It’s a book known for its wisdom, but sometimes couched in rather…opaque language.

Take this verse from Ecclesiastes 10:9: "One who transports stones will be saddened by them; and one who splits wood will benefit from it." Sounds straightforward, right? Maybe. But our sages in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on Ecclesiastes, dig a little deeper.

The first interpretation is all about Torah study. "One who transports stones will be saddened by them" is understood to mean that one who moves themselves away from their studies will ultimately be sorry. Why? Because they’ll forget what they learned! Imagine trying to recall a crucial detail, a piece of Torah, and... it's just gone. Frustrating, isn't it? You'll seek a matter, the midrash says, but you will not find it.

But what about splitting wood? "And one who splits wood will benefit from it [yisakhen]." The Rabbis see a connection between the word "benefit" – yisakhen – and the word for "attendant," sokhenet, as in the verse from I Kings 1:2, "She will be an attendant [sokhenet] for him.” As long as you toil in the wood, you will benefit from it. In other words, consistent effort yields rewards. It’s a beautiful image of dedicated labor bringing forth something valuable.

Now, the midrash being the midrash, it doesn't stop there. It revisits the verse and offers a more literal interpretation. "One who transports stones" could simply be someone who moves stones from place to place. So, what's the problem? Well, unscrupulous people might move stones from their own fields onto public land. Sneaky, right? But ultimately, according to Midrash HaMevo’ar, it is they who will stumble. Their own trickery will be their downfall.

But here’s where it gets really interesting. Rabbi Meyashya brings in the story of Abraham and the Akeidah – the binding of Isaac. Remember that? Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son, and on the way to Mount Moriah, Abraham chopped wood for the offering. Rabbi Meyashya says that in reward for those two logs that Abraham chopped, his descendants were privileged to have the sea split for them into twelve strips when they left Egypt! Talk about a return on investment!

So, what's the takeaway? Maybe it’s that consistent effort, like splitting wood, brings tangible benefits. Maybe it’s about the importance of staying connected to our studies, to our traditions. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a reminder that even seemingly small acts of devotion can have ripple effects we can't even imagine. A few logs chopped on a mountain become the parting of the Red Sea. Pretty amazing, isn't it? What "stones" are you carrying, and what "wood" are you splitting today?