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Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Bereishit Genesis 1:1-6:8
By Shlomo Riskin
Efrat, Israel At the conclusion of the Sukkot Festival, just prior to the
Sabbath when we begin reading the Biblical cycle once again with the portion
of Genesis, we read the Scroll of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet); and strangely
enough, there is a striking connection between what appears to be the
pessimistic and even nihilistic message of Ecclesiastes and the Biblical
tale of Cain and Abel.
Commentaries throughout the generations have wrestled with the connection
between a Scroll that iterates and reiterates the utter futility of life
when assessed from the perspective of certain death – the one fate that is
destined for all – and Sukkot, our festival of greatest joy. King Solomon,
the wisest and wealthiest of Kings who is traditionally reputed to have
authored Kohelet, impresses upon us with elegant cadences but nevertheless
with the subtlety of a sledge-hammer how neither wisdom nor wealth nor
material pleasures nor toil can bring ultimate satisfaction when “there is
an evil about all things that go on under the sun: that the same fate awaits
us all;… a live dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:3,4).
Indeed, the word “hevel” (literally a breath or the whitish vapor which
exudes from one’s mouth on a cold day, but usually translated as vanity
because of the fleeting and non-substantive nature of this vapor) appears in
this Scroll no less than thirty-eight times, and in the very opening verse
seven times: Vapor of vapors (a double noun which counts for two), says
Kohelet, vapor of vapors, everything is vapor” (Eccles 1:2). And no
wonder! After all, according to the literal meaning of this scroll, “The
dead know nothing at all; there is no more reward for them, their memory is
forgotten. Their love, their hate, their jealousy have already perished –
nor will they ever again have a share in whatever is done beneath the sun”
(Ibid 9:5,6).
The traditional commentaries, most notably the Targum, emphasize the vapor-
vanity aspect of life when it is viewed “beneath the sun” – beneath
the sun rather than beneath a loving and eternal G-d, from the perspective
of this mortal, finite and often unfair world rather than from the
perspective of the infinite and true world – to – come. This
understanding provides a logical tie-in to the Sukkah: when one views the
entire desert experience from a purely geographical – historical vantage
point, the Sukkot were temporary huts which barely insulated us from the
cold and heat and barely protected us from the rains and winds; but when we
see the desert as the natural outgrowth of Divine miracle and loving
intervention which freed us from Egyptian servitude, then the desert Sukkot
become clouds and rays of Divine glory which symbolize the Sanctuary.
But even according to the simple meaning of the text, King Solomon –
despite his initial pessimistic assessment of life as transient and
inconsequential as the fleeting vapor of a breath – seems to make a
fascinating turnaround. In the very verse following his pining over the
futility of a life which must always end in the destruction of human love,
hate and jealousy, he suddenly declares: “Go, eat your bread with joy and
drink your wine with a glad heart, for G-d has already approved your deeds.
Let your garments always be white and your head never lack oil. Enjoy life
with the wife you love through all the days of the life of your vapor which
(G-d) has given you beneath the sun all the days of the your vapor; for that
is your compensation for your life and your toil which you toil beneath the
sun. Whatever you are able to do with your strength, shall you do!, because
there is neither deed nor accounting nor knowledge nor wisdom in the
netherworld where you are going to there” (Eccles 9: 7-10).
What caused the switch in attitude, suggesting that it is precisely the
inevitability of death and the briefness of life which ought spur you on to
enjoy life to its fullness and accomplish as much as your strength allows? I
remember my last visit to my maternal grandmother, the individual who had
the most profound influence on my life, just a few days before here death.
She lived in an “efficiency room” (combined kitchen and bedroom) within
my aunt and uncle’s larger apartment; she was then ninety years old, and
very ill, although not in real pain. As I entered her room, she gave me her
very special smile. “Mein Liebes Kind” (My beloved child), she
said. “That is exactly how I see my life – an opening and closing of the
door, a brief instant in the eternal span of time. Make sure you utilize
each moment. I know I’m dying, and I’m not afraid to die. I’m going
home to G-d. I only pray I used the time I was given as best as
possible…”
This, I believe, is the true meaning of King Solomon’s Scroll. Eitan
Dorshav, in a most thoughtful article in Azure, Autumn 2004, provides the
interpretation. It is the very beauty of life which ought serve to spur us
on to actualize our potential and make the most of every moment we have in
this world – before it’s too late. Were we to face a lifetime of
infinity, there would be no necessity to do, to love, to relate; after all,
why do today what you can always do tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow,
unless there may not be a tomorrow… . And since we are such finite
mortals, we must grasp onto every moment of joy and satisfaction, we must
live each moment as fully as possible.
The opening portion of the Book of Genesis tells of Cain and Abel, Hevel,
the shepherd whose very short life – a vapor, a breath – was cruelly
snuffed out. However, the Bible tells us, “And Hevel also brought (a
sacrifice to G-d) consisting of his first-born, fatted sheep; And the Lord
looked with favor (gave salvation, Hebrew Yesha) to Hevel… “ (Genesis
4:4). In the sum total of things, whether we live to be a 100 or 20, our
lives are always too short and seem to pass as mere vapor. The most we can
hope for is that the period of time we do live is devoted to G-d, to the
eternal ideal of compassion, freely – given love and truth, and that we
fulfill the human mission of being shepherds for those who require our care.
The question can never be how long you lived, but rather what you made of
whatever time was placed at your disposal. If you were a shepherd, and if
your life was dedicated to G-d, then you will have achieved salvation.
On my desk in my Ohr Torah Stone office in Efrat is a clock which is modeled
after the sun-clock put up in Jerusalem by Rav Shmuel Salant more than 100
years ago, instead of ciphers it has letters, twelve letters spelling out
the verse, “our days are as a passing shadow.” (Ymnu Kztl Over). I have
added beneath the clock a mediating verse, “In the shadow of Your Wings do
I find sheltering comfort.” I do not find such a clock depressing; much
the opposite, it inspires me to make each moment as momentous as possible.
Shabbat Shalom
Shlomo Riskin
Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone
Chief Rabbi - Efrat Israel
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