Ecclesiastes Rabbah 5:11

¹“Sweet is the sleep of the laborer, whether he eats a little or a lot; but the satiety of the wealthy does not allow him to sleep” (Ecclesiastes 5:11). “Sweet is the sleep of the laborer” – Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] emerged from the bathhouse, wrapped himself in his garments, and sat and attended to the needs of the people. His servant mixed him a cup. Because he was attending to the needs of the people, he was not free to receive it from him. The servant dozed and fell asleep. Rabbi turned around and looked at him and said: ‘Solomon spoke correctly: “Sweet is the sleep of the laborer, whether he eats a little or a lot; but the satiety of the wealthy does not allow him to sleep”; [this is referring to people] like me, as we are attending to the needs of the people, and we are not free even to sleep.’ Rabbi Berekhya said: To what is this matter analogous? It is to a king who had an orchard and he transferred it to his son. As long as his son did his bidding, the king would see what a beautiful tree there is in the world and would plant it in his son’s orchard. But whenever his son did not do his bidding, he would see what a beautiful, outstanding tree there was in the orchard, and he would uproot it. So, the king is the Holy One blessed be He, the orchard is the world, and some say it is the Israelites. As long as they do the bidding of the Holy One blessed be He, when He sees a righteous person in the nations of the world, like Yitro, Raḥav, and Ruth, and like Antoninus, He brings him and has him cleave to Israel. Whenever they do not do His bidding, He sees what righteous person there is in Israel and He takes him from them. ²What is the difference between the death of lads and the death of elders? Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya: Rabbi Yehuda says: This lamp, when it is extinguished on its own, it is good for it and good for the wick; when it is extinguished not on its own, it is bad for it and bad for the wick. Rabbi Neḥemya says: This fig tree, as long as it is harvested at its time, it is good for it and good for the fig tree; when it is not harvested at its time, it is bad for it and bad for the fig tree. There was an incident involving Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great and his students, and some say, Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta and his students, and some say, Rabbi Akiva and his students. They were sitting and studying under a particular fig tree. The owner of the fig tree would rise early and harvest his fig tree. They said: Let us relocate, as perhaps he suspects us [of eating his figs]. They sat elsewhere. The next day, the owner of the fig tree rose early to harvest his fig tree, but he did not find them. He searched for them and found them. He said to them: ‘My rabbis, there was one mitzva that you would perform with me, and you have withheld it from me.’ They said to him: ‘God forbid.’ He said to them: ‘Why did you abandon your place and sit elsewhere?’ They said to him: ‘We said: Perhaps he will suspect us.’ He said to them: ‘God forbid. Rather, I will tell you why I would rise early and harvest them; because when the sun shines upon it they become worm infested.’ One day, he left them and did not harvest, and they found that the sun was shining on them and they had become worm infested. They said: ‘The owner of a fig tree knows well the time when it is appropriate to harvest his fig tree, and he harvests it. So too, the Holy One blessed be He knows when the time of the righteous person has arrived, and He takes him.’ ³Ḥiyya bar Rav Ada, son of bar Kappara’s sister, died. They said to Rabbi Yoḥanan: ‘Go up and eulogize him.’ He said to them: ‘Let Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish go up, as he knows his strengths.’ Rabbi Shimon got up and eulogized: ‘“My beloved has gone down to his garden” (Song of Songs 6:2); the Holy One blessed be He knows the actions of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Rav Ada and has taken him.’ ⁴When Rabbi Simon bar Zevid died, Rabbi Eila got up and eulogized him with these verses: “But wisdom, where shall it be found.… Man does not know its value” (Job 28:12–13). “It is hidden from the eyes of all living” (Job 28:21). “The depths say: It is not in me” (Job 28:14). If so, a Torah scholar who died, how can we find his replacement? There are four items that are commonly used in the world, and all of them, if they are eliminated, they have replacements. They are: “For there is a source for silver, and a place for gold that they refine; iron is taken from the dust, and bronze is molten from stone” (Job 28:1–2). But, a Torah scholar who died, who will bring us his replacement? We lost Rabbi Simon; who will bring us his replacement? Rabbi Levi said: The tribes found a lost item and wondered, and their hearts sank, as it is stated: “Their hearts sank and they trembled” (Genesis 42:28). We, who lost Rabbi Simon bar Zevid, all the more so. ⁵When Rabbi Bon ben Rabbi Ḥiyya died, Rabbi Zeira got up and eulogized him with this verse: “Sweet is the sleep of the laborer.” To what was Rabbi Bon ben Rabbi Ḥiyya comparable? To a king who had a vineyard and hired many laborers to work it. There was one worker who performed his labor much more efficiently than all the rest. What did the king do? He took him by his hand and went with him on long and short strolls. At evening time, the laborers came to collect their wages, and that laborer came with them, and he gave him his wages in full. The laborers began protesting; they said: ‘We toiled all day, and this one toiled for two hours, and the king gave him his wages in full?’ The king said to them: ‘Why are you protesting? This one toiled for two hours efficiently [and accomplished] what you did not [accomplish] in your toil over the whole day.’ So too, Rabbi Bon ben Rabbi Ḥiyya learned [more] Torah in twenty-eight years than a distinguished disciple can learn in one hundred years. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Anyone who toils in Torah study in this world, in the World to Come they do not leave him to sleep, but they lead him to the study hall of Shem and Ever and of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Aaron. Until when? Until “I will make a great name for you, like the names of the great ones in the world” (II Samuel 7:9).