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.
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