Ecclesiastes: The illusion of vanity and the reality of love (XIV)

“I saw all [in] one that walks under the sun, with the second child who will rise in his stead. There is no end to all the people, to all that were before them; also the last ones will not rejoice with him, for this too is vanity and frustration.” (Ecclesiastes 4:15-16)

As long as we “walk under the sun”, which means in this material world, we are bound to live by our choices every time we are able to exercise free will. We set our boundaries based on our ability to discern between good and evil, and the priorities derived from either living in the ways and attributes of goodness or living in ego’s fantasies and illusions.

In times of distress we have to maintain the awareness that the goodness coming from God’s love is our freedom, as the psalmist says.

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my redemption. I wait for You all day long. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation. I wait for You all day long. Remember Your compassion, O Lord, and Your loving kindness, for they are eternal.”

(Psalms 25:4-5)

Once our priorities and choices are made, we are bound to them and live by and for them. Every action or creation (including having children) are also ruled by them, and continue to rule under their predicament of vanity and frustration. Our sages also call “children” deeds and inventions to tell us that all our actions have consequences, and we better think more than about what the real priorities and choices in life. Thus we end up realizing that what really matters is goodness as our true sustenance, fulfillment and joy.

“Watch your feet when you go to the house of God, and be ready to obey rather than fools should give sacrifice, for they know not that they do evil.” (Ecclesiastes 4:17)

We indicate often that the “house” represents our consciousness and what we have in it or put in it. In this verse, “the house of God” encompasses ways and attributes that He wants to share with us as part of our essence and identity.

“Send forth Your light and Your truth. May they lead me, they bring me onto the mount of Your holiness and on Your dwellings. And I go unto the altar of God, unto God, the joy of my rejoicing. And I thank You with a harp, O Lord, my God.” (Psalms 43:3-4)

Coming to His house means to engage ourselves in all forms and expressions of goodness, peace, grace, compassion, slowness to anger, abundant loving kindness and truth, as traits and qualities with which God directs His creation and relates to it (see God’s attributes of compassion in Exodus 34:6-7). These are the light and truth that lead us to Him.

In order to have a life inspired, sustained and directed by these attributes as our common bond with our Creator, we have to “watch our feet” by letting our discernment and judgment to embrace constantly all expressions of goodness in every choice that we make. We live in God’s house by following (“obeying”) the principles that bind us to Him.

Thus we understand that the choices of our foolishness are not the proper “sacrifices” we offer to Him, for sooner or later we all realize that a self-centered approach to life as negative consequences as the evil that we seem unaware of.

Ecclesiastes: The illusion of vanity and the reality of love (XIII)

“Two are better than one, since they have good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his friend, but woe to the one who falls and has no second one to lift him up. Moreover, if two lie down, they will have warmth, but how will one have warmth?”

(Ecclesiastes 4:9-11)

Generosity and compassion give sense and meaning to life in a world where we all depend on each other for our individual and collective goodness. In this understanding and approach we are constantly rewarded, for goodness is its own reward. Thus we also assimilate that pursuing goodness is the main purpose of life as a learning process.

We come to know goodness in contrast to anything different or opposed to it, for it is the only way to live it, value, protect and defend it. Thus we see goodness as a source we must turn into a reservoir for the times when our own goodness is challenged and threatened by the negative traits and trends triggered by a selfish approach to life. The latter is the “one way street” mentality that depends on goodness but does not provide it, for such mentality leads only to death and destruction.

“And if a man prevails against the one, the two will stand against him, and a three- stranded cord will not quickly be broken.” (4:12)

In our unity lies our strength. The more we are bond to each other, the better we can face and overcome our challenges as well as confronting and defeating our enemies. This principle must be applied to our own levels and dimensions of consciousness.

Discernment must lead our thoughts to focus on goodness in order to strengthen our emotions and feelings, and be able to direct our speech and actions toward good deeds. Goodness must be the unifying tread of all aspects and expressions of life, as the eternal bond with our Creator.

“Better a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king, who no longer knows to receive admonition. For out of the prison he has come to reign, for even in his kingdom he becomes humble.” (4:13-14)

Humility is an expression of wisdom, for only true wisdom can make us humble. The first verse refers to the “poor” as one who needs less, and his fulfillment does not depend on material possessions that he has to care for and protect, as a king who rules over a nation.

Foolishness is related to lack of wisdom or plain ignorance, which makes us unable or incapable to discern between the ways and attributes of goodness, and the traits and trends of ego’s fantasies and illusions that never accept or respond to admonitions.

In this sense the foolishness derived from ignorance is the prison from which the fool carries his life. Once we learn from the failures and falls due to ignorance and from the foolishness of materialistic fantasies and illusions, we become humble enough with sufficient wisdom to rule life as our own individual kingdom.

Ecclesiastes: The illusion of vanity and the reality of love (XII)

“The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. Better is a handful of relief than two handfuls of toil and frustration. And I returned and saw vanity under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 4:5-7)

Selfishness leads us to live within the limits of our own haughtiness, anger, lust, indifference and indolence, with their negative trends and expressions. These restrict our actions and deeds to our materialistic fantasies and illusions, at the expense and detriment of the goodness inherent in life, by “folding our hands” towards ourselves.

