The Book of Ecclesiastes puts it perfectly: “All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23). This feeling, this yearning, is at the heart of a fascinating passage in Bamidbar Rabbah 19, a section of the great Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection, Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah).
The passage kicks off by talking about Solomon, the wisest of all men. The text reminds us that “God granted wisdom to Solomon…[like the sand that is on the seashore]” (I Kings 5:9). What does the sand have to do with it? Well, the Rabbis offer a beautiful explanation: Solomon’s wisdom was like the sand, encompassing the wisdom of all of Israel, whose numbers were also likened to the sand of the sea (Hosea 2:1). Rabbi Levi adds another layer, suggesting that just as sand acts as a barrier for the sea, so too, wisdom was contained within Solomon.
But even Solomon's legendary wisdom had its limits. As the passage points out, “Solomon’s wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the people of the east” (I (Kings 5:1)0). What was the wisdom of these "people of the east"? Apparently, they were experts in divination by bird calls. Intriguing. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel even praises some of their customs: they kissed on the hand instead of the mouth, cut with knives instead of biting, and sought counsel in open spaces.
And then there's the wisdom of Egypt, which Solomon also surpassed. The Midrash tells a story of Solomon seeking craftsmen from Pharaoh Nekho to build the Temple. Pharaoh, in a sly move, sends him workers destined to die within the year. Solomon, through Divine insight, knows their fate and sends them back with shrouds. A rather morbid mic drop, wouldn’t you say?
But hold on, the text doesn't stop with Solomon. It goes even further back, comparing Solomon’s wisdom to that of Adam, the first man. Remember how God consulted the angels before creating Adam? The angels questioned the point of creating humankind. To demonstrate humanity's potential, God paraded all the animals before them. The angels couldn't name them, but Adam could. “This one it is fitting to call bull, this one lion, this one horse…” (Genesis 2:20). Even more profound, Adam named God Himself, recognizing Him as “Lord” (Isaiah 42:8).
The passage continues, drawing parallels between Solomon and other wise figures: Abraham, Moses, and Joseph. The story of Joseph is particularly fascinating. The Egyptians, begrudgingly acknowledging his wisdom, tested him by presenting him with tablets written in seventy languages. Joseph, through Divine assistance, was able to read them all, even mastering the sacred tongue (Psalms 81:6).
We then get a glimpse into Solomon's understanding of the natural world. The text asks, rhetorically, how could Solomon speak to trees, animals, and fish? The answer is that he understood the symbolic meaning behind them. For example, he pondered why a leper is purified with both cedar and hyssop. The answer? Because the leper’s pride was as towering as the cedar, and his healing comes through humility, as small as the hyssop.
The passage ends with a powerful statement: Even with all his vast knowledge, Solomon confessed that some things were simply beyond his grasp. He investigated, he asked, he searched, but the mystery of the red heifer (parah adumah), a ritual sacrifice described in Numbers 19, remained elusive. "I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me" (Ecclesiastes 7:23).
What does this all mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder that the pursuit of wisdom is a lifelong journey. That even the wisest among us encounter mysteries that defy understanding. And that humility, like the hyssop, is an essential ingredient in the quest for knowledge. Maybe the point isn't to know everything, but to keep striving, to keep asking, and to accept that some things will always remain just beyond our reach. The beauty, perhaps, lies in the reaching itself.
