Kohelet Rabbah

270 texts in Midrash Rabbah

Stars and Firmament and the Serpent

Kohelet Rabbah 11:1

Ancient Jewish wisdom grappled with these questions too. Take this passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes. It starts with...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaAngels

Wisdom of Cyrus

Kohelet Rabbah 12:1

A blessing, a curse, a promise kept, a promise broken... it all hangs on the power of speech. Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, understood this deeply. In Kohelet Rabbah, a midrash (interp...

SolomonEstherTempleWisdom

Kingdom of Cyrus

Kohelet Rabbah 13:1

We find one such sentence in (Ecclesiastes 10:13): "The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his mouth is evil debauchery." Ouch. But who is this vers...

CreationSolomonTempleHoly Land

Even Moses Talked Too Much and Paid the Price

Kohelet Rabbah 14:1

Even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, apparently had that problem! The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, a book known for its philosophical musings, contains the line, "The fool ...

MosesSolomonWisdom

The Fool's Toil Exhausts Him Because He Cannot Find the Way

Kohelet Rabbah 15:1

We find ourselves in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 10:15): “The toil of the fools wil...

SolomonTempleSoulHoly Land

Solomon's Transgression

Kohelet Rabbah 16:1

Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, grapples with this very question, using the famous story of King Solomon and the two mothers t...

CreationKing DavidSolomonElijah

Mount Sinai and the Lawgiver of Israelites

Kohelet Rabbah 18:1

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, is part of the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible. Kohelet Rabbah, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic commentary on ...

MosesKing DavidSolomonTemple

A Feast Is Made for Laughter and Money Answers All

Kohelet Rabbah 19:1

Specifically, they looked closely at the verse: "A feast is made for laughter, wine cheers the living, and money answers everything" (Ecclesiastes 10:18). Now, on the surface, that...

CreationKing DavidSolomonTorah

Do Not Curse the King Even in Your Thoughts

Kohelet Rabbah 20:1

Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, delves into this very human experience, urging us to be mindful of our thoughts and words, esp...

AngelsJosephMosesKing David

Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters and Wait for Its Return

Kohelet Rabbah 1:1

Today, we’re diving into a passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes, that explores this very idea through the verse: “Cast ...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Rabbi Eliezer and the Patriarchs

Kohelet Rabbah 2:1

"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...

PatriarchsJosephMosesKing David

Rabbi Mona in Solomon's Court

Kohelet Rabbah 3:1

"If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the land," it says, "and if the tree falls in the south, or in the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it sh...

SolomonTorahProphecySoul

Edom Before the King

Kohelet Rabbah 5:1

And maybe, just maybe, that's part of the point. (Ecclesiastes 11:5) tells us, "Just as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of one who is pregna...

SolomonProphecyJudgment

Rabbi Akiva and Solomon of Yishmael

Kohelet Rabbah 6:1

And they found wisdom in the most unexpected of places: a farmer's field. The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, as it's known in Hebrew, offers some surprisingly practical advice t...

SolomonTorahHoly LandEgypt

The Light of Torah That Shines Sweeter Than the Sun

Kohelet Rabbah 7:1

Uplifting, even. The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as we know it in Hebrew, captures this feeling perfectly: "The light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to behold the sun."...

SolomonTorahMessiahProphecy

Eve's Miracle

Kohelet Rabbah 8:1

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, grapples with these very questions. And the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Kohelet Rabbah, offer a fas...

SolomonTorahMessiah

Rejoice in Your Youth but Know Judgment Awaits

Kohelet Rabbah 9:1

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with that very idea. It's a book of wisdom, attributed to King Solomon, but some of its verses have sparked d...

Hell/GehennaMosesSolomonTorah

Remember Your Creator in the Days of Your Youth

Kohelet Rabbah 1:1

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...

Hell/GehennaSolomonJobHoly Land

Before the Sun Grows Dark and the Light Fades

Kohelet Rabbah 2:1

And the rabbis of old, in their infinite wisdom, dove deep into its poetic verses, finding layers of meaning we might miss today. We're looking at Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbinic commen...

SolomonTorahSun and moonNoah & Flood

Ecclesiastes and the Aging Human Body Decoded

Kohelet Rabbah 3:1

It all centers around a verse from (Ecclesiastes 12:3), a verse filled with cryptic imagery: "On the day that the guards of the house will tremble, the men of valor will be bent, t...

SolomonHeresyHumorAdam & Eve

When the Sound of the Mill Fades and Doors Close

Kohelet Rabbah 4:1

Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, certainly thinks so. Chapter 12 is a powerful, poetic meditation on aging, and the Rabbis, as they so often do, dug deep to unlock...

SolomonMusic & SongHumorWit

They Will Fear Heights and Terrors Line the Path

Kohelet Rabbah 5:1

Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, as it’s known in Hebrew, delves into these very feelings in its twelfth chapter. It paints a poignant picture of aging, and Kohelet Rabbah, a Midrash (rab...

SolomonSoulEnd TimesDeath

The Silver Cord Snaps and the Golden Bowl Shatters

Kohelet Rabbah 6:1

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as we know it, uses some pretty powerful imagery to describe the fragility of life and the descent into mortality. And the Rabbis, in their inf...

SolomonJobHoly LandDeath

When the Spirit Returns to the God Who Gave It

Kohelet Rabbah 7:1

The Rabbis in Kohelet Rabbah delve deep into this verse, unpacking its layers of meaning. Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiya, in the name of Rabbi Simon, pose a crucial question: When ...

CreationHell/GehennaCreaturesNoah & Flood

Vanity of Vanities - Is Everything Really Meaningless

Kohelet Rabbah 9:1

That nagging sense of "Is this all there is?" That, my friends, is a feeling as old as time itself. The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it’s known in Hebrew, grapples with this...

SolomonAdam & EveCharityPoverty

Solomon and Moses of Uprightness

Kohelet Rabbah 10:1

It wasn't just about accumulating knowledge, but about understanding the very essence of reward, redemption, and the mysteries of the universe. The verse from Ecclesiastes (12:9-10...

MosesKing DavidSolomonTorah

Rabbi Eliezer and the Lawgiver

Kohelet Rabbah 11:1

It all starts with a verse from Ecclesiastes (12:11): "The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails well fastened are the collectors of wisdom; they are given from one shep...

MosesKing DavidSolomonTorah

Of Making Many Books There Is No End Says Ecclesiastes

Kohelet Rabbah 12:1

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it’s known in Hebrew, grapples with this in its final chapter. Chapter 12, verse 12, reads: "More than that, my son, be careful: Making many...

SolomonWisdomWritingKings

Solomon Beyond the Firmament

Kohelet Rabbah 13:1

It all centers around the verse from (Ecclesiastes 12:13): "The end of the matter, everything having been heard: Fear God and observe His commandments, for that is all of man." But...

HeavenHell/GehennaAngelsSolomon

Rabbi in Paradise

Kohelet Rabbah 14:1

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, as it’s known in Hebrew, ends with this rather stark line: "For every action God will bring to judgment, for every unknown, whether good or ev...

Adam & EveJosephSolomonTemple