The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, grapples with these very human feelings. It observes, "With the increase of good, those who consume it increase; what use is there for its owner, other than the sight of his eyes?” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). It's a sentiment that resonates, isn't it?
But what does that REALLY mean? Kohelet Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on Ecclesiastes, dives into that verse. what it unearths.
The Rabbis Ḥananya and Yonatan, or perhaps Menaḥem the confectioner – depending on which tradition you follow – asked a pointed question. According to Rabbi Berekhya, in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥananya, Menaḥem asked, "Was the manna (the miraculous food from heaven) that the Holy One blessed be He gave to the Israelites food of starvation?" It seems like a paradox, doesn't it? Divine sustenance, yet associated with suffering?
To illustrate, Menaḥem presented two cucumbers. One was whole, the other broken. The whole cucumber, they agreed, was worth two maneh (an ancient unit of currency). The broken one? Only one maneh. "But," Menaḥem pointed out, "won't the whole one eventually become like the broken one when you eat it? Why the difference in value?" The answer? "They are not comparable, for just as one enjoys the taste, so too he enjoys the appearance."
Rabbi Elazar, citing Rabbi Yosei bar Zimra, beautifully connects this to the story of the Tree of Knowledge. The fig tree, he says, is good for eating, attractive to the eyes, and adds wisdom. We see this echoed in (Genesis 3:6): "The woman saw that the tree was good for eating… and that it was an enticement to the eyes… and that it was desirable for wisdom [lehaskil]." The word maskil, meaning "contemplation," even appears in the title of Psalm 89: “A contemplation [maskil] of Eitan HaEzraḥi.” It's all interconnected.
The idea is that initially, appearance matters. But as we experience things, the initial allure fades, and we're left with the core essence – the taste, the wisdom. Isaac, whose eyesight was failing, embodies this shift. He asks for "tasty food," acknowledging that he now values only the taste, not the visual presentation.
Then comes a fascinating debate between a Samaritan and Rabbi Meir about resurrection. The Samaritan challenges the idea of the dead coming back to life. Rabbi Meir, unable to cite chapter and verse in that moment, cleverly uses logic and analogy.
"Will the dead [yet] live?" the Samaritan asks. Rabbi Meir affirms, "Yes," and insists it will be a public event. The Samaritan demands proof. Rabbi Meir replies, "It is not from the Bible, and not from the Mishna, but rather, from the way of the world that I respond to you."
He paints a picture: In their city, there's a trustworthy person who returns private deposits publicly. So, wouldn't a public deposit be returned publicly? Similarly, people "deposit" a tiny seed with their wives in private, and God returns it publicly as a complete person. The dead, who depart with public mourning, will surely return publicly.
Rabbi Yonatan, quoting Rabbi Yonatan of Beit Guvrin, adds a poignant image: a child emerging from a barren womb with loud cries. Just so, the dead will emerge from the grave with loud cries.
The Samaritan persists: Will they be clothed? Again, Rabbi Meir relies on analogy. He asks if the Samaritan has ever sown beans. Unclothed, he admits. And how do they emerge? Clothed, of course! Therefore, the dead, who are buried in shrouds, will surely return with garments. Rabbi Aivu, or Rabbi Natan, even cites (Job 38:14): “It will be transformed like clay under the seal; and they stand like a garment.” The garment buried with a person will be there upon resurrection.
Finally, the Samaritan asks: Who will feed them? Rabbi Meir asks if he's ever been to Ḥamat Gader, a place known for its hot springs. Whether "in season" or "out of season," food is always available because of the crowds. Rabbi Meir concludes, "So too, the One who brings the crowds brings their food."
The Samaritan, seemingly cornered, then poses the ultimate question: If they come back alive, clothed, and sustained, why do you cry over them when they die? Rabbi Meir, perhaps frustrated, responds with a harsh rebuke, essentially cursing the questioner. He argues that loss is painful, and mourning is a natural response. Just as they entered the world with cries, they leave with cries.
What do we take away from this? Perhaps it’s a reminder that appearances can be deceiving, that true value lies beyond the surface. Or maybe it's a testament to the enduring human need for hope and comfort in the face of loss. The Rabbis, through their interpretations, remind us that even in the face of life's ephemerality, there's a deeper, more enduring reality to be found. A reality that even death cannot extinguish.
