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הֲבֵ֤ל הֲבָלִים֙ אָמַ֣ר קֹהֶ֔לֶת הֲבֵ֥ל הֲבָלִ֖ים הַכֹּ֥ל הָֽבֶל -קהלת א:ב

Vanity of vanities said Kohelet, vanity of vanities everything is vanity. -Kohelet 1:2

The Ramban asks, how could King Solomon, call the world הבל hevel –vanity, a breathe of air, when Moshe’s Torah calls the world טוב Tov –good and even טוב מאד Tov Meod –very good?

The Ramban explains that physical world is made up of matter which is configured in certain forms. Translated into our modern physics, we see a table which appears to us as stable. However, it is actually made up of atoms and molecules that are far from static. They are in a temporary configuration that gives the illusion of being solid.

According to the Ramban, when King Solomon says הבל הבלים –vanity of vanities, he is not calling the work of creation worthless. Rather, he is highlighting that the permanence we ascribe to the physical objects around us is false. Everything tangible in our world is like a breath of air, temporary and fleeting.

ולכן אמר שלמה כי פרטי העולם, כל הגופות, כגון האדם וכל בעלי חיים והצמחים הם עוברים ונפסדים וחוזרים מהר אל יסודם, כהבל היוצא מן האדם (דף קפה).

It is for this reason that Solomon said that the individual things in the world—all material bodies such as those of men, all living creatures, and plants—are transitory and destructible, and they will [ultimately] resolve into their elements just as the breath that comes out of a person’s mouth (p.316).

This realization results in a shift in perspective. Many of our life pursuits are predicated on the permanence of our acquisitions. Whether it be wealth, power, or prestige, we ascribe significance to these material achievements, expecting them to endure. The short-lived nature of these accomplishments is incongruent with how we generally relate to them.

אבל הוא צווי, יצוה האדם שיהביל את ההבלים, ולא יעשם עיקר במחשבתו, ולא יחשוב שיוכל להעמידם הרבה.

Rather, it expresses a command; Solomon bids man to nullify the vanities [of the world] and neither make them a mainstay of his thoughts nor think that he can give much substance to them.

(The expression הבל הבלים thus means “Nullify the vanities.” In other words, depart from them and render them ineffectual insofar as your life and character are concerned -Chavel, p.316-7)

This perspective has practical import for how we relate to objects in our lives. The same object can have very different roles in our mind. A car can be a mode of transportation, but it can also be status symbol, signaling to ourselves and to others our value and experience of wealth and luxury. Looking at a car through the lens of Kohelet, we are reminded that this object which is assigned so much significance will one day be withering away in a junkyard.

King Solomon’s statement, according to the Ramban, is a directive. We should not let those things which are only temporary take on an importance that is out of scale. We are called upon to internalize the temporary nature of our surroundings and reorient towards what is ultimately valuable.

הֲבֵ֤ל הֲבָלִים֙ אָמַ֣ר קֹהֶ֔לֶת הֲבֵ֥ל הֲבָלִ֖ים הַכֹּ֥ל הָֽבֶל -קהלת א:ב

Nullify the vanities said Kohelet. Nullify the vanities, for everything is temporary. -Kohelet 1:2

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