Solomon

1,693 texts · Page 24 of 36

King Solomon's legendary wisdom, the building of the Temple, his mastery over demons, and the secrets of the Song of Songs.

Who Will Bring Us to See What Comes After

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It’s a very human feeling, this sense of being limited to the present. The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, wrestles with this very idea. "I saw that there is nothing better than ...

The Tears of the Oppressed With No One to Comfort

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, grapples with this very human experience. "I returned and saw all the oppressions that are performed under the sun; and behold the tears of th...

Enosh and the Ark of Egyptians

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Take this passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet). It grapples with a pretty stark statement: "I praise the dead who are already de...

Better the Unborn Who Never Saw Evil Done

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

(Ecclesiastes 4:3) dances with it: "Better than both of them is one who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil actions that are done under the sun." Now, Kohelet Rabbah, a col...

The Fool Folds His Hands and Two Torah Students Diverge

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It’s a universal human experience. And it's something the ancient rabbis wrestled with too, as we see in Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes. The v...

Shabbat and the Dreamer

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, has something to say about that. "A handful of tranquility is better than two handfuls of toil and herding wind" (Eccl...

Vanity of Vanities and the Angel of Death

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The ancient sages grappled with that feeling too, and they left us some pretty intense imagery to describe it. Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, is a book all about...

Why Abraham Never Felt Alone Despite Having No Son

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it’s known in Hebrew, dives right into that feeling. One particular verse, (Ecclesiastes 4:8), really hits home: "There is one and not anoth...

Two Are Better Than One - The Power of Partnership

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It turns out, that feeling has deep roots in Jewish thought. We find it beautifully expressed in (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12): “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward fo...

The Yetzer Hara - The Old and Foolish King Within

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Like there's a little angel on one shoulder and... well, something else on the other? Jewish tradition recognizes this internal struggle, personifying it in a fascinating way. to a...

Rabbis — Nimrod at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, speaks to this feeling with raw honesty. And the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, found layers of meaning within its verses, especi...

The Mystery of the Second Child in Ecclesiastes

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, certainly does. And Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, really digs into the layers of meaning within its ver...

No End to All the People Who Came Before

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, really digs into that feeling. Our focus today is on a single verse, (Ecclesiastes 4:16): "There is no end to all the peopl...

Guard Your Feet When You Enter God's House

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It all starts with a verse from Ecclesiastes (4:17): “Guard your feet when you go to the house of God, and draw near to heed. This is better than fools giving an offering, as they ...

A Fool's Voice Brings Nightmares Upon Himself

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

In fact, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Kohelet Rabbah, connects them to something much deeper: the consequences of our actions and, specifically, our...

Better Not to Vow Than to Vow and Not Pay

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It’s a topic explored further in the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, Kohelet Rabbah, and it's a fascinating, and frankly, a little scary. The verse in question is (Ecclesiaste...

The Terrifying Power and Hidden Danger of Words We Speak

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

We all have. But in Jewish tradition, the words we speak – and the intentions behind them – carry immense weight. Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Bo...

Fear God Instead of Chasing Vain Dreams and Empty Words

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It all starts with the verse from (Ecclesiastes 5:6): "So it is with a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words; rather, fear God.” The verse seems to be saying that too muc...

Esau and Creation of Yosei

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The Book of Ecclesiastes – or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew – grapples with this very feeling. It asks us: what do we do when we see injustice seemingly rewarded? Specifically, K...

A King Is Subservient to His Field

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with these very questions. And Kohelet Rabbah, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) that elaborate...

Mena — Rabbi Meir at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, grapples with these very human feelings. It observes, "With the increase of good, those who consume it increase; what use is there for its own...

How a Fetus Is Formed as a Three-Way Partnership

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Jewish tradition has some fascinating, layered answers. to one, found in Kohelet Rabbah, a midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) (interpretive) commentary on the Book of Ecc...

Sweet Is the Sleep of the Laborer Rich or Poor

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

"Sweet is the sleep of the laborer, whether he eats a little or a lot; but the satiety of the wealthy does not allow him to sleep" (Ecclesiastes 5:11). It's a powerful image, this ...

