“And more than these, my son: be cautious, compose books without limit, and much of the talk of study is weariness of the flesh.” (Eccl. 12:12)¹

footnotes: ¹ The Netziv’s translation of this verse is discussed in chapters 9 and 10.

VARIOUS SCRIPTURAL AND AGGADIC SOURCES SUGGEST THAT A PERSON’S INTELLECTUAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS LIMITED BY HIS INNATE ABILITIES WHEN [GOD GAVE the Torah to the Jewish people,] “He came with some of the sacred myriads, and in His right hand was eish-das, a fire of law, for them [Israel].”¹ quoted in Part 1, chapter 1, footnote 32. Applicable to this section, the Sifreiexpresses how the Torah sustains the world, while danger awaits those who use the Torah for personal gain. In addition, the Sifreicompares the properties of the Torah to a flame: just as a flame originates from heaven and returns to its source when it is not being “held” by an item such as a wick, so a person who lifts himself above the physical realm by cleaving to the fire of Torah becomes lifted heavenward beyond the barriers of the physical realm. It was then that each one of Israel received his portion, [that is, his] strength of prophecy and power in Torah.² This is stated in Shemos Rabbah, parashah 28: “God spoke all these words, saying.”³ [Why does the Torah include the word “all?”] R. Isaac said: “The prophets received from Sinai the message they were to prophesy to subsequent generations. Moshe told Israel: ‘But with him that is standing here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him who is not here with us this day, etc.’ (Deut. 28:14). It does not say ‘who is not here standing with us this day,’ but just ‘not with us this day.’ [This verse is referring to] the future people to be created; and because there is not yet any substance to them, [they were not yet in human form], the word ‘standing’ is not used [when referring to] them. Although they did not yet exist, each one received his share [of the Torah], as it says, ‘The burden of the word of God to Israel by the hand of Malachi’⁴” is read as “ba’yad” it is to be translated as “in the hand.” In that case it would mean it was already possessed by Malachi. (Mal. 1:1). It does not say ‘in the days of Malachi,’ but ‘by the hand of Malachi,’ for the power of his prophecy was already within him since Sinai, but he was not granted permission to prophesy…Not only did all the Prophets receive their [power of] prophecy from Sinai, but each of the Sages who arose in each generation received [his wisdom] from Sinai, as it says, ‘God spoke these words unto all of your assembly… with a great voice, without cessation” (Deut. 5:19)…. R. Shimon ben Lakish said: “[It was the voice] from which all subsequent prophets received their [power of] prophecy.”⁵

footnotes: ¹ See the Sifrei ² The phrase “power in Torah” may refer to the ability to grasp its concepts and originate novel law. ³ Ex. 20:1. ⁴ If “be-yad ⁵ This is the Soncino translation with minor changes.

[This Midrash teaches us] that God limited what each [scholar and prophet] was to receive in prophecy and in the Torah’s wisdom.

Similarly, Vayikra Rabbah, parashah 15 states, [Pertaining to the verse] “He makes a mishkal, a weight,⁶ is a weight used for measuring various quantities. for the spirit,”⁷ R. Aha said: “Even the Divine Spirit that rests upon the prophets only does so in measure, [since] one prophet writes one book by prophecy, while another two [books]”…[Pertaining to the words], “And he plans the waters with measure,”⁸ R. Yudan ben R Shemuel, said: “This means that even the words of the Torah, which are given from above,⁹ were given with measure. [Pertaining to] Scripture, Mishnah, Talmud, Halachah, and Aggadah, there are those who become well-versed in Scripture, those in Mishnah, another in Talmud, others in Aggadah, while some merit to master them all.

footnotes: ⁶ Mishkal ⁷ Job 28:25. ⁸ Id. ⁹ As rain comes from the heavens.

[According to the sources cited above,] it seems reasonable to assume that regardless of a person’s toil and labor, he will lack the capacity to merit more [Torah knowledge] than the potential he received [from God], just as it is difficult for one to achieve wealth if it is not his mazal, his destiny. I would also explain that this is what Koheles states in Eccl. 7:16: “Do not be overly righteous or excessively wise: why become demented?” [The verse must be conveying that there is no benefit in attempting to be more wise or righteous than his innate abilities]. Otherwise, the meaning of “overly” and “excessive” is ambiguous.

