Kohelet 3:2-8 קהלת ג׳:ב׳-ח׳

עֵת לָלֶדֶת. לְתִשְׁעָה חֳדָשִׁים:

A time to be born. At nine months.

וְעֵת לָמוּת. קֶצֶב שָׁנוֹת שֶׁל כָּל־דוֹר וָדוֹר:

And a time to die. The limit of the years of each generation.

עֵת לָטַעַת. גּוֹי וּמַמְלָכָה:

A time to plant. A nation and a kingdom.

וְעֵת לַעֲקוֹר. עֵת יָבֹא לְהֵעָקֵר:

And a time to uproot. A time will come for it to be uprooted.

עֵת לַהֲרוֹג. אוּמָּה שְׁלֵמָה, כְּשֶׁמַּגִיעַ יוֹם פְּקֻדָּתָהּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, וּשְׁאֵרִיתֵךְ יַהֲרֹג:

A time to kill. An entire nation, when the day of its visitation comes, as it is stated, “and he will slay your remnant [with the sword].”³Yeshayahu 14:30.

וְעֵת לִרְפּוֹא. שִׁבְרָם, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּמִצְרַיִם, "וְשָׁבוּ עַד־ה' וְנֶעְתַּר לָהֶם וּרְפָאָם":

And a time to heal. Their ruin, as the matter is stated concerning Egypt, “and they will repent to Adonoy, and He will accept their prayer and heal them.”⁴Yeshayahu 19:22.

עֵת לִפְרוֹץ. חוֹמַת הָעִיר כְּשֶׁנִּגְזַר עָלֶיהָ, שֶׁנֶאֱמַר, וְחוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם מְפֹרָצֶת:

A time to wreck. The wall of the city, when it is decreed upon it, as it is stated, “and the wall of Yerusholayim is breached.”⁵Nechemyah 1:3.

וְעֵת לִבְנוֹת. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, וּבְנִיתִיהָ כִּימֵי עוֹלָם:

And a time to build. As it is stated, “and I will build it up as in the days of old.”⁶Amos 9:11.

עֵת לִבְכּוֹת. בְּתִשְׁעָה בְאָב:

A time to weep. On the ninth of [Menachem] Av.

וְעֵת לִשְׂחוֹק. לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, "אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ":

And a time to laugh. In the time to come, as it is stated, “Then our mouth will be filled with laughter.”⁷Tehillim 126:2.

עֵת סְפוֹד. בִּימֵי אֵבֶל:

A time to mourn. In the days of mourning.

וְעֵת רְקוֹד. בַּחֲתָנִים וְכַלּוֹת:

And a time to dance. With bridegrooms and brides.⁸The Gra explains the reason why this verse does not have parallel structure, i.e., why is does not state עת לספוד ועת לרקוד, i.e., with a lamed as in the beginning עת לבכות ועת לשחוק. He says that it hints to the halachah stated in Maseches Kesuvos 17a, that on two occasions one interrupts his Torah study [= למד], lamed, to attend a wedding [רקוד] or to attend a funeral [ספוד].

עֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ אֲבָנִים. בַּחוּרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֻשְׁלָכִים בְּחֻרְבַּן הַבַּיִת, "תִּשְׁתַּפֵּכְנָה אַבְנֵי־קֹדֶשׁ:"

A time to cast away stones. The youths of Yisroel scattered during the destruction of the Beis [Hamikdosh], as it is stated, “sacred gems are scattered.”⁹Eichah 4:1.

וְעֵת כְּנוֹס אוֹתָם מִן הַגּוֹלָה, "וְהוֹשִׁיעָם ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כְּצֹאן עַמּוֹ כִּי אַבְנֵי־נֵזֶר מִתְנוֹסְסוֹת עַל־אַדְמָתוֹ:

And a time to gather them from the exile, as it is stated, “And Adonoy their God will save His people like sheep on that day, for the stones of the crown will be exalted over His land.”¹⁰Zecharyah 9:16.

עֵת לַחֲבוֹק. "כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִדְבַּק הָאֵזוֹר וְגוֹ'":

A time to embrace. [As it is stated,] “For, just as a belt is fastened, etc.”¹¹Yirmiyahu 13:11.

