Torah Study Blog

This week we were guest-led by rabbi Professor David Sperling.

Professor Sperling is a professor of Bible at Hebrew Union College and he led us in a discussion of the book of Ecclesiastes. In Jewish scholarly circles the book is referred to as Koheleth because it begins by telling us that the words are, fittingly, the words of Koheleth. Some of the words of Koheleth are best known to us today because of the song Turn! Turn! Turn! written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s, and popularized by The Byrds in 1965.

Because of the wisdom of these words, in Jewish tradition these passages have been attributed to Solomon who reigned approximately 961-922 BCE. I Kings 5:9-14 tells us that, “God endowed Solomon with wisdom and discernment in great measure, with understanding as vast as the sands on the seashore ... He composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered one thousand and five. … Men of all peoples came to hear Solomon’s wisdom.”

But Professor Sperling told us that these are not words of Solomon. The Book of Proverbs starts out, “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.” And The Song of Songs starts out, “The Song of Songs by Solomon.” It became custom to attribute all words of wisdom to Solomon. But custom does not make it necessarily so.

Koheleth is not a given name; it means “the assembler.” These passages might have come from someone who was a member of a great assembly, like a city council. Or maybe it is the person who assembled the passages together. We will never know. However, because of the language in the text, scholars believe that whoever assembled these passages did so in about the 3^rd century BCE, well after the time of Solomon.

Scholars are also able to ascertain that Koheleth was written in Palestine and is one of the latest books, if not the latest book written and then canonized in the Bible. Scholars believe that the book was originally written in Aramaic, which was the common language of the people in Palestine and was the official language of the ruling Persian Empire.

First, let’s consider the job of translator. The passages we read in the Bible today were translated into English for us. The job of translating is a very difficult one. In fact, the Talmud has a passage that says that any translator is a liar. And anyone who tries to give an explanation about a translation is a blasphemer! We can hope that translators are doing the best job they can, but it is true that things are “lost in translation.” However, if we want to read something that was written in a different language – someone has to translate it!

Professor Sperling tells us that the Hebrew in Koheleth is actually very difficult to understand, and the syntax is not what you would expect to see from a native Hebrew speaker. Scholars believe that the original words, written in Aramaic, were translated into Hebrew in order to give the words more credibility. If you want to claim that it is a “holy book” you have to put it in the “holy language” of Hebrew!

The writings of Koheleth are different from all other books of the bible. Other writers agonize over injustice, but Koheleth says, “It is what it is.” The opening passage, according to our JPS version of the Bible, is:

Utter futility! – said Koheleth –

Utter futility! All is futile!

What real value is there for a man

In all the gains he makes beneath the sun?

In other words, Koheleth says, “there is nothing new under the sun.” Although we cannot say Koheleth was a philosopher in the truest sense of the word, because he is not systematic in his approach, it is clear that he was familiar with the Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle (384-322 BCE) or Epicurus (341-270 BCE).

Where does Koheleth get his wisdom? Again, that is different from all other books of the Bible. Deuteronomy 32 says wisdom comes from tradition, by asking your parents or your elders for advice. Job 4 says he learned by revelation; God spoke to him in dreams. Koheleth learned when he,“set my mind to study and to probe with wisdom all that happens under the sun.” Koheleth learned by introspection.

By his study, however, Koheleth learned that, “all is futile and pursuit of the wind.” And everything is, “a twisted thing that cannot be made straight.” Even if you pray! Koheleth says that you should, “Be not overeager to go to the House of God: more acceptable is obedience than the offering of fools, for they know nothing but to do wrong.” (Ecclesiastes 4:17) And he also says, “sometimes a good man perishes in spite of his goodness, and sometimes a wicked one endures in spite of his wickedness. So don’t overdo goodness.” (Ecclesiastes 7:15-16) Jeremiah never would have said something so brazen!

At the end of Ecclesiastes final admonishments are found that seem to be a postscript added by someone else. In 12:13 says, “Revere God and observe his commandments.” That statement is not found anywhere else in the words of Koheleth. It makes us wonder why these passages were included in the Bible at all. Rabbi Sperling said it is “like putting a ‘kosher’ stamp on a pig.” The words were something that someone with influence wanted to keep – so they are canonized in the Bible. But, to make it ok, someone appended, “Don’t forget God!”

misquotes or misunderstandings in what Rabbi Sperling taught us are the responsibility of Tara Keiter