438 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Bamidbar Rabbah, shown in source order. Page 6 of 10.
Avidan son of Gidoni brings Benjamin's offering, and Bamidbar Rabbah finds Rachel, dawn, and creation folded into the gift. The Torah tells us, "On the ninth day, prince of the chi...
The verse Now, three tribes were left to offer: Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. So, why Dan first? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) suggests it's all about Jacob's blessing...
In Jewish tradition, even the sequence of seemingly minor details can hold profound meaning. Take, for instance, the offerings of the princes in the Book of Numbers. Why does the p...
It might seem like a minor detail in the Book of Numbers, but Jewish tradition finds profound meaning in every nuance of the Torah. "On the twelfth day, prince of the children of N...
It might sound like a stretch, but our sages saw profound links between generations, commandments, and even the offerings brought by the princes of Israel. The Book of Numbers, Bam...
The core of the discussion revolves around the verse, “This was the dedication of the altar” (Numbers 7:88). The midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) asks, is this a one-time...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Secret Symbolism in the Silver Vessels of the Mishkan. The verse describes the gifts brought by the tribal leaders for the dedication of the Mishkan, the p...
The verse says: "Twelve golden ladles, full of incense, ten each ladle, in the sacred shekel; all the gold of the ladles was one hundred and twenty." Okay, twelve golden ladles. Go...
The verse in (Numbers 7:87) states: “All the cattle for the burnt offering: twelve bulls, twelve rams, twelve lambs in their first year, and their meal offering, and twelve goats a...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Sacred Service. The verse seems to repeat information we already know. So, why is it there? What's it trying to tell us? The Rabbis, masters of textual int...
Sometimes it feels like wading through ancient accounting ledgers. But hidden within those seemingly dry details are profound connections – whispers of cosmic harmony and echoes of...
The Torah gives us hints, scattered like precious gems, and the Rabbis, masters of interpretation, piece them together for us. Take (Numbers 7:89): "And when Moses came into the Te...
It uses the comparison between Moses and Bilam to highlight just how utterly unique Moses was. (Deuteronomy 34:10) tells us, “There has not arisen another prophet in Israel like Mo...
These are the kinds of questions that ripple through the ancient texts. In Bamidbar Rabbah, we find a fascinating exploration of the verse, "He heard the Voice speaking with him" (...
Bamidbar Rabbah, that incredible collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives deep into this very question. It’s not just a ma...
Strike a match, touch it to the wick, and boom – light. But in Jewish tradition, even something as seemingly mundane as lighting a lamp can be filled with profound meaning. Conside...
We flip a switch and flood a room with light without a second thought. But millennia ago, kindling a flame was a precious act. So why did God command it in the Mishkan, the Taberna...
Even the tribe of Levi felt that way once, and their story, preserved in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 15, is a powerful reminder of how God sees and values each of us, even whe...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 15, tells us that crafting the menorah was uniquely challenging for Moses. More so than any other objec...
The verse in question is from (Psalms 18:29): "For You light my lamp." Israel, in this story, turns to the Holy One, blessed be He, and essentially says: "Master of the Universe, Y...
Our ancestors felt that way, too. The ancient rabbis understood this, and that's why we find so much human drama, even in the most sacred texts. Take this story from Bamidbar Rabba...
Bamidbar Rabbah, in section 15, tackles this very question, and the answers are surprisingly profound. "Toward the front of the candelabrum, the seven lamps shall illuminate," the ...
Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, explores this very question. It all starts with the seemingly simple phrase, "When you kindle" (Numbers ...
Even the ancient Israelites felt that way, yearning for guidance, for illumination. As they cried out, “Send Your light and Your truth; they will guide me” (Psalms 43:3), they were...
The story of the menorah, the candelabrum in the Tabernacle, as told in Bamidbar Rabbah 15, is a wild ride about just that. It's a reminder that even Moses, the ultimate receiver o...
The Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, tells us to "Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and purify them" (Numbers 8:6). But hidden within that instruction, our sa...
Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives deep into this very idea. It starts with a seemingly simple verse: "Take the Levites" (Numbers 8:1...
Our story begins with the instruction to Moses to craft two silver trumpets, kliyot keseph, hammered meticulously. "Craft for you two silver trumpets; hammered, you shall craft the...
The Book of Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah), in its 15th section, explores just that, using the seemingly simple instruction of crafting silver trumpets as a springboard. "Craft f...
"Craft for you." (Numbers 10:2) It's all about the personal nature of leadership and the instruments that come with it. "Craft for you," the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
The verse reads, "Craft for you – you use them, as you are king, but no one else may use them other than King David." This refers to instruments, likely trumpets, initially reserve...
It’s a question the rabbis grappled with centuries ago, and their insights, drawn from the Torah itself, are surprisingly relevant today. We find a fascinating discussion in Bamidb...
Jewish tradition teaches that there's a profound spiritual power in gathering together, a power that even resonates in the heavens. But is any gathering automatically holy? The Mid...
The story goes that God tells Moses to gather seventy men to help lead the Israelites. Sounds straightforward. But Moses faces a real dilemma. "If I choose five from each tribe," h...
The book of Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, illuminates this very question. We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in the Israelites' jou...
The Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, picks up the story after the tumultuous events at Sinai. In Bamidbar Rabbah 15, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), or interpreti...
In Bamidbar Rabbah – that’s a collection of rabbinic teachings connected to the Book of Numbers – there's a fascinating passage about how God commanded Moses to gather seventy men....
It's like a secret code, hinting at deeper meanings. Take this verse from (Numbers 11:16): "Gather to Me seventy men [ish]..." Why ish, and not the more common Hebrew word for men,...
Moses knew the feeling. Leading the Israelites through the desert? No small feat! And it seems even he needed a little help. We find ourselves in Bamidbar Rabbah 15, a section of t...
What does sailing have to do with spies? Well, stick with me. The Rabbis debated this, concluding you shouldn't set out on a long voyage so close to the Sabbath. But, there's alway...
The Torah tells us even MOSES and AARON, the very leaders who led us out of Egypt, experienced that feeling. It all stems from the story of the spies, doesn't it? We read in Bamidb...
Bamidbar Rabbah 16 opens with a powerful quote from (Isaiah 40:8): "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." Rabbi Aḥa the Great uses this ...
The verse in (Numbers 13:2), “Send you men,” But Bamidbar Rabbah, a fascinating collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of Numbers, d...
The verse from Proverbs (26:6) sets the stage: “One who sends things by the hand of a fool cuts off his feet and drinks rancor.” Ouch. But here's the puzzle: were the spies really ...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Miriam and Divine Judgment. Our story comes from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar in Hebrew). It’s a tr...
Like checking the price tag after you’ve already won the lottery. Well, according to Bamidbar Rabbah 16, part of the larger collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentar...
The familiar story centers on the spies. The Israelites, poised to enter the Promised Land, get cold feet. "Let's send some scouts ahead," they suggest to Moses. But what was reall...
The Torah tells us, "Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua [Yehoshua]" (Numbers 13:16). But here's the question: why did Moses change Hoshea's name to Joshua? What prompted this a...
