How to live a life of wisdom and fulfillment in a far-from-perfect world? Philosopher Menachem Fisch and artist Debra Band together probe Qohelet's inquiry into the value of life "under the sun" in this brilliant work—the first illuminated manuscript of the entire biblical text, the first philosophical analysis tracing the coherent path of this biblical thinker's full argument. Whereas modern readers influenced by the famous declaration "vanity, vanity, all is vanity" from the 1611 King James Bible have commonly understood that Qohelet found only futility and hopelessness in human life, Fisch restores the literal meaning, "vapor," to Qohelet's key word, hevel, with implications that reveal Qohelet's path to wisdom and even serenity. Through linguistic precision and careful unfolding of the book's philosophical argument, Fisch uncovers Qohelet's twin concerns: life is short, and situated as we are, far below the heavens, we can never be assured of comprehending our world, or understanding divine will and intent. He reveals Qohelet's understanding that since we can never fully predict or understand our fortunes or the heritage we leave behind us, the best we can do is to live our lives fully, relating to others attentively, always aware of the limits of human life.In her glowing, immersive, and discursive illuminated paintings of the entire text, Band imagines Qohelet's teachings, employing the grandest of palaces, the Alhambra, as the central metaphor for the beauty and impermanence of human life and accomplishments. She fills its halls and gardens with often surprising imagery, symbolism, and related poetry, creating a visual midrash that reveals the relationship of Qohelet's thought to other biblical texts and Jewish lore and its reverberations across the centuries and cultures of Western civilization, from ancient Israel to today's America. Each illuminated page is complemented by lucid commentary explaining its full meaning. Renowned scholars Ellen F. Davis and Moshe Halbertal crown the work with a penetrating foreword and preface.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Ellen F. Davis Preface by Moshe Halbertal Introduction by Menachem Fisch: Making Sense of Qohelet Introduction by Debra Band: Approaching the Book of Qohelet The Illuminations Frontispiece Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Commentary Materials 1 Introduction: Setting the Stage Commentaries on the Illuminations 2 Introduction: Dashed Dreams of a Lasting Achievement Commentaries on the Illuminations 3 Introduction: Qohelet's Great Turning Point Commentaries on the Illuminations 4 Introduction: The Politics of Cooperation Commentaries on the Illuminations 5 Introduction: Foolishness Multiplied: The Religious Dimension Commentaries on the Illuminations 6 Introduction: The Futility of Hindsight Commentary on the Illuminations 7 Introduction: Breaching the Limits of Self-Critique Commentaries on the Illuminations 8 Introduction: Knowing the Limits of One's Strength Commentaries on the Illuminations 9 Introduction: The Case against Hedonism Commentaries on the Illuminations 10 Introduction: A Fool's Dystopia Commentaries on the Illuminations 11 Introduction: The Beginning of an Optimistic End Commentary on the Illuminations 12 Introduction: When All Is Said and Done Commentaries on the Illuminations Afterword by Menachem Fisch Mysteries Dispelled: Qohelet in Biblical and Liturgical Context Key to Bible Translation Abbreviations