Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 179 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.

Covenant of Moses and Joshua

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 11:10

It sounds almost unbelievable, doesn't it? Yet, according to Devarim Rabbah, this is precisely the monumental struggle Moses faced at the end of his life. Rabbi Yoḥanan tells us th...

CreationHeavenAngelsDemons

Kingdom of Solomon and Jerusalem

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 1:1

Like everyone else is contributing, and you're just... there? Our sages grappled with this feeling, and their stories, preserved in texts like Kohelet Rabbah, offer surprising comf...

AngelsNoah & FloodKing DavidSolomon

Amos and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 1:2

It’s a question that comes up right at the beginning of Kohelet Rabbah, the ancient rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes. It kicks off by asking about the opening line: ...

CreationHeavenKing DavidSolomon

Beyond the Firmament and David

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 2:1

It starts with a bang: "Vanity of vanities, said Kohelet; vanity of vanities, everything is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). But what does that even mean? What is this "vanity," this he...

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Solomon at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 3:1

That question, that nagging feeling, is at the heart of the Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew. And it’s a question the Rabbis grappled with deeply. The opening verse of Ko...

CreationAdam & EveMosesKing David

Solomon's Judgment and Berekhya

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 4:1

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, certainly did. “One generation passes, and one generation comes; and the earth abides forever. The sun rises and the s...

Solomon

All is Vanity

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 4:2

It’s a question that’s wrestled with in Jewish tradition, and one fascinating answer comes to us from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Ecclesias...

Death

Seeing Beyond the Veil

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 4:3

Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating exploration of the book of Ecclesiastes, delves into this very idea, offering a surprisingly hopeful perspective. The verse they latch onto is a power...

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Teachings of Rabbi Akiva

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 4:4

We look back with nostalgia, imagining that the giants of the past held all the answers. But Jewish tradition challenges that very notion. The idea that each generation has its own...

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