Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, from last week

Just the usual reminder to have a text handy.

We're in Kohelet Chapter 6, verse 8, discussing the difference between a "ksil" and a "chacham," a foolish one and a wiseman,

The chacham uses his talents and intelligences, while the ksil wastes them.

No one really knows about other people's burdens; it's not good to be jealous, go after othe rpeople's lives--the ksil imagines that it would be better. But he's wrong.

9- go with what you see, don't imagine, don't presume what's in another person's heart. You may be very wrong, like "Peace Imagined," what Nissan calls "peace now." It's all an illusion. The arabs never promised us any peace for all the "concessions." They just want us dead and gone.

We must base our lives on reality, not spend money as if we'll be winning the lottery.
"mehalach nafesh", is "menukatak mehamitziut," removed/disconnected from reality.
If our soul could see where we're going, it would be "hevel," norishkeit, useless.
We're not supposed to know our exact reward, punishment, future. We can't control the future and shouldn't try.
The two other main religions concentrate on rewards-Islam and punishment-Christianity. They try to keep their people in line with threats and promises.
Judaism is different. We are not supposed to knwo how the accounting is done.

10-Don't interfere with G-d's responisibilities.. From the time of Adam Harishon, the first man, nothing is newly created. It was all here, though maybe not found or put together. The only thing "new" is Torah learning.

11-Preventing bad things may keep us from the suffering we need to do proper tshuva, repentence. If we don't let a child fall, he won't learn how to get up. He'll be weaker and less capable.
12- How do we know what's really better?
One shouldn't run after nothingness, illusions, It's hevel, vanities. We have no idea what will be.

so true