King Solomon, wisest of all men, apparently felt that too. (Ecclesiastes 7:23) reads, "All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is far from me."
What does this tell us?
The Book of Kings (5:9) tells us that God gave Solomon "wisdom, great discernment, and breadth of understanding like the sand on the seashore." Now, what does "like the sand" even mean? The Rabbis, in Kohelet Rabbah, offer two interesting interpretations. One opinion is that Solomon’s wisdom encompassed the wisdom of all Israel, who are themselves compared to the sand (Genesis 22:17). Another, offered by Rabbi Levi, suggests that just as sand forms a boundary for the sea, wisdom served as a boundary for Solomon, preventing him from sinning. What a powerful idea! Wisdom, not just as knowledge, but as a protective force.
The text poses a rhetorical question: "If you lack knowledge, what have you acquired? If you have acquired wisdom, what are you lacking?" It's a reminder that wisdom is the ultimate treasure.
Solomon's wisdom surpassed even the famed wisdom of the East and Egypt (I (Kings 5:1)0). What was so special about their knowledge? The people of the East, apparently, were masters of astronomy, bird sorcery, and augury. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel even praises some of their customs: they kissed hands instead of mouths (more hygienic, perhaps?), cut food with knives instead of biting, and sought counsel in open spaces to avoid eavesdroppers.
And the Egyptians? They were clever deceivers! When Solomon needed craftsmen to build the Temple, he asked Pharaoh Nekho for help. But instead of sending skilled workers, Pharaoh, according to the text, sent those destined to die that year, as revealed by his astrologers. Solomon, however, saw through the trick with divine insight, sent them back with shrouds, and basically told Pharaoh to bury his own dead. Talk about a mic drop moment!
But get this: Solomon was even wiser than Adam! I (Kings 5:11) says, “He was wiser than any man [ha’adam].” The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) takes this literally, interpreting ha’adam as Adam, the first man. What was Adam's wisdom? Well, as we find in Midrash Rabbah, when God created Adam, He consulted the angels. They questioned the need for humanity, but God demonstrated Adam's superior wisdom by having him name all the animals – a task the angels couldn't accomplish. Adam even named God, declaring, "You are my Lord [Adonai], because You are the Lord [Adon] over all Your creations." That’s some serious wisdom! According to the text, God’s name itself, the one stipulated between Himself, His creations, and His angels, was the name given to Him by Adam.
The passage goes on to identify other figures with exceptional wisdom, linking them to the individuals mentioned in I (Kings 5:11): “Eitan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Kalkol, and Darda, the sons of Maḥol.” “Eitan the Ezrahite” is identified as Abraham, based on (Psalm 89:1). “Heman” is none other than Moses, the most trusted in God's house (Numbers 12:7). “Kalkol” is linked to Joseph, who "provided" (vaykhalkel) for Egypt (Genesis 47:12). The Egyptians marveled at Joseph's wisdom, especially his ability to understand seventy different languages, including the sacred tongue. "Darda" represents the generation of the wilderness, who were entirely knowledge [de’a]. And the "sons of Maḥol" are the Israelites, forgiven (maḥal) for the sin of the Golden Calf.
So, what do we take away from all this? Perhaps it’s that wisdom isn't just about knowing facts or outsmarting others. It's about understanding our place in the world, recognizing God's presence, and living a life guided by ethical boundaries. And maybe, just maybe, the pursuit of wisdom is a lifelong journey, one where the destination is always just a little bit further than we can reach, pushing us to keep learning and growing.
