Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 35 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.

Covenant of Abraham and Canaan

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 17:3

Rabbi Zakai of She'av offers a beautiful insight. He imagines the Israelites asking God: "Master of the universe, everywhere else You call it the land of Canaan, but here, ‘the lan...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Footsteps of Messiah

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 17:4

We find ourselves in chapter 17, exploring the meaning behind the verse in Numbers 15:3: "And you will perform a fire offering to the Lord, a burnt offering, or a peace-offering to...

TempleMessiahHoly LandSacrifice

Maker of Heaven and Earth

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 17:5

The passage begins with the famous verse from Numbers 15:38, commanding us to wear tzitzit, fringes, on the corners of our garments, including a thread of techelet, sky blue. The v...

CreationHeavenMosesKing David

Inspired Speech

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 17:6

It zeroes in on the verse, "You shall not rove after your heart" (Numbers 15:39), explaining that our hearts and eyes often act as mediators of temptation, leading us down paths we...

SolomonProphecySoulHoly Land

Moses Speaks to God and Kora

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:1

It all starts in Numbers 16:1: “Koraḥ, son of Yitzhar son of Kehat son of Levi, and Datan and Aviram, sons of Eliav, and On, son of Pelet, sons of Reuben, took…” Took what, you ask...

MosesSolomon

Moses and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:2

We often think of it as pure power-grabbing, but the ancient texts suggest a more nuanced, almost heartbreaking, story of ambition, family, and perceived injustice. The Book of Num...

CreationJosephMosesHoly Land

Korah Before the Flood

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:3

It all begins with the tzitzit (fringes) on a garment. The Torah tells us, "They shall make for themselves a fringe [tzitzit]" (Numbers 15:38). Now, Korah, ever the instigator, see...

Noah & FloodMosesJobTorah

Korah's Transgression and Aaron

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:4

His story, recounted in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 18, is a wild ride of ambition, rebellion, and some seriously bad consequences. So, "Korah took…" That's how the story begi...

CreationHell/GehennaCreaturesJoseph

Jacob's Transgression and Kora

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 18:5

Our stories are woven into our lineage, and sometimes, those threads get tangled. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of N...

CreationPatriarchsMosesKing David