Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 6 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's Transgression and Presence

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 3:9

Every. Single. One. Think about the logistics! As it says in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah), Moses was understandably a little… hesitant. "You want me to go into every courtyard,...

HeavenMosesShekhinah

Levi's Transgression of Levites

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 3:10

The verse we're focusing on is from the Book of Numbers (3:17): "These [eleh] were the sons of Levi by their names…" Now, Rabbi Abbahu makes a crucial observation about the word el...

MosesKing DavidTempleHoly Land

Aaron Before the Flood

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 3:11

It's not a mistake, and it's definitely not filler! Sometimes, those repetitions are there to teach us something profound about the people and stories within. to one such instance ...

Noah & FloodMosesTempleHoly Land

Levi: Kehat and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 3:12

It wasn't a random free-for-all. The Book of Numbers gives us a fascinating glimpse into a highly structured encampment around the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. And Bamidbar Rabbah, a c...

CreationHell/GehennaNoah & FloodMoses

Moses in Battle and Aaron

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 3:13

They're not mistakes. They're breadcrumbs, little hints that something deeper is going on beneath the surface of the text. And they invite us to pause, to question, to delve into t...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Gershon and the Lawgiver of Levites

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 3:14

Take the Book of Numbers itself, Bamidbar in Hebrew, where we get... well, a lot of numbers. But hidden within those numbers are stories, and insights into the way the ancient Isra...

MosesHoly Land

Aram: Jacob at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 4:1

The text opens with a seemingly straightforward instruction: "The Lord said to Moses: Count every firstborn male of the children of Israel from one month old and above, and take th...

CreationHeavenAngelsPatriarchs

Proverbs of the King and Count

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 4:2

This particular passage revolves around the census taken of the Israelites in the desert – "Count every firstborn male…" it says. (Numbers 3:40) But it's not just about counting he...

SolomonProphecyHoly Land

Rabbi Abbahu and the Torah

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 4:3

Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically section 4, that deals with some rather delicate and, frankly, surprising perspectives on premature...

TorahRepentanceSabbathHoly Land