This week we finished Kohelet! By the end, all the characters had written themselves out of the book, except the Yeiri Elokim. Kohelet concluded that man will be judged for the actions they do in this world. If you realize that God is in  control and holds you accountable for everything. God is the only one who can knoow everything and is immortal. If you follow God's mitzvot you can find meaning through wealth, power, and getting rid of injustice. Life is about the journey and not about the destination. 

The conclusion responds to each of the characters. It tells the Nehena that man will be judged for their actions. Meaning that the Nehena cannot just do what he wants. It tells the Amal to realize God is the only one who can be perfect. It tells the Chacham that if you follow God's laws you will be able to get rid of injustice. It also responds to the Yeiri Elokim who knows you will be held accountable for everything.  

Shlomo realizes you cannot have both the Etz Hadaat and the Etz Hachaim. The only way to find meaning and enjoy life is by realizing you are mortal and God is immortal.   

Just When You Thought You'd Seen It All...Introducing Sparknotes: Bible.

Looking for a fitting way to say goodbye to our good friend Kohelet, I decided to come up with a strong ending point on this sefer that would give us all closure and not cause any tearful goodbyes. Being unable to come up with such an insight, I decided to use the trusty Google and peruse through other people's enlightening notes on the book, in the hopes that there was something interesting and relevant that could be tied in to our learning. Interestingly enough, as I glanced over the search results, something unusual caught my eye: a Sparknotes source explicity mentioning the name "Kohelet." This definitely piqued my curiosity, and so I decided to check it out. Apparently, Sparknotes has a less-well known section that overviews Biblical books, and I had just stumbled on Ecclesiastes. "Great," I thought, "I wonder how Sparknotes interprets it." I must say, Sparknotes has a unique interpretation.

They do have the basic gist, saying it is out to find the meaning of life, but they don't make many of our helpful connections or understand where it is coming from.They call the main character  "the Teacher," which sounded kind of creepy to me. They then go on to explain a basic understanding of the Neheneh's, Amal's, Chacham's , and Yirei Elokim's philosophies, but because they lack the understanding of these "characters," they don' t see how this flows, and what each is trying to prove. Rather, they think this is just crazy ravings that make little sense and keep contradicting each other. The organization of ideas here is different, because the text is grouped into sections such as wisdom/ meaning in life, trends of human activity (life cycles, human emotion, cooperation), foolish actions and how to avoid them, and positive recommendations and reflections on life. This is summed up with an analysis on the book repeating how it is repetitive, contradictory, and nonsensical. "Hakol Hevel" is translated as "vanity of vanities," and they do reference the word hevel, translating it as "breath of the wind" and leading towards the interpretation of  life being ephemeral.

Now, here comes the interesting part. Sparknotes states that Kohelet contrasts with the rest of the Old Testament because it questions receiving wisdom and ideals. They don't make the distinction here between Torah and Nach. They think these are just more "bible stories," and should be pondered and explained the same way. This, to me, is a pretty important distinction, and without it everything that can be gleaned from Kohelet is not the same. I think that, if they were aware of this difference, it would help them get more out of and have a deeper understanding of Kohelet. They also end on the note that a message of this book is that it is anti- "rigid or dogmatic wisdom." I didn't see this at all, but I think it might come from all the vague wording and metaphors. All in all, it's pretty interesting and worthwhile to check out! Here is a link : http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/oldtestament/section12.rhtml

Evil Ruins Everything

In פרק יב פסוק א it says, “וזכור את בוראיך בימי בחורותיך עד אשר לא יבואו ימי הרעה והגיעו שנים אשר תאמר אין לי בהם חפץ”. Translating to mean: recognize your creator in your youth before you become older and see evil. For example when you become older you won't enjoy swimming or doing the sports you love because you cannot physically do so. It is the same with this idea that is talked about in Kohelet. Just like your physical body prevents you from enjoying what you use to love to do, the evil in the physical world prevents you from seeing our creator.

There is an idea in the Torah about how a youth's prayers are so much stronger than an adult's. Maybe it is because of this idea that the youth mean what they are saying when they pray because they don't see any evil in the world yet. But once you get older, and you are thanking G0d could it really be sincere because of all the evil that happens around you? 

This concept, like Racheli's, links to what Charlie Harary talked about in one of his speeches. He talked about the idea that children who still haven't understood the world yet are the only ages that truly sincerely laugh at a joke or at something they think is funny. This can be the same type of concept as the one above. That they don't know their surroundings, and they are not aware of all the bad around them, so they don't have anything preventing them from laughing and having sincere fun.

The End of an Era

We're never satisfied, are we?

Kohelet is over, as you've probably heard, and I for one am not taking it that well. I'm pretty bummed out, feeling kind of sad. And being sad reminds me of having existential questions. And having existential questions reminds me of learning Kohelet... and then I'm reminded that we're not learning Kohelet. I think you get the point. Most of you guys did lovely jobs taking Kohelt into perspective and wrapping it all up on this lovely blog, so I'm not going to repeat any of you. Instead I will (you guessed it!) bring out some Calvin and Hobbes. Because I don't know when else I'll be able to so extensively blog about them. And that makes me sad. Oh, wait a second... I feel like we're just going around in circles- like this whole blog is cyclical. Is life, like this blog post, just one big cycle? Is it possible to make a difference in this blog, or in life? Oh, goodness! 

Right! Well, in no particular order, here are some Calvin & Hobbes comics that remind me of Kohelet. 

To me, this brings to light the whole question of man's power over nature. How much control do we really have? We like to think we're the masters of the universe and that we control for everything, but, ultimately, we are brought to realize that no, we are not in control. There are factors we cannot account for. Unlike what the amal would like to believe, man can't fix everything. Which is okay, says the Yirei Elohim. We just need to recognize the hierarchy. 

Mostly, this comic makes me happy. But I think we can relate it to Kohelet in the following way: oftentimes we are searching for happiness or meaning in the wrong places. We "wish" too high and get disappointed when our wishes aren't fulfilled. If we keep our heads on earth and are realistic about certain things in life, we can be happy individuals. If we are on the hunt for "big riches" and "power", we're not going to find meaning in our lives. Here are two other comics that echo the same ideas.

Looking for meaning in the wrongs places...

I'd advise Calvin to give Kohelet a good read through and then reevaluate some of these thoughts.

One of the other important things that Kohelet taught us is that finding happiness in ignorance is foolish. We must seek out answers and question. Even if we are unsatisfied with the answers we find and even if we don't find answers. Simply not thinking isn't really an option. It's in someways even "irresponsible", as Hobbes says, to live a life of ignorance. While learning Kohelet we grappled with some real difficult questions. Even though it was frustrating at times and I'm not completely pleased with all the answers, I'm glad that we spent the time discussing and delving on the hunt for answers and meaning. 

This reminds this of the "ein chadash tachat hashemesh" refrain that we saw a lot at the beginning of the text. Sometimes it does feel like it's just "school, school, school," don't you think? It's important for us to recognize that every day is different. We should all try to "go for the gusto" in a way in our lives- you know, mix things up a bit- just to remind ourselves that every day is different and wonderful.  

Sometimes we forget that believing in something means taking a leap of faith- putting faith in something that we can't see. 

Why do you suppose we're here? Big question, huh? How do you think Kohelet would have answered this question?

Why do good things happen to bad people and why do bad things happen to good people! This was the turning point of the Nehaneh, and something the Chacham also struggled with. What they didn't realize was the two tiered system of justice that God has. But, you've got to give it to them- those are some hard questions. It's hard to have undying faith all the time when things like this are happening in your life.

This one is just kind of silly. I'm not sure I can justify it. Any ideas? Hah. Sometimes it does seem like God has a goofy sense of humor,  though. 

