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This,
too, is the meaning of hevel in Ecclesiastes: Not the dismissive
“vanity,” but the more objective “transience,” referring strictly
to mortality and the fleeting nature of human life.29
“Fleeting transience (hevel havalim),” says Kohelet, “All is
fleeting.”30 Or, read another way: Abel is every man. Without
the negative connotations of “vanity,” we discover in Kohelet a man
who is tormented not by the meaninglessness of life, but by how swiftly it
comes to an end. Life is gone so very quickly, and likewise man’s
worldly deeds. We now understand the significance of Kohelet’s opening
proclamation that “all is hevel.” He seeks to confront his
listeners with man’s own mortality—the underlying premise of any
inquiry into the meaning of life in this world.31
The
reading of hevel as “vanity” is not only misleading, but in
some cases it makes the text impossible to read. Perhaps the most striking
example can be found in the book’s ninth chapter, where Kohelet
discusses the value of love in one’s life. “View life with a woman you
have come to love—all the days of your transitory life (kol yemei
hayei hevlecha) which he has gifted you under the sun—every fleeting
day. For this is your share in life.…”32 Read the
traditional way, the verse is difficult to parse. It would sound something
like, “Live joyfully... all the days of your vain life.” Life is
vanity, so enjoy love? The verse makes far better sense if hevel is
translated as “fleeting,” focusing on life’s brevity: Cherish your
time together, for life is fleeting, and therefore precious. Then is your
love that much more meaningful
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