3,279 texts · Page 62 of 69
It all begins with the verse, "Command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure virgin olive oil for the lighting, to kindle a lamp continually" (Leviticus 24:2). Th...
And according to the ancient rabbis, there's a profound reason why. Rabbi Yitzḥak opens Vayikra Rabbah 31 with a powerful image, quoting (Psalms 119:140): “Your saying is exceeding...
It all starts with the phrase "Command the children of Israel" – which, on the surface, sounds like a divine order. But the Rabbis, masters of unpacking layers of meaning, saw some...
In fact, it goes even deeper. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic teachings on the Book of Leviticus, opens up this very idea. ...
It’s a question that’s occupied Jewish thinkers for millennia, and today we're diving into a fascinating piece of that puzzle. Let's turn to Vayikra Rabbah, specifically chapter 31...
The passage opens with the phrase "Command the children of Israel." But immediately, the text veers into a discussion about the number of God's "troops." A seemingly simple questio...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this very question. In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, we find a fascinating discussion. Rabbi Ḥanina p...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this question, and their answers, preserved in texts like Vayikra Rabbah, are pretty . Vayikra Rabbah, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)...
We know the science, the orbits, the rotations... But what about the story behind it all? What's the cosmic drama unfolding behind the scenes of our everyday sunrise and sunset? We...
It's not just about taste or culinary use; there's a deeper story, a narrative woven through our texts that elevates olive oil above all other oils. Rabbi Ḥiyya, in Vayikra Rabbah ...
Take, for instance, the story in Vayikra Rabbah 31, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus. It focuses on Aaron, the High Priest, and his rol...
We're diving into a fascinating little corner of the book of Leviticus, specifically Vayikra Rabbah 32, and trust me, it’s juicier than it sounds. The passage in (Leviticus 24:10-1...
This isn't just about political correctness; it's about the power of our words, our thoughts, and their ripple effects in the cosmos. Rabbi Avin kicks things off with a powerful id...
In the book of Vayikra, Leviticus, we read a troubling story about the "son of an Israelite woman" who, as the verse says, "went out" (Leviticus 24:10). But...went out from where? ...
to one such tale, found in Vayikra Rabbah 32, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus. The passage begins with a seemingly simple statement: "And he was t...
We find a clue in Vayikra Rabbah, specifically in a passage connected to the story of the "son of an Israelite woman" (Leviticus 24:10). The text begins by quoting the Song of Song...
Jewish tradition wrestles with these questions constantly. Take, for example, the difficult case of the mamzer. The mamzer, often translated as "illegitimate child," occupies a com...
The story begins with Rabbi Zeira. When he arrived in the Land of Israel, he was troubled. He kept hearing people call each other mamzer and mamzeret. Now, a mamzer (masculine) or ...
Today's story, drawn from Vayikra Rabbah 32, dives into just that: the plight of the mamzer. The mamzer. It's a loaded term. In Jewish law, it refers to a child born from certain f...
It’s a powerful thing to consider. The ancient sages certainly thought so. Our story today comes from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviti...
The passage begins with a verse from Leviticus (25:14): "If you sell a sale item…[you shall not wrong [tonu] one another]." The Hebrew word tonu speaks of exploitation, of taking u...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They saw the world as a delicate balance, and they understood that even seemingly small acts of injustice could have enormous consequences. In Vay...
Our tradition certainly thinks so. There’s a powerful message tucked away in Vayikra Rabbah, specifically in section 33, about the weight of our words and the damage they can infli...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They saw echoes of these struggles in the biblical text, particularly in the stories surrounding kings and their kingdoms. In Vayikra Rabbah, a co...
to a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, that wrestles with this very issue. The passage starts with a seemi...
We find a powerful starting point in (Leviticus 25:35): “If your brother will become poor, and his means fail in proximity to you; you shall support him, stranger or resident alien...
The verse we’re exploring today comes from Vayikra Rabbah 34, which is part of the larger collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)im that interpret the Book of Levi...
They had a knack for seeing the sacred in the mundane, and Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah), a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Leviticus, is full of such gems. to ...
We often think of poverty in terms of money, or the lack thereof. But what if poverty could also mean a lack of knowledge, a lack of connection, or even a lack of generosity? Vayik...
The ancient sages did, too. And they found wisdom in the balance. Rabbi Tanhum ben Rabbi Hiyya, a wise teacher of old, opened his heart with a verse from Ecclesiastes (7:14): “On a...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so when reflecting on the history of Israel. Vayikra Rabbah, a midrash – a collection of rabbinic teachings – on the Book of Leviticus, explore...
Rabbi Ze’eira had a fascinating idea about this, especially when it comes to the Land of Israel. He said, remarkably, that even the conversation of the people living there is Torah...
Jewish tradition is full of stories exploring this very idea. Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash on the book of Leviticus, that unpacks t...
Jewish tradition definitely has something to say about that. It's not just about charity; it's about justice, divine presence, and the very fabric of our world. to a fascinating pa...
Jewish tradition grapples with this tension constantly, especially when it comes to giving to the poor. And sometimes, the answers we find are… well, unexpected. to a fascinating, ...
We're talking about tzedakah, often translated as charity, but really meaning righteousness and justice. It’s more than just giving; it's about correcting imbalances in the world. ...
And the story, as recounted in Vayikra Rabbah 34, is It all started on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a time for reflection and new beginnings. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, a promi...
Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, delves into this very question, challenging us to examine our motivations and the imp...
The Torah touches on this profoundly, urging us not to ignore the suffering of others. It's more than just a nice idea; it’s a core principle woven into the fabric of Jewish ethics...
It turns out, according to ancient wisdom, there just might be. to Vayikra Rabbah 34 and see what treasures we can unearth. Our journey begins with a verse from Isaiah (58:8): "The...
The passage centers around the verse from Isaiah (58:12): “Through you, ancient ruins will be rebuilt; you will reestablish generations-old foundations.” What does that even mean? ...
Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, dives into this very struggle. It all starts with the verse, "If you follow My statutes, and observe My ...
The Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection on the Book of Leviticus, explores this very idea. It opens with the verse "If you follow ...
Rabbi Elazar, in Vayikra Rabbah 35, offers a powerful comparison. He says, "The way of the world is that a king issues a decree; if he wishes to fulfill it, he fulfills it, and if ...
We often take these things for granted, but Jewish tradition suggests there's a deeper, more profound answer than just physics. It's all about ḥukim (חקים), statutes. But not just ...
You're not alone. Our tradition recognizes this struggle, this internal tug-of-war. And it offers a powerful image to understand it. The text we're looking at today comes from Vayi...
Rabbi Aḥa ben Elyashiv, in Vayikra Rabbah 35, offers a powerful answer, drawing on the words of Isaiah: "It will be that he that is left in Zion and he that remains in Jerusalem sh...
It centers around the verse, "And observe My commandments, and perform them" (Leviticus 26:3). What does it really mean to "perform" them? Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Ḥanina offers a radi...
