Birth vs. Death

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim

King Solomon was only second in wisdom to Moses. King Solomon said, “Better is a (good) name than fine oil, and (better) is the day of death than one’s day of birth” (Koheles 7:1). What false notion is the king correcting, and what is the comparison between fame/oil and death/birth? As Rabbi Israel Chait taught, a single verse in Torah, Prophets and Writings contains related topics, explaining why God includes multiple elements in a single verse. 

The false notion is that death is an evil; generated from one’s false fears. But Torah teaches that great people like the patriarchs, Aaron and Moses were very calm about the approach of their deaths. They had a full grasp of the great good that God grants one for his or her righteous life. God promised the patriarchs goodness upon their death (Gen. 15:1). The eternality of the afterlife is infinitely greater, and its metaphysical goodness is immeasurable when compared to the temporal physical good scent of fine oil. But this is in earthly terms. 

On the eternal metaphysical scale, as Ibn Ezra teaches, at birth, we do not know whether this person will be good or evil. But when one dies after a righteous life, this is of definite, greater value than his unknowable potential at birth. Death seals one for eternal bliss, while birth determines nothing.  

Ibn Ezra also explains the two halves as indicating that one with a good name will have a great afterlife, as he now enjoys the release of all his toil and his eternal reward.