Kohelet

This Shabbat we read Kohelet as part of שבת חול המועד. Shlomo Hamelech contributed three of the twenty four books of Tanach. Only Mishlei was without controversy, while Shir Hashirim and Kohelet were added after much debate.

Rabbi Akiva went to bat for שיר השירים and called it, “Holy of Holies.” Kohelet was added primarily because of its message at the end of the book.

This message was simply to state that after all considerations of what are worthwhile pursuits in this world, the only thing to know is, “Fear G-d and keep the commandments, for this is all there is to man.”

Shlomo Hamelech was the ultimate “been there, done that” kind of guy. He claimed to have tried every possible pursuit in this world. His conclusion was “all is vanity.”

Everything has its limitations in this world. One May amass a fortune, only to have it wasted away by his heirs. There is nothing that one can do that will give him the satisfaction and peace of mind as spiritual pursuits.

This is emphasized on Succot where we need to set our priorities straight as to what is important in this world, and what is not.