“They slice off what is on the right hand but still are hungry, and they eat what is on the left hand but they are not sated. Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm.” (Isaiah 9:20)

In this predicament we end up eating our own existence (“flesh”), instead of focusing permanently on goodness as our true relief. Certainly, ego’s fantasies and illusions are our “toil and frustration” as the vanity and vexation under the sun.

“There is one, and there is no second; yea, he has neither son nor brother, and there is no end to all his toil; neither is his eye sated from wealth. Now for whom do I toil and deprive my soul of pleasure? This too is vanity and an unhappy affair.”

(Ecclesiastes 4:8)

A self-centered man has no other in mind except himself, who believes he is second to none. This total lack of generosity or compassion for others makes him work only for his own desires that will never be sated due to their temporary nature.

Hence we must question the real purpose of life, and ask for whom and for what we toil and deprive our true essence and identity of the total pleasure and fulfillment in goodness.

At some point in life we ultimately will realize that goodness is the reason and purpose of our complete well being, and that ego’s fantasies and illusions are vanity and an unhappy affair.

Ecclesiastes: The illusion of vanity and the reality of love (XI)

“And I praise the dead who have already died, more than the living who are still alive. And better than both of them is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 4:2-3)

These verses contain the strongest warning against the choice of ego’s fantasies and illusions, to the point that it is better not to be born than living in a world of vanity.

In this context, vanity is the evil itself as the vexation of life. The lesson in this warning is not to reject or avoid life in the material world “under the sun”, but to be aware that the only reason to live is to do it in the reality of love, not in the illusion of vanity.

“And I saw all the toil and all the excellence of work, which is a man’s envy of his friend; this too is vanity and frustration.” (4:4)

There are a few lessons in this verse.

First, we have to focus on our own thoughts, emotions and doings instead of focusing on other people’s lives.

Second, goodness is the excellence of our works, for which we must toil as part of our life in order to maintain and preserve the goodness in life.

Third, if our thoughts, emotions and feelings are focused on the wrong premises for the wrong purposes, we find ourselves toiling for vanity.

Fourth, as we covet and envy other people’s possessions and works, we are condemning ourselves to frustration and anger as the produce we harvest in life.

“Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; but who is able to stand before envy? Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a lover; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Proverbs 27:4-6)

We are reminded that all we envy or covet turns into our frustration and anger, which end up filling the void created by our lack.

We must approach beliefs or feelings of lack as the negation of our own goodness that fills all we need or want. The goodness of love suffices all, for there is no lack in love.

Ecclesiastes: The illusion of vanity and the reality of love (X)

“And I saw that there is nothing better [lit. good] that man to rejoice in his deeds, for that is his portion, for who will bring him to see what will be after him?”

(Ecclesiastes 3:22)

Goodness must characterize all the deeds of a man in his life, for goodness is his portion for him to rejoice. We know the saying “do good and don’t look back”, for goodness knows its ways and purpose and it doesn’t depend on our control. Goodness suffices itself and serves itself. We are only the means or vehicles of goodness, and this by itself is our own reward.

“Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot.” (Pirkei Avot 4:1)

Our sages teach us that humility is the vessel for goodness, which means that we don’t own it because it owns us. In this sense we are not supposed to “see what will be after”. In the same way, we should not have expectations for being a vessel for goodness. As we have said, goodness is its own reward.

This verse teaches us that goodness is the object of our pleasure and delight, for we rejoice in its ways and attributes derived from God’s love. King Solomon reiterates that goodness is the only reason to live, and the opposite of the vanity and futility of ego’s fantasies and illusions.

“But I returned and saw all the oppression [of those] who are made [so] under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they have no comforter, and from the hand of their oppressors there is power, but they have no comforter.” (Ecclesiastes 4:1)

We must search for the causes of our oppression in this world, and also the ways and means of our liberation as the “comforter” that we yearn for.

We may have people that oppress us or force us to do things against our will, for different reasons. There are also other causes for afflictions that we inflict on ourselves, such as addictions, attachments and obsessions that have a negative impact on our thoughts, emotions or in our physical body. The separation from goodness as our bond with the Creator is our greatest affliction.

“Her filthiness has been in her skirts, she didn't remember her latter end. Therefore she comes down astonishingly, she has no comforter. See, O Lord, my affliction; for the enemy has magnified himself.”

(Jeremiah 13:17)

King Solomon invites us to reflect on the sources of vanity as the fantasies and illusions derived from beliefs or feelings of lack. In any case, we must compel ourselves to return to the reality of love with the goodness of its ways and attributes once we become fully aware of the illusion of vanity.

Ecclesiastes: The illusion of vanity and the reality of love (IX)

“I knew that everything that God made, that will be forever; we cannot add to it, nor can we diminish from it; and God made it so that they revere Him. That which was is already [done], and that which is [destined] to be already was, and God seeks the pursued.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14-15)

We are endlessly reminded that God’s creation is complete, total and wholesome, which makes it perfect and eternal as the goodness from which He made it. There is nothing to add or to diminish in goodness. Hence we realize that there is no lack or deficiency in the sufficiency of goodness as a sample of God’s magnificent awesomeness, for which we revere Him.