Translator’s note: The Netziv for the remainder of this chapter will explain how the Sages interpret “overly” and “excessive.” He will then demonstrate in the following chapters that their interpretation does not accord with the theme and simple meaning of those verses. In Tractate Yoma 22b, our sages of blessed memory explained that the phrase “Do not be overly righteous” warn us against being kinder than the Holy One, blessed be He, wills. [Yoma] describes how King Saul disregarded God’s words¹⁰ during the episode of Amalek [by being overly compassionate,¹¹ King Saul questioned God’s command to kill the women and children of Amalek. He also questioned why, in the procedure of the eglah arufah, an innocent calf must die. causing] a Heavenly Voice to issue forth and say, “Do not be overly righteous.” This has also been described in the Midrash on Koheles¹² 7, os 33: “Saul began to judge against his Creator. He said: ‘So said the Holy One, blessed be He: “You shall smite Amalek.” If the men sinned, what transgression have the women committed and what wrong have the children done, and what have the cattle, oxen and donkeys done?’ A Heavenly voice then issued forth, saying: ‘Do not be overly righteous.’” on this verse, as it states: “a Heavenly voice issued forth and said, ‘Do not be overly righteous [– that is,] greater than what your Creator [wills].’”

footnotes: ¹⁰ Literally translated as “dealt contentiously.” ¹¹ According to the Midrash, ¹² See parashah

Similarly, pertaining to the phrase “Do not be excessively wise,” our sages of blessed memory in Shemos Rabbah, parashah 10, explained that this verse was written by King Solomon is in reference to himself, who [thought that he was] wiser than the Torah’s warning [against marrying too many wives].¹³ 21a, states that a king may not have more than eighteen wives. Solomon also transgressed the prohibition of going to Egypt by going there to buy more horses. He had believed that since the Torah stated the rationale for this prohibition [as], “He may not have many wives, so that his heart will not stray,”¹⁴ and he was confident in himself that he would not reach such a level [of sinning], he therefore dared to transgress these negative commandments. [The Midrash continues]: “Solomon said: ‘For that which I thought I was wiser than the Torah’s laws, and where I thought I had understood the Torah’ wisdom, [I discovered] that [my] wisdom and understanding consisted of madness and foolishness. Why? ‘For what is man who will come after the King? It has already been done’ (Eccl. 2:12).” The Midrash is expressing that [Solomon was lamenting]: “I am unable to penetrate the deepest secrets embedded within the laws of the Torah, for [even when the Torah provides a rationale for a commandment], who knows how many other reasons there may be in addition to that [stated] rationale. Even where I knew the rationale, and I was convinced that there is no other reason for [that commandment], even [for this I learned] that it is foolish to nullify that warning, as it emanated from the “mouth” of the Holy One blessed be He. The Torah is built upon that hok [statute], and he who nullifies any statute, ruins the Torah’s entire structure.

footnotes: ¹³ Tractate Sanhedrin ¹⁴ Deut. 17:17.

