Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 303 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.

Aaron: Miriam and the Dreamer

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 16:5

Vayikra Rabbah, specifically chapter 16, dives deep into this, starting with the verse, "This shall be the law of the leper." (Leviticus 14:2). Seems strange. What does leprosy hav...

JosephMosesSolomonTorah

Levi: Moses and the Torah

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 16:6

It's not just about skin disease. It's about something far deeper. Something that touches on the very fabric of our community and our souls. In Vayikra, Leviticus, we find the word...

MosesTorah

Shimon: Menorah in the Temple

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 16:7

The verse in question, from Leviticus 14:4, describes a ritual for purifying someone who has been healed from a skin disease: “The priest shall command, and one shall take for the ...

JobTempleHoly Land

Foundations of Being

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 16:8

In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, we find a fascinating discussion about the source of illness, one that goes far beyond simple ...

CreationHeavenKing DavidPrayer

Torments Below

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 16:9

It's all about the purification process for someone healed of tzara'at, often translated as leprosy, though it likely encompassed a range of skin diseases. The verse in question co...

Hell/GehennaKing DavidSolomonProphecy

Staff of Moses and Asaf

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 17:1

It’s a question that's plagued humanity for centuries, and it’s something the ancient Rabbis grappled with too. Our jumping-off point is a seemingly odd verse from Leviticus (14:34...

MosesKing DavidJobTorah

Moses and the Promised Land

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 17:2

Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, explores this very idea, using the strange and unsettling phenomenon of leprosy in ho...

MosesJobHoly Land

The Golden Calf and David

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 17:3

It's not just about hygiene. In the rabbinic imagination, as we see in Vayikra Rabbah 17, tzara'at becomes a physical manifestation of spiritual failings. It's a fascinating, if un...

CreaturesAdam & EveMosesKing David

Job in Joseph's Time

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 17:4

In Vayikra Rabbah 17, a fascinating midrash – that's a story that unpacks the deeper meaning of a biblical text – explores this very idea. Specifically, it looks at whether God inf...

JosephKing DavidDanielJob