Presidential Reflections

April 15, 2026

Dear Fellow Workers,

During 55 years of ministry, I confess a reluctance to ponder the Book of Ecclesiastes. Chapter after chapter and verse upon verse, the theme seemed to be a bummer. In both the first chapter and the last, the probable author, Solomon, says, “Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, all is vanity.

It always seemed to point to a futility in life’s activities. We all have a vague notion of vanity, when we observe someone constantly wanting to view themselves in the mirror, Solomon says it runs deeper than that.

In Chapter 2, it says living it up will always let you down. The next chapter emphasizes the inscrutable nature of eternity. Chasing worldly success, in Chapter 5, results in futility in the long run.

In Chapter 6, we grapple with the overall lack of sustained satisfaction, without answers to life’s ultimate questions. Worse yet, we are advised in the following chapter to benefit from sorrow, while awaiting ultimate death. Chapter 8 tells us it is better to swing with Providence, than to step out of line, but still doesn’t answer life’s puzzle. In the following chapter, satisfaction seems so obscure, simply having a good time seems best.

As a national leader, Solomon tries to take what he has learned and apply it to his overall experience. He writes, “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong… nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all”.

Whew! After eleven chapters of non-answers, I’m ready for the punch line and get to the point of it all. Beginning with verse 13 of the last chapter, we are told to, “hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His Commandments, for this is the whole duty of man”.

This culminating statement leaves lots of room to personally “plan out” our days.

We enter life and occupy ourselves with various activities that flatter our sense of importance. We strive to be the best baseball player, most alluring, smartest achiever etc. The contest becomes consuming. But sooner or later, we come to see that such reward is not permanent.

There must be something more. Here’s how I have sorted it all out. Our life begins before birth. “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee, and before thou came forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee… (Jeremiah 1:5). We had an identity and destiny. We, like the Sun, the Moon and the Stars were created to glorify God in the Creation. Sometimes we fall off the track (sin), but always glorification of God was the desired effect.

After a brief interlude called life, “the days of our years are three score and ten …” (Psalm 90:10). We then return to true eternal existence, beyond our flesh.

During this “in between” period, we were born with the purpose of magnifying the greatness of our Maker. Being and doing according to design is our reason for being. When we are in this mode, we enjoy our greatest contentment.

Now reflect. Are not the times of greatest happiness when we know we are fulfilling our Lord’s purposes? This being the place of most satisfaction, we can increasingly direct our paths towards the point of it all. Thus, life’s equation boils down to: SERVE GOD TO BE HAPPY

In Yeshua’s service,

Rabbi Paul Liberman

President

International Messianic Jewish Alliance!