Leap of Faith: The Wisdom of King Solomon
Exams aren't always an indicator of success
The Biblical King of Israel, Solomon, was known as the wisest person of his generation. Although King Solomon never even sat – let alone passed – an A-Level, a GCSE or a BTec, the Bible relates that God gave Solomon “wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore” (1 Kings 5:9).
Solomon’s reputation spread far and wide and international visitors would come to test him. One was the Queen of Sheba and the Bible (1 Kings 10:3) reports that he answered all her questions, scoring 100 percent! On witnessing his knowledge and wealth, the Queen is described as “breathless”. (1 Kings 10:5).
A more difficult choice faced King Solomon when two women approached him, both claiming to be the mother of a baby. The two mothers lived in the same house, where each mother cared for an infant son. One of the babies died, and each woman identified the remaining baby as her own. Solomon tried to solve this conflict by suggesting they cut the baby in two, with each woman in the proposed arrangement receiving half. One mother was content with Solomon’s proposal, indicating that if she couldn’t have the baby, then neither of them should.
However, the other woman looked to Solomon, pleading, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” Once the mothers revealed their true feelings, Solomon could discern the true mother from the fraud. The one who begged that her son might be spared and given to her rival did so because a mother would go to the lengths of even giving up her baby if that’s what was deemed necessary to save the baby’s life.
King Solomon is also credited with editing one of the cleverest books of the Hebrew Bible, Proverbs. In Proverbs 24: 16 we read: “Even times the righteous person falls and gets up while the wicked are tripped by one misfortune.”
All the wonderful students who have taken exams this summer have done their best in extraordinary circumstances, including the school closures during the pandemic. They are not, of course, ‘righteous’ or ‘wicked’ but they may be perhaps lucky or unlucky, elated or disappointed.
The Proverbs verse, in the name of the wise King Solomon, seeks to remind us that our futures can be changed. Giving up at the first hurdle or on receiving a disappointing result or set of results is not the only option and the student who is disappointed but makes another try will receive their results (or reward) the next time round or in the end.
King Solomon knew too that answering questions correctly is only a small part of who a person really is, because King Solomon himself had never passed an exam.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
