전도서 1:19의 주석

The words of Koheles. Wherever it is stated, “the words of דִּבְרֵי,” it introduces words or reproof. [For example,] “These are the words הַדְּבָרִים that Moshe spoke,”¹Devarim 1:1. [followed by,] “And Yeshurun became fat [and kicked].”²Ibid. 32:15. [Also,] “The words דִּבְרֵי of Amos,”³Amos 1:1. [followed by,] “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan.”⁴Ibid. 4:1. [Also,] “The words דִּבְרֵי of Yirmiyahu,”⁵Yirmiyahu 1:1. [followed by,] “Ask now and see whether a male gives birth, etc.”⁶Ibid. 30:6. [And finally,] “And these are the words דִּבְרֵי of Dovid,”⁷II Shmuel 23:1. [followed by,] “But the wicked are all like thorns thrust away.”⁸Ibid. 23:6. “The words דִּבְרֵי of Koheles” [is followed by,] “The sun rises ... All the rivers flow into the sea.”⁹Below, verse 5. He refers to the wicked as the “sun,” the “moon,”¹⁰Below, verse 7. and the “sea,” which earn no reward. So it was taught in Sifre. I learned from there that the section deals with the wicked and he compares them to the rising sun, which ultimately sets. Addendum: Another explanation, “All the rivers flow into the sea.” What is the meaning of this? This is stated concerning idolaters, the fools who prostrate themselves to the water thinking that it has substance because they see the Great Sea, into which all the rivers flow and it is not full, but they have no understanding that to the place where the rivers flow, they repeatedly go, for the water of the rivers that flow into the sea are the very same waters that already flowed; they flow from under the deep and flow above the surface until the sea and then flow again. Therefore, the rivers do not stop, and the sea is not full, and not because they have substance. End of addendum.

Kohelet. This refers to the concept of gathering and collecting, like the congregation of Jacob (Deuteronomy 33:4), and King Solomon was referred to [as Kohelet], because he gathered the conflicting opinions to merge and clarify the correct from the incorrect:

“The words of Kohelet, son of David, king in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:1).
“The words of Kohelet, son of David, king in Jerusalem.” This is what the verse said, inspired by the Divine Spirit, [written] by Solomon, king of Israel: “Have you seen a man diligent in his labor? He will stand before kings” (Proverbs 22:29). There was an incident involving Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa, who saw the residents of his city taking up vow offerings and gift offerings to Jerusalem. He said: Everyone is taking up vow offerings and gift offerings to Jerusalem; will I not take anything up? What did he do? He went out to the wilderness [outside] of his city and noticed a certain stone there. He broke it, he chiseled it, and he polished it. He said: I take it upon myself to bring it up to Jerusalem. He sought to hire laborers, and five people came before him. He said to them: ‘Will you take up this stone to Jerusalem for me?’ They said to him: ‘Give us five sela and we will take it up to Jerusalem.’ He sought to give it to them, but he did not have anything in his possession at that time. They left him and went on their way.
The Holy One blessed be He arranged for five angels [to appear] to him in the guise of men. He said to them: ‘Will you take up this stone [to Jerusalem] for me?’ They said to him: ‘Give us five sela and we will take your stone up to Jerusalem for you, provided that you join us [in carrying the stone] with your hand and finger.’ He joined them with his hand and finger, and they found themselves standing in Jerusalem. He sought to give them their payment but he did not find them. He entered the Chamber of the Hewn Stone¹The seat of the Sanhedrin. and asked after them. They said to him: ‘It appears that ministering angels took your stone up to Jerusalem,’ and they read this verse in his regard: “Have you seen a man diligent in his labor? He will stand before kings [melakhim].” Read, in his regard: “He will stand before angels [malakhim].”
Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta: This is analogous to an adviser who achieved prominence in the royal palace. The king said to him: ‘Ask for whatever [you want and] I will give it to you.’ That adviser said: If I request silver, gold, or fine gems, he will give it to me; garments, he will give me. But I will request his daughter, and everything will be given to me along with his daughter. So, “In Givon, God appeared to Solomon in a nocturnal dream. God said: Ask, what shall I give you?” (I Kings 3:5). Solomon said: If I request silver, gold, and gems, He will give them to me. But I will request wisdom, and everything will be included. That is what is written: “Grant your servant an understanding heart” (I Kings 3:9). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘You requested wisdom and did not request wealth, glory, or the lives of your enemies; therefore, wisdom and knowledge are given to you, and thereby, I will grant you wealth, property, and glory as well.’ Immediately, “Solomon awoke and behold, a dream” (I Kings 3:15). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The dream was upheld:²The phrase “and behold, a dream” is interpreted to mean that when Solomon awoke he understood that the dream was real and was being fulfilled. A bird would tweet and he would know what it was tweeting about, a donkey would bray, and he would know what it was braying about. Immediately, “he came to Jerusalem and he stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and he sacrificed burnt offerings and he prepared peace offerings and he made a feast for all his servants” (I Kings 3:15). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: From here [it is derived] that one makes a feast when completing the Torah.³The Torah includes all wisdom. Immediately, the Divine Spirit rested upon him and he composed these three books: Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes; that is what is written: “The words of Kohelet, son of David.”

Koheles. [He was called Koheles] because he gathered [=קִהֵל much wisdom,¹¹The term קהלת meaning gathering is in Devarim 33:4 where it states, “the gathering [קהלת] of Yaakov.” (Metsudas Tzion) and similarly, elsewhere [Scripture] calls him, “Agur Bin Yokeh,”¹²Mishlei 30:1. This is a reference to Shlomo, meaning the gatherer [אגור] of wisdom [בן] spewed out [יקה] the prophecy [המשא]. because he gathered אָגַר all the wisdom and spewed וַהֲקִיאָהּ it out, and some say that he would say all his words in public assembly [=בְּהַקְהֵל.¹³Alternatively, he gathered together and clarified many conflicting views. (Metsudas Tzion)

