438 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Bamidbar Rabbah, shown in source order. Page 8 of 10.
The Book of Ecclesiastes puts it perfectly: “All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23). This feeling, this yearni...
The verse from (Ecclesiastes 8:1), "Who is like the wise man, and who knows the meaning of a matter?" serves as our starting point. Who is like the wise man? According to this Midr...
What do these four seemingly disparate things have in common? They're all described as chukim – decrees or statutes – things we do simply because God commanded them, even if the re...
The parah adumah, the red heifer, is famous precisely because its purity law does not behave like ordinary logic. In Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, we find the commandment: "They s...
The Torah isn't just a text; it’s a living conversation, a dialogue that echoes through generations and, some say, even between God and Moses himself. Rabbi Aḥa, quoting Rabbi Ḥani...
The story goes like this: A curious, and perhaps skeptical, idolater approaches Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, a renowned Jewish sage. He's puzzled by the ritual of the Red Heifer (Para...
In this week's Torah portion, Chukat, we find a particularly fraught moment (Numbers 20:8). God tells Moses, "Take the staff…and give the congregation and their animals to drink." ...
Why Striking the Rock Deserved a Harsher Punishment is the question behind this passage from Bamidbar Rabbah. The Midrash (rabbinic commentary) grapples with this. Why wasn’t Moses...
That feeling isn't new. It’s a feeling that echoes through the ages, a question that’s been wrestled with in our texts for millennia. Bamidbar Rabbah 19, a section of the ancient M...
That's kind of what's going on in this fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Numbers. The verse in question is from (Num...
The Torah tells us he saw it from afar, but never crossed over. But why? The answer, like so many things in Jewish tradition, isn't simple. It's layered with meaning and moral weig...
"These are the waters of dispute, where the children of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and He was sanctified through them," (Numbers 20:13) tells us. But what exactly does that me...
This week, The scene is set in (Numbers 20:14). The Israelites, after decades of wandering, are trying to pass through Edom. Moses sends messengers, saying, "So said your brother I...
Take a look at the story surrounding the death of Aaron in the book of Numbers, specifically as it's illuminated by Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The verse tells us, “They traveled from Kade...
"Aaron will be gathered to his people," God tells Moses, "for he will not come into the land that I have given to the children of Israel, because you defied My directive at the wat...
Our starting point is the phrase: “Because you defied My directive.” This, the text suggests, echoes in the fate of humanity itself. But how? Well, the verse "The Lord will not sta...
Our story centers around the verses in (Numbers 20:25-28): "Take Aaron and Elazar his son, and take them up Hor Mountain… Strip Aaron of his vestments, and dress Elazar his son in ...
The Torah, in its unflinching honesty, shows us just that. a passage from Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 19, which explores the immediate aftermath of Aaron's death. The verse we...
The Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, certainly did. We find ourselves in the book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, specifically chapter 21, verse 4: “They traveled from Hor Mountain ...
The Book of Numbers, in the Bamidbar Rabbah, grapples with this very question when describing the plague of fiery serpents. "The Lord sent the fiery serpents against the people, an...
The Book of Numbers, in the Torah, gives us a powerful story, one unpacked beautifully in Bamidbar Rabbah, a classical midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection (a mi...
The Israelites knew that feeling all too well during their long journey through the wilderness. And sometimes, even the place names themselves seemed to echo their struggles. It fo...
The Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, illuminates this very question. It tells us that the well, a miraculous source of water that accompa...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 19, poses a fascinating question: Why isn’t Moses, the leader who struck the rock and brought forth wat...
A classic example surfaces in Bamidbar Rabbah 19 as it grapples with a seemingly simple verse: "Israel sent messengers to Siḥon, king of the Emorites, saying…" (Numbers 21:21). The...
Consider the story of sending messengers. In one place, it says Israel sent them. In another, it says Moses did. So, which is it? Did the whole nation get together and write a stro...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Og in David's Court. Israel wasn't looking for a fight. They sent messengers to Siḥon, just as they had to the king of Edom, asking for safe passage. "Plea...
Our tradition has some fascinating things to say about that, especially when it comes to warfare and justice. to a curious little passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 19, which elaborates ...
The familiar reading treats about the grand miracles, the parting of the sea, the manna from heaven. But what about the gritty, day-to-day decisions, the moments of doubt and brave...
Jewish tradition sees so much more. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 19, unpacks this verse, revealing layers of meaning and offering pr...
In Jewish tradition, there are moments where even MOSES, our greatest prophet, seems to do just that. to one of those fascinating instances from Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The verse But t...
A quote from (Numbers 22:2): "Balak son of Tzipor saw all that Israel had done to the Emorites." This sets the stage for a larger discussion about divine justice and fairness. "Bal...
Not at all. It's a question that comes to the fore when we explore Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically chapter 20. ” Okay, but what exactly did he see? Well, the Rabbis of the Midrash do...
It all starts with the line: “Moav was very alarmed by the nation because they were numerous, and Moav was dreaded by the children of Israel” (Numbers 22:3). But what does it reall...
Our story today, drawn from Bamidbar Rabbah 20, a section of the classical Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), plunges us right into such a situation – a tale of Moabites, ...
The story begins with Balak, king of Moab, terrified of the Israelite nation that's camped right next door. As (Numbers 22:5) tells us, he sends messengers to Bilam (also spelled B...
Like we can somehow pull the divine wool over God's eyes. a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 20 that explores this very idea, highlighting three figures who, tried to do ju...
It sounds like something straight out of a fantastical tale, but it's at the heart of our story today, found in Bamidbar Rabbah 20. What makes this story so compelling, even after ...
The story of Bilam gives us a fascinating glimpse. We find ourselves in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew. The Israelites are on the move, and their growing presence is makin...
The story kicks off with God approaching Bilam and asking, "Who are these men with you?" (Numbers 22:9). Seems like a simple question. But according to Bamidbar Rabbah, it’s anythi...
The story, as it unfolds in the Book of Numbers, centers on Balak, king of Moab, who is terrified by the approaching Israelites. He hires Bilam, a non-Israelite prophet known for t...
He was a non-Israelite diviner, a kind of prophet, hired to curse the Israelites as they approached Moab. But the story takes a twist, doesn't it? (Numbers 22:20) tells us, "God ca...
Why the darkness? " This links back to (Exodus 12:42), which describes the night of the Exodus from Egypt as "a night of vigilance of the Lord…it is this night…for all the children...
The verse tells us, "God's wrath was enflamed because he was going, and the angel of the Lord stood on the way as an impediment to him, and he was riding on his donkey, and his two...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Birth of Bilam. Why, they ask, does the angel need to hide on this narrow path? Why not just confront Bilam directly? It seems a bit… sneaky. But the text ...
The Torah gives us a fascinating glimpse of such a moment in the story of Bilam, the non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites. In Numbers, chapter 22, verse 31, we read: “T...
“Balak heard that Bilam had come,” the verse tells us. But Bamidbar Rabbah points out this wasn't just some casual overhearing. No, no. Balak had sent emissaries, messengers, speci...
The scene opens with Balak, the king of Moab, terrified by the Israelites. He’s hired Bilam, a non-Jewish prophet known for the power of his blessings and curses, to, well, curse I...
