It’s a feeling as old as time, and the ancient rabbis grappled with it too.

Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, dives deep into this very idea, using the figure of Moses, our great leader and teacher, as a prime example. It starts with the verse from Ecclesiastes 9:11: "that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

How can that be? Surely, the best person should win, right?

The text meticulously dismantles our assumptions, applying each clause of that verse to Moses himself. "That the race is not to the swift – this is Moses," it declares. Think about it: one day, Moses ascends to God, "flying to the sky like a bird," as Exodus 19:3 describes. The next? God tells him, "You will not cross this Jordan" (Deuteronomy 3:27). He, the man who spoke directly to God, is denied entry into the Promised Land, a mere fifty cubits away!

And "the war is not to the valiant – this is Moses." Remember the giving of the Torah? Psalm 68:13 says, "The kings of hosts flee again and again." Kohelet Rabbah interprets this to mean the angels themselves, even the highest-ranking ones like Mikhael and Gavriel, were afraid of Moses! Rabbi Yudan, in the name of Rabbi Aivu, emphasizes that it doesn't say "ministering angels," but kings of hosts. Yet, later, as Deuteronomy 9:19 recounts, Moses is terrified, unable to face even the weakest soldiers because of God's wrath. How the mighty have fallen!

The commentary doesn’t stop there. "Also bread is not to the wise – this is Moses." He was once a prince in Pharaoh’s court, his "greatness was to bring in and to take out," meaning he was in charge, a leader. As Exodus 2:10 states, he was responsible for providing food for Pharaoh’s entire household. But later? He's reduced to being summoned, as in Exodus 2:20 "call him and let him eat bread."

Then there's wealth. "And also wealth is not to the clever – this is Moses." Rabbi Hanin tells us that God revealed a sapphire quarry to Moses, becoming his source of riches. The verse "Carve for yourself [pesol lekha]" (Exodus 34:1) is interpreted to mean "its residue [pesilatan] shall be for you." But ultimately, that wealth vanished.

Even favor wasn't guaranteed. "And also favor is not to the knowledgeable – this is Moses." One day, God says, "as you have found favor in my eyes" (Exodus 33:17). The next, He commands, "Do not continue to speak to Me anymore about this matter" (Deuteronomy 3:26).

So, what gives? What's the point of all this? The text points to "time and chance [vafega]" befalling them all. Vafega – it’s that unpredictable element, that twist of fate that can undo even the most deserving. The commentary suggests that time itself can harm and undermine a person.

So, what can we do? According to the text, we should engage in prayer and supplication. But even that, it seems, isn't a guaranteed fix. Rav Huna asks Shmuel about this very verse, and Shmuel replies that sometimes prayer is answered, and sometimes it isn't. He points to Moses himself! No one prayed more fervently than Moses to enter the land of Israel, yet God ultimately said, "Behold, your days to die are approaching" (Deuteronomy 31:14).

It's a sobering thought. Even the most righteous, the most skilled, the most deserving among us can face disappointment. There’s no cosmic vending machine, where good deeds automatically dispense rewards. Sometimes, life just isn't fair. But perhaps the message isn’t one of despair. Maybe it’s about humility. Maybe it's about recognizing that we are not in control, and that even in the face of disappointment, we can still find meaning and purpose in our lives, just as Moses did, right up to his final breath.

It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? What truly matters in the end? Is it the victories we achieve, or the way we face the inevitable "time and chance" that befalls us all?