Customer Reviews

The Way of Solomon: Finding Joy and Contentment in the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes

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For many years I have been guided by the wisdom of Ecclesiates but have been searching for a better translation. Rabbi Shapiro's translation makes Ecclesiastes come to life. It is beautiful and refreshing. A road map for life. It is a book I will read again and again.

In an era where so many Jews are seeking spiritual guidance outside of Judaism and looking to Eastern mysticism, Rabbi Rami Shapiro provides a beautiful interpretation of King Solomon's book Ecclesiastes. After reading Shapiro's interpretation, there will be little doubt that King Solomon was indeed the richest and wisest person that has ever lived. You will come away feeling at awe and humbled in very much the same way the ancient Insraelites must have felt when given the Torah (AKA The Old Testament") and the disciples of Jesus felt at his Sermon on the Mount. Your life, your work and your joys and challenges will never feel the same way to you. Shapiro's rendition is pure poetry and nothing less than genius. This is a book that you will have to come back to time and time again. The key to Shapiro's insight into Ecclesiastes is the way he blends together Eastern and Judaic-Christian thought. Shapiro presents Solomon in the light of a Zen master lecturing his pupils in the futility of control and the illusion of permanence. Please note that this book is not just for Jews. King Solomon's wisdom represents truth regardless of race, ethnicity and religion. The wisdom of Solomon transcends religious doctrine and represents undeniable truth. Rami Shapiro is a true rabbi in every sense of the word. He is a teacher of life. Thank you Rabbi Shapiro for bringing King Solomon's wisdom to life.

As one who has repeatedly mulled over Solomon's Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, I was drawn to this book with no small anticipation. I was disappointed; the exegesis here is pressed into a modern, ad hoc spirituality. Rami Shapiro's "contemporary Jewish spirituality" is often misspent neo-Taoism. The author's caricature of Solomon's wisdom seems, to this reader, to amount to 'just be contented.' Period. "Rejoicing without reason," he calls it. No reason? While Solomon does indeed instruct that it is "vanity... meaningless... empty..." to pursue the foolishness of the human will, he restrains this indictment to the doings of humanity. Solomon gives us the impermanence of the material, yes, but also the permanence of the Immaterial. Solomon gives us the Source, which is not empty: "Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don't fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked?" (Eccl 7:13)

Lao-tzu was not as uncomfortable with a relevant God as is this "contemporary" rabbi:
"Returning to the source is serenity;
it is to realize one's destiny.
To realize one's destiny
is to know the Eternal Constant.
To know the Eternal Constant
is to be enlightened.
To be ignorant of this
is blindness that begets evil." (Tao Te Ching, verse 16)

"But, my child, be warned: there is no end of opinions ready to be expressed," (Eccl 12:12). The Hebrew king/scholar/sage told us of the Source of the contentment that it is important we find now, before "the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes." On the final page, Shapiro translates/interprets Solomon as "knowing that all is God." The way of Spinoza, yes. The Way of Solomon, no. For that matter, not exactly the way of Lao-tzu either.

"Emptiness! Emptiness upon emptiness!" Qoheleth as a quasi-Taoist sage, warning us of the impermanence of everything?

Absolutely. And as a matter of fact I agreed in principle with Rabbi Rami Shapiro's rendering before I even read it. There is strong support for his interpretation, and naturally he presents some of it in this book.

The book itself consists of one of Rabbi Shapiro's typically lucid introductions, the text of his also typically lucid rendering of the book of Qoheleth itself, and a series of homiletic essays on various practical topics.

As always, Rabbi Shapiro recommends reading his rendering in parallel with a more traditional (and literal) translation; his text is meant as a supplement, not a replacement. In fact he expands greatly on the terse text of Qoheleth, sometimes turning a short verse or two into a full-page improvisation. And as usual, I have nothing but praise for the simple and transparent quality of his poetic prose.

(Incidentally, any Christians reading Rabbi Shapiro's marvelous work may want to examine closely the epistle of James, which is rightly regarded as the "most Jewish" book of the canonical New Testament and in my view admits of a very similar reading. "What are you? You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.")

And I like Rabbi Shapiro's warnings about "telling ourselves stories" in our attempts to make sense of the "world" in our _own_ terms. I think he successfully point up some of the hazards in what I would call "false rationalism."

