Hokhmath Qoheleth

by Saddoq ben Avraham Abinu

An Introduction

His Royal Highness, King Solomon of Jerusalem is said to have written Qoheleth during his latter years. It is of no surprise that his Divinely ordained wisdom and wealth  would cause him problems. Qoheleth represents Solomon's struggle to make sense of the unfathomable knowledge and power he attained from God's answering of his prayer. One may consider Qoheleth do be a psychological autobiography of Israeyl's most grandiose (and most cosmopolitan) King. Solomon's thesis is that all things are vanity- and are therefore temporary and futile. He constantly refers to vices and superfluities of life; namely riches and material posessions.

Solomon himself lived on a fine line between decadence and deep thought. God's gifts to him can be considered polarising: wisdom lies at one end of the spectrum and wealth squats at the other. Though God's gifts were free, it was up to Solomon to use them in the appropriate manner. One could easily become corrupted by wealth (as Solomon did) and also by wisdom (as Solomon did!). Did Solomon pass this unspoken test that God put upon him? A mere read at Qoheleth can give you the answer.

Solomon admits to his shortcomings in a poetic almost detached way-- is Solomon himself that rich, foolish king he always rails against? Did Solomon end up hating his wealth and despising it? Or wishing he had never attained the knowledge he asked God for?

Qoheleth is a work of poetry and metaphors. While peshat is the key to interpreting most of the Miqra, we need to probe a bit deeper into what Solomon was trying to convey. Thus, the Wisdom Literature as it is called is the most fascinating and intimidating of all the Miqra. Many have turned their noses up from it. Will you?

Torath Hayyim's Qoheleth studies seek to probe the mind of Shlomo: king, prophet and philosopher. Studies are in the 'Studies and References' section of the Google site.