Ecclesiastes

Twenty-three hundred years ago an unnamed Hebrew sage known only as Koheleth, the Teacher, rocked the ancient Jewish world with a critique of society that shattered conventional notions of God, piety, politics and power. Beginning with its opening broadside, ¿Hevel havalim!¿¿not futility or vanity as most translations would have it, but ¿breath, vapor and impermanence,¿ Ecclesiastes teaches you how to live in a world where nothing lasts and justice is illusory; a world devoted to accumulating power, wealth, pleasure and even knowledge that leaves you drowning in anxiety and needless suffering. Neither revelation nor prophecy, Ecclesiastes is a rational and countercultural guide to living with joy in the midst of uncertainty and insecurity. Ecclesiastes¿ God demands neither sacrifice nor adherence to commandments, but offers instead a practical lifestyle rooted in moderation, meaningful work, and friendship. Rami Shapiro¿s translation of and commentary on Ecclesiastes restores this ancient text to its timeless place as a guide to living sanely in an often insane world.