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.
Sophie, very interesting post. I am also intrigued by the Yirei Elokim's statement of how to find meaning in life. If we look to our ancestors as the models of how to behave/how to center you life around G-d/how to find meaning in life, then your points are certainly valid. However, there are some people who simply cannot accept what they cannot know for sure. In those cases, the meaning in life comes through humanity and through morality. This morality, although it looks the same as the morality we practice, is fundamentally different from ethical monotheism; it is not based on G-d but on man. As a counter-argument to my counter argument, I would say that man is imperfect, so trying to emulate man can end badly. I like what the Yirei Elokim has to say, but I feel like there's something else as well. Maybe Kohelet himself can provide us with an answer for that.
ReplyDelete