“All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is far from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23). “All this I attempted with wisdom.” It is written: “God granted wisdom to Solomon, [great discernment, and breadth of understanding like the sand on the seashore]” (I Kings 5:9). The Rabbis and Rabbi Levi, the Rabbis say: “Like the sand” – what is “like the sand”? He was granted wisdom corresponding to all of Israel.124Israel is compared to the sand on the seashore; see Genesis 22:17. Rabbi Levi said: Just as this sand is a boundary for the sea, so, too, wisdom was a boundary for Solomon.125It prevented him from sinning. The parable says: If you lack knowledge, what have you acquired? If you have acquired wisdom, what are you lacking? It is written: “Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt” (I Kings 5:10). What was the wisdom of the people of the East? They were well-versed in astronomy, performed sorcery with birds, and were expert in augury. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: Regarding three matters I praise the people of the East: They do not kiss on the mouth, but rather on the hand; they do not bite [pieces of food from a larger piece] with their mouth but cut with a knife; and they seek counsel only in a spacious area, as they consult only in the field.126This is to ensure that there are no eavesdroppers. What was the wisdom of the Egyptians? You find that when Solomon sought to build the Temple, he sent to Pharaoh Nekho and said: ‘Send me craftsmen [and I will pay] their wage, as I seek to build the Temple.’ What did he [Pharaoh] do? He assembled all his astrologers, and they envisioned people who were destined to die during that year and he sent them to him. When they came to Solomon, he envisioned with the divine spirit that they were destined to die during that year. He gave them shrouds and sent them [back] to [Pharaoh Nekho], and said to him: ‘If you did not have shrouds for the needs of your dead, here they are with their shrouds; arise and bury them.’ “He was wiser than any man [ha’adam]” (I Kings 5:11) – than Adam the first man. What was the wisdom of Adam the first man? You find that when the Holy One blessed be He sought to create Adam the first man, He consulted with the ministering angels, and He said to them: “Let us make man” (Genesis 1:26). They said to him: ‘Master of the universe, “what is man that You remember him?”’ (Psalms 8:5). He said to them: ‘The man I seek to create, his wisdom is greater than yours.’ What did He do? He gathered all the animals, beasts, and birds, and stood them before them [the angels], and said to them: ‘Give them names.’ They remained [silent] and did not know [what to say]. He went to Adam and said to him: ‘What [should] the names of these [creatures be]?’ [Adam] said: ‘Master of the universe, it is fitting to call this one ox, this one lion, this one horse, this one camel, this one eagle,’ and so forth for all of them. [God] said to him: ‘What is your name?’ He said before Him: ‘Adam, because I was created from the ground [adama].’ [God said:] ‘And I, what is My name?’ He said before Him: ‘You are my Lord [adonai], because You are the Lord [adon] over all Your creations’ – that is what is written: “I am the Lord, it is My name” (Isaiah 42:8), it is My name that I was called by Adam the first man. It is My name that I stipulated between Me and Myself. It is My name that I stipulated between Myself and My creations and My ministering angels. “[For he was wiser than all men: than Eitan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Kalkol, and Darda, the sons of Maḥol]” (I Kings 5:11). “Than Eitan the Ezrahite,” this is Abraham, as it is written: “A contemplation of Eitan the Ezrahite” (Psalms 89:1).127Rabbinic tradition identifies Eitan the Ezrahite of Psalms as Abraham; see Bava Batra 15a. “And Heman,” this is Moses, as it is stated: “In all My house he is trusted [ne’eman]” (Numbers 12:7). “And Kalkol,” this is Joseph, as it is written: “Joseph provided [vaykhalkel]” (Genesis 47:12). The Egyptians said: ‘Is this slave not king over us due only to his wisdom?’ They took seventy notes128Each note was written in a different language. and cast them before him and he would read each of them in its language. Moreover, he would speak in the sacred tongue, which they did not know, with which they were not familiar, and which they could not understand. So, it says: “He established it as a precept for Joseph [when he went out over Egypt; I learned a language I had not known]” (Psalms 81:6). “And Darda,” (I Kings 5:11), this is the generation [dor] of the wilderness, which was entirely knowledge [de’a]. “Sons of Maḥol,” (I Kings 5:11), these are the Israelites, whom the Holy One blessed be He forgave [maḥal] for the sin of the [Golden] Calf.