וְעֵת לִרְחֹק מְחַבֵּק. "וְרִחַק ה' אֶת־הָאָדָם":

And a time to refrain from embracing. [As it is stated,] “And Adonoy will drive the people far away.”¹²Yeshayahu 6:12.

עֵת לְבַקֵּשׁ. כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, אֶת־הָאֹבֶדֶת אֲבַקֵּשׁ. לְעִנְיַן נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:

A time to seek. As the matter is stated, “I will seek the lost,”¹³Yechezkeil 34:16. concerning the scattered among Yisroel.

וְעֵת לְאַבֵּד. וְעֵת שֶׁאִבְּדָם בַּגּוֹלָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, "וַאֲבַדְתֶּם בַּגּוֹיִם".

And a time to abandon. And a time when He causes them to perish in the exile, as it is stated, “And you will become lost among the nations.”¹⁴Vayikra 26:38.

עֵת לִשְׁמוֹר. "יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ", כְּשֶׁאַתֶּם עוֹשִׂים רְצוֹנוֹ:

A time to preserve. [As it is stated,] “May Adonoy bless you and safeguard you,”¹⁵Bamidbar 6:24. when you do His will.

וְעֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ. "וַיַּשְׁלִכֵם אֶל־אֶרֶץ אַחֶרֶת":

And a time to discard. [As it is stated,] “And He cast them to another land.”¹⁶Devarim 29:27.

עֵת לִקְרוֹעַ. מַלְכוּת בֵּית דָּוִד, "וָאֶקְרַע אֶת־הַמַמְלָכָה וְגוֹ'":

A time to rip apart. The kingship of the House of Dovid,¹⁷When Bnei Yisroel act in an evil manner. [as it is stated,] “And I tore the kingship, etc.”¹⁸I Melochim 14:8.

וְעֵת לִתְפוֹר. "וְהָיוּ לַאֲחָדִים בְּיָדֶךָ. . . וְלֹא יֵחָצוּ עוֹד לִשְׁתֵּי מַמְלָכוֹת":

And a time to sew. [As it is stated,] “And they will become united in your hand;”¹⁹Yechezkeil 37:17. [and] “neither shall they be divided any longer into two kingdoms.”²⁰Ibid. Verse 22.

עֵת לַחֲשׁוֹת. פְּעָמִים שֶׁאָדָם שׁוֹתֵק וּמְקַבֵּל שָׂכָר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, "וַיִּדֹּם אַהֲרֹן", וְזָכָה שֶׁנִּתְיַחֵד הַדִּבּוּר עִמּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, "וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל־אַהֲרֹן. . . יַיִן וְשֵׁכָר אַל־תֵּשְׁתְּ":

A time to be silent. These are the times when a person is silent and receives a reward,²¹E.g., when a person is insulted and yet remains silent. (Metsudas Dovid) as it is stated, “and Aharon was silent,”²²Vayikra 10:3. and he [therefore] merited that the Divine speech addressed him personally, as it is stated, “And Adonoy spoke to Aharon, [saying] ‘Do not drink intoxicating wine.’”²³Ibid. Verse 8.

וְעֵת לְדַבֵּר. "אָז יָשִׁיר משֶׁה"; "וַתָּשַׁר דְּבוֹרָה"; "קְחוּ עִמָּכֶם דְּבָרִים":

And a time to speak. [As it is stated,] “Then Moshe sang,”²⁴Shemos 15:1. [and,] “And Devorah sang,”²⁵Shoftim 5:1. [and,] “Take words with you.”²⁶Hoshei’a 14:3.

עֵת לֶאֱהֹב. "וַאֲהֵבְךָ:"

A time to love. [As it is stated,] “And He will love you.”²⁷Devarim 7:13.

וְעֵת לִשְׂנֹא. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, "כָּל־רָעָתָם בַּגִּלְגָּל כִּי־שָׁם שְׂנֵאתִים":

And a time to hate. [As] it is stated, “All their evil is in Gilgal; for there I hated them.”²⁸Hoshei’a 9:15.