“This is the statute of the Torah…” – Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23). It is written: “God granted wisdom to Solomon…[like the sand that is on the seashore]” (I Kings 5:9). What is “like the sand”? The Rabbis say: He granted him wisdom corresponding to that of all of Israel, as it is stated: “The number of the children of Israel will be like the sand of the sea…” (Hosea 2:1). Rabbi Levi said: Just as the sand is a barrier for the sea,24Thus, the sea is "contained" by the sand barrier. so too, wisdom was contained within Solomon. The parable they say: You lack knowledge, what have you acquired; you acquired knowledge, what are you lacking? “A man with no constraint to his spirit is a breached city without a wall” (Proverbs 25:28). “Solomon’s wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the people of the east” (I Kings 5:10) – what was the wisdom of the “people of the east”? They were knowledgeable and clever in divination by bird calls. Rabbi 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 with their mouth, but they cut with a knife; and they seek counsel only in a spacious area, as one consults only in the field. “And all the wisdom of Egypt” (I Kings 5:10) – what was the “wisdom of Egypt”? You find that when Solomon sought to build the Temple, he sent to Pharaoh Nekho. He said to him: Send me craftsmen, at their standard wages, as I seek to build the Temple. What did he do? He assembled all his astrologers. They looked and saw people who were destined to die that year, and sent them to him. When they came to Solomon, he saw by means of the Divine Spirit that they would die in that year. He gave them their shrouds and sent them to him. He sent to him: Did you not have shrouds with which to bury your dead? Here they are for you, they and their shrouds. “He became the wisest of all people [haadam]” (I Kings 5:11) – Adam the first man, what was his wisdom? You find that when the Holy One blessed be He sought to create Man, He consulted with the ministering angels. He said to them: “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26). They said before Him: “What is man that You remember him” (Psalms 8:5)? He said to them: ‘Man, whom I seek to create, his wisdom is greater than yours.’ What did He do? He assembled all the animals, beasts, and birds and passed them before them. He said to them:25To the angels.‘What are the names of these?’ They did not know. When He created Adam, he passed them before him. He said to him: ‘What are the names of these?’ He said: ‘This one it is fitting to call bull, this one lion, this one horse, this one donkey, this one camel, and this one eagle,’ as it is stated: “Adam called names” (Genesis 2:20). He said to him: ‘And you, what is your name?’ He said to him: ‘Adam.’ ‘Why?’ ‘It is because I was created from the earth [adama].’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘I, what is My name?’ He said to Him: ‘Lord.’ ‘Why?’ ‘It is because You are Lord over all the creations.’ That is what is written: “I am the Lord, it is My name” (Isaiah 42:8) – it is My name that Adam the first man called Me. It is My name that I stipulated between Me and Myself; it is My name that I stipulated between Me and My creations. “More than Eitan the Ezraḥite” (I Kings 5:11) – this is Abraham, as it is stated: “A contemplation by Eitan the Ezraḥite” (Psalms 89:1).26See Bava Batra 15a. “Heiman” (I Kings 5:11) – this is Moses, as it is stated: “Not so My servant Moses; [in all My house he is faithful [ne’eman]]” (Numbers 12:7). “And Kalkol” (I Kings 5:11) – this is Joseph, as it is stated: “Joseph sustained [vaykhalkel]…” (Genesis 47:12). The Egyptians said: Did not this slave reign over us only due to his wisdom? What did they do? They brought seventy tablets and wrote on them seventy languages. They would cast them before him, and he would read each and every one in its language. Moreover, he could speak in the sacred tongue, which they did not have the ability to understand, as it is stated: “He established it as a precept for Joseph [bihosef] [when he went out over Egypt]; I learned a language I had not known” (Psalms 81:6).27The Holy One blessed be He added a heh to Joseph’s name, granting him the ability to understand languages that he had previously been unable to understand. “Darda” (I Kings 5:11) – this is the generation [dor] of the wilderness, which had knowledge [de’a]. “Sons of Maḥol” (I Kings 5:11) – as the Holy One blessed be He pardoned [maḥal] them for the act of the calf. “He spoke three thousand parables; [and his songs [shiro] were one thousand and five]” (I Kings 5:12) – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: We reviewed all of the verses and found that Solomon prophesied only close to eight hundred verses. Rather, it teaches that in each and every verse that he said there were two or three interpretations, just as it says: “[A wise admonisher in a heedful ear is] a nose ring of gold and an adornment of fine gold” (Proverbs 25:12).28These are two parables for one scenario. The Rabbis say: Three thousand parables for each and every verse, and one thousand and five songs