Another matter, “the words of Kohelet, son of David” – three prophets, because their prophecies were matters of rebuke, their prophecy is attributed to them. These are: “The words of Kohelet”; “the words of Amos” (Amos 1:1); “the words of Jeremiah” (Jeremiah 1:1).⁴This stands in contrast to, for example, the beginning of the book of Joel, which states: “The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Petuel.” God does not attach His name to negative matters.
Why was his name called Jeremiah? It is because in his days, Jerusalem became desolate [irmeia]. Amos, why was his name called Amos? Rabbi Pinḥas said: It is because his tongue was encumbered [amus]. The people of his generation said: The Holy One blessed be He overlooked all His creations and rested His Divine Presence only on this stutterer with a severed tongue? Kohelet, why was his name called Kohelet? It is because his words were stated in an assembly [hak’hel], as it says: “Then Solomon assembled” (I Kings 8:1). Rabbi Aḥa in the name of Rav Huna: One group would enter as another group was exiting, to hear Solomon’s wisdom. That is what the queen of Sheba said to him: “Happy are your people, happy are these servants of yours” (I Kings 10:8), and it is written: “There came from all the peoples to hear Solomon’s wisdom” (I Kings 5:14).
He was called by three names: Yedidya, Kohelet, Solomon. Rabbi Yehoshua says seven: Agur, Yakeh, Lemuel, Itiel.⁵In addition to Yedidya, Kohelet, and Solomon. Shmuel said: The most primary and authentic among them are Yedidya, Kohelet, Solomon. Rabbi Shmuel concedes regarding these [other] four, but they were epithets given to Solomon, and they were given to be expounded: Agur, as he was filled [agur] with matters of Torah. Yakeh, as he would expel [heki] his words, like this basin that at times is full and at times is emptied; so, Solomon, at times he studied Torah and at times he would forget it.⁶This was when his heart strayed from following God. Lemuel, as he spoke [nam] to God [El] in his heart and said: I can increase⁷Horses, wives, and money, see Deuteronomy 17:16–17. and not sin. Itiel, as he said: God is with me [iti El] and I am able.⁸To marry numerous women.
“Son of David” – king, son of a king, wise man, son of a wise man, a righteous man, son of a righteous man, a nobleman, son of a nobleman.
Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Alexandri: This ox, until its tendons are cut, it can be suspended by even one tendon. Once its tendons are cut, numerous ropes and numerous nails are needed to suspend it. So too, until Solomon sinned, he would depend on his own merit, but once he sinned, he was dependent on the merit of his fathers; that is what is written: “[However, I will not tear away the entire kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son] for the sake of David, My servant” (I Kings 11:13). Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: Happy is one who was privileged to reign in a place of royalty. There it is written: “[Og, king of Bashan,] who dwelled in Ashtarot in Edre’i” (Deuteronomy 1:4), but here, “king in Jerusalem,” in a place of royalty.

King in Yerusholayim. The city of wisdom.¹⁴Shlomo is known by three titles. In Shir Hashirim 3:11 he is called King Shlomo, in Mishlei 1:1 he is called “King of Yisroel,” and here he is called “King in Yerusholayim.” The Gemara in Maseches Sanhedrin 20b, comments that his kingdom was diminished by the virtue of sin. He was first recognized universally as King Shlomo, after his sin he was King of Yisroel only, and then King of Yerusholayim alone. Alternatively, Sefer Koheles is replete with wisdom, therefore it states that its author reigned in “the city of wisdom,” thus he was exposed to much wisdom and his conclusions are worthy of great regard.

Vanity of vanities, said Koheles. Koheles complains about the entire seven days of creation, that it is all a vanity¹⁵Vanity is something empty of substance, it is zero. However, when combined with something of substance, such as Torah study, it adds value to it, in the same manner that a zero that is placed next to a number adds value to it. (Mashal Umlitzah) of vanities.

“Vanity of vanities, said Kohelet; vanity of vanities, everything is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
“Vanity of vanities [havel havalim]” – Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: David made a statement and did not explain it, but his son Solomon explained it. Solomon made a statement and did not explain it, but his father David explained it. David said: “Man is like hevel” (Psalms 144:4); to what hevel [is man compared]? If it is to the hevel [heat] of an oven, it has significance. If it is to the hevel of a stove, it has significance. His son Solomon came and explained: “Vanity of vanities [havel havalim], said Kohelet.” Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani taught it in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa: It is comparable to a person who places seven pots on the fire one atop the other, and the heat of the upper one is insignificant.⁹This comparison is based on the fact that the term vanity [hevel] appears five times in Ecclesiastes 1:2, and twice it appears in the plural, for a total of seven mentions of the term hevel.
Solomon said: “For who knows what is good for man in his life, [all the days of his vain life,] that he spends like a shadow” (Ecclesiastes 6:12). What shadow? If it is like the shadow of a wall, it has substance. If it is like the shadow of a palm tree, it has substance. David came and explained: “His days are like a passing shadow” (Psalms 144:4). Rabbi Huna [said] in the name of Rav Aḥa: Like that bird that passes and its shadow passes with it. Shmuel said: Like the shadow of bees that have no substance at all.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzḥak taught it in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar: The seven vanities [havalim] that Kohelet mentioned correspond to the seven worlds that a person sees. A one-year-old is like a king who is on a canopied litter and everyone is hugging and kissing him. A two- or three-year-old is like a pig that extends its hands into the sewers. A ten-year-old jumps like a goat. A twenty-year-old whinnies like a horse, beautifies himself and seeks a wife. When he marries a wife he is like a donkey. When he begets children, he is as audacious as a dog to bring [home] bread and food. When he grows old, he is like a monkey. That is stated regarding the common people; however, regarding Torah personalities, it is written: “King David was old” – even though he was old, he was a king.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: The seven vanities that Kohelet mentioned correspond to the seven days of Creation. On the first, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), and it is written: “For the heavens will vanish like smoke” (Isaiah 51:6). On the second: “Let there be a firmament” (Genesis 1:6), and it is written: “The heavens will be furled like a scroll” (Isaiah 34:4). On the third: “Let the waters be gathered” (Genesis 1:9), and it is written: “The Lord will destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt” (Isaiah 11:15). On the fourth: “Let there be lights” (Genesis 1:14), and it is written: “The moon will be disgraced” (Isaiah 24:23). On the fifth: “Let the waters swarm [with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven]” (Genesis 1:20), and it is written: “I will destroy the birds of the heavens” (Zephaniah 1:3). On the sixth: “Let us make man” (Genesis 1:26), and it is written: “I will destroy man and animal” (Zephaniah 1:3). Regarding Shabbat, what do you have to say? “One who profanes it will be put to death” (Exodus 31:14). That is stated regarding one who does so intentionally; but [one who profanes it] unwittingly, he will bring an offering and gain atonement. When Adam saw the praise of Shabbat, that one who brings an offering gains atonement, he began singing in its regard to the Holy One blessed be He, praise and psalm. That is what is written: “A psalm, a song for the day of Shabbat” (Psalms 92:1). Rabbi Levi said: This [psalm] was stated by Adam.

