at how all communist nations remained backward, because communism extinguishes any ambition to produce, develop, and achieve.
After all, if I develop a breakthrough medicine and own a company like Pfizer or Moderna, I can become an overnight multi-billionaire; but if I am a Soviet citizen, the state takes all the profits. Why should I lose sleep at night just for the state to profit? Let the United States develop it! From there, the attitude becomes: Why push myself? Why toil? Shall others consume the fruit of my labor? It is a fundamentally flawed system, and the Torah made clear from the outset that it is flawed - and with the passage of time, reality proves that Hashem is truth and His Torah is truth.
Nor Is the Torah Capitalist
Now you might argue: Capitalism produces its own miseries, severe class divides, ninety percent of the world's wealth concentrated in the hands of ten percent, and people sleeping on pieces of cardboard in the subway. That is true, and that is precisely why the Torah is not capitalist either. The Torah builds in a comprehensive safety net: an entire framework of charity, giving, and mutual responsibility, with a strict obligation to support the destitute, the downtrodden, and the needy. It does not merely say, "Whoever works keeps the reward for himself." Instead, it immediately mandates: terumah, ma'aser ani (the tithe for the poor) - recognizing that the poor person's portion has reached your hands, and you must feel the imperative to give it to him, viewing it as a profound merit.
This stands in stark contrast to the secular mindset. The secular world says: Help the poor person because he is miserable, because he has nothing to eat. But that alone does not truly inspire a person to act. What stirs a human being to action? What serves his own benefit. There is no escaping it: human nature is inherently self-interested. Therefore, when the Torah motivates you to give, it does not merely plead that the poor man is miserable; rather, it tells you that you are giving to yourself: "More than the householder does for the poor man, the poor man does for the householder"; "Tithe so that you may prosper." Do not feel that you are parting with something - in truth, you are receiving. That is the Torah's profound approach to human nature.
That is why no nation gives and shares like the Jewish people. Bnei Brak has the highest rate of charitable donations in Israel, perhaps in the entire world, on a per-capita city basis, and its population is not wealthy at all. The difference is that the Torah trains a person to cultivate generosity from within and give willingly, thereby sustaining the poor. But to come along and declare, "Let us seize everyone's private property and redistribute it" - this is something your forefathers never conceived; if the Torah did not present this as a legitimate path, it is proof that it is fundamentally wrong.
"We Have Nothing to Learn from the Nations" - The Story of Manners
Before the Second World War, a young man sat before a great rosh yeshivah in Europe and argued with him: "Rebbe, I believe we do have something to learn from the Germans." "What could that be?" asked the Rosh Yeshivah. The student replied: "They have wonderful manners. If one of them wishes to do something and is unsure whether it might inconvenience you, he asks politely beforehand: 'Would this please you? May I do such and such?' They have a refinement and etiquette that we seem to lack."
The Rav answered him: That is not true refinement; it is nothing more than external polish. Deep down, their culture harbors raw cruelty, and everything you see on the surface is just a thin veneer with no substance beneath it. The student remained unconvinced and continued to argue. Years passed - perhaps forty years - and that student met an alumnus from the same yeshivah. By then he was no longer wearing a yarmulke. He said to him: "Do you remember how I once argued with the Rebbe? Heaven led me through circumstances that forced me to realize the Rebbe was completely right." He explained: "I survived the Holocaust. They dragged us to horrific slave labor, stripping asphalt by hand, crushing our very souls. One day, a German guard struck a brutal blow against my arm" - and he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a prosthetic limb, for his arm had been severed - "and immediately after doing so, the German asked me politely: 'Does this please you?' It was then that I remembered the Rosh Yeshivah's words: all of it was mere external facade. Never be taken in by their polished manners; there is no real substance behind them. If the Torah instructs us in something, that is what we must follow; that is the bedrock and the true foundation."
Approbations for Books
This is what the Alshich explains: "Let him not compose them out of the spirit of his own intellect, from mere rational speculation devoid of Hashem's perfect Torah, in the manner of secular thinkers - but solely according to the Torah and firmly rooted in it." A secular thinker muses, writes down whatever enters his imagination into a book, and needs no authoritative sources. But if you wish to establish a truth, you must anchor it in the foundations of the Torah! This is why, gentlemen, we only purchase books that carry a rabbinic approbation (haskamah). We do not accept someone who simply invents philosophies and publishes personal musings without authoritative approval and without traditional grounding. When a book carries a haskamah, it indicates that a qualified authority examined the work and confirmed that it contains no nonsense and no ideas borrowed from foreign perspectives alien to our sacred heritage.
