(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."
Now, Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on Ecclesiastes, takes that verse and runs with it in some truly fascinating directions. It asks: Who is this "one who has not yet been"?
One answer, surprisingly, involves a whole lot of potential people who didn't make it into existence. According to Rabbi Yoḥanan, quoting Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili, these are the 974 generations God considered creating before settling on the world as we know it! The verse "He commanded the matter for one thousand generations" (Psalms 105:8) hints at this, suggesting God had plans for a thousand generations, but ultimately only brought twenty-six into being before giving the Torah. What happened to the other 974? They were, in a sense, "better off" not seeing the evil that would unfold. Heavy stuff.
But the Kohelet Rabbah doesn't stop there. It digs into moments where the past, specifically the merit of past generations, seemed to outweigh the present.
Think about the Golden Calf. When the Israelites went astray, Moses pleaded with God for mercy. Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) tells us he left no corner of Mount Sinai untouched by his prayers. Yet, he wasn't answered. Five angels of destruction – Anger, Destruction, Annihilation, Wrath, and Fury – descended. Desperate, Moses invoked the patriarchs: "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel Your servants" (Exodus 32:13).
And here's where it gets really interesting. God, in a stunning moment of vulnerability, essentially says, "What claim do they have on me? I have claims against them too!" He questions Abraham's doubt ("How will I know that I will inherit it?" Genesis 15:8), Isaac's favoritism towards Esau ("Isaac loved Esau," (Genesis 25:2)8), and Jacob's despair ("My way is hidden from the Lord," (Isaiah 40:2)7).
It wasn't until Moses appealed to God's self-oath ("To whom You took an oath by Yourself," (Exodus 32:1)3) that divine mercy was stirred. Three angels departed, leaving only Wrath and Fury. Moses, incredibly, bargains with God, taking on Fury himself while God confronts Wrath. As it says in (Psalms 106:23), Moses "stood before Him in the breach to turn back His fury." It was a moment where the merit of the past – the covenant God made – outweighed the present sin. That's when King Solomon proclaims, "I praise the dead…more than the living" (Ecclesiastes 4:2).
The text goes on to illustrate this point further. Solomon himself, when dedicating the Temple, couldn't get fire to descend from heaven until he invoked "the good deeds of David your servant" (II (Chronicles 6:4)2). Only then did the fire come, as we read in II (Chronicles 7:1). Some say David even came back to life in that moment! Or, at the very least, his coffin was present, his legacy speaking louder than Solomon's current prayers.
And then there's Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37). He commands the bones to heed God's word, and they miraculously reassemble. The prophet notes that, unlike the living generation who ignored God, these dead bones finally listened. Again, the past – even in death – held more weight than the present.
So, what’s the takeaway? Is it that being dead is better than being alive? Not exactly. It’s more nuanced than that. It’s about the enduring power of legacy, the weight of past actions, and the idea that even those who came before us – even those who didn't even come to be – can still profoundly shape our present. It is a lesson about the importance of earning a good name in this world, one that will have bargaining power even after one leaves it. It’s a reminder that our choices ripple through time, long after we're gone. And maybe, just maybe, that’s a reason for hope, even in the face of all the evil under the sun.
“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” (Ecclesiastes 4:3). “Better than both of them is one who has not yet been” – these are the one thousand generations that were in God’s mind to have created. How many of them were eliminated? Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: Nine hundred and seventy-four generations, as it is stated: “He commanded the matter for one thousand generations” (Psalms 105:8).7God intended to give the Torah after one thousand generations, but He actually gave the Torah after just twenty-six generations. Rabbi Yehoshua interpreted the verse regarding the Israelites at the time that they stood before Mount Sinai. Once they performed that act,8The sin of the Golden Calf Moses did not leave any corner of the ground on the mountain upon which he did not prostrate himself in prayer asking for mercy upon Israel, but he was not answered. Five angels of destruction harassed him: Anger, Destruction, Annihilation, Wrath, and Fury. Moses was fearful of them. What did he do? He relied on the actions of the patriarchs, and immediately mentioned them and said: “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel Your servants” (Exodus 32:13). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Moses, what claims do the patriarchs of the world have against Me? If I come to be exacting with them, I have claims against them. I have a claim against Abraham, who said: “How will I know that I will inherit it” (Genesis 15:8)? I have a claim against Isaac, as it is stated: “Isaac loved Esau” (Genesis 25:28), but I hated him, as it is stated: “And Esau I hated” (Malachi 1:3). I have a claim against Jacob, who said: “My way is hidden from the Lord” (Isaiah 40:27).’ Once [Moses] said: “To whom You took an oath by Yourself” (Exodus 32:13), for the sake of Your name, at that moment, the Holy One blessed be He was filled with mercy, as it is stated: “The Lord reconsidered…” (Exodus 32:14). Immediately, three of the angels of destruction, Anger, Destruction, and Annihilation, departed, and two remained: Wrath and Fury. That is what is written: “For I was in dread due to the Wrath and the Fury” (Deuteronomy 9:19). He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, am I able to withstand the two of them? You bear one and I will bear one.’ That is what is written: “Arise, Lord, in Your wrath [be’appekha]…” (Psalms 7:7).9This is expounded to mean that God will arise against His angel, Wrath [af]. From where is it derived that Moses withstood one, the angel of Fury [Ḥema]? It is as it is stated: “He said He would destroy them, were it not for Moses, His chosen one, who stood before Him in the breach to turn back His fury” (Psalms 106:23).10This is expounded to mean that Moses stood in the breach against the angel of destruction, Fury [Ḥema]. It is regarding that moment that he said: “I praise the dead […more than the living]” (Ecclesiastes 4:2), like me and my associates.11Solomon thus states from the perspective of Moses: The dead, namely Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were able to have a greater effect than the living, namely my associates and me. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman interpreted the verse regarding David. When Solomon built the Temple, he requested that fire descend from the heavens, but it did not descend. He sacrificed one thousand burnt offerings, but it did not descend. He prayed twenty-four prayers, but it did not descend, until he said: “Remember the good deeds of David your servant” (II Chronicles 6:42), [and then] it descended immediately, as it is stated: “When Solomon concluded praying, the fire descended” (II Chronicles 7:1). Rabbi Yuda ben Rabbi Le’ai and the Rabbis: Rabbi Yuda ben Rabbi Le’ai said: David came to life at that time. The Rabbis say: He brought his coffin. They do not disagree;12They do not disagree based on their own reasoning but based on verses (Etz Yosef, citing Yefe To’ar). the one who said David came to life at that time, that is what David himself said: “Lord, You have raised my soul from the grave…” (Psalms 30:4), and another verse says: “Lord God, do not reject the face of Your anointed” (II Chronicles 6:42), as he is alive before You. The one who said: He brought his coffin, that is what is written: “Remember the good deeds of David Your servant” (II Chronicles 6:42). It is regarding that moment that he said: “I praise the dead […more than the living]” (Ecclesiastes 4:2), like me and my associates. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon interpreted the verse regarding Ezekiel. When he stood in the valley and said: “Dry bones, heed the word of the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:4), immediately, “the bones came together, each bone to its bone…” (Ezekiel 37:7). He said to them: ‘Initially I said to you: “Heed the word of the Lord, house of Jacob” (Jeremiah 2:4), but you did not heed; and now you are heeding. During your lifetimes you did not heed; after your deaths you heeded.’ Regarding that moment it is stated: “I praise the dead […more than the living]” (Ecclesiastes 4:2), like me and my associates.13The generation of Ezekiel did not heed the word of God, but those who had already died were heeding His word after death.
