Synagogue Sermon
Koheleth: Looking Too Far Ahead (1968)
Koheleth is considered part of the "wisdom literature" of the Bible. Like Proverbs, Job, and the Proverbs of Solomon of the Apocrypha, it is considered a book of hokhmah. This is appropriate for Koheleth, because tradition identifies him with King Solomon, who was the wisest of all men, the greatest hakham on earth. Now, it has long been held by wise men of many ages and many climates that wisdom is a means to happiness. Socrates maintained that if people only knew what is right they would do it, and their lives would change. This theme was continued by his student Plato, and was elaborated, in turn, by his student Aristotle, who said that in the pursuit of wisdom lies the highest and happiest life. In a more down-to-earth sense, modern man believes, as an unspoken tenet of his faith, that knowledge is redemptive, that wisdom, especially in its scientific and technological expression, can solve all problems, that hokhmah can make everyone happy. In truth, this certainly seems to be the case: knowledge, intelligence, good sense, talent, wisdom – what else do we possess that can help us be happy? Yet, when we turn to Koheleth, the book of hokhmah, what a disappointment! Havel havelim, Koheleth cries out, "vanity of vanities," all is weariness, all is nonsense, nothing is of value. Koheleth is disillusioned with all those things that man usually cherishes: wealth, pleasure, the company of women, good food, even ethical living – and even hokhmah itself! At the end of chapter 1, he informs us that with much wisdom there comes much vexation, and "he who increases knowledge increases pain." There are dozens of such statements in Koheleth, and they add up to a quite depressing view. Actually, this picture is a bit unfair. It is true that modern man is charmingly naive when he believes that if only the scientists would desist from armaments research and the space race and concentrate on medicine, or what is quaintly called "the science of man," they would make us all happy …