Culture Is Merely Habit
One must understand: whatever people speak of as "culture" simply means habits. It is like the story of Rabbi Yonatan Eybeschutz with the cat and the mouse: bring out a mouse, and suddenly the cat forgets everything it was taught, and its true feline nature emerges. So it is with the non-Jewish world. It took the Second World War for the inner nature to come out of the polite, sympathetic, welcoming, and patient gentleman. We had to see it with our own eyes to realize that it was all an external cellophane wrapper, and one should not be impressed by cellophane. This outward veneer does not reveal itself under normal, everyday circumstances.
And by the way, we have spoken of this more than once: Yishmael is considered today the murderous nation - terror attacks, killings, wars, Al-Qaeda. But Yishmael could work for many more years and still not reach the ankles of Europe. Europe's history is soaked in blood, and not only Jewish blood. The bloodlust resides in Edom, and whoever needed a reminder - the Second World War reminded him somewhat. Inwardly, it is Eisav; inwardly, it is a murderer; it is just that externally they were trained from a young age to speak pleasantly. This does not reflect inner gentleness, but merely external manners.
When the Words of the Nations May Be Used
Nevertheless, a person may use secular wisdom as an aid to the Torah - not that the Torah needs support, but in the manner done at Hidabroot, Arachim, and other outreach organizations: many people, if you tell them "thus it is written in the Torah," are unimpressed, but if you say "Professor So-and-so said," it makes an impression on them.
Not long ago, there was a broadcast on Hidabroot on the topic of reincarnation, following the book Mishnat HaGilgulim, and between segments they showed video clips. In one of them, a child from a family in Lebanon was shown, who from the age he began speaking spoke fluent English and could read English, while his parents did not know a single word or letter of English. Not only did he know it, but he recounted where he had lived, in which city in Britain, and one could hear him speaking with a distinct British accent. When someone sees such a thing, it convinces him a thousand times more than any lecture one might deliver on reincarnation: behold, how can one explain that a person knows and describes a completely different life from his own? This is not in the category of "wisdom among the nations," but rather an external corroboration, an additional support for people who are convinced by such things.
It is said facetiously: Why did Yosef see fit to command the Egyptians to circumcise themselves? After all, circumcision is a covenant and a connection between us and Hashem, Blessed is He. Rather, Yosef knew that a generation would arise that would challenge brit milah: "Why circumcise? A surgical procedure, on an infant who cannot give consent," and all sorts of similar rationalizations. What did he do? He told the gentiles to circumcise, and once gentiles circumcise, people accept it! And indeed, that is how people who question circumcision are often persuaded: the British royal family circumcises its sons; and today medical studies show that circumcision prevents several diseases. There are people for whom this is what convinces them. We do not need this: the moment the Torah says so, the matter is settled. Even if all the doctors were to say it is harmful, if Hashem commanded it, what do we care about the doctors? Whatever Hashem commanded, that is what we do.
Therefore, many things jar a Torah-observant person: quotes and citations from all kinds of celebrities, singers, and intellectuals - this one said this, that one started putting on tefillin, and another made a statement about faith and trust in God. Why should we care what he said? Do we live by their word? And had he not said it, would it not be true? It is simply that there are people upon whom the words of that celebrity have a greater impact than "Moshe Rabbeinu said." For them, what can be done - there are weak-minded individuals who are convinced only by such things. But we, as believing Jews, do not need any professor or doctor to bring us external endorsements for what is written in the Torah. If the Torah states it and Chazal reveal it to us, one is not astonished when Dr. So-and-so determines that the world has existed for no more than six thousand years - very nice, good morning; in our communities, a kindergartener knows this. Yet there are people upon whom this makes an impression, because in school they were taught five billion.
