“’Utter futility’ said Kohelet. ‘Utter futility. All is futile’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
These words from the book of Ecclesiastes seem to say that everything is pointless. This feels quite at odds with the message of Yom Kippur last week, that our words and actions matter. For if they did not matter, what would be the point of doing the work of Teshuvah, repentance? But traditionally we read the book of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet in Hebrew) during Sukkot. What can we learn from this strange juxtaposition? The High Holy Days invite us to determine which of our pursuits are “futile” and which are truly for the betterment of ourselves, our families, our community, and the world. May we continue to discern what those are in each of our lives.