Wisdom as Solomon's Wall and the Sand That Fences the Sea

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Chukat 10:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

Rabbi Isaac opened (with Ecclesiastes 7:23): "All this I tested with wisdom." It is written (in I Kings 5:9 [4:29]): "And God gave Solomon wisdom [and so forth, like the sand which is on the seashore]." The Rabbis say: Wisdom was given to him equal to all Israel. And Rabbi Levi said: Just as the sand is a fence for the sea, so was wisdom a fence for Solomon. The proverb says: Knowledge you lack—what have you acquired? Knowledge you have acquired—what do you lack? (Proverbs 25:28): "A breached city without a wall is a man who has no restraint over his spirit." [Like a breached city that has no wall in it, so is a man who has no restraint over his spirit.]

Themes

WisdomSolomon

Biblical References

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