It is like the famous story: someone was asked how long the world has existed, and he replied, "Five billion years, thirty-two years, twenty-two hours, and thirty-six minutes." They asked him, "From where do you get such precision?" He said, "I was at the stalactite cave and they told me it was formed exactly such-and-such years ago, and since then so many years and minutes have passed - so I know down to the minute and the second." We have already discussed the absurdity of stalactite dating, and brought several examples of this in our study of the Kuzari and on other occasions. But the principle is one: we do not live by their word. Do not be excited when a professor comes along and says that what is written in the Torah is correct, and all the more so do not be moved when he says it is not. It does not bolster our conviction when you validate it, and certainly does not weaken us when you contradict it, because your research is external - you examine things after they have already been created, whereas the One Who created them wrote it down for us in advance. We know name after name from the creation of the world until today, all the way back to Adam HaRishon. You speak in theories; we speak in facts.
Therefore, we must not think that such statements are what provide us with strength. That is meant for people at the beginning of their journey, for whom "Chazal said," "the Rambam said," or "Rebbe HaKadosh said" still does not carry much weight, so they are presented with professors. But we must not become confused or drawn after this; rather, we should know that we possess the truth. From that truth we believe with complete faith, based on the Thirteen Principles of Faith - not based on things contributed by scientists and researchers.
"He Further Taught Knowledge to the People" - How He Taught
Rava expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written, "Besides being wise, Kohelet also taught knowledge to the people" (Kohelet 12:9)? That he taught it with musical notes (cantillation marks), and explained it through analogies. That is, he taught the Torah with the cantillation accents, and explained matters through comparable examples - drawing one concept closer to another.
The author of Imrei Shefer explains that here Scripture comes to praise the virtue of the book, both in terms of the work itself and in terms of its author. First, regarding the greatness of the author: no one else could produce such a perfected work - it was not enough that Kohelet was wise, but "he further taught knowledge to the people," for there are wise men who are wise only for themselves, whereas here he was able to teach knowledge to the people as well.
"And weighed and probed" - Learning from Everything in the World
And the primary point added here for our purposes: "And weighed and probed" - that it is the way of the wise to bend an ear and investigate everything that happens in the world, to extract from it a parable, wisdom, and an ethical lesson, and through this, "he composed many proverbs." Whatever he saw, he examined and derived a lesson from it. And so it is recounted of many of the great figures of Israel, that from everything in creation they learned mussar, knowledge of Hashem, and fear of Heaven.
We see this frequently with Chazal, such as: "Go to the ant, sluggard." One person looks at ants superficially, while Shlomo learns from them how a person should not be lazy. And so it is with every single matter - learning from the reality that Hashem created in the world.
A man once related to Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach that he had visited the Empire State Building in the United States, an enormous, towering skyscraper, describing how looking down from the top makes everything below shrink into insignificance. Rav Shlomo Zalman asked him: "And what halachah can be learned from this?" The man replied, "I do not know." Rav Shlomo Zalman said to him: "It is possible for two baby boys to be born in the Empire State Building, and one will be circumcised on one day while the other will be circumcised the next day. How so? The first was born on the bottom floor, where sunset had already occurred; the second was born on the top floor, where the sun was still visible and had not yet set. Therefore, for the one born up above, it was still daytime, and he will be circumcised next week on that same day, whereas for the one born down below, where sunset had already occurred, he will be circumcised on the following day. Thus, for him, the Empire State Building was an opportunity to learn halachah - not merely an interesting news story, but: What is the halachah derived from this? What is the practical ruling that emerges from here?
We once related a story about the Mashgiach, when a primus stove was being assembled in his home. They took it out of the box and had to assemble its parts, but they tried this way and that and could not manage. He said to them: "It stands to reason that there must be an instruction sheet inside. Look, perhaps it was left inside the packaging." They reached their hands inside and found an instruction sheet at the bottom, and according to it they understood exactly how to assemble it and succeeded. He said to them: "From here we find proof of Torah from Heaven." How so? He said: "Understand, if even for assembling a primus stove it is inconceivable that you would be given an appliance without an instruction sheet, could the Holy One, blessed be He, cast man - the most complex creature in the world - into this world without an instruction sheet? Without saying how to conduct oneself with this creature, how to live, what a person should do when he wakes up in the morning, what he should strive for, what should interest him, what the ultimate purpose is? Could it be that for all this there is no instruction sheet? Therefore, Hashem gave the Torah." Thus, for him, a primus stove became a way to recognize the Creator.
