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What connects all the characteristics Koheles attributes to a ksil - anger, putting others down, and asking foolish questions? The shiur identifies the common thread as a control syndrome, where the fool believes he owns his world rather than recognizing God's ultimate authority. This lens explains the puzzling connection between withholding gifts from kohanim and the sotah case - both stem from inappropriate attempts to control others.
Rabbi Zweig presents a fascinating interpretation of what defines a ksil (fool) in Koheles through the lens of control. Beginning with Koheles 7:10, which warns against asking certain foolish questions, he traces through various characteristics King Shlomo attributes to the ksil: avoiding thoughts of mortality while seeking celebrations, immediate anger, putting people down, and asking inappropriate questions. The core insight emerges from analyzing the juxtaposition in Parshas Naso between the laws of gifts to kohanim and the laws of sotah. Rashi (רש"י) explains that one who doesn't give gifts to the kohen will end up bringing his wife to the kohen as a sotah. This seems problematic - how can one person's sin cause another's punishment? Rabbi Zweig resolves this by examining the Hebrew term 'ma'akev' (withholding), which suggests not refusing to give entirely, but rather making the kohen return repeatedly before giving what is owed.
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Koheles 7:10
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Why can you rent a car for money but not charge interest on a loan? Money has no intrinsic value - it's pure potential that only gains worth through the borrower's wisdom and effort. Charging interest therefore claims ownership over another person's mental faculties, which the Torah prohibits as a form of enslavement.
