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How can uncertainty about death's timing elevate our spiritual service rather than just create anxiety? The shiur develops Rashi (רש"י)'s king's party parable from Koheles to show that believing each day might be our last transforms routine mitzvos into defining moments of eternal significance. This explains why tzadikim are described as living "days and years" - they treat each day as a final opportunity for connection to God.
Rabbi Zweig begins by sharing his week-long struggle to understand a difficult passage in Koheles (Ecclesiastes) 9:8, which states "All the time your clothes should be white and oil should be oil on your head." Rashi (רש"י) explains this through a parable of a king who invites people to a party but doesn't tell them when it will be. The wise ones prepare daily by washing, anointing themselves, and wearing white clothes, while the foolish wait and risk being caught unprepared when the king's messengers arrive. Initially, Rabbi Zweig was troubled by this parable. If we all lived exactly 70 years and knew our death date, we would still need to perform mitzvos our entire lives, not just prepare at the end like party preparation. The parable seemed to suggest something beyond mere obligation to do mitzvos. After extensive contemplation, Rabbi Zweig arrives at a profound insight about the qualitative difference in how we approach our spiritual service.
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Koheles 9:8
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