Lunch & Learn in the Sukkah
Tue, September 29 at 12:00 pm
Kohelet: Pessimistic or optimistic? Joyful or gloomy?
We read the book of Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, every Sukkot. What does it actually mean?
Kohelet writes:
הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים הַכֹּל הָבֶל
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
And also tells us:
לֵךְ אֱכֹל בְּשִׂמְחָה לַחְמֶךָ וּשְׁתֵה בְלֶב־טוֹב יֵינֶךָ
“Go, eat your bread in gladness, and drink your wine in joy.”
Is Kohelet fundamentally pessimistic or radically optimistic?
Join Rabbinic Intern Harry Aaronson for a closer look at the text, and decide for yourself.