Vanity of. הֲבֵל¹⁶The numerical value [gematria] of ‘הבל’ is 37, corresponding to the 37 years of Shlomo’s reign, considering his exile of three years. (Gra) is punctuated with a chataph patach, because it is in the construct state; i.e., the vanity of the vanities. Seven vanities [are mentioned],¹⁷הבל is one, הבלים [plural] are two, הבל is one, הבלים are two, and הבל is one, making a total of seven. corresponding to the seven days of creation.

What profit. [What] reward or gain.¹⁸Ordinarily, יתרון connotes “greater,” as when comparing two parts or objects, one to another. (Sifsei Chachomim)

“What profit is there for man in all his toil that he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3).
“What profit is there for man?” Rabbi Binyamin said: The Sages sought to suppress the book of Kohelet because they found in it matters that tend toward heresy. They said: All of Solomon’s wisdom that he seeks to impart is: “What profit is there for man in all his toil,” but one might [think that he meant] even in the toil of Torah. They then said: He did not say “in all toil,” but rather in his toil; in his toil he does not [profit from his] toil, but he does [profit from his] toil in the toil of Torah.
Rabbi Shmuel ben Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The Sages sought to suppress the book of Kohelet because they found in it matters that tend toward heresy. They said: All of Solomon’s wisdom is this statement: “Rejoice, young man, in your youth; and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes” (Ecclesiastes 11:9). Moses said: “Do not stray after your heart and after your eyes” (Numbers 15:39), and Solomon said: “And walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes.” Restraint has been abolished; there is no [divine] justice and no [Divine] Judge. When he said: “But know that for all these, God will bring you to judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9), they said: Solomon spoke well.
Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Aḥa [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥilfai: His toil is under the sun, but there is a treasure for him above the sun. Rabbi Yudan said: Under the sun he does not have [profit], but above the sun he does have [profit].¹⁰For physical toil there is no profit, but for spiritual toil there is profit. Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis, Rabbi Levi said: What benefit do people who amass mitzvot and good deeds have? It is sufficient for them that I shine light upon them.¹¹In the phrase “under [taḥat] the sun,” Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis interpret taḥat in the sense of “in exchange for.” The Rabbis say: What benefit do the righteous who amass mitzvot and good deeds have? It is sufficient for them that I am destined to renew their faces [and cause them to shine] like the sun, as it is written: “But those who love Him are like the sun emerging in its might” (Judges 5:31).
Rabbi Yannai said: The way of the world is that when a person takes a litra¹²480 grams. of meat, how much trouble must he undergo and how much effort must he expend until he has cooked it! But I blow the winds for you, elevate the clouds, cause the rains and the dew to fall, grow plants and ripen them, set a table before each and every one, give each and every person all his needs, and each and every body what it lacks, and all you bring Me is the omer. Rabbi Pinḥas said: The way of the world is that when a person launders his garment during the rainy season, how much trouble must he undergo and how much effort must he expend until he dries it! But I blow the winds for you, elevate the clouds, cause the rains and the dew to fall, grow plants, wash them, ripen them and dry them, and set a table before each and every one, give each and every person all his needs and each and every body what it lacks, and all you bring Me is the omer. Rabbi Berekhya said: I am your chef, and you do not allow Me to taste the dish that I cooked to know what it needs. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: I am your guard and you do not give me from what I guarded.
Rabbi Elazar said: It is written: “They do not say in their heart: Let us now fear the Lord [our God, who gives the early rain and the late rain in due season]” (Jeremiah 5:24). Oh, wicked ones, do you no longer need Me?¹³Once the rain has come. The verse states: “Who preserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest” (Jeremiah 5:24) – He protects us from heatwaves, He protects us from harmful dews. That is what David says: “A bounteous [nedava] rain You will bring, God” (Psalms 68:10). If it requires rain, it is “a gift [nedava],” if it requires dew, “You will bring, God.”¹⁴Dew is ubiquitous and is therefore not called a gift.
Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: It is written: “It shall be seven complete weeks” (Leviticus 23:15) -– when? It is when Yeshua and Shekhanya are not among them.¹⁵When the first day of Nisan falls on Shabbat, the first day of Passover is on Shabbat and Shavuot is on Sunday. Then, the period of the omer is seven complete weeks, and then, the priestly watches of Yeshua and Shekhanya, the ninth and tenth of the twenty-four watches, would not serve during the omer. If the first of Nisan and the first day of Passover are in the middle of the week, Shavuot is in the middle of the week. In that case, because some of the earlier watches would serve only half a week, as on the festivals all the priests would participate in the Temple service, the watches of Yeshua and Shekhanya would serve during the omer period.
Rabbi Abba said: Come and see how much trouble is experienced and how much effort must be expended until they bring the omer, as we learn: How would they perform it? Emissaries of the court would emerge on the eve of the festival [of Passover] and fashion sheaves while [the grain was still] attached to the ground, so that it would be convenient to harvest. All the adjacent towns would assemble there, so that it would be harvested with great fanfare (Menaḥot 65a). Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He said to you: ‘Man, you have plowed, sowed, reaped, gathered, and made several piles; if I do not produce for you a little wind, could you winnow? Yet even the fee for that wind you do not give Me.’ That is, “what is the advantage for He who toils for the wind?” (Ecclesiastes 5:15).
Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] made a wedding feast for his son. Rabbi invited all the Rabbis but forgot to invite bar Kappara. [Bar Kappara] went and wrote on the gate of [Rabbi’s] house: After all your rejoicing there is death; and what is the profit in your rejoicing? [Rabbi] said: ‘Who did this to us?’ They said: ‘It was bar Kappara whom, alone, you forgot to invite, and he is disgraced.’ He went and made another feast and he invited all the rabbis and he invited bar Kappara. For each and every dish that [the waiter] would place before them, [bar Kappara] would recite three hundred parables about the fox. [The parables] were very pleasant for them, and the dishes grew cold and they did not taste them. Rabbi would say to his servants: ‘Why are the dishes going in and going out and they are not tasting anything?’ They said to him: ‘Because one of the elders who is sitting there, when the dish is taken in, he says three hundred parables regarding the fox. That is why the dishes are growing cold and they are not eating anything.’ He came to [bar Kappara] and said: ‘Why are you doing this? Let the diners eat.’ [Bar Kappara] said to him: ‘It is so you do not think that I came here because of your feast, but rather, it is because you did not invite me here with my colleagues.’ Is this not what Solomon said: “What profit is there for man [in all his toil that he toils under the sun]” (Ecclesiastes 1:3), since “one generation passes and one generation comes” (Ecclesiastes 1:4).¹⁶As bar Kappara wrote on the gate: What is the profit in all your rejoicing? After they placated each other, they were reconciled. Abba bar Kappara said to Rabbi: ‘If, in this world, which is not yours, the Holy One blessed be He granted you serenity, in the World to Come, which is entirely yours, all the more so.’
Rabbi Bena’a said, the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘My children, know what is the difference between Me and you.’ What is written?¹⁷With regard to the manna that God provided for the children of Israel. “An omer for a person; according to the number of your people…” (Exodus 16:16). But all of you give one omer, and not an omer of wheat, but rather of barley. Nevertheless, be vigilant to bring it at its appointed time; therefore, Moses cautions the children of Israel and says to them: “You shall bring the omer…” (Leviticus 23:10).

