Kohelet 8:1
קהלת ח (א) מִ֚י כְּהֶ֣חָכָ֔ם וּמִ֥י יוֹדֵ֖עַ פֵּ֣שֶׁר דָּבָ֑ר חׇכְמַ֤ת אָדָם֙ תָּאִ֣יר פָּנָ֔יו וְעֹ֥ז פָּנָ֖יו יְשֻׁנֶּֽא׃
Kohelet 8 (1) Who is like the wise, and who knows the explanation of a matter. The wisdom of man enlightens his face, and the boldness of his face is changed.
Questions:
Q1: What is the explanation or solution of something? Q2: How does wisdom enlighten the face? Whose face? Q3: What is boldness of his face refer to? How is it changed as a result?
אבן עזרא קהלת – וכן מי כהחכם ומי כיודע פשר דבר. ויתכן היות פירושו: מי כהחכם ומי שהוא יודע פשר דבר…וענין חכמת אדם תאיר פניו – תשים אור בפניו. והענין תסיר הכעס כענין באור פני מלך חיים (משלי ט״ז:ט״ו). וענין ועז פניו ישנא – סור עזות פנים ממנו כי החכמה תוליד הענוה, כי בהתגבר הנשמה על הרוח יסור הכעס ועזות המצח.
Ibn Ezra on Kohelet – There is no one like the wise man who walks on the straight path, like the wise man who seeks wisdom and tries to know the reason for everything; that is, the reason for things and why are they so. The meaning of: A man's wisdom makes his face to shine is: “A man's wisdom places light on his face”; that is, it removes anger. Our verse is similar in meaning to: In the light of the king's countenance is life (Prov. 16:15). The meaning of, and the boldness of his face is changed is: “Wisdom removes arrogance from one's face," for wisdom gives birth to humility. When the rational soul (the neshamah) overpowers the aggressive soul (ru'ach), anger and arrogance are removed.
According to the Ibn Ezra, the wise man is someone who knows how to explain things. He is able to provide an explanation for how the world operates. Interestingly, he suggests this results in the removal of anger and impudence, and results in humility. How do explanations lead to the removal of anger and the acquisition of the trait of humility?
Anger arises when we clash with reality, when we encounter something that runs contrary to how we want things to be. Instead of accepting the reality in front of us, and navigating it with wisdom, we feel frustrated and express this frustration in anger. The wise person understands “the explanation of a matter”, how things actually work. If his business or stock portfolio is suffering, he doesn’t get angry about it. He examines the situation, tries to learn new principles, and understand what he did wrong so he can do better. There’s no room for anger among the wise. That is the “lightening of his countenance” in the verse, his face brightens up, he is uplifted and enlivened.
This shift in perspective and orientation towards a more accurate explanation of how things work, also results in humility. The wise person recognizes that he is constantly learning. He sees that his perspective is limited, and he is always looking to adjust his particular model of reality based on new facts. The fool tries to impose his view of things on the world, and gets upset when the world doesn’t work according to his desires. The wise remove this “impudence”, and humbly try to advance and change their perspective.
Another possible explanation of the verse is that it describes an encounter with wisdom. When one hears an insightful explanation of how things work, they feel enlightened. This is a joyful and uplifting experience. It further creates a certain boldness in thinking. A person realizes that they a blessed with a mind, molded in the Divine image, that they can not only behold beautiful ideas, but generate them. This is the shift in perspective described at the end of the verse, “the boldness of his face is changed”. It begins with an encounter with wisdom, the ensuing enlightenment, and results in intellectual boldness. According to the Ibn Ezra, the verse describes the encounter with wisdom, and the resulting impact on the personality. According the second explanation, the verse describes the encounter with wisdom, and its impact on the intellectual endeavor itself.
קהלת ח (א) מִ֚י כְּהֶ֣חָכָ֔ם וּמִ֥י יוֹדֵ֖עַ פֵּ֣שֶׁר דָּבָ֑ר חׇכְמַ֤ת אָדָם֙ תָּאִ֣יר פָּנָ֔יו וְעֹ֥ז פָּנָ֖יו יְשֻׁנֶּֽא׃
Kohelet 8 (1) Who is like the wise, and who knows the explanation of a matter. The wisdom of man enlightens his face, and the boldness of his face is changed.
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