\n We can fully appreciate that after the pressure cooker of Yom Kippur, we need a \u201cchill time\u201d. The Jewish calendar provides the G-dly version of a chill time. Four days of frenzied activity to build our Sukkos, procure our four species, and to shop, cook and bake enough food to feed an entire army, but finally we are ready to usher in the holiday of Sukkos, the time of our great joy. Indeed, that is exactly what it is, a time for social interaction entertaining friends, and family in spacious Sukkos, going to shul with Arba Minim <\/em>in hand and hearts full of joy, singing Hallel<\/em> and praising Hashem for holding our hand throughout. During Chol Hamoed <\/em>besides the exciting daily trips, there are nightly parties, with music and dancing, reminding us of the incredible celebration and joy that was experienced during the periods, when our Beis Hamikdash <\/em>stood in Yerushalayim. The pervasive atmosphere is buoyancy and euphoria, experiencing a choreographed scene leading us to the ultimate day of celebration, Simchas Torah \u2014 time for the entire community to come together, celebrate the greatest gift of all, our holy Torah which guides us, directs us, and gives us strength to face the coming year.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n However, right in the middle of all this joy and happiness, almost shattering the reverie, delectation and excitement of the Chag,<\/em> comes the proverbial \u201cpin in the balloon\u201d. The Rema <\/em>brings the minhag that we read Megilas Koheles<\/em> [Ecclesiastes] on Shabbat Chol Hamoed Sukkos. The Magen Avraham<\/em> explains that this is because these are days of happiness, and as it says in Koheles, \u201cJoy, what does it accomplish?\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abudraham<\/em> explains that every Sukkos, the entire Jewish nation gathered together with King Solomon, as it says [Melachim I chapter 18] \u201cThey gathered before King Solomon, every man of Israel for the festival of Sukkos,\u201d and at this gathering Shlomo read Koheles to them. This is the reason we continue to do so.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Let us perhaps delve into this subject a little bit, and maybe we can discover yet another reason for the relevance and appropriateness of Koheles during the holiday of Sukkos.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The Gemara in Shabbos [30b] says, \u201cRav Shmuel the son of Shilas says in the name of Rav that the Sages sought to conceal the book of Koheles because they saw contradictory statements in it. And why didn\u2019t they hide it? Because it both begins and ends with words of Torah. At the beginning it says, \u201cWhat profit does man have for all of his labour which he toils under the sun?\u201d Rav Yannai explains that under the sun man does not profit from his efforts, but when one labours in that which preceded the sun (the Torah), he does profit. Koheles ends with Torah saying, \u201cThe sum of the matter, when all has been considered, fear Hashem and keep His commandments, for that is man\u2019s whole duty.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n What are examples of the contradictions in Koheles? In one place it says, \u201cAnger is better than laughter,\u201d but earlier it states, \u201cOf laughter I have said, it is praiseworthy.\u201d Another example of a contradiction: in one place it says, \u201cI have praised joy,\u201d but in another place it says, \u201cAnd of joy I have said what does it accomplish?\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The Gemara explains that these are not contradictions: anger is better than laughter. It is better to experience Hashem\u2019s anger towards the righteous in this world, than the laughter that Hashem allows the wicked to enjoy in this world. The seemingly contradictory verse of \u201claughter I have said is praiseworthy\u201d refers to the laughter that Hashem shares with the righteous in the World to Come, since that laughter represents their eternal rewards.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n When the verse says \u201cI have praised joy\u201d it refers to the joy associated with a mitzvah, and when it says \u201cand of joy I have said what does it accomplish?\u201d that refers to joy not associated with a mitzvah. This teaches that the Divine presence does not rest upon a person when he is gloomy, lazy, or in a state of levity through ridicule, or idle conversation, but only for the joy associated with doing Mitzvos.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n If we think about Rav\u2019s words, we need to be able to explain the challenge that King Solomon presented us with. It\u2019s true that ultimately all the seeming contradictions in Koheles can be resolved, but why did Shlomo the wisest of all men, write in a way that we have to resolve the contradictions? Why not just write it clearly so that it should not even appear that there are contradictions?