Conclusion

Finally.. Kohelet is over. I never thought I would be sad that Kohelet was over!
I just wanted to share a few personal thoughts on the conclusion. Although we went through the whole Sefer from the perspective that the Amal, Yirei Elokim, Chacham, and the Nehene were all different characters.. when approaching it as if each is representative of a different side of Shlomo, it makes much more sense. When we look at Kohelet as an internal dialogue we can walk away with much more meaning. We can see each personality within Shlomo: wealth, wisdom, women, the BHMK. This give the יראי אלוקים depth.. it makes him more believable and gives him more credibility. Before I kind of thought that the יראי אלקים was pretentious and that he was making his philosophy seem much more easy than it is.. which really kind of angered me. It made me feel like: "what gives you the right to say that to me?" But instead, knowing that it's an approach that he came to on his own, that he wasn't just raised this way, it makes us more open to what he has to say. He had all of it, more physical experiences than we can imagine, money, power - yet he still comes to this conclusion: that recognizing that G-d's above us and we have accountability for our actions. This is what really gives his philosophy meaning, in my opinion.
I think it's really appropriate that we read this sefer on Sukkot. Sukkot is the Festival of Harvest - a time where we think we are in control (we grow our crops, water them, then harvest them.. where's G-d in that?). During Sukkot, we go outside and have a temporary home. We do this in order to show that we are not in control, that it's not about us, and that G-d is in control. This relates back to the Yirei Elokim's philosophy. It's a very appropriate message to the time, and gives us a lot to think about right at the beginning of the new year, a time in which many of us, especially myself, find it hard to stay connected and committed to all the things we promised at the beginning of the new year. We start slipping back into our normal life and Sukkot gives us an opportunity to rethink our goals and recommit ourselves. And most importantly, remind us that G-d is in control and that we are accountable for our actions.

Still searching for that meaning

The Yirei Elokim spends his final speech refuting the views of his fellow characters. To the Amal he says he should build, create, get rid of injustice, and make a difference, and he will eventually be judged positively for those actions. To the Chacham he warns that man is limited in power and it is important for him to accept his limitations and from there use his wisdom to make the world a better place. And lastly, he tells the Neheneh to recognize that there is a G-d in the world and He will hold the Neheneh accountable for his actions.

The Yirei Elokim leaves us off with the following thought: In this world, we must try to accomplish while knowing that one day we will be held responsible by G-d and accepting the fact that we can't know everything. He says that through this acknowledgement of the existence of G-d and the acceptance that we will never understand everything, only then can we find meaning in our lives. Then our world is completely transformed and the physical pleasures the Neheneh loves, the creativity and good that the Amal strives for, and the intellect of the Chacham can be used to find this meaning.

In class we were asked about our thoughts on this conclusion. Now that I've had some time to think about this, I'd like to share. In theory, the Yirei Elokim's beliefs sound amazing. It ties off all loose ends, considers every viewpoint, and makes a promising argument. Beautiful. But I have a few issues. We still don't have a clear "yitron" or purpose for life laid out for us. The Yirei Elokim seems to be saying that finding meaning is possible, but doesn't tell us exactly how to find this said meaning. I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Out of all the character's conclusions on life, the Yirei Elokim's is the best. But still, for me it is not good enough.

Maybe I will never be satisfied. Maybe finding meaning is a life-long pursuit. Surely it's not something that can be summed up on paper. Perhaps we won't know how to find real meaning or what that meaning looks like until it actually happens. Maybe one day it will just hit you right in the face and you'll have a moment of total clarity. Maybe meaning is something that takes it's time, dropping hints here and either until it finally all comes together. Who knows.

You Gotta Learn Kohelet With Empathy!

So bare with me while I try to relate something that has no relevance to Kohelet. It makes sense in my mind but I am not sure how it will go while I express it on paper.
So I was looking for a blog post to comment on and I came across Racheli's blog post about that they were all opinions and that they had experiences which created their opinions.
This made me think of something that we had learned in mussar: The difference between being sympathetic and empathetic.
Being sympathetic is feeling bad for someone while empathetic is actually experiencing it and feeling it with them.
In Kohelet, a lot of the times I disagree with the opinions of the Amal, Nehene, Chacham, and Y.E. Sometimes I even think that they are so ridiculous that I cannot even believe them.
In one particular instance I got really angered by the Chacham who was saying that G-d was not so extremely present in that time and he did not make miracles. I then got angered because I thought in this era G-d is rarely showing himself, even less than he did back then.
In mussar though, I realized that I do not know what it was actually like back then. I cannot be empathetic and feel how much G-d existed back then. I cannot feel the connection that the characters had with him either.
A lot of the times when I look at these philosophies and think they are crazy it is because I have never experienced them. I never really understood what Shlomo was saying through all of these character and philosophies. Okay, I learned about them and they made sense but they never made sense to ME. I always thought a lot of them were dumb and made no sense. Just like you always tell us, we have to get into the character and see it from their viewpoint. Kohelet is teaching me that it is extremely hard to understand the philosophies unless you are empathetic and actually get into character.

Why Can You be the One to Tell Us This?

When people talk to us and tell us their philosophies and their opinions, most of the time you will question that person on why they can be the one to tell us these things. How can it be right for one person to stand up in front of me and tell me what they think about the world and that I should listen and just be fine with what they say and it's their opinion and I should follow it?

With Kohelet it is different. He's not just standing up in front of you telling you his philosophies. He is telling you his life experiences. You can see all these personalities in Kohelet himself. He can tell you all of this through experience. It makes it easier to listen to him because we know he has experienced it all himself.

When Charlie Harary came to Memphis a few weeks ago, we had a Q & A session with him. We were allowed to ask him any question that we wanted to ask him and he would answer with his opinions. At first people were asking questions like why do we have to do this? Why does G-d care what we do? Then someone asked him why he has a right to tell us what to do and who to listen to?

I was very impressed by his answer. He basically answered the question with the almost the same answer that Kohelet could answer. He said the kid who asked the question was completely correct. No one had to listen to what he was saying. He was there to say what he had to say and hope people took something out of it. He was hoping that it would effect maybe one person. He said that he didn't grow up religious. He has been through it all. He knows exactly what it's like to be a teenager, but he went through a change. He went through a spiritual growth at some point and it changed his view on life completely. Yeah, we didn't have to listen to him, but he told us that he has been through it all and he knows what he is saying through experience.

Keep Calm and Break the System

         This week in Megillot, we ventured on towards the end of Kohelet. We're so close! We've just gone through Perakim י-יב and we discussed the final speech of the Yirei Elokim. In the last pasuk of Perek י, the Yirei Elokim responds to the Chacham, who had just given his opinion on the Yirei Elokim's philosophy in his last speech. The Yirei Elokim tells him that even though he thinks he knows everything and is better than G-d, the Chacham cannot hear private conversations or know the inner thoughts of a person like G-d can. The Yirei Elokim is also reinforcing the fact that the Chacham reprimanded everyone else for not accepting reality and now he is not accepting reality by complaining that he is not in control.

         In the beginning of Perek יא, the Yirei Elokim responds to the Amal. He tells him that there is a point to work, create, and prepare, even if you don't know when disaster may strike. We can't be perfect but we must act in this world, even thought we can't predict what will happen. The Yirei Elokim also tells the Amal that his previous notion that all of the nature cycles were pointless was incorrect because these cycles spread new seeds and cause new things to grow. He also adds that only G-d knows everything and only He is perfect. However, you can still do things in the world and try to make progress.

         In the middle of Perek יא, the Yirei Elokim addresses the Chacham once more. He tells him that wisdom is like the sun- sometimes it will provide enlightenment and understanding, but there will also be times where it will be dark and we won't have a full understanding of what's going on. The Yirei Elokim decides that knowledge can be used for good if you recognize that you don't know everything and incomprehensibility is הבל.

         Continuing on in Perek יא, we see that the Yirei Elokim finds a way to respond to all three characters in one pasuk. He tells them all that you have to participate in the world and know that you will ultimately be held accountable for your actions. The only thing man knows is that he doesn't know everything.

