Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 204 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.

Pharaoh: Amram and Moses

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 17:1

That idea is right at the heart of a beautiful passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse in question is Ecclesias...

MosesSolomonMysticismWisdom

Levi: Jacob at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 18:1

Our sages grappled with it too, and one place where they explore this idea is in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse in ...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Wisdom of Yoav

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 18:2

The passage starts with a simple statement: "wisdom is better." Better than what? Better "than instruments of battle." Kohelet Rabbah illustrates this with a remarkable tale involv...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsJoseph

Kingdom of Hezekiah and Sennacherib

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 18:3

Sometimes, the answer isn’t just in swords and shields. Sometimes, it's in something far more powerful: wisdom. Our story comes from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interp...

Hell/GehennaTorahTempleProphecy

Rabbi Akiva Faces Judgment and Azai

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 1:1

Ecclesiastes 10:1 puts it bluntly: "Dead flies spoil and froth a perfumer’s oil; a little folly is weightier than wisdom, than honor." It's a powerful image, isn’t it? How somethin...

Hell/GehennaSolomonTorahProphecy

Moses and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 1:2

It seems Kohelet Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, thought so too. It uses that very image – "Dead flies spoil and froth a perfumer's oil" ...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaMoses

Yehuda: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 2:1

But it’s actually a question pondered in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes. to the fascinating ways our Sages understood the seem...

CreationPatriarchsSolomonWisdom

Splendor of Solomon

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 3:1

It's like they're walking around with a spotlight shining on everyone else but themselves. Well, Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, has some thoughts on that,...

SolomonWisdom

Zekharia and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 4:1

Kohelet Rabbah, a Midrashic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, tackles this idea head-on with the verse: "If the spirit of the ruler comes upon you, do not forsake your place"...

CreationHeavenNoah & FloodKing David