“Do not add to the word which I command you, nor diminish from it, [in order] to observe the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32)

This perfection also belongs to the Torah as God’s will for His material creation, for goodness is the reason and purpose of His commandments as the plenitude and length of our days.

The second verse invites us to reflect on what we believe, imagine, invent or create, for these too come from our Creator. Thus we become aware that everything we are and do reflects what God has done for us to measure either the goodness He wants us to enjoy as our essence and true identity, or the vanity and futility of ego’s fantasies and illusions.

In the latter God seeks those who are pursued by their obsessions, attachments and addictions, to bring them back to the truth of what is really meaningful and transcendental in life.

“And moreover, I saw under the sun, [in] the place of justice there is wickedness and [in] the place of righteousness, there is wickedness. I said to myself, ‘God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every deed there’.” (Ecclesiastes 3:16-17)

In the material world “under the sun” the egocentric approach to life turns the truth in justice into the lie of wickedness, for evil corrupts righteousness by diverting its purpose. We have said that “cause and effect” is one of God’s rules in His creation as an ethical principle from which nothing escapes.

“Oh, You let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tries the hearts and reins.” (Psalms 7:9)

Thus we understand His judgment of the righteous and the wicked. Goodness is the reward for those who do goodness, and the psalmist reminds us the predicament of the wicked that die by their evil.

“I said to myself [that this is] because of the children of men, so that God should clarify for them, so that they may see that they are [like] beasts to themselves. For there is a happening for the children of men and there is a happening for the beasts. And they have one happening, like the death of this one is the death of that one. And all have one spirit, and the superiority of man over beast is nothing, for all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 3:18-19)

King Solomon compares human negative emotions, destructive feelings and instincts to those of wild animals, for both share the same predicament and fate. In this sense man is not better than the beasts because their purpose in life is futile, meaningless and useless, making their survival vanity.

“All go to one place; all came from the dust, and all return to the dust. Who knows that the spirit of the children of men is that which ascends on high and the spirit of the beast is that which descends below to the earth?” (3:20-21)

Our sages relate dust to nothingness, non existence and death, and also as a place from where we are born and where we die. In regards to consciousness it represents stagnation and powerlessness to transcend the material world, which makes us equal to animal or vegetable life.

The verses invite us to ponder about the traits and qualities that help us transcend the limitations of matter represented by ego’s fantasies and illusions and their negative expressions. Also to reflect on the driving forces and trends that constrain animal life to a limited existence.

The message for us is to find the ways and means to elevate every aspect and level of consciousness up to the total freedom encompassed by the goodness emanated from love’s ways and attributes.

Ecclesiastes: The illusion of vanity and the reality of love (VIII)

“What profit does man have from all his labor? I have seen the burden (lit. interest) that the Lord has given to people (lit. sons of man) to be afflicted by it.” (Ecclesiastes 3:9-10)

King Solomon again reiterates the foolishness of toiling for ego’s fantasies and illusions as the burden that divert the true purpose of life. This recurrent warning calls our attention to focus on where we must invest vitality during our brief passage in the material world.

It also invites us to evaluate the source and causes of our afflictions by being mindful enough to differentiate between the transcendence of goodness and the futility of a useless and unproductive approach to life. Thus we recognize that goodness is God’s purpose in His creation, and that evil is the fate of the wicked.

“The Lord has made everything for His own purpose, also the wicked for the day of evil.” (Proverbs 16:4)

“Evil puts to death the wicked, and those hating the righteous are condemned.”

(Psalms 34:21)

In this context we assimilate that knowledge enables our free will to make the right choices, for without wisdom we are condemned to suffer by our ignorance. Thus we equate ignorance to affliction, and by knowing the ways of goodness within their ethical frame we live in the freedom inherent in it. We also realize that our addictions are our prisons, and their evil our suffering, for evil is their reason and also their end.

“The world He has made beautiful in its season. Also that knowledge He has put in their heart so man doesn’t fathom (lit. find out) the work that the Lord has done from the beginning to the end. Also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, [for] is the gift of the Lord.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11-12)

Once more we are warned that God’s creation is beyond our grasp in order for us to fulfill His will, which is to live by, in and for goodness, because it is God’s gift for us. Theses verses certainly tell us that goodness is good enough, and there is no need to transgress against this divine gift by following anything opposite to its ways and attributes.

“And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.” (Deuteronomy 12:7)

We must understand that goodness encompasses the purpose of God’s commandments, and our enjoyment is the purpose of goodness. Thus we constantly realize that God’s blessings are the ways, attributes, means and end of goodness.

“I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it or anything taken from it; and God has done it, that they revere Him.” (Ecclesiastes 3:13)

The transcendence of goodness makes it eternal and thus we understand its perfection, for there is no lack or deficiency in goodness. In this awareness we also realize the magnificence of God’s creation, for which we always revere Him.