         To the Amal, the Yirei Elokim says that people are judged positively for what you do in this world, and you can fulfill your potential. He tells the Chacham that man is limited and you must accept these limitations and then use your wisdom and knowledge to make the world a better place. He responds to the Neheneh, telling him to recognize that there is a G-d and that he'll be held accountable for his actions. Through the end of Perek יא until the beginning of Perek יב he tells the Neheneh, through a description of the decay of the human body, that he should have recognized when he was young and partying that he would die someday and his body will fail him. It will return to dust and his soul will return to G-d.

           So what is the Yirei Elokim's ultimate conclusion? Unlike the rest of the characters, he actually finds meaning in life. He seems to be saying that if you recognize that there is a G-d who controls the world and will hold you accountable for your actions and you realize that you are limited in power and knowledge, then, and only then, can you find meaning. Then everything is transformed and you can use the physical (Neheneh), the creative (Amal), and the intellectual (Chacham) to find meaning in this world.

         Personally, I really liked the Yirei Elokim's approach. I mean, how can you not? It's a refreshing new view, one that doesn't include too much הבל and one that actually finds meaning in life! When looking back on all of the characters and the summary of the Yirei Elokim, I found a connection to the book Divergent. If you haven't read this book yet, you're missing out and you should go buy it right away.

         This book takes place (kind of like the Hunger Games) is a post-war world sometime far in the future. After a terrible world war, the rest of the human race alive came together to form a "perfect" society. The civilization is divided into 5 factions, Candor, Erudite, Dauntless, Abnegation, and Amity, each one representing the one trait that those particular people believe caused the world to fall into disarray. Each faction believed that their trait specifically was perfect.

         I can see the characters of Kohelet being placed in each of these different factions: the Chacham in Erudite, where they strived for knowledge, the Neheneh in Dauntless, where they weren't afraid of anything and simply did whatever they wanted, the Amal in Candor, where they strived for ultimate honesty and perfection, and the Yirei Elokim as a Divergent, someone who broke the system. The only problem with these factions is that they were extremely strict- you had to be honest about everything, happy about everything, etc. In the end, the civilization begins to fall apart, which isn't surprising, seeing as it was built on impossibility.

         Although this book isn't spot on with Kohelet, I think there are enough similarities to show us what could happen if everyone followed the views of the Amal, the Neheneh, or the Chacham. I think each of the characters in Kohelet had certain fatal flaws that completely ruined their whole ideas. The Yirei Elokim was the only one who broke the system and found a way to find a purpose.

       

We MUST Work Together to Achieve Success

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." - Henry Ford.

I think that no other quote embodies Kohelet as well as this one does. When we started to learn Kohelet, we are introduced to Shlomo HaMelech in our studies of Melachim for background information. Once we delved into Kohelet itself, which is believed to be written by Shlomo, we were introduced to 4 subcounscious characters that Shlomo, himself, personisfied.

As the book goes on, we learn about each character, and what they find "hevel" in the world. We could understand this as worthless, or ephemeral. Throughout the book, each character came to their final realization, in which 3 out of the 4 of them got "were voted off the island." The fourth character gave his final speech in the last couple perakim and finally taught us what the meaning of life is. He said that the meaning of life is have a faith, and belief in a higher power.

While reading the book, I kept telling myself that all the characters would somehow come to an agreement by the end and find the meaning of life. While only one character told us the true meaning of life, I believe that there was a little bit of every character in that fourth character. The four of them represented four very important parts of life. The neheneh represented our weak spots that all of us have. We can all easily fall into a depression and just "eat, drink, and be merry," like the neheneh. Next, we had the Amal who works towards perfections. I think at times in our lives we all work towards perfection and when we can't reach it we get frustrated. The third was the chacham, who embodied wisdom, but haughty wisdom. I think that all of us have pretentious side to us in which we think that we are smarter than everyone else, and because of that we can rule the world. But, once we reach the fourth character, the Yirei Elokim, we all have that faith in G-d that we must include in our lives. No matter if you embody the neheneh, the amal, or the chacham, we ALL embody the Yirei Elokim.

Through this we can see that coming together is a beginning because it gets everyone thinking, staying together is quite hard and is progress. We saw this through the characters giving up, but lastly, they all worked together in the end to achieve success and find the meaning in life.

Just one more before we leave Kohelet...

I don't know why, but when I woke up this morning, I started thinking about the statement that "G-d helps those who help themselves." When I began thinking about that idea, I realized something. We've been talking a lot about how the mentalities of the עמל and the חכם are so prevalent in our 21st century lives, but this idea portrays something different. This idea is the exact opposite of the Amal, in that it attributes all of man's successes to G-d even when man DOES work toward it. It seems to be much more the partnership idea of the ירא א-לוקים, saying that G-d is in complete control, but man still has to take steps on his own to make something happen.
This just kinda gave me a little hope that our society isn't as self-centered and "it's-all-about-man" as it appears.

We are almost at the end of Kohelet. This past week we started learning the final speech of the ירא אלקים. He starts by responding to the חכם by saying he can't hear what people think so he is not better then God. We do not always have an understanding of things. Knowledge is sometimes limited. The ירא אלקים tells the עמל that things are accomplished and we, and the plants, do make progress. He tells the נהנה that there is a God and you will be held accountable for your actions. The ירא אלקים says to participate in the world and know you will be held responsible for your actions. I think this does make sense. He is telling everyone their reality. The ירא אלקים is making a good point right now. Why not try? It is good to keep in mind that you will be judged in the future.

The Ultimate Purpose of Man

Alas, my friends, we are nearing the end of of Kohelet. This week, we discussed the final speech of the Yirei Elokim, the sole individual on the island. He begins by responding to the tirade of the Chacham in his last speech. The Chacham thought he knew everything and was superior to G-d. The Yirei Elokim then stated to the Chacham that he (the Chacham) could not hear private conversations or know the inner thoughts of a person. Only G-d knows. In this response, the Yirei Elokim is also referencing the fact that the Chacham rebuked everyone for not accepting reality. However, now he is not accepting reality by complaining that he's not in control.

Anyways, the Yirei Elokim then addresses issues regarding the approach of the Amal. When we saw him last, the Amal was so terrified of imperfection that he didn't do what he had wanted to accomplish. The Yirei Elokim reassures him by acknowledging the fact that he can't be perfect; nothing will be perfect. However, he still has to act in the world, and continue to build and attempt to get rid of injustice. He also re-emphasizes the idea that the Amal cannot know everything. However, he CAN do things in the world and try to make progress.

The second issue the Yirei Elokim targets is that concerning the approach of the Chacham. He tells him that chachma can be good; it can provide enlightenment and understanding at times. But, there are also times that will be dark, when man realizes he is limited and cannot know/understand everything. However, if he accepts his limitations, he can use his wisdom to make the world a better place.

The Yirei Elokim then takes a break to collectively respond to all three characters. He urges them to participate in the world, but know that ultimately, they will be held accountable. The only thing that man knows is that he doesn't know everything.

Finally, the Yirei Elokim discusses the Neheneh. He beseeches him to recognize while he is still young, that he will die and that his body will eventually fail him. When he dies, his body will return to dust, but his soul will return to G-d. The Neheneh originally said that there was no G-d, nothing that controlled the world. The Yirei Elokim refutes him; recognize that there's a G-d and that you will be held accountable.

To summarize, the Yirei Elokim believes that if one recognizes that there's a G-d and who will hold you accountable for your actions in the world, and if you realize that you're limited in power and knowledge, then you can find meaning. Only then is everything transformed and you can use the physical (the Neheneh), the creative (the Amal), and the intellectual (Chacham) to find meaning in this world! Huzzah!

I personally like the approach of the Yirei Elokim. I think that this is how we live our lives as Jews. We recognize that we are not all-powerful. We will never be. Once we internalize that fact, we are able to find meaning in our lives. Ultimately, our purpose is to fear G-d and follow G-d's mitzvot. The problem with the first three characters was their attempt to evade that purpose, and that led them to find no meaning. The Yirei Elokim has an interesting and very realistic perspective. He tells them that their aspirations still have value. However, first they must recognize the power of G-d and that they will be judged for their actions. And then, only then, can they combine their aspirations to find this meaning they were all so desperately pursuing.