\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The Chachamim<\/em> in their wisdom were able to reconcile what, at first glance, may appear to be contradictions between the way the world operates, and what should be our Emunah, our belief in the way Hashem runs the world, and have discussed the fact that nature in its never changing ways, gives non-believers the mistaken ability to convince themselves that the world runs by itself, as the Torah says, \u201clest you raise your eyes to the heavens and you see the sun and the moon and the stars, the entire legions of the heavens and you be drawn astray and bow to them, and worship them which Hashem had apportioned to all the peoples under the heavens\u201d [Devarim 4:19] Rashi explains that it means to look at the thing and to set your heart to err by following them. We see that nature can appear to contradict Hashem\u2019s continuing to run the world.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n One of the basic tenets of our belief is the concept of reward and punishment, as it says, [Devarim 30:15] \u201cI have placed before you today life and good, death and evil, and you shall choose life, so that you will live\u201d. One of the Rambam\u2019s 13 principles says: \u201cI believe with complete faith that the Creator bless His name, rewards with good those who observe his commandments, and punishes those who violate his commandments.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Yet we see that evil people seem to prosper. Moshe himself asked Hashem, [Shemos 33:13] \u201cMake Your ways known to me,\u201d and the Gemara in Berachos explains that Moshe was asking Hashem to answer the eternal question of why do we see that the righteous sometimes suffer and the evil sometimes prosper?\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n \u201cThe world is full of contradictions \u2014 Shlomo wrote it that way on purpose.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \n So it is vital for us to deal with the question; why did Hashem create a world which seems full of contradictions, with more things hidden than clear, a world in which Hashem\u2019s children are downtrodden, and our enemies appear to rule the world? The whole world seems contradictory to Torah?\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n \u201cHashem’s presence is there; it is simply concealed.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \n The answer is that Hashem deliberately created a world where nature appears to hide His light, so that humans should have the free will choice to decide if they want to see Hashem who is hidden in our world. If we recognise Him and serve Him, we are rewarded, but those who deny His existence, and live only in the world as it appears to them, will be punished. Our world is called \u2018Olam\u2019<\/em> which comes from the word for hidden, because if Hashem\u2019s presence was clearly revealed, there would be no choice but to believe in Him, thus removing the possibility of rewarding those who chose to believe in Him.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Hashem\u2019s final creation was human beings, who are imbued with the intelligence to understand the operation of the world, and with the ability to resolve the apparent contradictions of the world, and to believe in Hashem, reaching the ultimate truth that Hashem rules the world according to His will, as King David said, \u201cHow abundant are your works Hashem, with wisdom you made them all.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n We are taught that our essential purpose on this world is to firmly believe that even what appears to contradict Hashem\u2019s dominance and control over the world, is only because it is deliberately hidden from us, but as we develop our belief in Hashem, we are able to resolve these seeming contradictions in the world, further strengthening our belief.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The Chasam Sofer explains that our job is to try to understand Hashem\u2019s truth, and even if we have thousands of questions, to still remain steadfast in our belief, and to realise that we need to work even harder to understand the ultimate truth about Hashem\u2019s control of the world.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Mere mortals are not capable of resolving the apparent contradictions of the world by themselves, so Hashem graciously gave us the Torah, and through delving into the study of the holy Torah, we can be enlightened to understand, and resolve what appear to be contradictions in the natural world.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The very first words of the Torah state, \u201cIn the beginning of Hashem\u2019s creation.\u201d Rashi explains that the world was created because of the Torah, and Hashem which are both called \u2018Reishis\u2019<\/em>. This teaches us, from the very beginning of the Torah, that with the Torah we can explain the contradictions of the world. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The very next verse says, \u201cAnd the earth was bewilderment and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep.\u201d The bewilderment and void of the world are all the contradictions and questions that surround us, such as how could bad people succeed, and good people suffer? The verse continues, \u201cand the breath of Hashem was hovering upon the surface\u201d. All the questions and contradictions are only to human eyes, because in reality Hashem\u2019s spirit covers the world and He runs the world down to its minutest details.