Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 242 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.

Me and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:5

Shemot Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, points this out explicitly. "Come and see," it urges, "how excellent this portion is!" What's so ex...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Humility of Moses

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:6

This passage dives into the verses in Exodus dealing with accidental harm to a pregnant woman. The text quotes Exodus 21:22-23: “If men fight and they strike a pregnant woman and h...

Hell/GehennaMosesKing DavidTorah

Golden Calf and the Fires of Gehenna

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:7

It all starts with a seemingly straightforward verse from Exodus 21:37: “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five cattle for the ox and fou...

Hell/GehennaJosephMosesKing David

Moses in the Wilderness and Father

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:8

It might seem obvious – they're in need of help! But the Rabbis, those masters of interpretation, saw something deeper at play. Consider the verse in Exodus (22:21): "You shall not...

HeavenMosesKing DavidElijah

Acts of Creation and Shabbat

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:9

It's a pretty radical concept, really. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash on the Book of Exodus, dives right into this. It starts with the verse "These are the ordinanc...

CreationHell/GehennaAdam & EveNoah & Flood

Trial of Moses and Jethro

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:10

It all centers around the Hebrew word ve’eleh, meaning "these are." The Midrash opens with a question: What's so special about ve’eleh? The Rabbis of old saw in it a profound testa...

CreationJosephMosesHoly Land

The Ten Commandments of David

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:11

The passage starts with the phrase, "These are [ve’eleh] the ordinances." That little word "ve’eleh" – "these are" – isn't just a throwaway. The Midrash sees it as a connector, lin...

CreationHell/GehennaPatriarchsMoses

Aquila and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:12

It’s a question that's been asked for centuries. And Shemot Rabbah, a treasure trove of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Exodus, gives us a glimpse into a fascinating answer. The...

CreationPatriarchsKing DavidTorah

Adam and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:13

In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating exploration of this idea, starting with the verse "These are the ordinances....

CreationHeavenAdam & EveNoah & Flood