“What profit is there for man in all his toil that he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3).
“What profit is there for man?” Rabbi Binyamin said: The Sages sought to suppress the book of Kohelet because they found in it matters that tend toward heresy. They said: All of Solomon’s wisdom that he seeks to impart is: “What profit is there for man in all his toil,” but one might [think that he meant] even in the toil of Torah. They then said: He did not say “in all toil,” but rather in his toil; in his toil he does not [profit from his] toil, but he does [profit from his] toil in the toil of Torah.
Rabbi Shmuel ben Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The Sages sought to suppress the book of Kohelet because they found in it matters that tend toward heresy. They said: All of Solomon’s wisdom is this statement: “Rejoice, young man, in your youth; and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes” (Ecclesiastes 11:9). Moses said: “Do not stray after your heart and after your eyes” (Numbers 15:39), and Solomon said: “And walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes.” Restraint has been abolished; there is no [divine] justice and no [Divine] Judge. When he said: “But know that for all these, God will bring you to judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9), they said: Solomon spoke well.
Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Aḥa [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥilfai: His toil is under the sun, but there is a treasure for him above the sun. Rabbi Yudan said: Under the sun he does not have [profit], but above the sun he does have [profit].¹⁰For physical toil there is no profit, but for spiritual toil there is profit. Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis, Rabbi Levi said: What benefit do people who amass mitzvot and good deeds have? It is sufficient for them that I shine light upon them.¹¹In the phrase “under [taḥat] the sun,” Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis interpret taḥat in the sense of “in exchange for.” The Rabbis say: What benefit do the righteous who amass mitzvot and good deeds have? It is sufficient for them that I am destined to renew their faces [and cause them to shine] like the sun, as it is written: “But those who love Him are like the sun emerging in its might” (Judges 5:31).
Rabbi Yannai said: The way of the world is that when a person takes a litra¹²480 grams. of meat, how much trouble must he undergo and how much effort must he expend until he has cooked it! But I blow the winds for you, elevate the clouds, cause the rains and the dew to fall, grow plants and ripen them, set a table before each and every one, give each and every person all his needs, and each and every body what it lacks, and all you bring Me is the omer. Rabbi Pinḥas said: The way of the world is that when a person launders his garment during the rainy season, how much trouble must he undergo and how much effort must he expend until he dries it! But I blow the winds for you, elevate the clouds, cause the rains and the dew to fall, grow plants, wash them, ripen them and dry them, and set a table before each and every one, give each and every person all his needs and each and every body what it lacks, and all you bring Me is the omer. Rabbi Berekhya said: I am your chef, and you do not allow Me to taste the dish that I cooked to know what it needs. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: I am your guard and you do not give me from what I guarded.
Rabbi Elazar said: It is written: “They do not say in their heart: Let us now fear the Lord [our God, who gives the early rain and the late rain in due season]” (Jeremiah 5:24). Oh, wicked ones, do you no longer need Me?¹³Once the rain has come. The verse states: “Who preserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest” (Jeremiah 5:24) – He protects us from heatwaves, He protects us from harmful dews. That is what David says: “A bounteous [nedava] rain You will bring, God” (Psalms 68:10). If it requires rain, it is “a gift [nedava],” if it requires dew, “You will bring, God.”¹⁴Dew is ubiquitous and is therefore not called a gift.
Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: It is written: “It shall be seven complete weeks” (Leviticus 23:15) -– when? It is when Yeshua and Shekhanya are not among them.¹⁵When the first day of Nisan falls on Shabbat, the first day of Passover is on Shabbat and Shavuot is on Sunday. Then, the period of the omer is seven complete weeks, and then, the priestly watches of Yeshua and Shekhanya, the ninth and tenth of the twenty-four watches, would not serve during the omer. If the first of Nisan and the first day of Passover are in the middle of the week, Shavuot is in the middle of the week. In that case, because some of the earlier watches would serve only half a week, as on the festivals all the priests would participate in the Temple service, the watches of Yeshua and Shekhanya would serve during the omer period.
Rabbi Abba said: Come and see how much trouble is experienced and how much effort must be expended until they bring the omer, as we learn: How would they perform it? Emissaries of the court would emerge on the eve of the festival [of Passover] and fashion sheaves while [the grain was still] attached to the ground, so that it would be convenient to harvest. All the adjacent towns would assemble there, so that it would be harvested with great fanfare (Menaḥot 65a). Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He said to you: ‘Man, you have plowed, sowed, reaped, gathered, and made several piles; if I do not produce for you a little wind, could you winnow? Yet even the fee for that wind you do not give Me.’ That is, “what is the advantage for He who toils for the wind?” (Ecclesiastes 5:15).
Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] made a wedding feast for his son. Rabbi invited all the Rabbis but forgot to invite bar Kappara. [Bar Kappara] went and wrote on the gate of [Rabbi’s] house: After all your rejoicing there is death; and what is the profit in your rejoicing? [Rabbi] said: ‘Who did this to us?’ They said: ‘It was bar Kappara whom, alone, you forgot to invite, and he is disgraced.’ He went and made another feast and he invited all the rabbis and he invited bar Kappara. For each and every dish that [the waiter] would place before them, [bar Kappara] would recite three hundred parables about the fox. [The parables] were very pleasant for them, and the dishes grew cold and they did not taste them. Rabbi would say to his servants: ‘Why are the dishes going in and going out and they are not tasting anything?’ They said to him: ‘Because one of the elders who is sitting there, when the dish is taken in, he says three hundred parables regarding the fox. That is why the dishes are growing cold and they are not eating anything.’ He came to [bar Kappara] and said: ‘Why are you doing this? Let the diners eat.’ [Bar Kappara] said to him: ‘It is so you do not think that I came here because of your feast, but rather, it is because you did not invite me here with my colleagues.’ Is this not what Solomon said: “What profit is there for man [in all his toil that he toils under the sun]” (Ecclesiastes 1:3), since “one generation passes and one generation comes” (Ecclesiastes 1:4).¹⁶As bar Kappara wrote on the gate: What is the profit in all your rejoicing? After they placated each other, they were reconciled. Abba bar Kappara said to Rabbi: ‘If, in this world, which is not yours, the Holy One blessed be He granted you serenity, in the World to Come, which is entirely yours, all the more so.’
Rabbi Bena’a said, the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘My children, know what is the difference between Me and you.’ What is written?¹⁷With regard to the manna that God provided for the children of Israel. “An omer for a person; according to the number of your people…” (Exodus 16:16). But all of you give one omer, and not an omer of wheat, but rather of barley. Nevertheless, be vigilant to bring it at its appointed time; therefore, Moses cautions the children of Israel and says to them: “You shall bring the omer…” (Leviticus 23:10).

