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 Midrashic commentary on Ecclesiastes, unpacks that picture with vivid detail.
Take the verse, “They will also fear heights, there will be obstacles on the way, the almond tree will blossom, the grasshopper will be burdened, the caper berry will fail. For the man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners will circle in the streets” (Ecclesiastes 12:5). It’s rich with imagery, right? But what does it mean?
Kohelet Rabbah breaks it down. "They will also fear heights"… Imagine an elderly person invited somewhere. According to the Midrash, they might respond, "Are there thorns there? Are there ascents there? Are there descents there?" They avoid anything that might be physically challenging. It's that growing awareness of our own fragility.
And what about "There will be obstacles [ḥatḥatim] on the way?" Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Levi offer two interpretations. One says it’s the fear [ḥititei] itself that becomes the obstacle, creating indecision: "Shall I go, or shall I not go?" leading to ultimately staying home. The other suggests a shrinking world, marked by carefully defined boundaries: "Until this street I can go, but no further."
Then there's the fascinating image of "the almond tree will blossom." Rabbi Levi explains that this refers to a tiny, nut-sized bone at the top of the spinal column. This seemingly insignificant bone, some traditions hold, is the seed from which we will be resurrected.
The story goes that Hadrian, the Roman emperor – may his bones be crushed, and his name expunged! – challenged Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya on this very point. "From where does a person blossom in the future?" he asked. Rabbi Yehoshua pointed to this very bone. Hadrian, skeptical, demanded proof.
The Rabbi then brought him the bone and subjected it to a series of tests, as recorded in Kohelet Rabbah. He placed it in water – it didn't dissolve. He put it in fire – it didn't burn. He tried to grind it in a mill – it wouldn't break. Finally, he placed it on an anvil and struck it with a hammer. The anvil split, the hammer split, but the little bone remained intact. A powerful image of resilience and the enduring promise of rebirth.
"The grasshopper will be burdened" – that refers to weakening ankles. And "the caper berry will fail" – that, the Midrash explains, is the decline of desire that sustains peace between a man and his wife. It speaks to the intimate losses that come with age.
There’s a touching story here about Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta, who used to visit Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi monthly. As Rabbi Shimon aged, the journey became too difficult. When he finally managed to visit, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi remarked, "Why have we been privileged to see the radiant countenance of the rabbi today?" Rabbi Shimon replied, "The distant have become close, the close have become distant, two have become three, and what sustains peace has ceased." A beautiful, poetic way of describing the changes brought about by aging and distance.
Finally, "For the man goes to his eternal home." Notice it doesn’t say "the eternal home," but "his eternal home." Reish Lakish uses the analogy of a king entering a province with his entourage. They all enter through the same gate, but each occupies a place according to their status. Similarly, though all experience death, each individual has their own unique afterlife.
And "the mourners will circle in the streets" – these, the Midrash explains, are the worms. A stark, but honest reminder of our mortality.
So what does it all mean? Kohelet Rabbah, in its exploration of these verses, offers a profound meditation on aging, loss, and the enduring hope of renewal. It's a reminder that even in the face of decline, there is still resilience, still meaning, and still a unique place for each of us in the world to come. It urges us to consider our own "eternal home" and what we are doing to prepare for that journey. What is truly essential, and what can we let go of?