“With the increase of good, those who consume it increase; what use is there for its owner, other than the sight of his eyes?” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). “With the increase of good, those who consume it increase” – Rabbi Ḥananya and Rabbi Yonatan asked Menaḥem the confectioner, and Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥananya: Menaḥem the confectioner asked them:54The midrash is presenting two traditions as to whether they asked Menaḥem or he asked them. ‘What is that [which is stated]: “He afflicted you and starved you” (Deuteronomy 8:3)? Was the manna that the Holy One blessed be He gave to the Israelites food of starvation?’ What did he do? He brought before them two cucumbers, one whole and one broken.55The whole cucumber and the broken one were the same size. He said: ‘This whole one, how much [is it worth]?’ They said to him: ‘Two maneh.’ ‘And this broken one, how much [is it worth]?’ They said to him: ‘One maneh.’ He said to them: ‘Is the destiny of this one not to become like that one?’56Ultimately, in the process of eating the whole one, it will become like the broken one. Why, then, is its price double? He said: ‘They are not comparable, for just as one enjoys the taste, so too he enjoys the appearance.’ Rabbi Elazar [said] in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Zimra: Three matters were stated regarding the fig tree: It is good for eating, attractive to the eyes, and adds wisdom, and the three of them appear in a single verse. “The woman saw that the tree was good for eating” (Genesis 3:6) – from here that it was good for eating; “and that it was an enticement to the eyes” (Genesis 3:6) – from here that it is attractive to the eyes; “and that it was desirable for wisdom [lehaskil]” (Genesis 3:6) – from here that it adds wisdom. That is what is written: “A contemplation [maskil] of Eitan HaEzraḥi” (Psalms 89:1). Likewise, Isaac says: “Prepare tasty food for me” (Genesis 27:4). He said to him: ‘Initially, I enjoyed the appearance; now I enjoy only the taste.’57This is because Isaac’s eyes had grown dim; see Genesis 27:1. Likewise, Solomon says: “With the increase of good, those who consume it increase” – there is no comparison between one who sees his food basket empty and is hungry, and one who sees his food basket full and is satiated.58The meaning is that seeing one’s food basket empty makes one feel hungry and seeing one’s food basket full makes one feel satiated. A certain Samaritan asked Rabbi Meir, he said to him: ‘Will the dead [yet] live?’ [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘Yes’. He said to him: ‘In private or publicly?’ He said to him: ‘Publicly.’ He said to him: ‘From where can you show me [that it is so]?’ [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘It is not from the Bible, and not from the Mishna, but rather, from the way of the world that I respond to you.’ [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘There is a trustworthy person in our city, and everyone deposits with him in private and he returns it to them publicly. If one deposited it with him publicly, how will he return it to him, in private or publicly? Is it not publicly?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘Do your ears not hear what your mouth speaks? People [privately] deposit with their wives a white drop, and the Holy One blessed be He publicly returns that drop to them as a fine, whole person. The dead, who goes publicly, is it not all the more so that he will come publicly? Just as he went with loud cries,59Of mourning so he will come with loud cries.’60Of joy and thanksgiving Rabbi Yonatan said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan of Beit Guvrin: It is written: “The grave, the barren womb” (Proverbs 30:16). What does this have to do with that? It is to say to you: Just as [a child emerges from a barren womb with loud cries, so too [the dead emerge from] the grave with loud cries. [The Samaritan] said [to Rabbi Meir]: ‘How do they come, unclothed or clothed?’ He said to him: ‘Clothed.’ He said to him: ‘From where can you show me [that it is so]?’ [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘It is not from the Bible, and not from the Mishna, but rather, from the way of the world that I respond to you.’ [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘Have you ever sown beans?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ He said to him: ‘How did you sow them, unclothed or clothed?’ He said to him: ‘Unclothed.’61Beans are planted individually rather than encased in a pod. He said to him: ‘How do they come [out of the ground when they grow], clothed or unclothed?’ He said to him: ‘Clothed.’ [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘Do your ears not hear what your mouth is saying? If beans, when you sow them unclothed, they arise clothed, the dead person who goes [to the grave] clothed [in shrouds], is it not all the more so that he will come [back to life] with a garment?’ Rabbi Aivu [said], and some teach it in the name of Rabbi Natan: It is written: “It will be transformed like clay under the seal; and they stand like a garment” (Job 38:14). A garment that descends with a person to the grave in this world comes with him [when he comes to life] in the future. [The Samaritan] said to [Rabbi Meir]: ‘Since they come alive and clothed, who provides them with food?’ [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘Have you ever been to Ḥamat Gader?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ He said to him: ‘In season or not in season?’62Ḥamat Gader is the site of natural hot springs. The time of year when many people would gather there to bathe for medical reasons is referred to here as “in season” (Rabbi David Luria). He said to him: ‘In season and not in season.’ He said to him: ‘How was the food there, available?’ He said to him: ‘Available.’ He said to him: ‘In season or not in season?’ He said to him: ‘In season and not in season; because of the crowds, [people] bring [food] to sell and to buy.’63Because of the large crowds at certain times of year, the location developed an active market all year round. [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘So too, the One who brings the crowds brings their food, as it is written by Solomon: “With the increase of good, those who consume it increase” – when the consumers of good increase, the good will increase.’ [The Samaritan] said to him: ‘Since they come [back] alive, clothed, and sustained, why do you cry over them [when they die]?’ [Rabbi Meir] said to him: ‘May a curse come upon that person.64This is a reference to his interlocutor, the Samaritan. Is there a person who loses something precious to him and does not cry? Rather, just as he came [into the world] with loud cries, so he leaves with loud cries.’
