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Why does prosperity often lead to spiritual decline? The shiur develops a principle that excessive closeness in any relationship - with God, spouses, or children - breeds familiarity that destroys respect. Love must always be grounded in maintaining appropriate boundaries and ongoing reverence, never taking blessing for granted.
Rabbi Zweig begins by examining Kohelet chapter 2, where Shlomo HaMelech, after recognizing the dangers of excessive wisdom in chapter 1, turns to pleasure and drinking as an alternative path to connecting with God. The shiur explains that Shlomo wasn't advocating drunkenness, but rather pursuing refined pleasure as a means of appreciating God's goodness and feeling close to the Divine. However, this approach also proved problematic, as revealed through prophecy about nations like the Dor HaMabul who were destroyed due to similar indulgence. The core insight centers on a profound psychological and spiritual principle: when people become extremely close in any relationship - whether with God, spouses, or children - they often transcend basic respect and politeness, feeling they've moved 'beyond' such formalities. Rabbi Zweig illustrates this with married couples who after decades together stop being polite, parents who become too familiar with children, and people who feel so close to God that mitzvah (מצוה) observance seems unnecessary.
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Kohelet 2:1
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