Midrash Rabbah

3,279 texts · Page 9 of 69

The great Midrash Rabbah, a collection of aggadic midrashim on the Torah and the Five Megillot. These rabbinic commentaries explore the deeper meanings of Scripture through parable, allegory, and legend.

Why Jacob's Name Was Left Out of Korah's Genealogy

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:5

Our stories are woven into our lineage, and sometimes, those threads get tangled. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of N...

CreationPatriarchsMosesKing David

Korah Claims All Israel Heard God's Voice at Sinai

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:6

In this week's portion, we encounter the rebellion of Koraḥ, a story that's not just about one disgruntled guy, but about the very foundations of leadership and faith. "Koraḥ assem...

JosephMosesEgyptSinai

Why Moses Said 'Morning' to Delay Korah's Rash Rebellion

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:7

The ancient Rabbis certainly thought so, and they found wisdom in the story of KORAH's rebellion against Moses. The text in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah), a classical Rabbinic i...

CreationMosesHoly Land

The Deadly Incense Challenge Between Korah and Aaron

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:8

It’s a tale of ambition, delusion, and a very dangerous offering. The scene is set: Moses, leading the Israelites. And then comes Koraḥ, a Levite, challenging Moses’s leadership, s...

MosesKing DavidTorahTemple

Moses Pleads with the Sons of Levi to Hear Reason

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:9

The story of Koraḥ's challenge to Moses' leadership is a powerful one, filled with jealousy, ambition, and a profound questioning of divine authority. We find a particularly insigh...

JosephMosesTempleMessiah

Aviram — Moses at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:10

This week, we're diving into a story from Bamidbar Rabbah – a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers – that explores just that feeling. It centers on Moses, and a ...

CreationHell/GehennaNoah & FloodJoseph

The Earth Opened and Swallowed Korah's Entire Assembly

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:11

We find ourselves in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, specifically in the midst of the rebellion led by Korah. Now, Korah wasn't just some random disgruntled guy; he was a ...

SoulRepentanceRebellionDivine justice

Moses Walked Himself to Warn Datan and Aviram Personally

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:12

The story of Moses and the rebellion of Korah, Datan, and Aviram in the Book of Numbers gives us a powerful example. The Torah tells us, “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to...

Hell/GehennaPatriarchsMosesKing David

Korah's Transgression of Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:13

We find it in Numbers chapter 16, when Korah and his followers challenge Moses and Aaron's leadership. The consequences? Let's just say they were…earth-shattering. "The earth opene...

Hell/GehennaKing DavidMessiahHoly Land

Korah's Transgression of Aaron

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:14

Remember him? He was the guy who led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) connects the "treacherous brother" – nifs...

MosesKing DavidSolomonTorah

Rabbis — Korah's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:15

Who was Korah? We find him in the Book of Numbers, leading a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. He challenged their authority, questioning why they held such power. A dangerous mov...

JosephMosesKing DavidJob

Korah and the Lawgiver

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:16

That feeling, that potent brew of envy and ambition, is at the heart of the story of Korah. But the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah, doesn'...

MosesKing DavidJobMessiah

Doeg's Song

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:17

The pain of that kind of betrayal, the kind that cuts deepest, echoes through the words of King David in the Psalms. And, according to Bamidbar Rabbah 18, it wasn't just a general ...

MosesKing DavidTorahTemple

Aaron — Korah's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:19

In Jewish tradition, we find striking examples of this idea, particularly in the story of Korah and his rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Our story comes from Bamidbar Rabbah, a M...

Hell/GehennaMosesHoly LandJudgment

Moses's Transgression of Kora

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:20

We often focus on the leaders, the prophets, the ones making history. But what about the everyday folks caught in the crossfire? Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from...

HeavenHell/GehennaJosephMoses

The Prophetic Letters That Change Form at a Word's End

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:21

It's more than just letters; it's a tapestry woven with stories, numbers, and profound insights. Today, we're going to delve into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 18, a t...

CreationDemonsAdam & EvePatriarchs

Angels Attend to Rahav

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:22

The Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives into this very question, and what it reveals is both awe-inspiring and, well, a little unsettl...

AngelsAdam & EveJosephMoses

Aaron's Staff That Bloomed and Settled the Priesthood

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:23

And sometimes, the solutions to those disagreements come in the most unexpected forms… like, say, a blossoming staff. We find this story in Bamidbar Rabbah 18, which elaborates on ...

CreationMosesKing DavidSolomon

Heifer — Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:1

It all starts in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar (Numbers 19:2), with the words: “This is the statute of the Torah that the Lord commanded, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, a...

CreationPatriarchsJobTorah

David — Avner at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:2

It's not just about the big stories, but the tiny details, the way things are phrased. The Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah), a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbe...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaAdam & Eve

Solomon's Vast Wisdom Still Could Not Grasp the Red Heifer

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:3

The Book of Ecclesiastes puts it perfectly: “All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23). This feeling, this yearni...

CreationAngelsAdam & EveNoah & Flood

Who Is the Wise Man - God as the Source of All Wisdom

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:4

It’s a question that echoes through the ages, and our sages have pondered it in countless ways. The verse from (Ecclesiastes 8:1), "Who is like the wise man, and who knows the mean...

MosesSolomonDanielTorah

Four Inexplicable Statutes That Only God Understands

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:5

And what do these four seemingly disparate things have in common? They're all described as chukim – decrees or statutes – things we do simply because God commanded them, even if th...

CreationDemonsAdam & EveTorah

Moses and the King of Huna

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:6

Jewish tradition is full of these moments, and one of the most famous revolves around the parah adumah, the red heifer. In Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, we find the commandment: "...

