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One minute you're basking in sunshine, the next you're caught in a downpour. How do we navigate those wild swings of fortune? Well, the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it’s kno...
It’s a timeless question, one that’s echoed in the Book of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet) itself: "I have seen everything in the days of my vanity; there is a righteous person who perishes...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they wrestled with this tension in some fascinating ways. to a passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Bo...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as we know it in Hebrew, is full of those moments. And one verse in particular, 7:17, gives us a real head-scratcher: "Do not be overly wicked ...
Ecclesiastes has a way of pulling the rug out from under you, and chapter 7 is no exception. Consider (Ecclesiastes 7:20): "For there is not a righteous man upon the earth, who doe...
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 do...
Sometimes, the explanations seem… unexpected, even poetic. to a passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, where we explore ...
Today, we’re diving into a story from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes, where we see just such a situation unfold. The story cen...
They saw echoes and connections everywhere, even in the way the Bible phrases things. Take the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it’s known in Hebrew. It’s full of these little l...
It's not just about accumulating knowledge, but about understanding, about the ability to delve into the heart of things. And according to Kohelet Rabbah, one of the most beautiful...
To (Ecclesiastes 8:8): “There is no man who rules the spirit to retain the spirit, and there is no rule over the day of death. There is no release in war, and wickedness will not r...
(Ecclesiastes 8:16) says, "When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the matters that are performed on the earth, as both during the day and during the night, one does not...
It tells us: “Go, eat your bread joyfully, and drink your wine goodheartedly, as God has already accepted your actions” (Ecclesiastes 9:7). But what does that mean? Kohelet Rabbah,...
It all starts with the verse, "May your garments be white at all times, and may the oil on your head not be lacking" (Ecclesiastes 9:8). Now, what does that even mean? Is it litera...
Turns out, the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, might just have the answer. Kohelet 9:9 says, "Enjoy life with a woman whom you love all the days of your life of vanity which He h...
The book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible grapples with these very feelings. There's a verse in chapter 9, verse 11, that really gets to the heart of it: "I again saw under the sun tha...
Like you're going along, minding your own business, and suddenly – BAM! – you're caught in something you never saw coming? The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as we call it in Heb...
(Ecclesiastes 10:1) puts it bluntly: "Dead flies spoil and froth a perfumer’s oil; a little folly is weightier than wisdom, than honor." It's a powerful image, isn’t it? How someth...
Kohelet Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, tackles this idea head-on with the verse: "If the spirit of the ruler comes u...
It all starts with a verse from Ecclesiastes (10:10): “If the iron is dull, and one did not whet the edge, he must intensify his exertion; the advantage is in preparation with wisd...
Ancient Jewish wisdom grappled with these questions too. Take this passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes. It starts with...
"Distribute a portion to seven, and also to eight, as you do not know what evil will be upon the earth" (Ecclesiastes 11:2). Simple enough. But what does it mean? That’s where Kohe...
The Rabbis in Kohelet Rabbah delve deep into this verse, unpacking its layers of meaning. Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiya, in the name of Rabbi Simon, pose a crucial question: When ...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, as it’s known in Hebrew, ends with this rather stark line: "For every action God will bring to judgment, for every unknown, whether good or ev...
In this little snippet of that text, we find a moment of intense connection, and a gentle but firm assertion of self. The verse we're focusing on is ((uth 1:1)6): "Do not beseech m...
"These are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; each came with his household" – that’s how the Book of Exodus begins. But what does that have to do wit...
The story goes that Moses, having slain an Egyptian taskmaster, intervenes in a quarrel between two Hebrews. And what does he get for his trouble? A stinging rebuke: "Who appointed...
To one, from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The verse we're looking at is simple, yet profound: “God saw the children of Israel, and...
Turns out, Moses did. And, according to the Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, it didn't go unnoticed. The story begins, as we k...
It's often because the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw connections we might miss. Take the story of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus, chapter 4. God gives him three signs ...
Our sages explored this very human tendency in fascinating ways, especially when looking at the stories of Solomon and Moses. Our journey begins with a verse from Exodus (6:2-3): “...
It sounds almost…silly. But when you dig into the Midrash, these plagues become far more than just annoying inconveniences. They become targeted, almost surgical strikes against th...
The scene: Moses is tasked with confronting Pharaoh yet again. God tells Moses, "Rise early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him: So said the Lord, God of the H...
The verse in question: "Moses emerged from the city, from Pharaoh, and spread his hands to the Lord; the thundering and hail ceased, and the rain did not pour upon the earth" (Exod...
The Torah is full of stories that grapple with these very questions, and one passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, really dives ...
We often focus on the miraculous nature of it all, but sometimes, the Rabbis of the Midrash offer us insights into the why behind the what. Take the plague of locusts, for instance...
The Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a breathtakingly intimate perspective on that pivotal moment. Specifically, Shemot...
Jewish tradition is rich with answers to these questions, and Shemot Rabbah, a classical Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text, offers a fascinating glimpse into the Di...
We find a powerful idea nestled within its verses, a radical claim about the relationship between God and the Jewish people. It all starts with the verse "This month shall be for y...
The verse "Draw, and take for yourselves lambs" (Exodus 12:21) might seem straightforward, but the Rabbis saw layers of meaning. They connect it to the verse "With stillness and pl...
The verse in (Exodus 14:22) tells us, "The children of Israel came into the midst of the sea upon dry ground; and the waters were a wall for them to their right, and to their left....
It all comes down to what those moments taught us about ourselves and about our relationship with God. to a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpr...
Shemot Rabbah, a collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a fascinating insight into this very question, focusing on...
They found a surprising way to express it. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating reading of the verse, "Then Moses...
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous escape from Egypt, certainly did. The book of Exodus tells us, "Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went out to the wilderness of...
It might seem a little... unflattering at first glance. But as with so many things in our tradition, there's a depth and beauty to be found when we dig a little deeper. Shemot Rabb...
Remember the manna, that miraculous bread from heaven? God instructed the Israelites to gather only what they needed for each day, except on Friday, when they were to collect a dou...
The Israelites certainly did. In the book of Exodus, right after the incredible miracle of being freed from Egypt, they find themselves wandering in the desert, thirsty and complai...
