Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 292 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.

Elijah at Carmel

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 2:12

The verses in question, Leviticus 1:9 and 1:13, detail the process of offering a burnt offering, a ‘olah, to God. Both verses specify the washing of the innards and legs of the ani...

ElijahTempleRepentanceSacrifice

Humility of Moses and Yitzchak

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 3:1

The book of Leviticus, specifically chapter 2, opens with the laws of the minchah, the meal offering. "When a person presents a meal offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of ...

JosephMosesSolomonMessiah

Antoninus in Heaven

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 3:2

We start with the verse, "When a person presents a meal offering to the Lord" (Leviticus 2:1). But the Rabbis cleverly link this to Psalm 22:24: "Those who fear the Lord, praise Hi...

HeavenPatriarchsKing DavidMessiah

Day of Atonement and Isaiah

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 3:3

The prophet Isaiah offers a powerful message of hope in such moments: "Let the wicked forsake his way and the man of iniquity his thoughts" (Isaiah 55:7). But what does that actual...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsTorah

Vessels of the Temple and Tanhuma

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 3:4

Sometimes, it's in those details that we find the biggest lessons about ourselves. Take the very beginning of the book of Leviticus, Vayikra in Hebrew, which deals with offerings. ...

JobTempleSacrifice

King Agrippa Before the Altar

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 3:5

It’s a question that echoes through the ages, and one that our Sages grappled with deeply. In Vayikra Rabbah, a classic midrashic text—midrash being a form of Jewish biblical inter...

TempleProphecySoulSacrifice

Levi's Offering and Aaron

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 3:6

Take, for example, the instructions for bringing a minchah, a meal offering, found in Leviticus. It might seem like a simple act, but the Rabbis find layers of meaning and insight ...

Noah & FloodPatriarchsJosephMoses

David and His Mighty Men

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 3:7

Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Leviticus, delves into the nuances of the meal offering, specifically looking at two types: one made in a shallow ...

King DavidSolomonTorahProphecy

Acts of Creation and Sanhedrin

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 4:1

It’s a feeling that resonates throughout Jewish tradition, and it's something that Vayikra Rabbah, a classical Midrash, explores with striking intensity. We begin with a verse from...

CreationNoah & FloodMosesKing David