270 passagesc. 8th century CEHebrew / AramaicCC-BY
Individual passages from Kohelet Rabbah, shown in source order. Page 1 of 6.
Like everyone else is contributing, and you're just... there? Our sages grappled with this feeling, and their stories, preserved in texts like Kohelet Rabbah, offer surprising comf...
That feeling isn't new. In fact, the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, wrestles with it head-on. "I said in my heart: Come now, I will experiment in joy, and see goodness...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, grapples with this very idea, and the rabbinic commentary on it, Kohelet Rabbah, digs even deeper. It all starts with that famous li...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, grapples with this very human experience. "I returned and saw all the oppressions that are performed under the sun; and behold the tears of th...
King Solomon, wise beyond measure, certainly did. He saw an "evil under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 6:1), and it wasn't some grand, world-ending catastrophe, but something far more insi...
Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, throws us a curveball right from the start: "A good name is better than fine oil, and the day of death than the day of one's birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1). Whoa....
The wisdom of a man illuminates his face, and the boldness of his face is changed" (Ecclesiastes 8:1). Right away, the Rabbis ask: Who is this wise man? And their answer, in a move...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, certainly does. And the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Kohelet Rabbah, wrestled with it too. Specifica...
(Ecclesiastes 10:1) puts it bluntly: "Dead flies spoil and froth a perfumer’s oil; a little folly is weightier than wisdom, than honor." It's a powerful image, isn’t it? How someth...
A passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes, that explores this very idea through the verse: “Cast your bread The first read...
It’s a universal feeling, and it’s one that the ancient sages grappled with too. The book of Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, wrestles with the meaning of life, and Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbini...
It kicks off by asking about the opening line: “The words of Kohelet, son of David.” The passage points out that three prophets – Kohelet, Amos, and Jeremiah – have their prophecie...
The Rabbis paint a scene where the Holy One, blessed be He, instructs Moses to appoint a High Priest. Moses, naturally, wants to know the specifics: "Master of the universe, from w...
Kohelet Rabbah turns to Eden — Adam at the Dawn of Creation. Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes (or Kohelet in Hebrew), opens a window into this fasc...
It all starts with a verse from Ecclesiastes (9:4): "For anyone who is joined to any of the living there is hope, as a living dog is better than a dead lion.” That seems Life, even...
It seems Kohelet Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, thought so too. It uses that very image – "Dead flies spoil and froth a perfumer's oil" ...
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, a prominent figure in the Zohar (the foundational text of Jewish mysticism), puts it this way: a good name is more beloved than the Ark of the Covenant itse...
In Kohelet Rabbah, one of the most beautiful compilations of rabbinic thought on the Book of Ecclesiastes, the answer might surprise you. "Who is like the wise man?" Kohelet Rabbah...
The book of Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, dives right into this question, offering a perspective that might just flip your e...
Our sages pondered this question, and their answers, preserved in Kohelet Rabbah, are surprisingly insightful. The verse in question is from Ecclesiastes (8:1): “Who is like the wi...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They wrestled with the complexities of Jewish law and tradition, seeking not just to follow the rules, but to truly understand them. And in the pr...
It starts with a bang: "Vanity of vanities, said Kohelet; vanity of vanities, everything is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). But what does that even mean? What is this "vanity," this he...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with this very idea. "Of laughter, I said it is confounded; and of joy, what does it accomplish?" (Ecclesiast...
Kohelet Rabbah turns to A Good Name at Death Outweighs a Good Birth. Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, that most philosophical of biblical books, puts it starkly: "A time to be born, and a...
Take this passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet). It grapples with a pretty stark statement: "I praise the dead who are already de...
In fact, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Kohelet Rabbah, connects them to something much deeper: the consequences of our actions and, specifically, our...
Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, that sometimes-bleak but always-honest book of the Bible, wrestles with this feeling. Chapter 6, verse 2, hits hard: "A man to whom God gives wealth, asse...
Perhaps, just perhaps, there's profound wisdom hidden within it. The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, is famous for its reflections on the meaning of life. And one verse...
Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, dives right into that tension. And Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, unpacks it for us with layers of meaning. the story turns to one ...
It’s actually a question pondered in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes. to the fascinating ways our Sages understood the seemingl...
"Distribute a portion to seven, and also to eight, as you do not know what evil will be upon the earth" (Ecclesiastes 11:2). Simple enough. But what does it mean? That’s where Kohe...
The rabbis of old, in their infinite wisdom, dove deep into its poetic verses, finding layers of meaning we might miss today. Specifically, we’re unpacking a rather… vivid interpre...
Her story, found in Kohelet Rabbah, the commentary on Ecclesiastes, is a stark reminder that joy and sorrow can be two sides of the same coin. The verse But what does that really m...
Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, dives into this very idea, particularly when it comes to life, death, and the mome...
It's woven into the very fabric of our faith. Rabbi Berekhya, in Kohelet Rabbah, makes a powerful point: acts of kindness appear at the beginning, middle, and end of the Torah. ! F...
Kohelet Rabbah, a commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, dives deep into the question: "Of laughter, I said it is confounded" (Ecclesiastes 2:2). How confounding is laughter, real...
This question has been debated for centuries, and a fascinating discussion about it from the ancient text of Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of...
God is often remembered as this distant, powerful being, but Jewish tradition paints a much more intimate picture. It suggests that God is actively involved in our lives, even in t...
Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, explores exactly this kind of sudden, heartbreaking reversal. This particular stor...
Rabbi Simon, in Kohelet Rabbah, a commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, makes a striking observation. He points out a curious pattern: when people attend joyous occasions, their ...
Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, offers a fascinating perspective, connecting our actions in life with the inevitable reality o...
That question, that nagging feeling, is at the heart of the Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew. And it’s a question the Rabbis grappled with deeply. The opening verse of Ko...
The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with this tension beautifully. And the Rabbis in Kohelet Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive c...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, grapples with this very idea. It’s a meditation on the cyclical nature of existence, the ups and downs that define our...
(Ecclesiastes 4:3) dances with it: "Better than both of them is one who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil actions that are done under the sun." Kohelet Rabbah, a collecti...
The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Kohelet Rabbah, take this even further, using stories and interpretations to examine the weight of those feelings. ...
Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, wrestles with this very idea, focusing on the verse: "Anger is better than laughter, as with a cross countenance the heart ...
Today's story from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, speaks directly to that feeling, urging us to pause and consider our approa...