What do you think about the Yirei Elokim's approach? Do you think it satisfies/will satisfy any of the characters? If yes, how so?

Opinions of the Kohelet Crew on Free Will

This shabbos we ran a learning group at Baron Hirsch in which we discussed the idea of free will in Judaism. The basic idea was if G-d is in full control, then do we have free will? And to what extent do we have the ability to choose between right and wrong?

The Sefer HaChinuch said, when speaking to the victim who is now seeking revenge, that all actions are caused by G-d. Sforno said that when a sequence of actions are necessary to fulfill a Divine purpose then the actions were influenced by G-d. Rabbi Mayer Twersky said that the sinner has the ability to choose between right and wrong, but the victim should not blame the sinner because he was going to be punished anyway by G-d, whether it came from that guy or a different one.

This whole argument about man's free will got me thinking about what our favorite Kohelet characters would say about this. I could see them all having strong opinions on an issue that has to do with G-d's control versus man's control in the world and over himself. So, here's what I'm thinking about what their responses would be.

Amal: Man has complete free choice. G-d has no affect on what man chooses to do. Man has complete control Tachat HaShemesh and man should choose to fight off injustice and build the world up. Since we're going to die anyway, though, it doesn't even matter what we choose because we can't take our toils with us once we die and we can never be perfect or have everything. Basically, everything is hevel. And by hevel, I mean everything is fleeting because you can never have everything and you can't take anything you do have with you once you die.

Nehene: 
Originial philosophy: Nah, man, G-d is in control. Everything comes from G-d, even our decisions. G-d created the world and is in complete control. We should enjoy what he's given us, you know. We should eat, drink, and party but anything we do is really caused by what G-d wants because He is the one in control. That's why man is not accountable for his actions. G-d controls all of our actions because He is the one in control. Since everything we do is directed by G-d and we don't have free choice, we don't have accountability either which makes us no different than animals.
Final Philosophy: Of course we have free will. I have looked at the world and I have seen mercy and judgement. Good things happening to bad people and bad things happening to good people. If both can exist in the same world, then there is chaos and anarchy so there must not be a G-d after all. If theres not G-d, then there is no afterlife and no accountability. After death, we are gone. We are not remembered and there is nothing after death. Since there's no G-d or accountability than how could there not be free choice? Nothing we choose will actually matter for anything but we definitely have the ability to choose what we want to do. It seems like the only choice we can make is to spend our lives eating, drinking, and partying. There's nothing else to live for. Life is hevel, meaning its worthless. There's nothing to live for. No G-d. No meaning. Nothing after death.

Chachum:
Original Philosophy: Yes, there is free choice, but G-d is in control. Our actions do matter. Man is not meant to be perfect and all men sin. If we can sin, then we must have the ability to choose between right and wrong. There are things that are out of our control, like the ability to be perfect. We just need to look at the reality of the situation and realize that man does sin, but he has the choice of whether or no he will.
Final Philosophy: Does man have free will? I won't even answer that question. There is no logical evidence that G-d judges man for his actions so how should I even know if man's actions matter at all? Maybe G-d controls our actions so that is why no one is judged. But that can't be true because why would G-d make such a foolish person a leader? I guess this whole system is just dumb. I should be the leader. The world is messed up. Everything is hevel-incomprehensible. If I can't understand it all, then how can I answer a question about G-d influence on our actions?!

Yirei Elokim: Man does have free will, but everything is influenced by G-d. It is a partnership. G-d has the ability to see into all the most private aspects of our lives and can control everything, but man's actions can impact the world. Man has the ability to choose between right and wrong but G-d is involved in the process. This doesn't mean everything is all about man, if it were than the nothing would have meaning. Man has the ability to choose how he will find meaning in life--through pleasure, building, or even wisdom. All he has to do is recognize G-d and that man is limited. What man chooses affects his journey through life and where his destination may be. So, man does have free choice and what he chooses can help him find meaning in life as long as he understands that he cannot know everything, man is limited, and G-d is in control. But, ultimately, man's actions will be judged and he will be held responsible for the choices he makes.

Nelson Mandela's Legacy

I'm sure everyone has already heard the news of the passing of Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest revolutionaries of the twentieth century. He completely changed South Africa. He fought apartheid before fighting apartheid was cool. (Yes, that makes him a hipster.) He used his power and influence to change the way the world as a whole viewed racial segregation. He made a huge difference! Now, he has passed away and can't add any more to his legacy. Sound familiar?

Although the Ammal was officially voted off the island, we haven't really talked about how his philosophy fits in with Kohelet's conclusion. Maybe it's obvious. Maybe it's not. Anyway, at the start of Kohelet, the Ammal's major issue with the world at large was that, as hard as he tried, he could not achieve perfection and any perfection he achieved in this life would end with his death. To the Ammal, death was the great equalizer when he wanted to rise above normal men. It was also his fatal flaw as all of his hard work ended in his death. Part of this was the fact that he didn't feel that he had a proper heir. While Shlomo did have way too many wives and most likely way too many children as well, he didn't feel like any of them were worthy of being his heir. Actually, G-d didn't find it appropriate. G-d told Shlomo that the kingdom would be split and that everything he tried to build up would crumble. In that moment, the Ammal's philosophy was born. In summary, Shlomo's most pressing concern was his legacy. Would people remember him? Would people know what he did and what he achieved?

As a teenager living a good two thousand five hundred years after Shlomo, it is hard for me to understand his concern. In the modern world, even the non-religious know Shlomo's name and what he accomplished as king. No, the world didn't forget him after his death. In fact, he is one of the best-remembered men in all of history.

Fast forward to 1964, when Nelson Mandela was tried for treason against the apartheid government and sentenced to life imprisonment. During his 27-year imprisonment, Mandela became a symbol of resistance against apartheid. During those years, he probably thought that he would die in prison and that the movement that he had promoted would die with him. This is not how history ultimately played out. Mandela was incredibly lucky to have lived to see the anti-apartheid movement take on a life of its own. The people carried on his legacy. He was even elected president of the newly integrated South African government. This incredible achievement was his "building" and he came close to achieving perfection. Now that he's gone, he will surely be remembered. 

What's the take-home lesson here? Striving for progress is good. Working towards a goal is great. Achieving the goal is ideal, although it does not often happen in one's lifetime. Finally, don't worry about your legacy; if you make a big enough impact on the world, you will be remembered.

Why take Everything to the Extreme???

While we have been learning Kohelet, I have been wondering and writing many of my blogs about why all the characters took everything to the extreme. It made no sense that they would be happy with their philosophies, but then take them to the extreme, and conclude that everything is hevel.

For example, the Amal. The Amal, closer to the beginning of sefer, had the goal is building and impact. He then finds a solution. Two is better than one. Why then does he continue and say even better is three? If he already found a solution why is he still looking for one? Even after he says that three is better than two, he adds on that a king is even better than three. Why stretch it out even more? He already found a solution. Now he is just going to end up concluding that everything is Hevel. 

I think that after learning all the final speeches of the characters an thinking about their train of thoughts, I understand. All humans, although start out just wanting a small amount of something, become greedy and want more and more. A lot of times we give an example of fame. Someone who's dream is to be well known, will become well known, but then will become greedy and do anything they can for more attention. It's common for all humans to make this mistake. Even Shlomo Hamelech made this mistake. 

This week Mrs. Perl reminded us that all of the different characters of Kohelet aren't real people, they are just thoughts in Shlomo's head. Shlomo was given power, wisdom, and materialistic things. It makes sense, that just like all other humans, he would become greedy and start off just wanting to do something small, like build and make an impact, but then once that is achieved, want more, like getting rid of injustice and being perfect.  

