INSIGHT 5768 - #03 FRAME OF REFERENCE
There is a minhag, a custom, to
read Megillat Kohelet, the Book of Ecclesiastes,
publicly, in the synagogue, on Chol HaMoed Succot,
the Intermediary Shabbat of Succot. In that
the holiday of Succot is the most joyous of
holidays, it is strange that this seemingly morose work
is read at this time. One answer, that is presented to
explain this apparent paradox, is that this reading will
ensure that the activities of joy undertaken in
celebration of holiday will not divert into frivolity.
With unmitigated joy there is always the possibility of
the fun leading away from Torah even into licentiousness.
The words of Kohelet can an offer a proper dose of
sobriety to ensure that this does not occur. The difficulty with this answer, though, is that it
still does not explain how Kohelet connects with the
theme of Succot, if it does. In fact, this
explanation, in a certain way, challenges this very
theme. If Succot is to be a time of great
celebration, yet we must be wary of great celebration
because it can lead to improper behaviour, why would the
Torah command a time of great celebration in the first
place? Perhaps, it can be argued, the reading of Kohelet
is solely intended to keep the celebration straight and
proper, but the actual words seem to be morose in
contradiction of the very theme of the day? Is the only
way to deal with the problems of simcha, joy, by
diverting us away from this very theme? Kohelet
does not seem to steer the simcha, joy, in the
proper direction but rather seems to dampen the
celebration. As such, the whole question of the purpose
of celebrating can be challenged. The answer may be that
Kohelet is not really a morose text but rather an
instructional text on exactly how to celebrate properly.
For the one celebrating improperly, the work indeed may
seem to be morose but that is not really Kohelet’s
intent. There are two types of joy, improper joy and
proper joy. Succot is about proper joy and Kohelet
may be the text that defines this distinction between
variant types of joy. More significantly, though, it may
also be the very text that gives the necessary direction
as how to achieve proper joy, part of the very essence of
Succot.
T.B. Shabbat 30b informs us that Sages wished
to hide the book of Kohelet for it offered many
contradictions, thus lent itself to misinterpretation.
The gemara presents the very topic of joy as the
example of apparent contradictions. Verses praise simcha
and verses critique simcha.1 The gemara
explains that the distinction in attitude was actually
tied to the nature of the simcha. It was joy tied
to mitzvot that was deserving praise and it was
joy not tied to mitzvot that was deserving of
criticism. The answer actually seems to be pretty
straightforward. The question even emerges: why would
this confuse the reader, leading the Sages to consider
hiding this work? Of course not every form of joy is good
or bad; defining the moral nature of a joy clearly
depends on the circumstances. The fact is, though, that
Kohelet itself does not make that distinction. It uses
the generic term, joy. Why did Kohelet not say that, at
times, joy, if approached correctly can be good, yet, at
other times, if approached incorrectly, it can be
negative? How often do we ask this question? Why does the
Written Torah2 not just say what it means; why
does it demand the explanation of the Oral Torah? In this
case, the answer may lie in the fact that Kohelet is not
just describing two types of joy but two differing
foundations of joy. Joy is, indeed, contradictory and
confusing. The answer of the gemara is not just a
presentation of differing joys; it represents differing
perspectives to the confusion of joy.
The gemara does not present its answer of
two different types of joy as an explanation for why the
Sages did not hide the book of Kohelet even though it
presented contradictory ideas. The gemara explains
that the Sages decided not to hide Kohelet because, even
though it was full with contradiction, it still demanded
to be available to be potentially read by all for it
began with words of Torah and ended with words of Torah.3
What does this mean? How does this answer justify
the existence of the contradictions within the verses of
this work? The gemara may be informing us that the
opening and closing verses present the context for
reading and understanding the entire work. If one reads
Kohelet out of context, there is indeed the possibility
for mis-understanding. This was the concern. Confronting
the confusion of joy could yield negative results. Yet,
as part of Torah, confronting the confusion of joy may be
necessary in reaching for Torah heights. That one must
read the contradictory verses on joy within the context
of Torah is part of the message of the opening and
closing verses. One may still ignore the message but the
Sages are satisfied that the message is given. As such,
one who heeds this message may gain from the lessons
within the verses of this work.
Joy, as with perhaps all of life, is filled with
contradiction. At times, it can be positive but at times
it can also be the foreteller of disaster. The difference
may not lie in the actual joy but in how we approach the
joy. This is often true within life. The difference does
not lie in the actual case but, rather, in how we
approach the case. It is our frame of reference that
often defines life, including the contradictory nature of
life.
Oftentimes, people attempt to live by avoiding the
complexity. Complexity is often tied to confusion and
confusion is often tied to unhappiness. Kohelet broaches
the confusion; the initial result is that it is deemed to
be morose. It is not confusion that yields this
moroseness but rather the frame of reference that
attempts to avoid the challenge of the complexity that
God has placed before us that yields the moroseness. The
call of Kohelet is, in a certain way, to embrace the
complexity and confusion for this is the very task that
God has placed before the human being. It is traveling
this path of Torah that is the true inner joy of life.
This is the essence of the joy of Succot, of the
joy of the mitzvah, of the joy of Torah. We grow
in the confrontation with life. This is our very task.
This is the lesson of Kohelet. This must be our frame of
reference in every encounter we have with life. This is
also the underlying message of the joy of Succot
when we celebrate the harvest, the positive result of our
difficult efforts, which God has given us – both the
positive results and the difficult efforts.
Rabbi Benjamin Hecht e-mail Footnotes 1 See Kohelet 2:2;
7:3; 8:15. 2 This term, in this case,
referring to the Tanach, the entire Written Bible. 3 This is specifically
referring to Kohelet 1:3 and 12:13. © Nishma, 2007
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