Rabbinic Views of Qohelet

"The modern interpretation, interesting in its own right, becomes the backdrop for reading the rabbinic interpretation, exemplified by Qohelet Rabbah. . . . Then a third exegetical dimension is added – that of the medieval exegete Rabbi Samuel ben Meir. The result is an inviting entry into the history of biblical interpretation of the Book of Ecclesiastes." – Adele Berlin


"Dr. Sandberg's book is a careful and thoughtful study of the variety of Rabbinic interpretations of the Biblical Book of Qohelet with special attention to the ways in which Rabbinic and medieval Jewish Biblical interpretation had to re-interpret the original text's meaning in order to accommodate it to ‘normative' Jewish beliefs. . . . The book contains large chunks of gracefully translated sections of Rabbinic midrash and medieval exegesis (RaShBaM) and, along with Dr. Sandberg's lucid commentary on the texts, this book will provide a very useful textbook for courses in Jewish interpretation and thought and perhaps even Bible." – David Stern

Table of Contents:

1.Introduction: Purpose of this work; the biblical book of Qohelet; classical Rabbinic Judaism – its literature and history; the place of Qohelet in rabbinic tradition

2.Qohelet Rabbah and Its Modes in Interpretation: the dating and editing of Qohelet Rabbah; the four modes of interpretation in Qohelet Rabbah

3.Selections from Qohelet Rabbah and the Commentary of Rabbi Samuel Ben Meir

4.Conclusion

Notes, Bibliography, Biblical References; Index