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n In truth, it is only through delving into Torah that we can resolve the contradictions of the world. We know that Hashem so to speak, \u201clooked into the Torah to create the world.\u201d Since Hashem created the world with all its apparent contradictions using the Torah, and the Torah is the source of the entire creation, it therefore also contains the resolution to all the apparent contradictions of the world. We have to delve into Torah to find the answers that are hidden in the Torah. The more we study Torah, the more we will be able to resolve what appears to be contradictions of creation, whose source is the Torah.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n \u201cShlomo starts and ends Koheles with Torah, so that we understand that everything is within it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \n Now we can understand why Shlomo put in so many apparently contradictory ideas into Koheles, even though the Chachomim explain them, the question remains, why did he choose to write in such a contradictory style, instead of speaking out all the solutions? It appears perhaps that Shlomo Hamelech did this purposefully to teach us that the world is full of contradictions. Shlomo refers to himself throughout Koheles with the phrase, \u201cI have seen\u201d as if to say I too had questions, and worked to resolve them, so too, you will have to resolve for yourselves what appears to be contradictions. However, as if to answer the person who thinks \u201chow can I resolve these great questions?\u201d Shlomo starts and ends Koheles with Torah, so that we should understand that everything is in the Torah which Hashem used to create the world. The 3rd Posuk of Koheles says, \u201cWhat profit does Man have from all his labour which he toils beneath the sun.\u201d The Gemara explains that this suggests that only work done under the sun has no purpose, but above the sun there is a purpose. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n \u201cUnder the sun there is no real purpose. It is only when we toil in Torah that we find it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \n What Shlomo is telling us is under the sun, in this world there is no real purpose for our work, because the world is so full of contradictions that we can get lost in the confusion, but when we toil in Torah which exists in a higher sphere, we can resolve these questions, and find that even our efforts on this world are rewarding.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Shlomo ends Koheles by saying, \u201cthe sum of the matter when all has been considered, fear Hashem and keep His commandments. That is man\u2019s whole duty.\u201d By delving into Torah, we see that what appeared to be the contradictions in the operation of the world, are only illusory, and our true purpose of being on this world is to serve Hashem by doing Mitzvos. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Let us now try to understand why Shlomo read Koheles on Sukkos which is called \u05d6\u05de\u05df \u05e9\u05de\u05d7\u05ea\u05e0\u05d5 the time of our joy. Why is it more joyous than Pesach or Shavuos? On Sukkos we leave our homes for seven days to live in a temporary dwelling. The Alshich says that this reminds us that these seven days are like the seventy years of a person\u2019s life that is also really only temporary. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The lesson of Sukkos is that the world is only temporary. We are given an opportunity to have some pleasure in this world, so that we can relish the thought that any suffering is to purify us, so that when we enter the World to Come, the permanent world,, we will be worthy of pure pleasure. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Shlomo read Koheles on Sukkos because that is a time of joy when we realise that our entire existence in this world is only temporary. Therefore he focuses our attention on the questions and contradictions so that we will endeavour to find resolutions to the questions by realising that this world is only a temporary existence to prepare us for a permanent residence.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n By overcoming our questions we can merit eternal existence that will be ours as we will sit in the glorious Sukkah made from the skin of the great Livyatan <\/em>fish. May we merit this speedily in our days.\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How the Joy of Sukkos conflates with the message of Koheles By: Rabbi Moishe Schnerb We can fully appreciate that after the pressure cooker of Yom Kippur, we need a \u201cchill time\u201d. The Jewish calendar provides the G-dly version of a chill time. Four days of frenzied activity to build our Sukkos, procure our four species, and to shop, cook and bake enough food to feed an entire army, but finally we are ready to usher in the holiday of Sukkos, the time of our great joy. Indeed, that is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7054,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-144","category-rosh-hashanah-sukkot-2026"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7053"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7055,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7053\/revisions\/7055"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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