Ecclesiastes 3

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Ecclesiastes 3

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

<html>For everything there is a season. Let not one who accumulates possessions out of vanity rejoice, for although he possesses them now, they will ultimately pass on to the righteous, only the time has not yet arrived, for everything has a set time¹The word עת [=time] is repeated 29 times in this section, corresponding to the number of days in a lunar month. when it will be.²I.e., nothing is coincidental, rather there is a specific time for everything (Metsudas Dovid). Alternatively, one should not say that he has no time for Torah study or the performance of Mitzvos, because in reality לכל זמן, there is time for everything when, ועת לכל חפץ, if it is for an activity that he really desires [=חפץ], there is always time. (Kehilas Yaakov) For everything. For every thing [=חֵפֶץ. All things דְּבָרִים are called “חֲפָצִים” in the language of the Mishnah.</html>

Verse 2

<html>A time to be born. At nine months. And a time to die. The limit of the years of each generation. A time to plant. A nation and a kingdom. And a time to uproot. A time will come for it to be uprooted.</html>

Verse 3

<html>A time to kill. An entire nation, when the day of its visitation comes, as it is stated, “and he will slay your remnant [with the sword].”³Yeshayahu 14:30. And a time to heal. Their ruin, as the matter is stated concerning Egypt, “and they will repent to Adonoy, and He will accept their prayer and heal them.”⁴Yeshayahu 19:22. A time to wreck. The wall of the city, when it is decreed upon it, as it is stated, “and the wall of Yerusholayim is breached.”⁵Nechemyah 1:3. And a time to build. As it is stated, “and I will build it up as in the days of old.”⁶Amos 9:11. </html>

Verse 4

<html>A time to weep. On the ninth of [Menachem] Av. And a time to laugh. In the time to come, as it is stated, “Then our mouth will be filled with laughter.”⁷Tehillim 126:2. A time to mourn. In the days of mourning. And a time to dance. With bridegrooms and brides.⁸The Gra explains the reason why this verse does not have parallel structure, i.e., why is does not state עת לספוד ועת לרקוד, i.e., with a lamed as in the beginning עת לבכות ועת לשחוק. He says that it hints to the halachah stated in Maseches Kesuvos 17a, that on two occasions one interrupts his Torah study [= למד], lamed, to attend a wedding [רקוד] or to attend a funeral [ספוד]. </html>

Verse 5

<html>A time to cast away stones. The youths of Yisroel scattered during the destruction of the Beis [Hamikdosh], as it is stated, “sacred gems are scattered.”⁹Eichah 4:1. And a time to gather them from the exile, as it is stated, “And Adonoy their God will save His people like sheep on that day, for the stones of the crown will be exalted over His land.”¹⁰Zecharyah 9:16. A time to embrace. [As it is stated,] “For, just as a belt is fastened, etc.”¹¹Yirmiyahu 13:11. And a time to refrain from embracing. [As it is stated,] “And Adonoy will drive the people far away.”¹²Yeshayahu 6:12. </html>

Verse 6

<html>A time to seek. As the matter is stated, “I will seek the lost,”¹³Yechezkeil 34:16. concerning the scattered among Yisroel. And a time to abandon. And a time when He causes them to perish in the exile, as it is stated, “And you will become lost among the nations.”¹⁴Vayikra 26:38. A time to preserve. [As it is stated,] “May Adonoy bless you and safeguard you,”¹⁵Bamidbar 6:24. when you do His will. And a time to discard. [As it is stated,] “And He cast them to another land.”¹⁶Devarim 29:27. </html>

Verse 7

<html>A time to rip apart. The kingship of the House of Dovid,¹⁷When Bnei Yisroel act in an evil manner. [as it is stated,] “And I tore the kingship, etc.”¹⁸I Melochim 14:8. And a time to sew. [As it is stated,] “And they will become united in your hand;”¹⁹Yechezkeil 37:17. [and] “neither shall they be divided any longer into two kingdoms.”²⁰Ibid. Verse 22. A time to be silent. These are the times when a person is silent and receives a reward,²¹E.g., when a person is insulted and yet remains silent. (Metsudas Dovid) as it is stated, “and Aharon was silent,”²²Vayikra 10:3. and he [therefore] merited that the Divine speech addressed him personally, as it is stated, “And Adonoy spoke to Aharon, [saying] ‘Do not drink intoxicating wine.’”²³Ibid. Verse 8. And a time to speak. [As it is stated,] “Then Moshe sang,”²⁴Shemos 15:1. [and,] “And Devorah sang,”²⁵Shoftim 5:1. [and,] “Take words with you.”²⁶Hoshei’a 14:3. </html>