Rabbi Yehuda Receives the Torah

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It’s one that the ancient rabbis grappled with in the text of Kohelet Rabbah. Two rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, offer contrasting perspectives. Rabbi Yehuda uses the imag...

The Eulogy That Honored a Life of Torah Study

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

That’s a feeling woven deep into the tapestry of Jewish tradition, a feeling the rabbis grappled with intensely. how they expressed it. The story begins with the passing of Ḥiyya b...

Korah and Divine Judgment

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with these kinds of paradoxes. And there’s one verse in particular that always gets me thinking: "There is a ...

Wealth Lost in a Grievous Manner

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Could I do more?" The sages certainly wrestled with that feeling, and they had some pretty strong opinions about what happens when we ignore it. The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohele...

You Leave This World as Naked as You Entered

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, wrestles with this very feeling. And Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, dives even deeper. It all starts with th...

Just as He Came Into This World So He Will Leave It

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, certainly does. And the ancient rabbis weren't afraid to grapple with that feeling either. Kohelet 5:15 laments, "This...

All His Days He Eats in Darkness and Knows Only Anger

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Ecclesiastes has a way of naming the ache of a miserable life in language so spare it stops you cold. The rabbis of Kohelet Rabbah zeroed in on (Ecclesiastes 5:16): "In addition, a...

Ecclesiastes Says Eat Drink and See Benefit

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, grapples with these questions. One verse in particular catches our attention: "Behold what I have seen to be good: That it is fine t...

The Gift of Enjoying What God Has Given You

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Believe it or not, the Book of Ecclesiastes – or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew – grapples with this too. Specifically, (Ecclesiastes 5:18) states: “Also any man to whom God has g...

Eli Before the King

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, certainly grapples with this very human feeling. And within Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, w...

The Evil Under the Sun That Solomon Witnessed

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

King Solomon, wise beyond measure, certainly did. He saw an "evil under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 6:1), and it wasn't some grand, world-ending catastrophe, but something far more insi...

Wealth Without the Power to Enjoy It Is a Grievous Evil

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, that sometimes-bleak but always-honest book of the Bible, wrestles with this feeling. Chapter 6, verse 2, hits hard: "A man to whom God gives wealth, asse...

Cain and Creation of Abel

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Kohelet Rabbah, take this even further, using stories and interpretations to unpack the weight of those feelings. O...

King Ahab Before the King

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, certainly does. And the rabbis, in their insightful commentary Kohelet Rabbah, really dig into this sense of transience. Take this verse from ...

The Traveler Who Left the Ship and Saw Paradise

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

To a fascinating little parable found in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 6:5): “He has als...

If You Lived Two Thousand Years Without Seeing Good

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The ancient rabbis, in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on Ecclesiastes, really dig into this idea. The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 6:6-7): “Were he ...

How Wisdom Translates Into a Meaningful Life

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on Ecclesiastes, wrestles with this very question. It's not just about being smart; it’s about how knowledg...

Better the Sight of Eyes Than the Pursuit of Desire

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

That feeling of grasping at smoke...of the wind slipping through your fingers. Well, the ancient wisdom of Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, speaks directly to this feeling. And Kohelet Ra...

What Was Already Named and Known Before Creation

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with these very feelings. One verse in particular, (Ecclesiastes 6:10), really gets to the heart of it: "What...

What Remains After All the Striving and Vanity

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, wrestles with this feeling constantly. And the rabbinic commentary on it, Kohelet Rabbah, dives even deeper into the fleeting nature of, well,...

Who Knows What Is Good for a Person in This Life

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, wrestles with these very questions. It asks, "For who knows what is good for man in his life, all the days of his life of vanity, that he spen...

Fine — Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, throws us a curveball right from the start: "A good name is better than fine oil, and the day of death than the day of one's birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1). Whoa....

Which Name Matters Most According to the Sages

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The book of Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, dives right into this question, offering a perspective that might just flip your e...

Why Going to a House of Mourning Is Better Than Feasting

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Perhaps, just perhaps, there's profound wisdom hidden within it. The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, is famous for its reflections on the meaning of life. And one verse...

Why Anger Is Better Than Laughter for the Heart

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, wrestles with this very idea, focusing on the verse: "Anger is better than laughter, as with a cross countenance the heart ...