And so good advice is cited in the name of roshei yeshivah: When walking down the street, instead of engaging in looking around in ways that might lead to sin, a person should observe the things around him and investigate halachic inquiries through them. If he sees a crane, he should think about what halachah can be derived from it and what halachic question might arise: for instance, whether the laws of techumin apply above ten tefachim, and if someone is lifted by a crane on Shabbat, what the ruling would be. And so with everything he sees, he should begin to consider which halachic topic it relates to. All of this assumes he does not have an audio player or device to listen to a Torah shiur while walking along the way; at the very least, his thoughts should be devoted to matters that lead to the service of Hashem. This is "and weighed and probed" - bending an ear and investigating everything one sees and hears in the world in order to learn from it.
The Chafetz Chaim and the Flood in China
We recounted regarding the Chafetz Chaim that a man once came and told him that a dam in China had burst, sweeping away villages and towns, leaving so-and-so many dead. The Chafetz Chaim showed great interest: he asked how many, where, and what the magnitude of the disaster was. The man was astonished and asked: "Does the Rav have relatives in China?" He answered him, "No, I have no relatives in China." The man asked: "If so, why is the Rav so interested? After all, the Rav never takes an interest in news matters!"
The Chafetz Chaim said to him: "Do you not understand? Tell me, if a man stands in the central square of Warsaw and gives a speech - to whom is he speaking, to Jews or to non-Jews?" He replied, "Presumably to non-Jews; they are the majority, and Jews are the minority." The Chafetz Chaim said to him: "I forgot to add - he is speaking in Yiddish." The man said: "If so, he is certainly speaking to Jews." The Chafetz Chaim said: "Just a moment ago you said he is speaking to non-Jews because they are the majority!" He said: "Yes, but the non-Jews do not understand the language, so he certainly is not speaking to them." The Chafetz Chaim said to him: "And when the Holy One, blessed be He, causes a dam to burst in China - to whom is He speaking? To the non-Jews? Do they understand the language? Rather, it is all so that you would come and tell this to Yisrael Meir, and Yisrael Meir would learn mussar from it! And that is the meaning of: 'I cut off nations; their corner towers are desolate... I said, surely you will fear Me, you will accept instruction' - Hashem destroyed nations and their towers were made desolate so that we would take mussar. Do you think Hashem did this for the Chinese person? Does the Chinese person understand anything? He does not understand the language! This is for us, so that we will awaken."
And so Chazal say, that the Holy One, blessed be He, strikes the nations so that we might learn and change our ways. And to what may this be compared? To a melamed who wants to discipline his students, so he takes a strap and strikes the table. The students hear the noise and are startled. What fault is it of the table, and why does it deserve to be struck? Rather, this is the way to awaken the student. So too here: the Holy One, blessed be He, strikes the nations - and not that they do not get what they deserve, for they certainly deserve it, let us not misunderstand - but the ultimate goal is that we should learn. This is "and weighed and probed": that from everything occurring in the world, I should learn what I must rectify within myself and what I must change.
In summary: Ruach HaKodesh testifies concerning Shlomo: "And besides that Kohelet was wise, he also taught the people knowledge, and weighed and probed and composed many proverbs," teaching us three fundamentals. The first - "and weighed (ve'izen)": he made handles (oznayim) for the Torah, safeguards and fences that protect a person from the abyss, including eruvin, netilat yadayim, and secondary forbidden unions (sheniyot la'arayot); this is "his staff and his vessel" that remained with Shlomo forever. The second - that a wise person should not say, "My own wisdom is enough for me," but rather must teach knowledge to the people, and whoever authors a work must base it solely on the Torah of Hashem, not on the spirit of his own understanding or on the notions of secular scholars, for: "If someone tells you there is wisdom among the nations, believe it; but if they say there is Torah among the nations, do not believe it," and whatever has no foundation in the Torah is a sign that it is not good. And the third - "and probed (vechiker)": that it is the way of a wise person to bend an ear and investigate everything in the world to extract from it wisdom, halachah, and mussar, just as the great figures of Israel learned from the ant, from a skyscraper, from a primus stove, and even from a flood in China - for it was all conveyed so that we would awaken and rectify ourselves.