Verse 8

<html>A time to love. [As it is stated,] “And He will love you.”²⁷Devarim 7:13. And a time to hate. [As] it is stated, “All their evil is in Gilgal; for there I hated them.”²⁸Hoshei’a 9:15. </html>

Verse 9

<html>What benefit [then] has the worker. What is the benefit of the one who does evil, in all that he labors? He too, his time will come, and all [his ill gotten gains] will be lost. </html>

Verse 10

<html>The matter. The behavior. To be afflicted. To behave.</html>

Verse 11

<html>Beautiful in its time. In its proper time, it is beautiful that reward be given for good deeds, but at the time of evil, it is appropriate for meting out punishment for evil deeds.²⁹Alternatively, “beautiful in its time,” refers to God’s provision of sustenance to all in a timely fashion (Sforno). Or, everything He made is “beautiful when used in its designated time.” (Metsudas Dovid) Even [a sense of] the external world He has set in their heart, etc. Also the wisdom of the world that He instilled into the hearts of mankind, He did not instill it all into each one’s heart, rather a little to this one and a little to that one, in order that man should not fully grasp the workings of the Holy One, Blessed Is He, to know it; [and thereby] he will not know the day of his visitation [death] and on what he will stumble, in order that he put his heart to repent, so that he will be concerned and say [to himself], “Today or tomorrow I will die.” Therefore, ‘הָעֹלָם’ is written here defectively [i.e., without a ‘vav’], an expression of “hidden,” for if man knew that the day of his death was near, he would neither build a house nor plant a vineyard.³⁰Alternatively, “העלם” means eternity and the verse is translated as “even a sense of eternity [העלם] He has set in their heart, etc.” and therefore they act as if they will live forever. (Ibn Ezra) Therefore, he says that, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” The fact that there is a time for death is a beautiful thing, for a person optimistically says [to himself], “Perhaps my death is far off,” and he builds a house and plants a vineyard; and it is beautiful that it is concealed from people.³¹Alternatively, העלם is referring to forgetfulness. </html>

Verse 12

<html>I know. Now, since the time of visitation [death] is concealed, that there is nothing better for man than to rejoice with his portion and to do that which is good in his Creator’s eyes, while he is yet alive. </html>

Verse 13

<html>And enjoys the good. The Torah and the commandments.</html>

Verse 14

<html>I know that whatever [God] does. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, in the Creation, is fit to be eternal, and it cannot be changed, either by adding or by subtracting, and when it is changed, [it is because] God commanded and caused it to be changed, in order that they should fear Him. The ocean broke through its boundary in the generation of Enosh and inundated a third of the world, and God did this so that they would fear Him. Seven days, the course of the sun was changed in the generation of the flood, to rise in the west and set in the east, in order that they fear Him. [Also,] the sun went back ten degrees in the days of Chizkiyahu; and in the days of Achaz his father, the day was shortened and the night was lengthened on the day of his death, so that he should not be eulogized. All this was so that they would fear Him.³²See the Gemara in Maseches Shabbos 31b which states that God created His world only that men should fear Him, i.e., that they should have awe and reverence for Him. Therefore, there is nothing better for a man to occupy himself with than with [fulfilling] His commandments and to fear Him. </html>

Verse 15

<html>That which already was. That which was before us, was already done, and we either saw it or heard it from others who saw it, and we can attest to it, for we saw that the Holy One, Blessed Is He, seeks the pursued. Yaakov was pursued, Eisav was a pursuer, [and Scripture states,] “And I loved Yaakov. But I hated Eisav.”³³Malachi 1:1-2. The Egyptians pursued Yisroel; the Egyptians drowned in the sea, and [Bnei] Yisroel were victorious. And that which is. Destined to be at the end is a model of what already was. As it was in the beginning, so will it be at the end. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, does not change His standards [by which He sustains] the world. And God seeks the pursued. To punish the pursuer. Therefore, what benefit is derived by one who does evil in what he labors? Ultimately he will have to pay [for it]. </html>

