Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 237 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 and the Dreamer of Okay

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 24:2

Rabbi Yehuda tells us that the Israelites reasoned, "The Holy One, blessed be He, only took us out of Egypt for five things!" What were those five things? First, to give us the plu...

JosephMosesPrayerHoly Land

Moses: Yitro and the Fires of Gehenna

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 24:3

It might seem a little... unflattering at first glance. But as with so many things in our tradition, there's a depth and beauty to be found when we dig a little deeper. Shemot Rabb...

Hell/GehennaJosephMosesKing David

Shur and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 24:4

We often gloss over place names, assuming they're just… well, places. But sometimes, they're so much more. Take, for example, the phrase "the wilderness of Shur," which pops up in ...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsJoseph

Manna from Heaven and Lakish

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:1

We often look around us, to the earth, to other people. But Jewish tradition suggests a different source, a higher source: the heavens. Think about the manna, that miraculous bread...

CreationMosesKing DavidTorah

Rabbi Eliezer's Miracle

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:2

to a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, that really gets to the heart of this question. Rabbi Simon, quoting Ra...

CreationAngelsMosesKing David

Life of Moses

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:3

We dole things out with a closed fist, hesitant, as if we're afraid of running out. But what about the Divine? Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book o...

MosesKing DavidJobProphecy

Moses and the Heavenly Realms of Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:4

The story starts with a grumble. "The entire congregation of the children of Israel complained" (Exodus 16:2). They were wandering in the desert, fresh out of Egypt, and their port...

HeavenJosephMosesProphecy

Manna from Heaven of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:5

Jewish tradition says a resounding "YES!" And one of the most beautiful examples of this is found in the stories surrounding the manna, that miraculous bread from heaven that susta...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsMoses

Humility of Moses and Jeremiah

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:6

Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash on the book of Exodus, tackles this very question, and the answers are, frankly, . It starts with a verse from Psalms: "There is none...

CreationMosesKing DavidProphecy