קהלת, פרק ב׳, פסוק כ״ג

Human life often feels like a relentless cycle of physical exhaustion and mental worry, leaving little room for true rest. The normal human routine is naturally filled with pain, the harsh effects of time, and various troubles [רש״י]. Throughout the day, a person often faces anger and frustration because their efforts and necessary tasks rarely go exactly as planned [מצודת דוד, אבן עזרא].

This lack of peace does not stop when the sun goes down. Even as the body lies down to sleep, the mind and heart remain wide awake, burdened by the unresolved problems of the day [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. For those consumed by the desire to gather wealth, a flood of thoughts and worries completely prevents genuine rest [מצודת דוד]. The anxieties of the day even invade the sleeping hours through troubled dreams [אבן עזרא]. Ultimately, this mental burden and nighttime anxiety, even without the physical labor of acquiring property, amount to nothing more than another empty vanity in the world [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Beyond the everyday human experience, a historical and moral approach views this cycle of pain and anger as a reflection of wicked generations and their relationship with God [תורה תמימה]. In this view, the pain and frustration represent the grief these generations caused God through their evil actions. For example, the generation of the Flood committed robbery during the day, and at night their minds never rested as they planned further sins, particularly sexual immorality, for the following day. Similarly, the Egyptians forced the Israelites into crushing labor during the day, and at night they refused to let them rest, demanding private work in their own homes.

This historical perspective also applies the concept of a sleepless night to God Himself. In response to the extreme wickedness of the generation of the Flood, the people of Sodom, and the Egyptians, God, so to speak, did not rest. He planned their downfall day and night, bringing upon them continuous, unrelenting punishments, such as the forty days of the flood, the rain of fire and brimstone on Sodom, and the plague of the firstborn that struck exactly at midnight [תורה תמימה].