MosesKing DavidJobMessiah

Moses Ascends to Heaven

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:7

The Torah isn't just a text; it’s a living conversation, a dialogue that echoes through generations and, some say, even between God and Moses himself. Rabbi Aḥa, quoting Rabbi Ḥani...

MosesEgyptHeavenTorah

Rabban Yohanan Explains the Red Heifer to a Skeptic

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:8

The story goes like this: A curious, and perhaps skeptical, idolater approaches Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, a renowned Jewish sage. He's puzzled by the ritual of the Red Heifer (Para...

TorahSoulMagic & the Supernatural

Moses and the Fires of Gehenna of Israelites

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:9

Talk about pressure! In this week's Torah portion, Chukat, we find a particularly fraught moment (Numbers 20:8). God tells Moses, "Take the staff…and give the congregation and thei...

Hell/GehennaNoah & FloodMosesKing David

Why Striking the Rock Deserved a Harsher Punishment

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:10

Specifically, Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The passage wrestles with a pretty tough question: Why was Moses punished so severely for what seems like a relatively minor offense – striking th...

MosesHoly LandJudgment

Why Moses and Aaron Were Punished at the Waters of Meribah

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:11

Like good people suffer, and… well, you know the rest. That feeling isn't new. It’s a feeling that echoes through the ages, a question that’s been wrestled with in our texts for mi...

CreationAdam & EveMosesSolomon

What Moses and Aaron Actually Did Wrong at the Rock

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:12

That's kind of what's going on in this fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Numbers. The verse in question is from (Num...

MosesKing DavidJudgment

Moses Awaits the Messiah

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:13

It’s a question that echoes through the ages, a bittersweet note in a saga of triumph. The Torah tells us he saw it from afar, but never crossed over. But why? The answer, like so ...

MosesMessiahHumorWit

Moses and Creation of Meriva

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:14

It’s a question that echoes through the story of Moses and the waters of Mei Meriva – the waters of dispute. "These are the waters of dispute, where the children of Israel quarrele...

CreationMosesHoly LandWomen of the Bible

Moses Sends Messengers to Edom and Hits a Brick Wall

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:15

This week, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 19 that touches on exactly that feeling, exploring a moment of high diplomacy – or rather, a diplomatic bric...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

The Journey to Hor Mountain and Aaron's Final Ascent

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:16

Jewish tradition certainly thinks so. Take a look at the story surrounding the death of Aaron in the book of Numbers, specifically as it's illuminated by Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The ve...

HeavenJosephMosesTemple

Aaron's Transgression of Moses

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:17

"Aaron will be gathered to his people," God tells Moses, "for he will not come into the land that I have given to the children of Israel, because you defied My directive at the wat...

MosesWisdomHoly LandWomen of the Bible

Why Impurity Exists According to Bamidbar Rabbah

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:18

to a fascinating exploration of just that, drawing from the ancient wisdom of Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers. Our starting point is the ...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveSolomon

Moses's Journey of Aaron

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:19

Our story centers around the verses in (Numbers 20:25-28): "Take Aaron and Elazar his son, and take them up Hor Mountain… Strip Aaron of his vestments, and dress Elazar his son in ...

MosesTemplePriesthoodHumor

Eleazar — Death of Aaron

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:20

The Torah, in its unflinching honesty, shows us just that. Today, we're diving into a passage from Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 19, which explores the immediate aftermath of Aa...

AngelsNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Israel Grows Restless and Impatient on the Desert Road

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:21

The Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, certainly did. We find ourselves in the book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, specifically chapter 21, verse 4: “They traveled from Hor Mountain ...

JosephMosesSoulHoly Land

Knowledge and Innocence of Israelites

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:22

The Book of Numbers, in the Bamidbar Rabbah, grapples with this very question when describing the plague of fiery serpents. "The Lord sent the fiery serpents against the people, an...

Adam & EveMosesKing DavidSolomon

The Bronze Serpent That Healed Those Bitten by Snakes

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:23

The Book of Numbers, in the Torah, gives us a powerful story, one unpacked beautifully in Bamidbar Rabbah, a classical midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection (a mi...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsMoses

The Hidden Meaning Behind the Camp Names Ovot and Iyim

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:24

The Israelites knew that feeling all too well during their long journey through the wilderness. And sometimes, even the place names themselves seemed to echo their struggles. Let's...

Holy LandHumorAdam & EveDivine justice

The Miraculous Well That Traveled with Israel for Forty Years

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:25

The Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, sheds light on this very question. It tells us that the well, a miraculous source of water that acco...

CreationMosesHoly Land

Why Moses Was Left Out of the Song at the Well

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:26

The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 19, poses a fascinating question: Why isn’t Moses, the leader who struck the rock and brought forth wat...

PatriarchsMosesKing DavidTorah

Edom and the Lawgiver

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:27

A classic example surfaces in Bamidbar Rabbah 19 as it grapples with a seemingly simple verse: "Israel sent messengers to Siḥon, king of the Emorites, saying…" (Numbers 21:21). The...

MosesKing DavidTorahHoly Land

Who Sent the Messengers to Sihon - Israel or Moses

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:28

Take, for example, the story of sending messengers. In one place, it says Israel sent them. In another, it says Moses did. So, which is it? Did the whole nation get together and wr...

MosesTorahHoly Land

Og in David's Court

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:29

It’s not just a simple border dispute; there's so much more bubbling beneath the surface. We find the story in (Numbers 21:23): “Siḥon did not allow Israel to pass within his borde...

King DavidHoly LandKingsHumor

Bilam and the King

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:30

Our tradition has some fascinating things to say about that, especially when it comes to warfare and justice. to a curious little passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 19, which elaborates ...

King DavidHoly LandDivine justiceKings
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