Beneath the sun. Instead [=תַּחַת¹⁹Ordinarily, תחת means “under,” but in this verse that definition would be difficult. Therefore, Rashi interprets תחת as “instead,” as we find in Bereishis 30:15, “in exchange [תחת] for your son’s duda’im.” The Gemara in Maseches Shabbos 30b renders תחת as “after,” and interprets the verse, that for his labor “after the sun” he realizes no profit, but for his labor “before the sun,” i.e., in Torah, which existed before God created the world, there is profit. (Sifsei Chachomim) of the Torah, which is called light,²⁰Mishlei 6:23. as it is stated, “and the Torah is light.”²¹“For all his labor” should not be misconstrued to include even engaging in Torah study, because otherwise Scripture should have stated בכל עמל [=all labor], however it states בכל עמלו [=his labor], referring to his own personal physical labor. Thus, one should labor in the study of Torah. All the labor which he does instead of engaging in Torah study, what reward does it yield?

"That God created to do/make." These are the ten things that were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight: [1] the mouth of the earth, [2] the mouth of the well, [3] the mouth of the donkey, [4] the rainbow, [5] the manna, [6] the letters, [7] the writing, [8] the tablets, [9] the grave of Moses and [10] the ram of Abraham, our father. [...] For all these God created to do miracles and mighty deeds. [...]

"That God created to do/make." These are the ten things that were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight: [1] the mouth of the earth, [2] the mouth of the well, [3] the mouth of the donkey, [4] the rainbow, [5] the manna, [6] the letters, [7] the writing, [8] the tablets, [9] the grave of Moses and [10] the ram of Abraham, our father. [...] For all these God created to do miracles and mighty deeds. [...]

A generation passes away and [another] generation comes. As much as the wicked man toils and labors to oppress and to rob, he does not outlive his activities, for the generation passes on and another generation comes and takes away everything from his sons, as the matter is stated, “His children must appease the poor.”²²Iyov 20:10.

“One generation passes, and one generation comes; and the earth abides forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hastens its place where it rises” (Ecclesiastes 1:4–5).
“One generation passes, and one generation comes” – Rabbi Yudan says in the name of Rabbi Levi: There is no day on which six hundred thousand are not born and on which six hundred thousand do not die. What is the reason? “One generation passes, and one generation comes…the sun rises and the sun sets.” Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Yaakov bar Avuna, and Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi bar Sisi: From when the sun rises until the sun sets, one generation passes, and one generation comes. From where is it derived that a generation consists of six hundred thousand? It is as it is stated: “If any man among these people, this wicked generation” (Deuteronomy 1:35), and that generation consisted of six hundred thousand. Rabbi Berekhya said: [When a] potter places [vessels] into the furnace, what he places first [he removes] last. However here, one who passes first comes first, and one who passes last comes last.¹⁸The reference here is to death and the revival of the dead.

And the earth abides forever. But who are the ones who [cause the earth to] endure? The humble and low, who bring themselves down to the ground, as the matter is stated, “But the humble shall inherit the earth.”²³Tehillim 37:11. ²⁴Alternatively, unlike generations, that when one passes by, another one comes, the earth does not change. But Midrash Tanchuma states, that all the righteous of Yisroel are called earth [=אֶרֶץ, as it is stated, “for you will be a desirable land.”²⁵Malachi 3:12.

Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yaakov Gevulai [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: Like the generation that passes, so is the generation that comes. If he goes crippled, he will come [back to life] crippled. If he goes blind, he will come [back to life] blind, so they will not say, he killed others and he revived others,¹⁹It will be clear that God has revived the dead and not simply created new people. as it is written: “I will kill and I will give life” (Deuteronomy 32:39). Does one who says [he will do something] difficult then say [he will even do something] easier? “I will kill and I will give life,” that is difficult, and all the more so, “I crushed and I will heal” (Deuteronomy 32:39), which is easier. Rather, ‘I will revive them with their blemishes, so they will not say he killed others and others he revived.’ “I will kill and I will give life,” “I crushed,” and then I will heal them.

Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yaakov Gevulai [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: Like the generation that passes, so is the generation that comes. If he goes crippled, he will come [back to life] crippled. If he goes blind, he will come [back to life] blind, so they will not say, he killed others and he revived others,¹⁹It will be clear that God has revived the dead and not simply created new people. as it is written: “I will kill and I will give life” (Deuteronomy 32:39). Does one who says [he will do something] difficult then say [he will even do something] easier? “I will kill and I will give life,” that is difficult, and all the more so, “I crushed and I will heal” (Deuteronomy 32:39), which is easier. Rather, ‘I will revive them with their blemishes, so they will not say he killed others and others he revived.’ “I will kill and I will give life,” “I crushed,” and then I will heal them.

