Midrash
Kohelet Rabbah 2:9 קהלת רבה ב׳:ט׳
Part of: Chapter 2
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וְגָדַלְתִּי וְהוֹסַפְתִּי מִכֹּל שֶׁהָיוּ לְפָנַי בִּירוּשָׁלָיִם. וְכִי מִי הָיָה לְפָנָיו בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, לֹא דָּוִד אָבִיו הָיָה, אַרְבָּעָה נִקְרְאוּ מָנֶה בֶּן פְּרָס, אוֹן בֶּן פֶּלֶת, בְּנוֹ צִפּוֹר, בְּנוֹ בְעוֹר, וְחִזְקִיָּה. וּשְׁנַיִם נִקְרְאוּ מָנֶה בֶּן מָנֶה, בֶּן עִקֵּשׁ וּשְׁלֹמֹה. אַף חָכְמָתִי עָמְדָה לִי. אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה כָּל תּוֹרָה שֶׁלָּמַדְתִּי בְּזִקְנָתִי פַּסְטֵירִין בְּאַף, נִתְקַיְּמָה בִּי.
“I grew great, and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom, too, was sustained in me” (Ecclesiastes 2:9).
“I grew great, and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem” – who was before him in Jerusalem? Was it not David his father? Four were called a maneh son of a half-maneh:26A maneh is one hundred dinars. This is a metaphor for a great person whose father was unremarkable. On, son of Pelet; the son of Tzipor;27Balak the son of Beor;28Bilam and Hezekiah.29Son of Aḥaz Two were a maneh son of a maneh: Son of Ikesh30Ira, one of David’s warriors and Solomon. “My wisdom, too, was sustained in me” – Rabbi Aḥa said that Solomon said: All the Torah that I studied in my adulthood dissipated; [the Torah that I studied] in my youth was sustained in me.
“I grew great, and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom, too, was sustained in me” (Ecclesiastes 2:9).
“I grew great, and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem” – who was before him in Jerusalem? Was it not David his father? Four were called a maneh son of a half-maneh:26A maneh is one hundred dinars. This is a metaphor for a great person whose father was unremarkable. On, son of Pelet; the son of Tzipor;27Balak the son of Beor;28Bilam and Hezekiah.29Son of Aḥaz Two were a maneh son of a maneh: Son of Ikesh30Ira, one of David’s warriors and Solomon. “My wisdom, too, was sustained in me” – Rabbi Aḥa said that Solomon said: All the Torah that I studied in my adulthood dissipated; [the Torah that I studied] in my youth was sustained in me.