This is why I know completely agree with the Yirie Elokim's solution to finding meaning. At first I didn't like his solution. He told us how to find meaning, but didn't tell us the meaning. I then asked, well if we don't know the meaning, how do we know there is one? I know understand that we become greedy when we want just power, just wisdom, or just materialistic things. If we want to know everything, we become greedy, when we know a lot, and begin to think we are more important then everyone else. We need to remember that there is someone who is greater than anyone we can become. G-d. 

If we combine a little of the physical, a little of the intellectual, and a little of the creativity, you will have everything G-d wants you to have, and will be able to spend your life focusing on your actions, because there will be judgement at some point and we will be accountable for our actions.

Neheneh + Chacham = Teen of the 21st century

Yesterday, in our session about what aspect of Judaism is most worth fighting for, Mrs. Perl mentioned how a sense of meaning and connectedness in Judaism as the aspect that she is the most passionate about. She also mentioned that if you combine the Chacham and Neheneh together, you come up with what is basically the average teenager of the 21st century, who is lacking this important sense of purpose in their life. These two personalities are based off of lifestyles in which a person is most concerned with themselves, and their own instant gratification. The Neheneh finds this gratification through eating, drinking, and enjoying the world, while the Chacham finds his own gratification by looking for wisdom through his own intellect. In both cases, these philosophies' themes are centered around how things are or appear to be to the individual involved. As we see later, because of this "fatal flaw," neither the Neheneh or the Chacham can later find meaning, because their ideologies end up collapsing on themselves at the end; there is simply no base to hold them up because they are supported by themselves. This highlights why the system of finding meaning that the Yirai Elokim suggests- recognizing that there is a higher power and living a lifestyle that goes with this idea- is so important to stay grounded in this world. Without the knowledge that there is something above you keeping you firmly rooted, it becomes much easier to drift. When a person is drifting in situation like this without realizing this important point, it is possible that they may never learn this important point, and will not be able to anchor themselves down and be secure in their sense of meaning in life.

Criticizing G-d?

The realization came to me that there are many parts of Kohelet that seem to criticize G-d.

For example, in 8:14-17 the Neheneh brings up the idea of gamul, or theodicy, the question of why bad things happen to good people and vice versa. The Neheneh says that if G-d was merciful the bad would  go unpunished and the good would be rewarded, and if G-d was just, the bad person would be punished and the good person would be somewhat punished. The Neheneh declares that, because of this, there is no system in this world, that we live in a world of chaos and anarchy, seeming to suggest that G-d really isn't in control. He goes on to say that there will be no accounting for our actions in the next world, and once you're dead, that's it. Adios, muchacho. At the end of his final speech, the Amal is essentially an atheist. 

Then, in 10:11-14 the Chacham responds to the Yirei Elokim's belief in G-d's system of judgement: in this world there is a partnership between man and G-d and if we sin G-d gives us the opportunity to repent. In the next world, G-d is in complete control over us and will hold us accountable for our sins and punish us accordingly. The Chacham responds, saying that he is simply unable to the G-d's hand in this world and can't believe in the YE's system.

As you can see, much of Kohelet discusses G-d in a negative light. I find this to be very interesting for some reason. Perhaps it is because it's hard to see this book being included in the Tanach. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not sure there is any other book in the Tanach that discusses or criticizes G-d in this manner. 

Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think Kohelet addresses some very real concerns that people still struggle with. I know that I myself have had some of the same doubts as the Neheneh and the Yirei Elokim. It can be incredibly difficult for me to see G-d's hand in this world sometimes. This is part of why the book of Kohelet is so fascinating to me. It holds nothing back. There is no censorship or subtlety. It gets straight to the point, exploring controversial and difficult subjects that, I think, are on our minds even to this day. 

The חכם

In the beginning of the חכם's philosophy we had some liking to him and his ideals. But once we saw his conclusion we realized he was just like the rest, concluding his big finale with everything is הבל. The חכם has two main philosophies that he focuses on. From his first speech to his last, one changes drastically and the other stays the exact same. 

In פרק ז ט-טז he brings up the issue of perfection. He responds to the עמל, who strives for only perfection, by saying that man was not made to be perfect. They were not creating in the intentions to create perfect things. You do not have control over the world, therefore how are you going to make anything perfect. In his last speech he speaks about exactly the opposite. In פרק ט the חכם creates a metaphor. One dead fly destroys a huge vat of perfume. The dead fly represents the נהנה, and the perfume represents himself. Just one small imperfection destroys a large amount of good. 

The other aspect of his philosophy that stays the same throughout קוהלת is the worth of חכמב. In the beginning he explains that חכמה is the only thing that can lead you to enlightenment. There is nothing better than knowledge. Later in his philosophy he starts to become haughty about who he is. If you build a structure without architecture (wisdom), your structure will collapse. You need חכמה to guide you and help you. He also explains that you should fix your problem before it breaks. How do you do that? Only with wisdom this is possible. He even goes to the extent of saying that the leaders are corrupt because they don't have my wisdom. What the חכם needs is a little bit of manners and respect. He is too haughty and egotistical. 

Fool, the insult of the century

            Looking through Kohelet a commonly used word is fool. Every time some one says something, someone else comes in and says, "you are a fool." They don't even try to look at the fact that someone else could be saying something worth listening to. They are all in a mindset that they are the only person who could be right and if someone else has a different life style it must be wrong.
           Unfortunately this is also a problem in our world today. Each of us lives our lives in the way that we see best and the people who aren't doing what we are doing must be crazy. It may be that you are doing something right and someone else is doing something wrong but we have to look at what everyone else is doing and learn from it. Just because you think someone is doing something wrong it doesn't necessarily mean they are and it doesn't mean that you still can't learn from it.
           Instead of just calling everyone a fool and not going deeper into what they have to say we and the characters of Kohelet could try to work with them to find a greater solution. If we and they acknowledge what other people have to say we might find that our opinions are not always the only ones and other people might be right.

Wise Guy?

Looking at the final speech of the chacham it shows that he actually wasn't that wise, in my opinion. To me, he was just creating an illusion by making everyone think he was wise by giving them a reality check and making it seem as though he was better than them. He tried to be better than the others' philosophies. He would give them a reality check, but once they gave him a reality check, he was done. 

All the chacham wanted was to rule and that was all that mattered. He didn't care about wisdom or qualities. He just wanted to show everyone that he was better and he should rule. If people didn't have wisdom, they were nothing to him or anyone else. It didn't matter who you were or what type of person, if you didn't have wisdom, you didn't matter. 

In the beginning of the sefer, he started off saying that there is a time for every action and every emotion. Some people try to understand the world, but they can’t. He thought that he could figure everything out. He wanted to recognize the reality of the world. He said that it's not all about man. G-d creates things and you can't fix things that He broke. He said that life will never be perfect.

The chacham had a problem with the fact that man can't see other man's punishment if they do something wrong, so man can just do all evil because they are never punished. When the Yirei Elokim came and responded to him, he went ballistic. The yirei elokim told him that G-d has a system and after death people are held accountable for the actions they took in their lifetime. When the chacham heard this he went crazy. He said that the system is flawed and that men will just sin all the time because they can't see other man being punished.

He concludes with his final speech. In his final speech he says that man will get no where in life if they have no wisdom. He says that man doesn't know what will happen next and there is no one that could tell him what will happen next. He wasn't willing to take the leap of faith. He says that man should fix the problem before it even becomes a problem. He finished by saying that a wise person should be leading them and if a wise person isn't leading them, the world will be ruined.

Final Speech of the Yirei Elokim

In his final speech, the Yirei Elokim responds to everyone else's philosophies. 

Response to Chacham: Even in your most private areas where you think no one can hear, don't say bad things about others, because G-d can always hear. You think you know better than everyone else, but you don't. G-d has the ability to know man's thoughts and to see into the most secretive and private aspects of anyone's life. You don't have the access to peoples' private lives like G-d does. You are vulnerable - you can be outsmarted by a little bird -> YOU ARE LIMITED. 