Another matter, “I crushed and I will heal” – Rabbi Ḥanina in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan, and Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan [said]: “I smote” is not written here, but rather, “I crushed [maḥatzti]” – the rift [meḥitza] that I established between the heavenly and the earthly, that the heavenly live and the earthly die, [holds true only] in this world. But in the World to Come there is no death at all, as it is stated: “He will eliminate death forever” (Isaiah 25:8). Rabbi Abba said [the verse means]: ‘That rift, too, I will then heal, maḥatzti, meḥitzati [My rift] I will heal.’

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana [said], and some say it in the name of Rabbi Ada bar Ḥunya: The generation that comes should be in your eyes like the generation that has passed, so you should not say: ‘Were Rabbi Akiva alive, I would study Bible before him; were Rabbi Zeira and Rabbi Yoḥanan alive, I would study Mishna before them.’ Rather, the generation that comes during your lifetime and the Sage that is in your lifetime are the equivalent of the generation that passed and the early Sages who preceded you.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is written: “The Lord who made Moses and Aaron…” (I Samuel 12:6), and it is written: “The Lord sent Yerubaal, Bedan, Yiftaḥ and Samuel” (I Samuel 12:11). Yerubaal, this is Gideon; Bedan, this is Samson; Yiftaḥ as its plain meaning. And it is written: “Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call His name” (Psalms 99:6) – the verse parallels three of the insignificant people of the world to three of the prominent people of the world,²⁰The verse in I Samuel (12:11) refers to Gideon, Samson, and Yiftah in the same listing as Samuel, thus equating them, and the verse in Psalms is understood to equate Samuel to Moses and Aaron. to teach you that Yerubaal’s court is as great and significant before the Holy One blessed be He as Moses’s court; Samson’s court is the equivalent of Aaron’s court; and Yiftaḥ’s court is the equivalent of Samuel’s court. This teaches you that anyone who is appointed a leader of the community, even if he is extremely insignificant, he is like the noblest of their noble predecessors, as it is stated: “You shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge who will be in those days…” (Deuteronomy 17:9). I have [the ability to come] only to the judge that is in your generation; where [would you be able to find] the judge that is not in your generation? Why does the verse state: “To the judge who will be in those days”?²¹Clearly, one can go only to a judge who is in his generation. It teaches that the judge in your generation, in his time, is the equivalent of the judge who was in earlier days, and so, it says: “Do not say: How was it that the former days were better than these?” (Ecclesiastes 7:10).
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: You should heed only the judge that is in your generation, as it is written: “The heads of the fathers [ha’avot] of the family of the children of Gilad, son of Makhir, son of Manasseh [came near and spoke before Moses and before the princes; the heads of the fathers’ [avot] houses of the children of Israel]” (Numbers 36:1). Rabbi Yudan said: “The fathers [ha’avot],” “fathers [avot].”²²Regarding the family of Gilad, the verse uses the definite article ha’avot, while regarding the leaders of entire tribes, the verse writes simply avot, without the definite article. Rather, these entered into leadership and these were removed from leadership, and that is why the verse presented then deficiently.²³The heads of the families of Gilad were from the younger generation, and were entering leadership positions, whereas the tribal princes were from the older generation and were concluding their terms of leadership.
Rabbi Berekhya said: It is written: “Yehoyada was the leader of Aaron” (I Chronicles 12:28). Was Yehoyada the leader of Aaron? Rather, had Aaron been alive in the generation of Yehoyada, Yehoyada would have been greater than he was at the time.²⁴The verse is interpreted to mean that Yehoyada was greater than Aaron. However, that is impossible, as Aaron was in fact greater than Yehoyada. The midrash therefore explains that had Aaron been alive in the generation when Yehoyada was the leader of the priests, Aaron would have been subordinate to him and accepted his leadership despite Aaron’s personal superiority. Rabbi Simai said: It is written: “Aaron and his sons were offering on the altar of the burnt offerings…” (I Chronicles 6:34). Were Aaron and his sons alive? Was it not Tzadok and his sons who were [offering these offerings]? Rather, had Aaron and his sons been alive, Tzadok would have been greater than he was at the time.²⁵Aaron and his sons would have accepted Tzadok’s leadership because he was the High Priest at the time. Rabbi Hillel derived it from here: “The entire congregation that returned from captivity made booths, and they dwelled in the booths, as since the days of Joshua [Yeshua] bin Nun, to that day, the children of Israel had not done so. There was very great rejoicing” (Nehemiah 8:17). The verse compromised the honor of the deceased righteous one for the sake of so-and-so at the time.²⁶The verses minimizes the honor of Joshua by writing his name in a deficient manner, Yeshua, instead of the common spelling of his name, Yehoshua. This is in order allude to the fact that the then leader, Ezra, had to be accorded more honor than Joshua, the great leader of the past. The Rabbis derive it from here: “The son of Avishua, son of Pinḥas ben Elazar, [son of Aaron the priest, the chief;] he, Ezra, ascended from Babylon…” (Ezra 7:5–6). Rather, had Aaron been alive, Ezra would have been greater than he was at the time.²⁷The simple reading of the verse is that the word chief refers to Aaron, and thus identifies him as the High Priest. The midrash reads the verse as though the word chief refers not to Aaron but to Ezra, because he was the leader in his generation.

