Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 1 of 325

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.

Moses's Transgression and Ezekiel

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:1

The Israelites knew that feeling intimately. Our story begins in just such a place: "The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first of the...

CreationHell/GehennaJosephMoses

Israelites: Moses's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:2

This week, we're diving into a powerful message about gratitude, using the ancient text of Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 1. It all starts with a verse: “The Lord sp...

HeavenJosephMosesKing David

The Burning Bush and Sinai

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:3

It's not just random geography. It's a lesson in humility and the power of inner space. The Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, opens with the famous line: "The Lord spoke to Mose...

JosephMosesKing DavidSolomon

Covenant with the Fathers and Sanhedrin

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:4

Bamidbar Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on the Book of Numbers, dives right into this question with a surprisingly poetic starting point. The verse we're looking at is "The Lord s...

PatriarchsMosesKing DavidSolomon

Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:5

The ancient sages pondered similar questions when interpreting the very first verse of the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, which begins: “The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Si...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Isaiah: Moses and the Torah

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:7

And the king, instead of addressing the crowd, singles you out. He speaks directly to you. That, my friends, is the opening of Bamidbar Rabbah, the ancient midrash on the Book of N...

MosesTorahProphecySoul

Kingdom of David and Sinai

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:8

It’s more than just a geographical landmark; it’s a place brimming with meaning, judgment, and even desire. Let’s dive into the heart of what the Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of r...

MosesKing DavidTempleProphecy

Moses's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:9

That feeling, that inherent worth… it's something the ancient rabbis grappled with too. And they found a powerful message about it in the very first verses of the Book of Numbers, ...

MosesKing DavidHoly LandSinai

First Humans and Nisan

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:10

We read in the book of Numbers that "all those counted were six hundred three thousand, five hundred and fifty" (Numbers 1:46). But numbers in the Torah are never just numbers, are...

Adam & EveJosephMosesTemple