Specifically, in Ecclesiastes 8:9, it says, "All this I have seen and taken to my heart, for every action that is performed beneath the sun, when man had authority over man, it was to his detriment." Heavy stuff. And Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, digs even deeper into this unsettling verse. It asks, whose detriment are we talking about here? Is it the ruler who suffers, or the ruled? The commentary suggests it can be both.
Rabbi Elazar offers a fascinating perspective. He says that one person can only cause another to incur liability – that is, be held responsible for something – if they are of "the same stature," as it's put in the verse: "When man had authority over man." In other words, the ruler persecutes someone, but God makes sure that the persecuted individual was also deserving of punishment. Think of it as a cosmic balancing act, a way of ensuring justice prevails, even in the face of abuse of power.
But it doesn't stop there. Rabbi Yonatan takes this concept even further. He says that even a rod or a strap can incur liability if used to inflict suffering! He brings a verse from Isaiah (9:3) as support: "For the yoke of its burden…like the day of Midian." He connects the "day of Midian" to the day of judgment, din in Hebrew. So, even inanimate objects, instruments of oppression, will ultimately face destruction if used to cause pain. It’s a powerful image.
And then Rabbi Ḥama bar Guryon adds another layer. He argues that even non-fruit-bearing trees are destined to give an account and a reckoning. Where does he get this idea? From Deuteronomy 20:19: "For is the tree of a field a man?" Now, the simple reading of this verse is a rhetorical question. But the Rabbis, in their beautiful way of finding hidden meanings, read it as a statement: "For the tree of a field is a man." Just as a person will be held accountable for their actions, so too will these seemingly insignificant trees.
What does it all mean? It seems the Rabbis are trying to tell us that everything is connected. Every action, every exercise of power, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, has consequences. Whether you're a ruler, a common person, or even an inanimate object, you're part of a larger web of responsibility. And ultimately, justice will be served.
So, the next time you see someone wielding power, or even the next time you hold a seemingly insignificant amount of power yourself, remember the words of Kohelet Rabbah. Remember the rod, the strap, and the non-fruit-bearing tree. Everything counts. Everything matters. And ultimately, we are all held accountable.