Ecclesiastes 12:11

When analyzing the commentary on the passage in Ecclesiastes 12:11, there are some very important points which need to be addressed. The image of the Torah, as we have discussed thoroughly in class, can be shown directly through this passage. First, as given in the assignment, the passage brought into question is "The sayings of the wise are like goads...[from] the masters of assemblies. All of them are given from one Shepard." In order to properly dissect this passage, it needs to be analyzed in separate pieces. I was able to use our discussions throughout this semester thus far to get a very clear idea of what is being said here. The first portion of the commentary, which discusses "the masters of assemblies", is referring to the wise men that have discussed the Torah and have taken their best efforts to decide on the views that they possess on the words written in Ecclesiastes 12:11. In my opinion, this passage is attempting to show one main idea. This is the thought that although there may be many wise men that have their own views on how the Torah should be taught and understood, the one defining point and ideal is that it should be understood by following G-d's commandments. This idea is extremely important and must be the message that followers pay extremely close attention to.

After coming up with my own interpretation of this passage, there are some parts which need to be clarified and compared with the original passage. First, the primary portion of the passage states that "the saying of the wise are like goads." Throughout our class discussions, I have learned that this passage is attempting to show that the wise men interpreting the Torah are desperately trying to inscribe a certain believe into the thoughts of their followers. This certain belief is revealed in the final portion of this passage, which is "All of them are given from one Sheppard." This "one Sheppard" is G-d, and it is clear that the wise men are trying to instill the idea that G-d's ideas are extremely stable and the ones that should be at the foreground of any interpretation.

The commentary on this passage also raises the question "How in these circumstances shall I learn Torah??" This question is asking how a person can go about learning the Torah when there are many different wise men interpreting G-d's ideals in different ways. The answer, is