Similar to how a person is built, with every limb being created with a special feature and purpose, even if the reason for needing a particular limb no longer exists, if one removes that limb from its place, one destroys the body and its composition, since it was created to be of a particular form consisting of every limb. So it is with the composition of the Torah, for the world has been built [through every] Torah [principle]; they are the fundamental laws of Heaven and Earth. This is stated in the Midrash Rabbah on the passage of Be-hukosai,¹⁵ “Im – If – you follow My statutes and keep My commandments,”¹⁶ are the laws [used by God to create] Heaven and Earth. This understanding that “statutes” includes the fundamental laws of Heaven and Earth led our Sages in Toras Kohanim, as quoted in Tractate Avodah Zarah 5a, to interpret the im as a “prayer,” meaning that im used in this verse is a language of request rather than of condition. [The verse must then be translated as: “im – if you would only follow My statutes and keep My commandments”]. They interpreted im in this way because they understood “My statutes and commandments” to include the fundamental laws of heaven and earth that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to exist perpetually. It was understood that He was asking Israel to guard the world and not destroy it by neglecting the study of Torah.¹⁷ Lev. 15:3. Therefore, even if the purpose for a particular prohibition is absent, it is impossible to nullify it. This is so with any Torah precept that has a rationale; the details of the mitzvah are still to be treated as hukim [physical laws of nature through which the world exists]. For instance, as stated in the Tosefta cited in Tractate Shabbos 135b, [the mitzvah of] pidyon ha-ben [redeeming of the first-born son], must be [delayed] until after the thirtieth day [after the infant’s birth], since until that time we are in doubt as to whether the infant will survive. [Thus], even if the infant was born after a gestation period of nine complete months, the pidyon ha-ben must still be performed after thirty days and no sooner. Similarly, earthenware vessels [that have been used to cook non-kosher foods] cannot be made kosher through hage’alah [immersion in boiling water], for [the non-kosher] substance does not leave the walls [of the pot]. In fact, the Torah states that “it shall be broken,”¹⁸ even if it is known that it was cooked in a manner in which the pot did not absorb [any non-kosher substance].¹⁹ It cannot be made kosher for use, as it is a decree by the Torah as written by Tosafos in Tractate Pesahim 30b.²⁰. Similarly, a borrower who is liable for unavoidable losses because all the benefit is his,²¹ nevertheless, even if he is borrowing an animal for which he is obligated to provide food,²² [thus not receiving use of the animal for free], he is still liable for unavoidable losses. Many other examples could be cited.

footnotes: ¹⁵ Vayikra Rabbah, parashah 35. ¹⁶ Lev. 26:3. ¹⁷ This verse and concept is discussed in detail by the Netziv in Ha’amek Davar, ¹⁸ Lev. 7:21. ¹⁹ The pot was suspended in an oven such that it did not touch any of the oven’s walls. ²⁰ See Tosafos, s.v. Ha-Torah he’idah ²¹ He has secured the right to use another’s property gratis. ²² Since he is providing the animal with food, it is as if he is paying the owner to use it.

[Thus, in all cases], although a fundamental principle has been established for a particular reason, once the Torah has decreed this principle as a rule, the details [of this rule] are like hukim [immutable laws]. [Therefore] one may not philosophize and nullify [the commandment even] if the [apparent] rationale [for that commandment] is not operative. This is how our sages of blessed memory explained the above-cited warnings [in Koheles].

Now that we have explained [that the verse “Do not be overly righteous or excessively wise” refers to how one is to practice a commandment even if the rationale for that commandment is inapplicable], we [now] need to explain the end of the verse, “Why become demented?” [The explanation is] that this refers to being punished [mentally]; King Saul who, after having been overly kind [to the Amalekites], was troubled with an evil spirit,²³ and King Solomon who over-philosophized, expelled his knowledge and forgot it.²⁴ to Ex. 6:1. This form of punishment lacks a scientific explanation, as it would be unnatural for one who attempts to make himself more righteous or wise, beyond [what is willed by] the Torah, to lose his sanity. However, [this penalty] is a metaphysical punishment decreed with the wisdom of the One who is to be blessed, similar to the way the punishment of kares [is exacted against those] who transgress the thirty-six prohibitions that are punishable by excision.²⁵. Therefore, when there are those who sin a hundred times and the Holy One, blessed be He, is patient with them,²⁶ though they are not excised in this world, they will receive a two-fold punishment in the World of Reckoning. Similarly, there are many who think that they are wiser than the Torah in this manner, and they are not punished in this world with madness. Their punishment is being saved for the World of Reckoning. Everything that [we have stated] regarding the explanation of these warnings is provided by the sages of blessed memory. [However, this explanation does not accord with the simple meaning of the verses.]

footnotes: ²³ See I Sam. 16:14: “An evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.” ²⁴ Midrash Rabbah ²⁵ The thirty-six prohibitions that carry the punishment of excision are enumerated at the beginning of Tractate Kerisos ²⁶ Eccl. 8:12.