Midrash
Kohelet Rabbah 4:5 קהלת רבה ד׳:ה׳
Part of: Chapter 4
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הַכְּסִיל חֹבֵק אֶת יָדָיו. מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה לִשְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁהָיוּ יְגֵעִין בַּתּוֹרָה אֶחָד יָגַע וְהִשְׁבִּיחַ, וְאֶחָד יָגַע וּפֵרַשׁ. זֶה שֶׁהָיָה יָגֵעַ בַּתּוֹרָה וּפֵרַשׁ רוֹאֶה אֶת זֶה שֶׁהִשְׁבִּיחַ עוֹמֵד בְּצַד חֲבוּרָה שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים, וְהוּא עוֹמֵד בְּצַד חֲבוּרָה שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים, מִיָּד חֹבֵק אֶת יָדָיו וְאֹכֵל אֶת בְּשָׂרוֹ.
“The fool folds his hands and eats his flesh” (Ecclesiastes 4:5).
“The fool folds his hands” – To what is this matter analogous? To two people who were toiling in Torah; one toiled and flourished, and one toiled and abandoned it. The one who had toiled and abandoned it sees the one who flourished standing on the side of a group of the righteous, and he is standing on the side of a group of the wicked. Immediately, he “folds his hands and eats his flesh.”
“The fool folds his hands and eats his flesh” (Ecclesiastes 4:5).
“The fool folds his hands” – To what is this matter analogous? To two people who were toiling in Torah; one toiled and flourished, and one toiled and abandoned it. The one who had toiled and abandoned it sees the one who flourished standing on the side of a group of the righteous, and he is standing on the side of a group of the wicked. Immediately, he “folds his hands and eats his flesh.”