Midrash Rabbah

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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.

Pillars of Existence and Yehoshua

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 5:1

Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of Rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, explores this very human experience with the verse, "There is an evil that I have seen under t...

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Sanhedrin and Solomon

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 6:1

The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, certainly did. And the rabbis of old, in their interpretations, saw that same topsy-turvy world reflected in their own times. Kohelet Rabbah, ...

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Joseph and Creation of Akiva

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 7:1

The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, certainly did. It observes, "I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking on the ground like servants" (Eccle...

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Dina: Pharaoh at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 8:1

Take the verse from Ecclesiastes (10:8): “One who digs a pit will fall into it; and one who breaches a fence, a serpent will bite him.” It's a powerful image. But what does it real...

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Abraham's Legacy

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 9:1

It’s a book known for its wisdom, but sometimes couched in rather…opaque language. Take this verse from Ecclesiastes 10:9: "One who transports stones will be saddened by them; and ...

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Rise of Joseph and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 10:1

It all starts with a verse from Ecclesiastes (10:10): “If the iron is dull, and one did not whet the edge, he must intensify his exertion; the advantage is in preparation with wisd...

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Stars and Firmament and the Serpent

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 11:1

Ancient Jewish wisdom grappled with these questions too. Take this passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes. It starts with...

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Wisdom of Cyrus

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 12:1

A blessing, a curse, a promise kept, a promise broken... it all hangs on the power of speech. Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, understood this deeply. In Kohelet Rabbah, a midrash (interp...

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Kingdom of Cyrus

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 13:1

We find one such sentence in Ecclesiastes 10:13: "The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his mouth is evil debauchery." Ouch. But who is this verse ...

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