The "rationalism" that confuses the present contents of one's one explicit, conscious thoughts with ultimate reality itself is the sort of thing Michael Oakeshott had in mind in his essay "Rationalism in Politics," and in my view it is not rationalism at all (except perhaps in a debased, "modern" sense that has little foundation in traditional religion and philosophy). Reality does not need our help in order to become rationally articulated; and it makes sense on its own terms, not _necessarily_ on ours.

My point: Rabbi Shapiro is _not_ mounting a case here for a sort of fuzzy, anti-intellectual, logic-bashing, feelgood pseudo-religion. He is opposing, not reason and intellect, but rationalization and intellectualism (and see the works of Ayn Rand for lots of examples).

I mention this because I occasionally run into people who have read books like this one and seem to think they are "enlightened" when they are really just intellectually lazy. Rabbi Shapiro's reading of Qoheleth is not intended to give them aid and comfort.

Rami Shapiro admits to stretching the meaning of the Hebrew words in this translation and analysis of Ecclesiastes. The reader of this book should not expect a literal, scholarly translation of this well-known work.

On the contrary, what Shapiro does is commensurate to other Jewish translations over the centuries: he translates words and phrases to shift their meaning (I am thinking here of some of the Targum (Aramaic) translations of the Torah that eliminate anthropomorphic references to God). Shapiro wants to show the Solomon meant this book not to be a depressing catalogue of life's futility, but instead a commentary on the lack of stability of all things, most importantly the sense of self. For Solomon, and Shapiro, nothing is stable. Everything is in flux; all things are God, and God is Being. There are actually no things;everything is a manifestation of God. For Shapiro, Solomon is a non-dual Jew. His view offers freedom from the slavery of the illusion of the self.

Shapiro takes the reader on a wild ride. If you want to stretch the boundaries of your conceptions of reality, God, and Judaism this book is for you.

This is an amazing and deeply profound book; an exquisite translation of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, followed by competent (but inevitably less vital) commentary.
Rami Shapiro's translation transcends the gloom and heaviness of standard biblical transations, cutting through delusion and egoic conceit like a scalpel. His exposure to Buddhism and other Asian influences is apparent in his choice of words and expression, but this only highlights the universal truth of these teachings.
You may find yourself, as did I, "testing" the translation; pulling out as many Bibles as as you can find and comparing the translations verse by verse, to assure yourself Shapiro hasn't taken liberty with the source. Rest assured (but by all means proceed with the investation). If anything, I came away convinced that earlier tranlators didn't fully connect with the penetrating wisdom of Ecclisiastes; or weren't prepared, perhaps motivated by religious or political protectionism, to let the true message shine through.
Vanity of vanities, but not this book!

Rami Shapiro follows up MINYAN, his superb religious statement for our age. He gives us a stunning "rendition" of Ecclesiastes. Shapiro's poetry presents the Jewish King Solomon in terms with which Taoists and Zen Buddhists would be comfortable, yet powerfully meaningful to serious Jews and Christians. Shapiro is a thinker worth reading.

Rabbi Shapiro has a unique gift for finding and expressing relevant spiritual values in the scriptures. His translation and interpretation here of the Book of Ecclesiastes is thought- provoking, inspirational and contains surprisingly practical advice for every day living.

This book could well have been entitled "The Tao of Solomon".

I am absolutely captured by this book! I stumbled across it at the library doing some research for a college paper. I am not identified with any religion in specific, and tend to consider myself simply "myself." Therefore, it surprised me how meaningful and inspiring this book is...it journey's way beyond any sectarian boundaries...and Rami Shapiro is a wonderful guide. It is truly a look into the "Way Of" life...similar to Celestine Prophecy, and the like. Absolutely beautiful! I'm buying it for several special people in my life...hopefully you, too, will be moved by Rami Shapiro's interpretation of Solomon's Ecclesiastes.

What makes life meaningful is very subjective - unless you are Solomon and have tasted all that life has to offer. This is a remarkable new take on Ecclesiates. From Solomon's "wisdom" perspective, the meaning of life becomes objective in his God centered universe. Rami's (Zen) translation and interpretation of Solomon's words is liberating and thrilling reading. But be warned, this Jewish perspective on life's meaning may change the way you live your life forever.