(א) (א) מה יתרון לאדם בכל עמלו שיעמל תחת השמש. הנה בקהלת נמצא כל מיני תקופות, וגם מה שנאמר מה יתרון לאדם בכל עמלו ג"כ הוא תקופות מאוד, כמשל לאחד שעשה עטרה למלך וקבע בה אבנים טובות והנה בעת שהיה צריך לבוא לפני המלך להראות לו אם קבע אותם בסדר יפה, פחד מאוד אולי לא יסכים המלך על סדורם, וכשהתחיל לפחוד עלה במחשבתו גם על עצם האבנים טובות אולי אינם אבנים טובות וצריך שהמלך יסכים עליהם שהם אבנים טובות ואז לא פחד כלל, כיון שגם על עצם הדבר צריך להסכם מהמלך אז גם על הסדר יסכים. וזה מה יתרון לאדם, ורק שהשי"ת חותם על כלל עמלו שכוון לדעתו ובטח גם בפרט יסכים השי"ת על הסדר.
What profit is there for a person in all the work one works under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:3)? In Ecclesiastes are found all kinds of periods. This quotation is very much a period too. It can be compared to a person who made a crown for a king and set in it beautiful stones. At the time when the person needed to come before the king to show him and make sure that the stones were set in a pleasing order, the person became very afraid. "Perhaps the king will not agree with the ordering of the stones!" When the person began to be afraid, it occurred to them that maybe fundamentally the stones were not beautiful, and that the king needs to agree that they are indeed beautiful stones. Then, the person was no longer afraid, because if about the fundamental thing the king will certainly agree, so too about the ordering of the stones the king will agree. And this refers to what profit is there for a person--as long as the Holy Blessed One seals [agrees with] the general work, one can intend one's thoughts and trust in the details that the Holy Blessed One agrees also with the order.
(ב) (ג) מה יתרון העושה באשר הוא עמל. הנה תחילה נחשבו כל הכ"ח עתים שרומזים שלא יסמוך האדם על כללי ד"ת לבד רק יביט להשי"ת בכל פרט מעשה ולפי העת מה שהשי"ת חפץ, וזאת אין ביכולת האדם לכוון בלתי עזר השי"ת, וכיון שכן הוא אם כן מה יתרון לעושה, כיון שכל העבודות שהאדם עובד להשי"ת הכל הוא מרצון השי"ת שהשפיע לו, ולא נקראו על שמו אם כן מה יתרון לעושה, ע"ז אמר באשר הוא עמל שזה יתרונו מה שמייגע עצמו שרוצה מצדו לקיים רצון השי"ת זה נשאר לו לעולמי עד, ועל ידי זה יסכים השי"ת על כל מעשיו שיקראו על שם האדם העושה. וזה שנאמר (קהלת י"ב,י"ב) ויתר מהמה בני הזהר עשות ספרים הרבה אין קץ. היינו כיון שהאדם צריך להביט לרצון השי"ת בכל פרט וצריך להזהר עוד למעלה מכל כללי ד"ת, אם כן אין לפרש הכל רק צריך להזהר ולהבין לעשות ולכוון רצון השי"ת בכל עת וה' יגמור בעדו.
What profit has the worker from all their toil (Ecclesiastes 3:9)? First, all of the 28 seasons that are hinted at in Ecclesiastes 3 are considered so that one should not rely on the rules of words of Torah alone. Rather, look only to the Holy Blessed One in every detail of an action, and according to the season that the Holy Blessed One desires. And this is not within the ability of a person to intend, without the help of the Holy Blessed One. And because of this, what profit has the worker, since all of of the labors that a person does laboring for the Holy Blessed One are completely derived from the will of God that influenced the person, and are not attributed to the person, What profit has the worker? To this, the verse responds, all their toil. That is to say that one's profit is in the fact that one tires oneself in wanting to fulfill the will of the Holy Blessed One, and this [profit] will remain one's forever. Through this, God consents that all a person's actions are called by the one who does them. A further word: Against them, my son, be warned! The making of many books is without limit (12:12). This means that a person needs to look at the Holy Blessed One's will in ever detail, and needs to be careful above and beyond all the rules of the words of Torah. If so, not everything [must be] explained. One must only be careful and understand to do and intend after the will of the Holy Blessed One in every season, and God will finish.
I reflected about all the living who walk under the sun with that youthful successor who steps into his place. (Ecclesiastes 4:15) Avraham our father was the first who publicized and revealed the light of the Holy One of Blessing in the world, and therefore The Holy Blessed One created him with great strength even in matters of this world, as all of his qualities were in great overcoming, as it says in Masechet Soferim 21:9. And he discerned that in all of his desires, that in every thing is found the Glory of Heaven. And behold, a person's discerning/introspection is when one's reason rules over one's desire, but at the first moment when a person wakes from one's sleep, while one's reason and understanding do not yet rule, then one hungers for everything that one's nature desires. Thus it was with Avraham our Father at the time when he awoke from his sleep and all the desires within him came before him, and when he meditated on them, he removed them from himself. Indeed, afterward, he went even deeper, since they were from the Holy Blessed One, and he trusted that found in them was the light of the Holy Blessed One. Then, he received them through recognizing the One who gives in fantastic holiness, and who through them causes the Glory of Heaven to reveal itself. This is with that youthful successor--the second desire that is born to a person after they remove from themselves all the desires. Afterwards, when the desires come to a person in holiness, they are good. And this is I reflected about all the living who walk under the sun, that indeed all of the desires of this world are good, since they are from the Holy Blessed One, and the Glory of Geaven is found in them. But with that youthful successor--in the birth of thought which stands under a person, this itself was there from before, only now it will be in holiness.