This week we have learned the perspective of life from the pleasure seeker, and the builder or toiler. Both of their perspectives started out particularly positively, but then they realize what they have said and knock it back down with Hakol Hevel, that everything is worthless in life.
First, is the pleasure seeker. He talks about how everyone should make the time to enjoy life, to eat, drink, and be happy. I mean, he is the pleasure seeker after all. But, as the pesukim go on, he seems to be finding himself in that Hakol Hevel trap. He starts to talk about what is the point of enjoying everything in life, if life eventually comes to an end. We can relate this back to Shlomo wanting to be G-d like. When the pleasure seeker talks about eating, drinking, and enjoying life he is trying to be G-d like, but he soon realizes that G-d is the only one who can be truly happy and live forever. This results in everything being Hevel.
Next, we have the builder or the toiler. He explains that everything has a time in life. "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" (Kohelet - 3:1). Again, as the pesukim go on the toiler realizes that we are not in control of the times things happen to us, that is G-d's decision. Also going back to Shlomo trying to be G-d like in Givon with trying to control everything, the toiler realizes that G-d is the only one who can control the time for everything under the sky. And once again, Hakol Hevel.
This summer at Kallah (my summer program I went on), I took a course on Rabbi Akiva. The Rabbi started off the course with the quote, "Gam Zu L'Tova," meaning, "this too is for good," This was Rabbi Akiva motto, he lived by this quote. He was a poptomist as my Rabbi called him. He hoped for the best, but didn't get his hopes up because the worst is always bound to happen. I think that Shlomo needs to take up this quote as his motto, because he is just being a pessimist. He needs to find some good in life like the pleasure seeker and the toiler, before he sits down and automatically assumes, Hakol Hevel.
Sophie,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you tied Rabbi Akiva into this sticky situation. Yes I totally agree that Shlomo was being pessimistic, immature, and insanely selfish. (Such a lovely guy!) It confuses and bothers me that a king with so much wealth, power, and wisdom can completely overlook all of the things that give life meaning. These things include familial love, friendship, and a strong relationship with G-d. As we delve into Kohelet to try to discover the meaning of life, we must always remember how much more fortunate we are than Shlomo because we have not gotten stuck in the mindset that things without perfection are Hevel. If imperfect things are Hevel, then life is Hevel. Things don't happen fairly. It is certainly our job not to try to take over G-d's place in the universe.
This is a verbal representation of my train of thought. Honestly, I think we have not learned enough of the Sefer to jump to conclusions. We are always free to think about what we learn, which is good.
Sophie,
ReplyDeleteInteresting blog post! I liked how you incorporated the ideas of Rabbi Akiva. As we learned in class, Shlomo was a perfectionist. Once he saw that something was flawed, he immediately deemed it "Hevel." Rabbi Akiva lived by a positive mantra. He hoped that things would be good, but always knew that nothing could ever be perfect. That's the beauty of human existence. We aren't perfect, but we should always strive to better ourselves. And if things don't go as planned, they aren't necessarily "Hevel." They are events that we can learn from, and as a result, grow as people.