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 comfort.
We begin with the familiar opening of Ecclesiastes: "The words of Kohelet, son of David, king in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 1:1). Kohelet, of course, is traditionally understood to be King Solomon. But why this introduction? Why highlight his lineage and status? The text immediately connects this to a verse in Proverbs (22:29): "Have you seen a man diligent in his labor? He will stand before kings."
This brings us to the story of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa. Everyone in his town was bringing vow offerings, nedarim, and gift offerings, ndavot, to Jerusalem. He felt left out. He wanted to contribute, but he didn't have much. So, he found a stone, broke it, chiseled it, polished it, and declared his intention to bring it to Jerusalem.
He sought laborers, offering five sela (a unit of currency) for the task. But he didn't have the money! The laborers left. Now what? This is where the story takes a turn. The Holy One, blessed be He, sent five angels disguised as men. They agreed to carry the stone for five sela, but with a catch: Rabbi Ḥanina had to help, even if only with a finger. He agreed, and instantly, they were in Jerusalem.
He went to pay them, but they were gone. He inquired about them at the Chamber of the Hewn Stone, Lishkat ha-Gazit – the seat of the Sanhedrin, the ancient Jewish high court. They told him, "It appears that ministering angels took your stone up to Jerusalem." And then, crucially, they quoted the verse: "Have you seen a man diligent in his labor? He will stand before kings [melakhim]." But they reinterpreted it: "Read, in his regard: 'He will stand before angels [malakhim].'" It wasn't about earthly kings; it was about divine recognition.
Rabbi Simon, in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta, offers an analogy. Imagine a royal advisor. The king says, "Ask for anything!" The advisor thinks, "If I ask for silver, gold, or fine gems, he will give them. But if I ask for his daughter, I get everything with her." It's about asking for the source of all blessings.
Similarly, in Gibeon, God appeared to Solomon in a dream (I Kings 3:5), saying, "Ask, what shall I give you?" Solomon could have asked for wealth, but instead, he asked for wisdom, an understanding heart. As it says, "Grant your servant an understanding heart" (I Kings 3:9). God was pleased. Because Solomon sought wisdom above all else, he received not only wisdom and knowledge but also wealth, property, and glory.
Rabbi Yitzḥak adds that the dream was upheld. Solomon awoke and understood. He understood the language of birds and donkeys. He went to Jerusalem, sacrificed offerings, and made a feast. Rabbi Yitzḥak notes that this shows us we should make a feast when completing the Torah – because the Torah encompasses all wisdom. The Divine Spirit rested upon him, and he composed Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes – the very words of Kohelet we began with.
So, what's the connection? What does Rabbi Ḥanina's stone have to do with Solomon's wisdom? Both stories emphasize the power of sincere effort and the wisdom of seeking the highest good. Rabbi Ḥanina, though lacking material wealth, contributed what he could with diligence. Solomon, given the opportunity to ask for anything, chose wisdom, the source of all blessings.
The Kohelet Rabbah suggests that true value isn't measured in material possessions or earthly power, but in the sincere effort to contribute, to seek wisdom, and to connect with the divine. It's a comforting thought, isn't it? That even a simple stone, offered with a pure heart, can elevate us to stand before angels. What "stone" can we offer today?