A baby enters the world with hands clenched, as if to say, “The world is mine; I shall grab it.” A man leaves with hands open, as if to say, “I can take nothing with me.”
—Ecclesiastes Rabbah 5:14
Find more Wise Fridays wisdom on MJL.
Discover More
God, You and Me: Ecclesiastes as One of the Earliest Works of Jewish Existentialism
The author of Kohelet wrestled openly and honestly with life's biggest questions.
Torah as the Blueprint for the World
A closer look at the famous midrash that opens the collection Genesis Rabbah.
How Song of Songs Became Part of the Hebrew Bible
Rabbi Akiva argued that the Song of Songs "defiled the hands" — which meant it was sacred. In fact, he argued it was the most sacred book of the Bible.