Midrash
Kohelet Rabbah 5:12 קהלת רבה ה׳:י״ב
Part of: Chapter 5
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יֵשׁ רָעָה חוֹלָה רָאִיתִי תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ, יֵשׁ רָעָה חוֹלָה, וְכִי יֵשׁ רָעָה חוֹלָה וְיֵשׁ רָעָה טוֹבָה, אֶלָּא אֵיזוֹ רָעָה חוֹלָה, כְּגוֹן דְּגָלוּם, פְּטַרְגוּס, מִסְכֵּין, תְּשִׁישׁ, עַרְטֵיל, וְכָפֵין. עשֶׁר שָׁמוּר לִבְעָלָיו לְרָעָתוֹ, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ זֶה קֹרַח, וְרַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר זֶה נָבוֹת הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִי. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר זֶה הָמָן. רַבִּי יִצְחָק אָמַר אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן וּבְנֵי גָד. וְרַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי זֶה אִיּוֹב דַּהֲוָה עַתִּיר וּמִתְמַסְכֵּן וְחָזַר לְמַה דַּהֲוָה. רַבִּי גַּמְלִיאֵל בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא בְּעָא קוֹמֵי רַבִּי מוֹנָא אֲמַר לֵיהּ מַהוּ דֵין דִּכְתִיב: עשֶׁר שָׁמוּר לִבְעָלָיו לְרָעָתוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ כָּל סַמָּא דְמִילְּתָא הוּא קָטָאדִיקֵי דִידֵיהּ, כְּשֶׁבָּא עָלָיו קְטַאדִיקֵי דְמַלְכוּת יִתֵּן לָהּ מַה דְּיִתֵּן.
“There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: Wealth protected for its owner to his detriment” (Ecclesiastes 5:12).
“There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun”: “there is a grievous evil” – is there a grievous evil and a good evil? What, then, is a grievous evil? It is, for example, gout, poverty, debilitation, nakedness, and hunger.
“Wealth protected for its owner to his detriment” – Rabbi Yehoshua says: This is Koraḥ. Rabbi Shmuel said: This is Navot the Yizre’elite. Rabbi Yehuda said: This is Haman. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: These are the Reubenites and the Gadites. The Rabbis say: This is Job, who was rich, became poor, and was restored to what he had been. Rabbi Gamliel ben Rabbi Ḥanina asked before Rabbi Mona, he said: ‘What is this that is written: “Wealth protected for its owner to his detriment”?’ He said to him: ‘The only benefit of the matter is regarding his punishment; when a punishment of the kingdom is imposed upon him, he will give what he will give.’72The only benefit of wealth is that if the government imposes a fine upon him he will be able to pay it.
“There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: Wealth protected for its owner to his detriment” (Ecclesiastes 5:12).
“There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun”: “there is a grievous evil” – is there a grievous evil and a good evil? What, then, is a grievous evil? It is, for example, gout, poverty, debilitation, nakedness, and hunger.
“Wealth protected for its owner to his detriment” – Rabbi Yehoshua says: This is Koraḥ. Rabbi Shmuel said: This is Navot the Yizre’elite. Rabbi Yehuda said: This is Haman. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: These are the Reubenites and the Gadites. The Rabbis say: This is Job, who was rich, became poor, and was restored to what he had been. Rabbi Gamliel ben Rabbi Ḥanina asked before Rabbi Mona, he said: ‘What is this that is written: “Wealth protected for its owner to his detriment”?’ He said to him: ‘The only benefit of the matter is regarding his punishment; when a punishment of the kingdom is imposed upon him, he will give what he will give.’72The only benefit of wealth is that if the government imposes a fine upon him he will be able to pay it.