for each parable. It is not written here, “his songs [shirav],” but rather, “its song [shiro]” – the song of the parable. “He spoke to the trees” (I Kings 5:13) – is it possible for a person to speak to trees? Rather, Solomon said: Why is a leper purified with the highest of the high and the lowest of the low, the cedar and the hyssop?29Leviticus 14:1–7. It is because he exalted himself like the cedar that he was afflicted with leprosy. Once he humbled himself like the hyssop, he was healed by the hyssop. “He spoke to the animals and to the birds” (I Kings 5:13) – is it possible for a person to speak to animals and birds? Rather, he said: Why is an animal permitted with two signs and the bird with one sign?30When an animal is slaughtered both the trachea and esophagus must be cut, but when a bird is slaughtered it is sufficient to cut one of them. It is because the animal was created from dry land. But the bird, one verse says from the earth, as it is written: “The Lord God formed from the ground every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens” (Genesis 2:19). And one verse says: “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly [above the earth]” (Genesis 1:20). Bar Kappara says: They were created from the mud in the sea. Rabbi Avin said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: Nevertheless, the legs of the rooster are like the scales of the fish. “And to crawling creatures” (I Kings 5:13) – is it possible for a person to speak to crawling creatures? Rather, Solomon said: Why is it that the eight creeping animals that are written in the Torah, one who traps them or wounds them incurs liability,31On Shabbat. but the other creeping animals, he is exempt? It is because they have hides. “And to the fish” (I Kings 5:13) – is it possible to say this? Rather, why do animals, beasts, and birds require ritual slaughter, but fish do not require ritual slaughter? It is, rather, from this verse: “Will flocks and cattle be slaughtered for them…[if all the fish of the sea will be gathered for them]” (Numbers 11:22). Yaakov of Kefar Niboraya issued a ruling in Tyre regarding fish, that they require ritual slaughter. Rabbi Ḥagai heard, and sent and summoned him. He said to him: ‘From where did you issue this ruling?’ He said to him ‘from here: “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly [above the earth]” (Genesis 1:20) – just as the bird requires ritual slaughter, so too, fish require ritual slaughter.’ He said to them: ‘Recline him and flog him.’ He said to him: ‘Is a person who speaks matters of Torah flogged?’ He said to him: ‘You did not issue a proper ruling.’ He said to him: ‘From where?’ He said to him: ‘From here: “Will flocks and cattle be slaughtered for them…if all the fish of the sea will be gathered for them” (Numbers 11:22) – these require ritual slaughter and these require gathering.’ He [Yaakov of Kefar Niboraya] said: ‘Strike your striking, as it is favorable for absorbing.’32Absorbing lessons for the future. Yaakov of Kefar Niboraya issued a ruling in Tyre regarding an Israelite man who consorted with a gentile woman and begot a son, that the son is circumcised on Shabbat. Rabbi Ḥagai heard, and sent and summoned him. He said to him: ‘From where did you arrive at this?’ He said to him: ‘As it is written: “They verified their lineages by their families, by their patrilineal houses” (Numbers 1:18).’33Since lineage is determined by the father, he claimed that if the father is Jewish, the son is Jewish. He said to them: ‘Bend him over and flog him.’ He said to him: ‘Is a person who speaks matters of Torah flogged?’ He said to him: ‘You did not issue a proper ruling.’ He said to him: ‘From where do you prove it to me?’ He said to him; ‘If a member of the nations were to come to you and say: I wish to become a Jew provided that I can be circumcised on Shabbat day or on Yom Kippur, does one desecrate the Shabbat for him or not? Is it not so, that one desecrates the Shabbat only for the son of the daughter of an Israelite alone?’ He said to him: ‘From where do you derive this?’ He said to him: ‘It is written: “Now, let us establish a covenant with our God to send away all the wives, and those born from them, according to the counsel of the Lord” (Ezra 10:3).’ He said to him: ‘Are you flogging me on the basis of Tradition?’34The Prophets and the Writings. He said to him: ‘It is written: “Let it be done in accordance with the Torah”’ (Ezra 10:3). He said to him: ‘From what Torah?’ He said to him: ‘From what Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: It is written: “You shall not marry them” (Deuteronomy 7:3). Why? “Because he will divert your son from following Me” (Deuteronomy 7:4). Your son who comes from an Israelite woman is called your son, but your son who comes from a Kushite woman is not called your son, but rather, her son.’35See Yevamot 17a. He said: ‘Strike your striking, as it is favorable for absorbing.’ Solomon said: Regarding all these I was able to comprehend, but the portion of the red heifer I investigated, I asked, and I searched; “I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23).