There are things you can't know, the human mind is limited. But just because you don't know something it doesn't mean that everything is Hevel. There is nothing wrong with chachma, you just have to realize that it is limited. The sun sometimes enlightens you and allows you to see, but it's not everything. 

Response to Amal: You need to put certain things aside because there will be bad times in your life. There are two things in this world that you will never know: 1. what the weather will be 2. What is going on in pregnancy. Don't wait for the perfect time, because if you wait for the perfect time, you will never do anything. Take the risk, you have to toil. There are factors of this world that you don't know but you need to try anyways. 

Response to Nehene: If you think that living life is all physical pleasure, you won't find meaning because at some point you will no longer be able to experience physical pleasure. There is nothing wrong with physical pleasure, but you need to recognize G-d. If you can recognize the above the Shemsh world, the Tachat Hashemesh world will become meaningful. 

Response to Everyone: The only thing that man can know is that man can't know everything. The secret of life is that there is a G-d and if you recognize that there is a higher power of man, then you will fins meaning in your life. If everything of your life revolves around perfection, you will be stuck and yo won't find meaning. 

If you recognize that you are human, mortal, finite, and there is a G-d out there, then you can use the Chachma, Osher, and Kavod and you can have a meaningful life

THERE IS NOT YITRON TACHAT HASHEMESH IF YOU ARE LIVING AN ONLY TACHAT HASHEMSESH WORLD. 

The Yirei Elokim gives a lot of insight in his final speech. Something that everyone can learn from him. It's hard and scary to recognize that there is something above us that has all the power in the world and can use that power at any second. What he says is like the way that Charlie Harary answered one of the questions two Shabbatot ago. The question was about shomer and why it's so important. The answer that Charlie Harary gave was that in marriage the physical pleasure and the spiritual pleasure become something so meaningful. When you are married, your two souls become one and you are so strong spiritually. He said that if you waste the physical pleasure throughout your whole life, it will feel wasted and there won't be any significance or meaning to it. If you can wait until the time that you can have the perfect mix of spiritual and physical pleasure together and something becomes meaningful. 

The past week we learned the נהנה's last speech before he leaves Kohelet. Both the עמל and the כחם think that effort or wisdom can help make the world a better place. The נהנה responds to that saying man can't save himself through his actions. He realizes that no matter what you do everyone has the same fate- death. The sinners and righteous have the same fate, the good and the bad have the same fate, the pure and impure have the same fate, so what is the point? Once you are dead you are forgotten and lost. Nothing will happen once you die so you might as well eat, drink, and party. The נהנה has some truth to his words. We don't know what will come after this world, if anything at all.

Calvin and Hobbes

Following in Rachel Tsuna's footsteps, I found a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip that seems to encompass the viewpoint of the עמל.
He's happy and building things, and everything is great, but he can't be perfect so it's all worthless...
There you go. Short and sweet.

The Yirei Elokim's Initial Response to the Chacham

In י:כ, we see what could be a potential response to the Chacham's previous rant. He's saying that in his rant he cursed the king and the wealthy. He refers back to what the Chacham said in פרק ז – that everyone curses everyone - and he's telling him that he's not really above that. The Yirei Elokim is telling the Chacham that although he thinks he knows better, he doesn't have access to what G-d has access to (everything). G-d has the ability to know man's thoughts and to see into the most secretive and private aspects of his lief (במדעך and בחדרי משכבך).

In this one פסוק the Yirei Elokim is giving the Chacham a reality check: he's limited by definition. Stop yelling and complaining, you don't have ultimate control! The Yirei Elokim shows the חכם as vulnerable and out-smarted by a little bird. He is limited!

I have a slight problem with this. The Chacham has just proclaimed himself as an agnostic in the previous section. He may not be a complete atheist, but he's not willing to take that leap of faith. How are you going to start talking about G-d if someone doesn't even believe in G-d!? It's not a productive argument! I think the facts the Yirei Elokim are presenting make sense, but only if you are accepting his premise - that G-d even exists and has access to all of these things! I think each person really sees that their own way, but there's something else interesting about this Passuk. It is one pasuk, yet there is so much information in it. So many different thoughts and ideas that come from it. It's pretty fascinating that you can get so much out of 20 words - whether you're an agnostic, atheist, chacham, amal, nehaneh, or yirei elokim!

Is That It?

This week, we FINALLY reached the crux of the Yirei Elokim's philosophy. He FINALLY tells us how to find meaning in life. How do you find meaning in life? Man can follow this basic idea: the only thing that man can know for sure is that man does not know. Man is not in control. In the end, G-d is in control and will hold you accountable for your actions. Man must participate in this world because G-d will hold him accountable. In the end, life is about the journey.

When we first met the Yirei Elokim, I loved what he had to say. In my blog posts, I was literally singing his praises because his philosophy was so human, so real, so tangible. As the other characters attacked the Yirei Elokim's philosophy, I began to doubt his resolve and his "correctness." Honestly, that might be because he has never outright stated his philosophy before now. It has always been said in response to someone else, but never on its own. Now that we know what he's saying, or what he believes the essence of life is, are we supposed to believe what he says without contesting it? Maybe just a little disagreement? Maybe?

I personally agree that accepting the basic fact that man cannot understand is vital to one's search for meaning in life. So what happens when you understand that fact? How are you supposed to behave? You should behave ethically, I hope. If you accept G-d's dominance over man and fail to participate in the world and try, then you have still failed. Although the Yirei Elokim did mention that G-d will hold man accountable for his actions in the end, what about behavior in this world? It seems like morality should be understood, but, alas, some of the other characters in Kohelet clearly seemed to overlook this.

Let's remove this whole idea from the context of Judaism. People of all faiths, denominations, backgrounds, and nations search for meaning in life every day. If you search "meaning of life" on YouTube, you will get a mix of Tibetan Monks, Muslims, Christians, Atheists, and otherwise explaining what they believe is the meaning of life. I stumbled upon this video of the Dalai Lama, one of the world's most recognized religious leaders. What does he say is the key to finding meaning in life? Compassion.

From a global perspective, this sounds amazing. Compassion would help the world out tremendously. Now, given the compassion element, what is the meaning of life? Can this be derived from the Yirei Elokim's core philosophy?

Bacchus and the Smurfy Neheneh

It's funny how you find Kohelet connections in the randomest places. I'm babysitting, and the kids are watching the Smurfs, and there was an episode just now where Lazy takes a nap and dreams of Paradise.
In the episode, he is convinced to go to Paradise instead of gathering firewood like he should be doing, and a big blue Bacchus tells him to "have fun, for life is short." When they take advantage of all that, Bacchus starts trying to trap them to eat them. Maybe this is an indication of what the Neheneh life is really like? Maybe it seems all pretty and awesome and enjoyable, but underneath, once you start living it, it goes bad?
That would make sense... Once you start with one indulgence and then one more and one more, you're on a slippery slope that never stops. It comes to a point where there's never enough. We're never satisfied with what we have, no matter how MUCH we have.
I guess that's the hidden message in the Smurf episode: materialistic paradise might not be quite as lovely as we thought... Just a thought...

We Don't Have to Be Perfect..

From Steinbeck's East of Eden

What does this mean to you?

By Golly, I Think He's Got It!

As we near the end of the book of Kohelet, I am happy to say that I think the יראי אלוקים has the right idea. All we have been struggling with through the whole book is, מה יתרון? How can I find the meaning in life?

This past week we read the final speech of the יראי אלוקים, and came to one of his main realizations. This being that there is a power higher in man, and if you believe that, you will have a meaningful and prosperous life.

As I was thinking about this today, I was thinking of all of our avots' יתרון and how all of them up until Shlomo had a lot of meaning in life because they recognized a higher power. Avraham's whole life revolved around Hashem. At the beginning of his life he was an idol worshipper who still tried to find something more complex than a statue. From the day that Hashem came to Avraham, he was hooked and did nothing but listened to Him. Next, we have Yitzchak. He was born into believing in G-d. He was seen as a miracle of G-d in his family because Sarah was so old, she didn't believe she could even have a child. Yaakov, put his faith in G-d during his work in Lavan's field. He trusted that G-d would protect him and give him the wife and children he always wanted. Down the line a little bit, David HaMelech was the king who probably had the most faith in G-d (in my opinion). He led his kingdom in a G-d fearing manner that Shlomo did not. Shlomo got too caught up in materialist life to be G-d fearing like his father.