“And the earth abides forever” (Ecclesiastes 1:4). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: The verse should have said only: “The earth passes and the earth comes, but the generation abides forever.”²⁸This would indicate that the earth is transient, and the people last forever. Which was created for the sake of the other, was the earth created for the sake of the generation, or was the generation created for the sake of the earth? Was it not the earth [that was created] for the sake of the generation? Rather, because the generation did not perform the duties [assigned to it by] the Holy One blessed be He; therefore, it wastes away. The earth, because it performs the duties [assigned to it by] the Holy One blessed be He; therefore, it does not waste away.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: It is written: “For like the days of the tree will be the days of My people” (Isaiah 65:22). Tree means nothing other than Torah, as it is stated: “It is a tree of life for those who grasp it” (Proverbs 3:18). Which was created for the sake of the other; the Torah for the sake of Israel, or Israel for the sake of the Torah? Was it not the Torah [that was created] for the sake of Israel? Rather, the Torah that was created for the sake of Israel exists for ever and ever; Israel, for whose sake [everything] was created, all the more so. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: A kingdom enters and a kingdom leaves, but Israel stands forever; that is: “The earth abides forever.” Rabbi Shmuel in the name of Rabbi Pelatya of Naveh derived it from this verse: “Yehonatan son of Gershom son of Menashe, he and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the exile of the land” (Judges 18:30). Does a land go into exile or wander? Rather, these are Israel, who are called land, as it is stated: “All nations will praise you; as you will be a land of delight” (Malachi 3:12) – you will be called a land of delight.
Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: Everything that the Holy One blessed be He created in man, He created its parallel for the earth. Man has a head and the earth has a head [rosh], as it is stated: “[He had not yet made earth and fields, or] the beginning [rosh] of the dust of the world” (Proverbs 8:26). Man has eyes [einayim] and the earth has eyes, as it is stated: “They will cover the face [ein] of the earth” (Exodus 10:5). A person has ears and the earth has ears, as it is stated: “Listen, earth” (Isaiah 1:2). Man has a mouth and the earth has a mouth, as it is stated: “The earth opened its mouth” (Numbers 16:32). Man eats and the earth eats, as it is stated: “A land that consumes its inhabitants” (Numbers 13:32). Man drinks and the earth drinks, as it is stated: “[But the land]…by the rain of the heavens it drinks water” (Deuteronomy 11:11). Man vomits and the earth vomits, as it is stated: “So the land will not vomit [you out]” (Leviticus 18:28). Man has hands and the earth has hands [yadayim], as it is stated: “The land is spacious [raḥavat yadayim]” (Genesis 34:21). Man has thighs and the earth has thighs [yerekhayim], as it is stated: “I will gather them from the ends [miyarketei] of the earth” (Jeremiah 31:8). Man has a navel [tabbur] and the earth has a navel, as it is stated: “Dwellers in the middle of [betabbur] the earth” (Ezekiel 38:12). Man has nakedness and the earth has nakedness, as it is stated: “To see the nakedness of the land you have come” (Genesis 42:9). Man has feet and the earth has feet, as it is stated: “And the earth abides [omadet] forever” (Ecclesiastes 1:4).²⁹The term omadet literally means standing, implying that it has feet.
What is omadet? Ma’amedet. Rabbi Aḥa and the Rabbis, Rabbi Aḥa said: It fulfills [ma’amedet] its duties. The Rabbis said: It produces [ma’amedet] its food. Rabbi Shimon ben Yosei ben Lakoneya said: Because in this world a person builds a building and another spends time in it, [a person] plants a sapling and another eats [its produce]. But in the future, they will not build and another will settle, they will not plant and another will eat, as it is stated: “For like the days of the tree will be the days of My people, and My chosen will outlive their handicraft” (Isaiah 65:22).

The sun rises, etc. A generation passes on and a generation comes, as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening,²⁶The connective vav in ‘וזרח’ demonstrates the connection with the previous verse of generations passing by. and it goes throughout the night, yearning to return to the place from where it rose yesterday, that it will rise from there also today.

“The sun rises and the sun sets, and it hastens to its place where it arises” (Ecclesiastes 1:5).
“The sun rises.” Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: Don’t we know that “the sun rises and the sun sets”? Rather, to what is it [alluding]? Before the sun of one righteous individual sets, He causes the sun of another righteous individual to rise. The day that Rabbi Akiva died, Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] was born, and they read this verse in his regard: “The sun rises and the sun sets.” The day that Rav Ada bar Ahava died, Rav Hamnuna his son was born, and they read in his regard: “The sun rises and the sun sets.” The day that Rav Hamnuna died, Rabbi Avin his son was born, and they read in his regard: “The sun rises and the sun sets.” The day that Rabbi Avin died, Abba Hoshaya of Teraya was born, and they read in his regard: “The sun rises and the sun sets.” Before the sun of Sarah set, the sun of Rebecca rose. That is what is written: “Betuel begot Rebecca” (Genesis 22:23), and then, “Sarah died in Kiryat Arba” (Genesis 23:2), and it is written: “Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah” (Genesis 24:67).³⁰See Bereshit Rabba 60:16, where this verse is interpreted to mean that Rebecca was a worthy replacement for Sarah. Before the sun of Moses set, the sun of Joshua rose. Before the sun of Joshua set, the sun of Otniel, who is Yabetz, rose. So it is with all of them in each and every generation; that is, “the sun rises and the sun sets.”

It is taught in the name of Rabbi Natan: The sphere of the sun has a pouch; that is what is written: “He set a tent for the sun in them” (Psalms 19:5). There is a pool of water before it. When [the sun] seeks to emerge, it becomes enflamed, and the Holy One blessed be He weakens its strength with water so it will not incinerate the world. But in the future, the Holy One blessed be He will strip it from its pouch, expose it, and incinerate the wicked with it, as it is stated: “For, behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, [and all the criminals and all those who do evil will be straw; the day that is coming will burn them]” (Malachi 3:19). Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Yishmael, both of them say: There is no Gehenna in the future; rather, the sun will emerge. The righteous will benefit from it. From where [is this derived]? It is as it is stated: “It will rise for those who fear My name, a sun of righteousness with healing in its wings” (Malachi 3:20). And the wicked will be punished with it, as it is stated: “The day that is coming will incinerate them” (Malachi 3:19).

The wind. The sun’s desire,²⁷Ordinarily רוח means wind, but because the “sun” is the subject of this verse, Rashi defines רוח as “desire” or “will,” i.e., the sun’s desire. (Sifsei Chachomim) talent in O.F., as in, “toward wherever there was the will הָרוּחַ to go.”²⁸Yechezkeil 1:12.

