Book Review: Qohelet – Searching for a Life Worth Living

He teaches regularly at various other institutions in Jerusalem and in the community of Elazar, where he lives with his wife, Michal, and their five children.

BOOK REVIEW

Qohelet – Searching for a Life Worth Living. Philosophical Commentary by Menachem Fisch, Illuminations and Commentary by Debra Band (Baylor University Press: 2023), 208 pp. Reviewed by Yonatan Horovitz.

When studying or reading Qohelet (one could question the English spelling), we tend to miss the forest for the trees. The book comprises so many details, a large amount of one line idioms and a plethora of seemingly unconnected musings, that the attempt to find an underlying theme or progression of thought is a challenge.

Over the last couple of decades several books have emerged which have attempted to create some sort of thread between the chapters of Kohelet and enlighten the reader as to the author’s message. Professor Menachem Fisch and Debra Brand have made a worthy contribution to this endeavor with their commentary, both philosophical and artistic, to the book of Kohelet. Based on introductions or overviews to each chapter followed by a commentary on the illustrations which accompany the text, this work leads through Kohelet’s thought process as he presents us with a guide to life in a seemingly unintelligible world.

The two main themes on which the book is based are what Fisch claims to be a new understanding of the term hevel and the constant search for a life of yitaron, worthiness. Hevel, usually translated as futility, vapor or mist denoting something which lacks substance or importance, is defined by Fisch as temporality or transience. This premise enables Fisch to examine Kohelet’s questions on the meaning of life based on the fact that we humans seem to exist for a very short span of time. A life so fleeting that one wonders as to its value.

Fisch outlines Kohelet’s dilemma in the opening two chapters and then claims that the time poem or song found at the opening of chapter 3 reflects a change in the author. It is at this point that Kohelet realizes that despite living in a transient world, man has a choice. A time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance (3:4). This appropriation of times to dif-

ferent actions or emotions, while seemingly appropriated by God Himself, indicates that man has a choice as to how to respond to the temporal world in which he lives. As Fisch writes: “God has created everything beautifully set in time and has also “set the mystery of the world in their heart,” but in a way that no man can comprehensively comprehend his work “from beginning to the end.” We can, and therefore should be content in doing the best we can, knowing that God will not hold us accountable to standards of which we can never be aware” (p 109).

This tension between man’s acceptance of his temporality and limitations and the fact that knows he will be judged by God but no longer fears such a prospect is what now guides Kohelet to advise us readers as to how to lead a meaningful life. The book then continues to lead us through Kohelet’s prescription for a life of meaning as he sets out the model for political stability, religious moderation and an understanding of human limitations based on a detailed description of self-critique. As in other works of this kind, Fisch explains how Kohelet grapples with the issue of hedonism and foolishness as he leads us to what Fisch describes in his concluding chapter as “the happy culmination of his journey” (p 179).

It is very tempting to adopt Fisch’s theory as it provides us with a holistic approach, not only to Kohelet, but also to life. However, I am not convinced that this is a completely authentic reading of the book of Kohelet. Fisch laments in his introduction the inability to look beyond “self-reflection.” But, by his own admittance, he tends to read Kohelet based on his previous and current philosophical work. What results is a postmodern reading of Kohelet which, while interesting, does not always find its justification in the text. An example of this can be found in the commentary to chapter 5, verses 3-4 : When thou vowest a vow to God, do not defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools; pay which that has vowed. Better is it that thou shouldst not vow, than that thou shouldst vow and not pay, are taken by Fisch as a disdain for religious reverence and appeasing rituals as opposed to the search for pious action. While I agree that extreme concern with ritual over other aspects of religious existence can be cause for concern, it is unclear that these verses lament such behavior. Kohelet may simply be stating that a person should abide by his commitments and if he is unable to do so, as worthwhile as they

may be, it is best to avoid such pitfalls and avoid taking on such commitments at all.

Fisch opens his introduction to chapter 7 by stating: “To discharge our duty to make the world a better place to the best of our ability is to adopt a keenly critical attitude toward our domains of responsibility with a view to righting the wrongs that we discover” (p 136). There is no reason to dispute this statement and the valiant efforts Fisch makes to explain how Kohelet values serious self-critique is a message which society at large on both an individual and national level would do well to adopt. We could however, suggest an alternate reading, certainly to the first part of chapter 7. We find several statements beginning with the word tov meaning good or preferable. It is clear that Kohelet is questioning society’s attitude to certain norms. Most people would prefer to attend a feast rather than a funeral as they would enjoy hearing a poem or song rather than harsh rebuke. (7: 2 and 5) Kohelet appears to be telling us to avoid looking at short term gain and rather harness an experience for its impact on your personae and future. While this does not negate Fisch’s theory, it portrays a rather wider approach to the text. It is beyond the scope of this review to relate to all the wonderful illustrations and accompanying commentary provided by Debra Brand. I do wish to make two points about this part of the work. At times the commentaries on the illustrations embellish Fisch’s words and actually clarify them. An example of this can be found in chapter 6 where Brand writes: “In some of his most jolting language, Kohelet builds his argument that people must deeply and intentionally relish the best qualities and moments of their lives. Without this consciousness, one risks leading a life without fulfillment…. Divine favor and personal security can never, he warns, be deduced from one’s momentary wealth and status” (p 135). The message here is clear and portrayed in terms more relatable to the reader than found a couple of pages earlier. Secondly, the micrography, secondary texts surrounding the illustrations demonstrates Brand’s depth of knowledge and provide an astute addition to the primary text. An example of this can be found in the illustration to the aforementioned chapter 5 with the surrounding text of Kol Nidrei, the proclamation made at the onset of Yom Kippur annulling our vows, maybe specifically those which we were remiss in fulfilling.

Returning to the basic premise of this work, I would like to make two comments. The idea that hevel means transience does not differ so much from the more traditional translation. Once we agree that something is short lived, we question the worthiness of its existence much like the biblical character of Hevel (Abel), whose life was cut short and so amounted to very little. That character seems to have given the term hevel its meaning. Secondly, in a small Hebrew pamphlet self-published in 2012 by Rabbis Dr. Yoel Bin Nun and Dr. Yakov Medan a different proposal is presented to unravel the mysteries of Kohelet. The authors claim that Kohelet is comprised of four voices representing the hedonist, the wise man, the man of action and the man of God who are involved in a detailed discussion or debate. Whether we understand this as four different people or four philosophies vying for the attention of one Kohelet, this idea presents the book in a very different light. What emerges is not one holistic view of life but an internal struggle between various axioms some of which are discarded while other are adopted. To me, this is a more authentic reading of the book and of contemporary man and his struggles with the meaning of existence and our part therein.

In summation, Brand and Fisch have provided us with a thought provoking work on Kohelet. While one could disagree with the basic premise, one is required to give it credence as one of many possible readings of this grappling but complicated book. In providing us with introductions to each chapter, rather than a verse by verse commentary, Fisch and Brand have challenged their readers to take their theories and delve into an in depth study of Kohelet with an eye to finding a cohesive message, relevant to both ancient and modern society.

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