Through the יראי אלוקים, we see Shlomo's G-d fearing side. It shows us that it does exist, but that maybe he could have focused less on the materials and more on running his kingdom in the eye of G-d.

Is Enjoying al we can do in life???

When I first read the final speech of the Nehene, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could you say that G-d has no control and that there is nothing after we die. After looking the Perek over, I realized that the Nehene had made some pretty good points. How could one argue with them, If there is no proof, that his points are wrong. We don't know what happens after death.

The Nehene says that all we can do is enjoy, becase bad things are gonna happen no matter what we do. Is this true? There has to be something that can either replace pointless enjoying or bad things.

Appreciation and Gratitude

Well, my friends, we are approaching the end of Kohelet. The island is emptying, and soon only one character will remain (cue The Final Countdown). This week, we discussed the final speech of the Neheneh. The Neheneh's philosophy up until this point was that G-d is in complete control, and therefore, man should eat, drink, and enjoy because it all comes from G-d. The other characters objected to the Neheneh, mainly touching upon the ideas of the responsibility that man has.

So, in his speech, the Neheneh observes this world and the next, and arrives to a conclusion concerning both. He begins by saying that this world is a theodicy. There are bad people that are rewarded and there are good people who are punished. That is Hevel. He then responds to the previous three characters. Both the Chacham and the Amal don't know their fate. No matter how wise or how much you toil, you still remain in oblivion. No one listens to the wise man. To the Yirei Elokim he says that there is chaos and anarchy in the world. He concludes that if G-d were merciful, the bad person would go unpunished and the good person would be rewarded. If G-d were just, the bad person would be harshly punished and the good person would be somewhat punished for any bad. But, the fact that there is both justice toward the Tzadik and mercy towards the Rasha, makes the Neneheh think there is no system of justice and no control by G-d.

The Neheneh then espouses his ideas about the next world. No matter what you do in this world you all have the same fate. Everyone dies. His conclusion, therefore, about the next world is that a living dog is better than a dead lion and that once you're dead, you are immediately forgotten and lost. The Neheneh also offers his own conclusion about this world: that one must eat, drink, and be prepared to part-ay for nothing will happen to you once you die.

The Neheneh carries the following philosophy: Man must eat, drink, and be merry, for once he dies he can no longer enjoy. There will not be an accounting for your actions after you die. He also forms conclusions about "yitron," or purpose. He asserts that there is no "yitron,"as everyone has the same fate, there is chaos and anarchy- a world where G-d is not in control, and man will never know what will happen to him.

The Neheneh has turned into a very drastic hotel guest. How did he transform so quickly? His lack of faith is staggering. I think he needs to take a step back and appreciate what he has. Now that I come to think about it, the Neheneh really resembles Shlomo's quest for perfection. He wants the answer to everything. I'm sorry, buddy, but that's not how it works. We are not G-d. We cannot know everything. Some things we're just not meant to know. That gives us even more of an opportunity to have more faith in G-d, acknowledging that He is all-powerful.

G-d gave the Neheneh a world to enjoy; he should partake in it. The question of why the wicked prosper and the good suffer has plagued us for centuries. It is extremely frustrating to not be able to understand these things, but like I mentioned earlier, we don't need to know EVERYTHING.

This perek made me think of Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, we give thanks and appreciation for what we have. Maybe the Neheneh needs to join a Thanksgiving table or make a turkey filled with things he is thankful for. He needs to have gratitude, and just accept that he can't have/know everything. He may live a happier existence this way.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks.

No worries, G-d has it Under Control!!

         G-d is in complete control of this world, and no one else. G-d is the Ultimate ruler! Man is not accountable for his actions. Man is suppost to have a Partnership with G-d. And Man must do his part to make the world a better place. It seems like Man dosen’t really have to do anything in this world, excepet for eat drink, and Enjoy! But man can’t just sit back and relax and watch what bad things happen, and it just occurs. Man has to put an effort in, in everything that happens, little or small. It is Very hard to ignore responsibility, and just to party. Death is also hard to ignore. Man dosne’t know in this world when a person’s death is. The only thing that we can actually really do is Enjoy the World, because it is all from G-d. 


         Both the Amal and the Chcham come about the world and they think that effort/wisdom will help improve the world. The Nehena, Man can’t control Nature (earthquakes, tonadoes, volcanoes etc..) and so can man not control his death. You Can’t save yourself through actions. The wise Man thinks that No one care’s or litsens about what he has to say or does. 


        Everyone has the same Fate, and will never know what will happen to you. You look into this world and you can see all the evil and wickedness that man does. In this world people do evil, and sin. People Don’t recognize that they will be judged. Ultimately, Everyone will be held accountable for thier actions, of what they do, and we have to relize that it is all from G-d

Life, Death... What is this Shtuss?

What is the meaning of all of this business we call life? And what's the deal with death? Do our lives have meaning? If so, how do we find it? Where do we find it? If there's no meaning in our lives... what do we do? Are we being judged for what we do? Are we accountable for anything we do? In which world does it matter- this world or the next? Both? Why do good things happen to bad people? And how can bad things happen to good people, too? How does that make sense! Is life cyclical? Is there anything new under the sun? What makes man different than animal- are we different than animal? So many questions!

 Great questions. Questions we should be asking ourselves at this point in our lives. And yet... how many of you guys feel like you have solid answers yet? Sure, we're not done with the book yet, so there's still hope. But do you really think that you'll have a concrete answer to these questions when you come out of the class? I certainly don't. I think one of the wonderful things about this class is that we're having open discussions about all these ideas. We're thinking about these issues from many perspectives. We're looking at the different debates and having debates of our own. This is exactly what should be happening. If an answer comes out, great. If not, no matter. I guess what I just wrote is pretty reminiscent of the YE. We can't always be obsessed with answers that we can't find, just like we can't be obsessed with perfection when we are limited and imperfect beings. Anyways, just something to consider. Now.. Rav Calvin time. 

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For those of you who aren't familiar with Calvin and Hobbes, I'm going to have to ask you to read the whole story involving the raccoon. It's really one of the most emotional of the stories. Good stuff. Click here to see the whole series of strips. These two are taken from the very end. (Spoiler alerts ahead!) Calvin is struggling to find the meaning of life. After he invested so much in the raccoon only to have it die, he realized how fragile life is and how powerless we are in the whole scheme of things. 

You know what, guys? I can't figure out this death stuff either! Why do innocent people die early? People have this questions when struggling to accept why God would have let the holocaust happen. What do you guys say about this 'death stuff'? 

Death is a natural part of life. As much as I hate to admit it, I guess I'm going to die too. Though I don't think so. "We don't really understand it, but there are many things we don't understand, and we just have to do the best we can with the knowledge we have." Wise words from Calvin's mom. Kind've reminds me of the YE. What do you guys think? Do you buy this? Or it's not your cup of tea? 

Personally, this is how I like to think about life. This is  the last strip of C&H . Quite fitting. It's a magical world... Full of possibilities. This strip makes me happy. And you know what? After killing our brains with all these philosophical questions, I think it's important to take a step back at the end and say- I don't have all the answers, but the world sure is a magical place. And that's neat. Thoughts? Great or great? What do you think of fresh starts? 

Don't Worry, Be Happy

         This week in Megillot, we continued on from the diplomatic discussion between the Yirei Elokim and the Chacham to the final speech of the Neheneh. We learned in earlier perakim that the Neheneh believed that G-d is in complete control, so man is not accountable for his actions. He then concluded that the only thing we should worry about is enjoying everything. 

