3,279 texts · Page 45 of 69
Shemot Rabbah, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Exodus, recounts a fascinating episode. It begins with the verse, "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2), referri...
We find a powerful example of this in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The Rabbis ask us to consider how God relates to us, specifical...
It’s found within Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. Imagine a king, overflowing with riches. Not just money, but gold, silver, precious...
It starts with the verse "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2), which marks the beginning of the Hebrew month of Nissan, the month of Passover, the month of our freedom. But ...
The verse we're looking at is (Exodus 12:21): “Moses called all the elders of Israel, and said to them: Draw, and take for yourselves lambs for your families, and slaughter the pas...
The verse "Draw, and take for yourselves lambs" (Exodus 12:21) might seem straightforward, but the Rabbis saw layers of meaning. They connect it to the verse "With stillness and pl...
It’s a story about courage, about challenging the status quo, and about showing the world that what they worship is nothing more than an illusion. The verse in question is, "draw, ...
But Jewish tradition teaches us that justice, true justice, is at the very heart of the Divine. And that the way we act in the world has cosmic repercussions. In Shemot Rabbah, a c...
Take, for instance, the humble hyssop. Hyssop – that little plant we read about in the story of the Exodus. It doesn't seem like much, but according to Shemot Rabbah, it's a key to...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. to a fascinating interpretation from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Exodus. It all begins with a seemingly simple...
Our story comes from Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Exodus. We’re looking at chapter 17, which delves into the symbolism of the Passover of...
We often focus on the miracles, the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah. But nestled within that incredible narrative are moments of sheer, unadulterated divine power.....
The ancient texts offer some fascinating perspectives. Let's look at (Exodus 12:23), the verse describing the pasach, the Passover: "The Lord will pass to smite Egypt, and He will ...
We often read these epic stories in the Torah and just accept that things happened at the right moment. But what if there's a hidden layer of incredible detail beneath the surface,...
It's not just about spooky stories! to a fascinating explanation from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Exodus, that sheds light on this very q...
We often read the verse in (Exodus 12:30), "As there was no house in which there was no one dead," and maybe we don't fully grasp its implications. But the ancient rabbis, in their...
That's the scene we find ourselves in, in this passage from Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. We're talking about the tenth plague, th...
Specifically, we're looking at section 18, which explores the verse "it was at midnight" (Exodus 12:29) in the context of miracles, divine messengers, and God's intricate plans. Th...
The Divine, it seems, knows the feeling. According to Shemot Rabbah, the great collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, God...
The Book of Exodus tells us that the Israelites were instructed to mark their doorposts with blood so that God would "pass over" their homes during the tenth plague, sparing their ...
Today's story comes from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It's a powerful reflection on God's role in the Exodus, and really, in all o...
Take the Exodus, for example. That final, earth-shattering plague—the death of the firstborn—struck at midnight. But why? Why not high noon? What’s so special about that inky black...
It's not just about freedom; it's about divine justice, redemption, and the messy, complicated choices people make when faced with monumental events. The ancient rabbis certainly d...
We read in (Exodus 12:37): "The children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Sukkot, approximately six hundred thousand men on foot, beside children." It's a verse that launches us...
It's more than just matzah and retelling the Exodus story. The Torah itself calls it a "night of vigil" – leil shimurim (Exodus 12:42). But what exactly does that mean? What is God...
It turns out this very human experience is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. We find this idea beautifully explored in Shemot Rabbah, specifically in its interpretation of the ver...
The ancient rabbis grappled with that too. They understood the struggle to dedicate ourselves completely, especially when it comes to something as profound as connecting with the D...
Our tradition suggests he did, and in a fascinating way: it reveals moments where Moses' own reasoning aligned perfectly with the divine will. The Shemot Rabbah, a collection of ra...
And it's a feeling that Judaism, in its wisdom, addresses head-on. We find a fascinating exploration of this theme in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the...
The story starts with a seemingly simple commandment: "This is the statute of the paschal offering." Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta paints a vivid picture: God, blessed be He, instructs ...
We read in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, a fascinating idea tied to the verse "No foreigner shall eat of it" (Exodus 12:43) – refer...
It goes way beyond just family lineage. In fact, according to Shemot Rabbah, it points to something truly messianic. The verse in (Exodus 13:2) commands us to "Consecrate to Me eve...
It goes all the way back to the Exodus, to the very night God spared the Israelite firstborn while striking down the Egyptians. But there’s more to it than just remembering a histo...
Get out as fast as possible! But (Exodus 13:17) tells us, "It was when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them via the land of the Philistines, although it was near, as Go...
The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) thought Pharaoh knew exactly how that felt when he finally let the Israelites leave Egypt. Shemot Rabbah, a compilation...
We often think of Moses, armed with divine authority, as the driving force behind the Israelites' liberation. But what about Pharaoh? Did he simply cave to the plagues, or was ther...
to one of those fascinating connections, found within Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The verse we're looking at is: "It was when Ph...
The verse says, "it was when Pharaoh let the people go," (Exodus 13:17) which leads us to (Song of Songs 4:13): "Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates." Rabbi Levi uses a pa...
The ancient rabbis certainly knew the feeling, and they used vivid imagery to describe the Israelites' escape from Egypt. It wasn't just a political liberation; it was a soul's lib...
We often think of the Israelites, finally free after generations of slavery. But what if Pharaoh himself was the one shedding tears? That's the surprising question raised in Shemot...
That bittersweet feeling is ancient, deeply human, and, believe it or not, it echoes in the story of Moses and the Exodus. : Moses. MOSES! The guy who stood up to Pharaoh, who part...
The sages of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) felt that way about Pharaoh letting the Israelites go. It wasn't just a political decision; it was a colossal blunder, a...
Our story begins with the verse, "It was when Pharaoh let the people go..." (Exodus). But it's not just a simple statement. It's an invitation to reflect on the sheer audacity of G...
The book of Exodus tells us, “God did not lead them via the land [derekh eretz]” (Exodus 13:17). But what exactly does that mean? Well, Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbi...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this very feeling when they looked at the Exodus story. The Torah tells us that God "did not lead them" – lo naham – after Pharaoh finally let the ...
Eleven! As it says, "From Egypt to the Land of Israel there are eleven journeys, which can be conducted in eleven days." (Shemot Rabbah 20). So, why did it end up taking them forty...
But the Torah tells us, "God did not lead them [naḥam]..." (Exodus 13:17). The word naḥam here is key, often translated as "by way of" or "directly." So, what's the story behind th...
It wasn't just about finding the best route to the Promised Land. It was about timing. The Book of Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, of...