Verse 16

<html>In the place of justice, etc. I saw with the Holy Spirit, the place of the Chamber of Hewn Stone in Yerusholayim, which was, “full of justice,”³⁴Yeshayahu 1:21. there they judge wickedly, as it is stated, “Her leaders judge for bribes,”³⁵Michah 3:11. and I saw their punishment. And in the place of righteousness. The middle gate, which was the place where laws were established. There was wickedness. There sat Sarsachim, the chief captain, Nergal Saretzer, the chief officer, and Nevuchadnetzar and his armies,³⁶See Yirmiyahu 39:3. and they judged Yisroel with harsh tortures and death sentences. There was wickedness. The accent mark is above [i.e., before the last syllable], indicating that it is a noun like [the preceding] ‘הָרֶשַׁע [wickedness].’³⁷Alternatively, הרשע is “the wicked person.” (Targum) (It should have been vowelized with a segol under the resh, but since it is at the end of the verse, it is changed to be vowelized with a kamatz gadol, although we do not find another instance [of this word]³⁸But we do find instances of other words that change, as in Shemos 21:24, it states “פצע תחת פצע [=a wound for a wound],” the pei of the first “פצע” is vowelized with a segol, and the pei of the second פצע is vowelized with a kamatz because of the esnachta. (Sifsei Chachomim) where it changes in the case of an esnachta or a sof pasuk). </html>

Verse 17

<html>I said in my heart, etc. Therefore, I say everything is judged by the Holy One, Blessed Is He, in due time, and even though the matter [appears] delayed, it will eventually reach its time, for there is a time for everything, even for retribution and for the visitation of judgement there is a time that comes. And for every deed that man did, they will judge him there when the time of the visitation arrives; there at that time, a time is given for every deed, to be judged for it. At the gate of the fold there are words, but in the stall are there is strict accounting.³⁹See Maseches Shabbos 32a. The shepherd waits until the goats are by the gate of the fold, and then he rebukes and punishes them. </html>

Verse 18

<html>I said to myself. When I observed all this. Concerning the state of man. Who adopted the trait of haughtiness, to exert rulership and superiority over those smaller than they. [God] has set them apart. (Other texts: [God] should clarify for them.) The Holy One, Blessed Is He, to notify them that their rulership is nought, and to show them and also the princes and the kings — They themselves are as beast. Like other beasts and animals they are to themselves.</html>

Verse 19

<html>For the fate of men, etc. This is the reason for the matter, that the Holy One, Blessed Is He, gave a fate and a mishap to mankind, and there is a fate and a mishap to the beasts, and He gave one fate to them both, for just as this one dies, so does that one die. And the superiority of man over beast is nil. And the superiority and the success of man over beast is not apparent after he dies, for everything is converted to nothingness by returning to the dust.⁴⁰This is true when a person spends his life only in the accumulation of wealth. (Metsudas Dovid) </html>

Verse 21

<html>Who knows. As in, “Whoever knows, let him repent,”⁴¹Yoel 2:14. [i.e., he] who understands, knows that “the spirit of man” ascends on high and stands in judgment, “and the spirit of the beast” descends to the earth, and does not have to give a justification and reckoning.⁴²However, there are a very few who understand and know this distinction which differentiates the spirit of man from beast. (Metsudas Dovid) [Therefore,] one must not behave like a beast which does not [have to] care about its deeds. </html>

Verse 22

<html>I perceived. In all of these. That there is nothing better. For man. That man should rejoice in his work. He should rejoice and eat in the toil of his hands, but not to widen his desire like the grave, to covet riches, to accumulate that which is not rightfully his. For that is his lot. The toil of his hands, that is the portion given him from Heaven, and with it he should rejoice. For who will bring him to see. After he dies, what his children will have; if they, too, will be successful with the wealth that he accumulated and left over for them, or whether they will not prosper.⁴³Alternatively, for who will bring him to see the reward and punishment after death. </html>

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Table of Contents

Ecclesiastes 3

Ecclesiastes 3

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

Verse 21

Verse 22