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Kohelet Rabbah
“Of laughter, I said it is confounded; and of joy, what does it accomplish?” (Ecclesiastes 2:2).
“Of laughter, I said it is confounded” – Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: How confounded is the laughter of the nations of the world in their circuses and theaters. “And of joy, what does it accomplish?” Why would a Torah scholar enter these [places]?
Another matter: How confounded is the laughter that the attribute of justice laughed at the generation of the flood; that is what is written: “Their houses are peaceful, without fear…” (Job 21:9). “Their descendants are well placed before them…” (Job 21:8). “His bull breeds and does not fail…” (Job 21:10). “They send out their young like a flock” (Job 21:11). “They sing to the timbrel and harp…” (Job 21:12). “They spend their days in prosperity” (Job 21:13). What is written there? “They said to God: Depart from us” (Job 21:14). Once they said: “What is the Almighty that we should serve Him?” (Job 21:15), the Holy One blessed be He said to them: “And of joy, what does it accomplish?” By your lives, I will obliterate you from the world. That is what is written: “He obliterated all existence” (Genesis 7:23).
Another matter: “Of laughter, I said it is confounded” – how confounded is the laughter that the attribute of justice laughed at the people of Sodom, as it is stated: “A land from which bread emerges…” (Job 28:5); “a place whose stones are sapphires…” (Job 28:6); “a path that birds of prey do not know…” (Job 28:7). When they said: We will do away with the policy of passersby from our midst,5They wanted to ensure that outsiders would not pass through their territory. that is what is written: “He breached a shaft from the residents, forgotten from all passersby” (Job 28:4). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: By your life, I will eliminate your memory from the world, as it is stated: “The Lord rained upon Sodom [and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire]” (Genesis 19:24).
“Of laughter, I said it is confounded” – Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: How confounded is the laughter of the nations of the world in their circuses and theaters. “And of joy, what does it accomplish?” Why would a Torah scholar enter these [places]?
Another matter: How confounded is the laughter that the attribute of justice laughed at the generation of the flood; that is what is written: “Their houses are peaceful, without fear…” (Job 21:9). “Their descendants are well placed before them…” (Job 21:8). “His bull breeds and does not fail…” (Job 21:10). “They send out their young like a flock” (Job 21:11). “They sing to the timbrel and harp…” (Job 21:12). “They spend their days in prosperity” (Job 21:13). What is written there? “They said to God: Depart from us” (Job 21:14). Once they said: “What is the Almighty that we should serve Him?” (Job 21:15), the Holy One blessed be He said to them: “And of joy, what does it accomplish?” By your lives, I will obliterate you from the world. That is what is written: “He obliterated all existence” (Genesis 7:23).
Another matter: “Of laughter, I said it is confounded” – how confounded is the laughter that the attribute of justice laughed at the people of Sodom, as it is stated: “A land from which bread emerges…” (Job 28:5); “a place whose stones are sapphires…” (Job 28:6); “a path that birds of prey do not know…” (Job 28:7). When they said: We will do away with the policy of passersby from our midst,5They wanted to ensure that outsiders would not pass through their territory. that is what is written: “He breached a shaft from the residents, forgotten from all passersby” (Job 28:4). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: By your life, I will eliminate your memory from the world, as it is stated: “The Lord rained upon Sodom [and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire]” (Genesis 19:24).
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
[Another interpretation (of Eccl. 2:2): OF LAUGHTER I SAID: IT IS MAD! How confused was the laughter, when Divine justice laughed over the people of Sodom!10See also TSot. 3:11. (Job 28:5–8:) AS FOR THE EARTH, OUT OF IT COMES FORTH BREAD; BUT UNDERNEATH IT IS CHANGED AS IF INTO FIRE. ITS STONES ARE THE PLACE OF SAPPHIRES…. NO BIRD OF PREY KNOWS A PATH < TO IT >…. PROUD BEASTS HAVE NOT TRODDEN IT…. When they said: Let us forget the traveler in our midst, as it is written (in Job 28:4): ONE BREAKS OPEN A SHAFT AWAY FROM WHERE PEOPLE DWELL; < IN PLACES > FORGOTTEN BY THE TRAVELER….; the Holy One said to them: (Eccl. 2:2): AND OF REJOICING, WHAT DOES THAT DO? By your life, I will make you forgotten by the world. This is what is written (in Gen. 19:24–25): THEN THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM AND UPON GOMORRAH BRIMSTONE AND FIRE…; AND HE DESTROYED THOSE CITIES….]
Vayikra Rabbah
Another matter, "When He quiets, who can condemn?” – He granted tranquility to the people of Sodom; who, then, could come and condemn them? What tranquility did He grant them? “A land from which bread emerges…a source of sapphires…a path unknown by bird of prey” (Job 28:5–7). Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan bar Sheona: The buzzard spots its food from a distance of eighteen mil. How much is it? A small portion.5Although its food is but a small portion, it still can spot it from a great distance. Rabbi Meir says: Two handbreadths, Rabbi Yehuda says: One handbreadth, Rabbi Yosei says: Two or three fingerbreadths. When [a buzzard] would stand on the trees in Sodom, it was unable to see the earth due to the lushness of its trees. “A source of sapphires” – when one of [the people of Sodom] would go to the gardener and he would give him vegetables for an isar,6A small coin. he would find gold in its dust, as it is written: “And its dust has gold” (Job 28:6).
When they said: “What is the Almighty that we should worship Him?” (Job 21:15), “When He conceals His face, who can see Him?” (Job 34:29); He concealed His face from them, who could tell Him that He did not act properly? In what sense did He conceal His face from them? He rained brimstone and fire upon them: “The Lord rained upon Sodom [brimstone and fire]” (Genesis 19:24).
When they said: “What is the Almighty that we should worship Him?” (Job 21:15), “When He conceals His face, who can see Him?” (Job 34:29); He concealed His face from them, who could tell Him that He did not act properly? In what sense did He conceal His face from them? He rained brimstone and fire upon them: “The Lord rained upon Sodom [brimstone and fire]” (Genesis 19:24).