“The wind goes to the south, and turns to the north; around and around the wind turns, and on its rounds the wind returns” (Ecclesiastes 1:6).
“The wind goes to the south, and turns to the north.” It “goes to the south” during the day, “and turns to the north” at night. “Around and around the wind turns, and on its rounds the wind returns” – toward the east and the west. “And on its rounds the wind returns” – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya said: This wind, when it emerges into the world, the Holy One blessed be He weakens it in the mountains and breaks it on the hills, and He says to it: ‘Be careful that you do not harm My creations.’ What is the reason? “Because the wind, from before Me ya’atof” (Isaiah 57:16) – [I] make it faint, as it is stated: “When my soul was faint [nitatef] within me” (Jonah 2:8). Why to that extent? Because “and souls I have made” (Isaiah 57:16).
Rabbi Huna said: In three places the wind emerged disproportionately, and the wind sought to destroy the entire world with all its inhabitants: Once in the days of Job, once in the days of Elijah, and once in the days of Jonah. Once in the days of Job, as it is stated: “And behold a great wind came from across the wilderness [and smote the four corners of the house]” (Job 1:19). Once in the days of Elijah, as it is stated: “Behold, the Lord passed, and a great and strong wind, smashing mountains and breaking rocks” (I Kings 19:11). And once in the days of Jonah, as it is stated: “The Lord cast a great wind upon the sea” (Jonah 1:4). Rabbi Yehuda bar Shalom said: That wind that was during the days of Job was in the world only for that house alone. That of Jonah was in the world only for that ship alone. You do not have one that was worldwide other than that of Elijah, as it is stated: “He said: Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord” (I Kings 19:11).³¹This phrase indicates that the wind was everywhere, as the entire world is “before the Lord” (Midrash HaMevoar). Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Tanḥum [said], and some say it in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: The messianic king will never come until all the souls that entered His mind to be created will live, and these are the souls that are stated in the book of Adam the first man, as it is stated: “This is the book of the descendants of Adam” (Genesis 5:1).

And upon its circuits [the wind] returns. Also tomorrow, the entire circuit and encircling that it went around yesterday, it encircles and goes around today.²⁹The expression הולך [goes] is used for moving toward the south [symbolic of wisdom] and סובב [goes round, circles] is used for moving toward the north [symbolic of wealth]. הולך denotes going without purpose whereas סובב implies a determined action. Koheles hints that man pursues wisdom with indifference, whereas his pursuit of wealth he does with great effort and determination. (Toldos Aharon)

And upon its circuits [the wind] returns. Also tomorrow, the entire circuit and encircling that it went around yesterday, it encircles and goes around today.²⁹The expression הולך [goes] is used for moving toward the south [symbolic of wisdom] and סובב [goes round, circles] is used for moving toward the north [symbolic of wealth]. הולך denotes going without purpose whereas סובב implies a determined action. Koheles hints that man pursues wisdom with indifference, whereas his pursuit of wealth he does with great effort and determination. (Toldos Aharon)

It [the wind] goes toward the south. Always by day.

And it turns about toward the north. Always by night.

Round and round goes [the wind]. To the eastern and western sides, which it sometimes goes through by day, and sometimes circles at night. In Tammuz it goes through them, and in Teves it circles around them. Also the wicked, no matter how much their sun rises, they will ultimately set. No matter how much they gain power, they will ultimately return to their stench. From filth they came, and to filth they will return. And so —

All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full. Because they do not remain therein, for the ocean is higher than the entire world, as it is stated, “He summons the waters of the sea and pours them, etc.”³⁰Amos 5:8. Now from where does a person pour? From above downward, and the rivers flow in the tunnels under the mountains from the ocean and flow repeatedly,³¹They continue this cycle perpetually. and this is [the meaning of], “to the place where the rivers flow, there they continue [to flow].” Also, the wicked man, wherever he came from, so he will go.

“All the rivers go to the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place that the rivers go, they go there again” (Ecclesiastes 1:7).
“All the rivers go to the sea,” and from where does the earth drink?³²Which waters are provided to the earth in the form of rain? Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Eliezer says: It drinks from the water of the ocean, as it is stated: “A mist went up from the earth [and watered the entire face of the ground]” (Genesis 2:6).³³Thus, it is water from the earth that turns to vapor and then falls as rain. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: ‘Isn’t the water of the ocean salty?’ He said to him: ‘They are sweetened in the clouds, as it is written: “Which the skies pour down” (Job 36:28). Where do they become what pours down? It is in the skies.’ Rabbi Yehoshua says: [The earth] drinks from the upper waters, as it is stated: “From the rain of the heavens you drink water” (Deuteronomy 11:11). The clouds ascend from the earth to the heavens and receive [the water] as though from the mouth of a bottle, as it is written: “Which distill rain to His mist” (Job 36:27). They separate them like a sieve and one drop does not touch another, as it is written: “The amassing of water, thick clouds of the skies’ (II Samuel 22:12). Why does it call them skies [sheḥakim]? It is because they crush [shoḥekin] the water.³⁴Separating the water into separate drops. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Like an omasum.³⁵The third stomach in the animal that grinds the food. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Like the intestines of an animal.³⁶That crush the food. It is as Rabbi Yehoshua said: A day of rainfall is great, as it is equivalent to the entire act of Creation.³⁷Rabbi Yehoshua’s opinion that rainwater is from the upper waters in the heavens, which comes to earth, is consistent with his statement that this process is an act equivalent to Creation itself (Midrash HaMevoar). What is the reason? “Who performs great things beyond scrutiny and wonders beyond number” (Job 9:10); with what? “Who gives water on the face of the earth…” (Job 5:10).

How did the earth drink?³⁸Before there was rain, as described in Genesis 2:6. Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Simon, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda says: Like the Nile, which waters [the land] and then waters it again.³⁹It periodically overflows its banks, watering the surrounding land. Rabbi Simon said: It is like a box, like the Kavriel [River], whose [water] rises and is [then] absorbed into the ground.⁴⁰The water is present in the winter, and is absorbed into the earth in the summer, at which point crops are planted in the moist earth and are harvested before the river reappears the following winter (Midrash HaMevoar). The Rabbis say: It is like the Tevaha . Why is it called Tevaha? It is because it waters once every forty years,⁴¹One would naturally be astounded [toheh] that this was sufficient to water the land. and it is from it that the earth drank at the outset, as it is stated: “A mist went up from the earth [and watered the entire face of the ground]” (Genesis 2:6). But the Holy One blessed be He then instituted that the earth would drink only from above. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥanin of Tzippori, and some say Rabbi Ḥanin of Tzippori [said] in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: For four reasons the Holy One blessed be He instituted that the earth would drink only from above: Due to violent people;⁴²Who would otherwise take all the water for themselves. in order to wash away the harmful dews; so the highlands will drink like the lowlands; and so everyone will lift their eyes heavenward, as it is stated: “[Who gives rain upon the earth… to set the lowly on high…” (Job 5:10–11).