         The Amal, Yirei Elokim, and Chacham all responded to the Neheneh and jumped down his throat. The Amal told him that man has a role to play, and you can't just sit back and watch as bad things happen. The Yirei Elokim told him that G-d is in control, but man must do his part to make the world a better place. The Chacham told him that you can't just ignore death and responsibility in order to party.

         Now, in Perek ח and Perek ט, the Neheneh comes back once again to give us one last piece of advice. In the beginning of Perek ח, the Neheneh begins by saying there are bad people who are rewarded and good people who are punished. He concludes from this (shocker) that הכל הבל. He also responds to the Amal, the Yirei Elokim, and the Chacham. 

         To the Amal and the Chacham he says whether you're wise or you toil, you don't know your fate. To the Yirei Elokim, he expands on this idea, saying that he sees chaos in this world and he doesn't see G-d's hand. He comes to this conclusion by thinking that if G-d were merciful, the bad person would go unpunished and the good person would be rewarded. If G-d was just, the bad person would be harshly punished and the good person would be somewhat punished. However, the fact that there is both justice and mercy means there is NO system of justice and NO control by G-d. 

         In Perek ט, the Neheneh continues on his rant, saying that no matter what you do in this world, everyone has the same fate and every dies. He concludes that once you are dead, you are lost and forgotten. We should drink, eat, and be ready to party it up because nothing will happen to you once you die. You can no longer enjoy and there will be no accounting for your actions after death. 

         What light, happy, fun-filled thoughts! Seriously though, the Neheneh is getting on my nerves. Why is he complaining about everything? Now he sounds like the Amal who said that we shouldn't do anything because it's all pointless after death. Who cares!?!? Why are all so obsessed with death? I think that if they would concentrate on the present instead of the future, they would all be a lot happier. 

         With Thanksgiving coming up (the greatest holiday of the entire year), now is great time to start appreciating what you have. An article posted on fundamentalfocusing.com, called "Happiness and Dying", cleverly explains these ideas. The author of the article takes the 5 things that people wish they had done looking back on life and provides some inspiration. The one that I thought really relates to the Neheneh is the last one: "I wish that I had let myself be happier". The author writes that nowadays people are "waking up to the fact that they don't want to be a living dead...the same comment arises when we are ready to die".  I think this will certainly happen to the Neheneh at the end of his life. He'll be wondering why he spent so much time focusing on death instead of on life. 

True, But Frustrating

After finally getting to the final response from the Yirei Elokim, I don't think I'm truly satisfied. There are some interesting points the guy brings up that do restore my faith in G-d and this world after it was crushed multiple times during the course of this class, but I'm still a little shaky on believing everything this guy says. First of all, he says that there will be days of darkness when you feel that everything is hevel. That's pretty realistic, everyone does have their bad days, so it seems like he's stealing from the Chachum's playbook. I'm cool with that. He then says, what seems to be his main point, that man and the human mind are limited and finite. Man cannot know everything or control everything. That does not mean that man just shouldn't try, which were the conclusions of the Amal and Nehena,  but that man should attempt to understand the world and use Chachmah, he just also must realize that when he can't understand something, it does not mean that there is anarchy and chaos and everything is hevel. It just means that there are some things that are incomprehensible for man. The only thing that man can truly know is that man cannot know everything.

The more I think about that line, the more true I find it to be. But it is also extremely frustrating. The Yirei Elokim wants man to understand that he is limited so he should not strive for perfection or to have everything. There is something bigger than man, G-d, and if everything is about man and you can't be satisfied until you have it all, then you can never find meaning. It can't be all about the end goal, because if you're looking for it all then you're not going to reach it and you will never find meaning that way.

The Yirei Elokim makes some good points that really make you think, but the more I think about it, the less I am satisfied with it. It's not because I think this ideology is flawed, I just think as a human, it is hard to think that there are end goals that are simply unreachable because G-d is bigger than us or because we are incapable of reaching perfection. We say it all the time. We can't be perfect, we can't have it all, but when you think about it, it's kind of sad. If I want perfection and that is my goal, I will lose sight of meaning in the world. So can you not have both? Meaning in life and striving for perfection don't seem to mix according to the Yirei Elokim. I would have liked to see the Chachum's view on this response. It's frustrating to be told that we are limited and we are being held accountable for our actions when there still is no proof of any of this.

The Yirei Elokim also strikes down the theory that the cycles of nature make no progress because they just go around and around, ending up in the same place they started. He says that although the water might return to its origin at the end of the day, or that the sun rises and sets in the same place each day, they also accomplish many things during the day. Wind moves seeds and creates new life and the sun gives us warmth and keeps us alive. Along the way, things do happen--new things, even. There is progress. I do like this concept. I think it's another example of looking at the bigger picture, or from a new angle. Instead of looking at it in a negative light--no progress--we can look at it from a positive angle--looking at all that's accomplished while the cycle takes place.

Chacham vs Yirei Elokim

     As we continue through the argument that the Chacham and Yirei Elokim are having They are having a debate. The Chacham disagrees with the Yirei Elokim who thinks that you should live your life and be punished after you  die. While the Chacham thinks that you should not be punished and should continue to live your life. Punishments can come in any form , but these two characters have their own opinions and continue to say what they think.
    
    These two opinions gives me many idea about how this works.
I think that being punished after death is a good idea because at least you can look back and recognize what you did wrong. With this being said the argument continues and there are still many opinions about this topic .

Who Knew That Kohelet Would Be So Involved In Mr. Brame's Class?

        In Mr. Brames literature class we have been talking greatly about Romanticism. Romanticism is setting aside reason/ rationality and is all about using spontaneity, nature, and feelings. Two things in the class sounded similar to something I heard before. Henry Longfellow, a Romantic writer, wrote a poem, "The Psalm of Life." Most of the poem just really sounded awfully familiar to me. In the "Psalm of Life", Longfellow is basically urging the readers to look at life in a positive way and using the messages from the poem as a guide in their lives. When talking about death Longfellow explains the following:

Life is only temporary and everyone dies eventually. Every day people are getting closer to their deaths.  After a person dies though, their soul continues to live. G-d created the world having everyone die. Death should not get you down. 

^ 

It honestly sounds like Longfellow wrote this part of the poem after hearing the Chacham's philosophy in Kohelet. When the Chacham responds to all the philosophies didn't he say that everyone dies? Didn't he specifically say to the Amal that G-d made the world broken? G-d made the world with death, but didn't he tell the Amal not to let death get him down? 

Anyways,

Part of this poem was very similar to the Chacham's responses ( Especially to the Amal) but today in class something else we talked about also sounded very familiar to Kohelet. We were talking about writers like Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. 

Do you know what all of these writers have in common?

 They are all Transcendentalists. 

Transcendentalists are Romantic writers who try to simplify everything. They try to go beyond, examine nature, and make a difference. 

( Kind of similar to the Amal's starting philosophy before he realized man could not do anything.)

When they die they want to be able to look back and feel like they accomplished something and they want to understand their lives. Thoreau, a famous transcendentalist wrote a book after he faced a hardship which inspired Ghandi. Ghandi then inspired Marting Luther King Jr. and he inspired us.   <-- This is the political part of transcendentalism. They made a difference and helped the world. They also thought, "Are your acquisitions going to make you happy when you die? What do you want to be remembered for?" They lived a simple life and are very involved in nature. They are very optimistic. 

Yet again the Transcendentalists remind me of Kohelet again.

 This time, part of the philosophy reminds me of the Amal's starting philosophy when he says that man needs to make a difference and fix injustice.When it is talking about the materialistic acquisitions it reminded me in the beginning of Kohelet when Kohelet is talking about how he was the wealthiest king and all of his wealth did not make him happy.

Basically I have come to the conclusion that Kohelet's philosophies are not just in Kohelet, but they also appear in all different subjects. I would never expect Kohelet to appear so much in Mr. Brames American Lit class? I just find it so fascinating that parts of these philosophies are what we learn in our every day lives.