In Chapter 2 of Kohelet King Solomon describes his wealth. After going into detail, he says (2:11), “Then I turned [to look] at all my deeds that my hands had wrought and upon the toil that I had toiled to do, and behold everything is vanity and frustration, and there is no profit under the sun.”Shlomo Hamelech had it all, and yet he still felt lacking. What he realizes is that the only things that can make him feel whole are the intangibles, the spiritual: 3:12 “I knew that there is nothing better for them but to rejoice and to do good during his lifetime And Kohelet’s concluding sentiment: “The end of the matter, everything having been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man. ”On Sukkot, the farmer celebrated his net worth: ie, all of the produce that he harvested. This brings him security and a sense of joy. As we work to build our careers and our financial security, let us never lose sight of Kohelet’s realization: What we have is not who we are. Let us spend more effort and energy on building our character - something that can never be taken away.
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