איוב, פרק ח׳, פסוק ט׳

Human existence is inherently bound by time, creating a profound limitation in our ability to understand the grand sweep of history and divine providence. The primary approach among commentators is that our lives are so brief it is as if we were born only yesterday. This extreme brevity deprives us of the opportunity to observe reality over an extended period and draw accurate conclusions from accumulated personal experience. This narrow perspective can easily mislead us. During our short time on earth, we might witness corrupt individuals achieving success. Yet, we lack the broad vision required to see their ultimate ruin, a pattern clearly proven by the long arc of the past [רמב״ן].

Because we cannot uncover the truth on our own within such a limited timeframe, we must rely on the traditions passed down by earlier generations who observed world events over many lifetimes [מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, we lack the internal wisdom necessary to depend entirely on our own intellectual investigations [אלשיך]. Our fleeting reality is compared to a passing shadow. Just as a shadow never stands still but constantly shifts and fades with the movement of the sun, our time in this world is incredibly short [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Consequently, we cannot even build a solid foundation of truth based on observations we plan to make from today onward [אלשיך].

A different perspective suggests a much deeper human blindness. Our lack of knowledge is so severe that we fail to understand even the most obvious reality: the fact that we are mortal beings whose days are fading. People naturally tend to forget that the end of life is always near. If a truth so simple and tangible escapes our awareness, it is certainly impossible for our limited minds to comprehend the hidden mysteries of the world or to judge how God directs His creation [אלשיך].