Communication Ethics: Empowerment vs. Control in Kohelet

Rabbi Zweig begins by examining two seemingly contradictory passages in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) about the words of the wise versus the foolish. The first passage states that a wise person's words find favor while a foolish person's words 'swallow them up.' The second passage describes how a fool begins with foolishness and ends with 'craziness and evil.' The apparent contradiction is that both passages seem to describe the same behavior but frame it differently as beginning versus end. Rabbi Zweig resolves this by introducing a fundamental principle about communication: the wise person seeks to empower others, while the foolish (sakal) person seeks to control others. Using Bilam's advice to Moab as the paradigmatic example, he explains that Bilam told the Moabite women to seduce Jewish men not merely to give bad advice, but to make the Jewish people vulnerable and controllable. When people engage in behavior they know is wrong, even if they initially desire it, they ultimately feel weakened and ashamed, making them easier to manipulate.