Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 23 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.

Joshua in Heaven of Moses

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:9

Our jumping-off point is Bamidbar Rabbah 12, a fascinating exploration of the verse "On the day that [Moses] concluded." Now, you might think this is just a throwaway line, but the...

HeavenMosesKing DavidSolomon

Tabernacle: Betzalel in the Days of Moses

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:10

And it turns out, it’s a feeling that resonates even within the stories of our most revered figures. Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, div...

MosesKing DavidSolomonTemple

Elijah and Creation of Kings

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:11

Bamidbar Rabbah 12, a section of the classic midrashic text, wrestles with this very question, using the construction of the Tabernacle – the mishkan – as a lens. It all starts wit...

CreationHeavenAngelsPatriarchs

Angels Attend to Metatron

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:12

We often talk about big, abstract ideas, but sometimes the most profound truths are found in the everyday acts of kindness, learning, and… well, building a really special house. to...

AngelsJosephMosesKing David

Aaron and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:13

The text starts with a seemingly simple phrase, “Et hamishkan” – "the Tabernacle.” But according to this Midrash, it's so much more than it seems. It proposes that the Tabernacle i...

CreationHeavenMosesKing David

First Humans and Tabernacle

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:14

to one of those metaphors, found in Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers. We begin with a beautiful verse from Numbers (24:5): "How goodly are...

Adam & EvePatriarchsMosesKing David

Moses the Lawgiver and Nisan

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:15

It wasn't just a matter of unfolding some tents and calling it a day. The Torah tells us, in Exodus 40:17, that it was "in the first month during the second year, on the first of t...

CreationMosesTempleMessiah

Moses and the Heavenly Realms of Tabernacle

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:16

And it seems even the leaders of ancient Israel weren't immune. We find a fascinating story in Bamidbar Rabbah 12, a section of the great collection of Midrashic teachings on the B...

HeavenJosephMosesTemple

Sarah and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:17

Take, for example, the book of Numbers, or Bamidbar in Hebrew, specifically chapter 7, verse 3. It describes the offerings brought by the princes of Israel for the Tabernacle: "The...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsMatriarchs