162 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Devarim Rabbah, shown in source order. Page 3 of 4.
It goes way beyond just being "fair." It's actually about a profound and intimate relationship between us and the Divine. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the ...
It turns out, the tradition has quite a bit to say on the subject, and it might surprise you. We find ourselves diving into Devarim Rabbah, specifically section 5, which grapples w...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, dives right into this thorny issue. It all starts with a verse from (Job 34:30): “He prevents a decei...
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai points out that there were actually three commandments the Israelites received upon entering the land: to wipe out the memory of Amalek, to appoint a ki...
Jewish tradition explores this feeling on a national scale, focusing on the ancient Israelites' request for a human king. God, the ultimate King, has been leading the Israelites. B...
The verse in Deuteronomy (20:10) sets the stage: "When you approach a city to wage war against it, you shall call to it for peace." Seems counterintuitive. But in Devarim Rabbah, t...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, opens a window into just such a possibility. It begins with the verse, "When you approach a city…" bu...
Devarim Rabbah turns to Joshua's Surprising Call for Peace Before Battle. (Deuteronomy 20:10) tells us, "When you approach a city to wage war against it, you shall call to it for p...
It is often remembered as the absence of conflict, but Jewish tradition elevates peace – shalom – to something far more profound and active. It’s not just a nice idea; it's a force...
What does this seemingly simple commandment truly mean? What deeper lessons about mercy and compassion can we learn from a bird's nest? The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpre...
The verse from Proverbs (5:6) sets the stage: “Lest you delineate a path of life: Her tracks wander; you will not know.” What does it mean to "delineate," or in Hebrew, tefales, a ...
The verse in Proverbs (1:9) says, "For they are a graceful adornment for your head [roshekha]." But our Sages, digging deeper in Devarim Rabbah, find a hidden layer. They suggest t...
It explores this very idea, using a powerful chain of examples. The sage Ben Azzai puts it plainly: "One mitzvah leads to another mitzvah, and one sin leads to another sin. So, how...
Tucked into the laws of Deuteronomy is a commandment about a bird's nest that has troubled readers for centuries. (Deuteronomy 22:6-7) says, "If you come across a bird's nest along...
Sometimes, in the most unexpected places, it even offers us ways to protect ourselves. Consider the seemingly simple mitzvah (commandment) of sending away the mother bird before ta...
Take the mitzvah, the commandment, of shiluach haken, sending away the mother bird before taking her eggs or young. It appears in (Deuteronomy 22:6-7), and it's all about compassio...
Devarim Rabbah reads Miriam's punishment as a warning about speech, kinship, and the priestly power to diagnose tzara'at. We find ourselves drawn to (Deuteronomy 24:9): “Remember w...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, tackles this very issue head-on, using a powerful verse from Psalms: “You sit and speak against your...
We all have. But what if those words had far more power than we imagined? What if they could actually… physically harm us? Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings and in...
In Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, we find a powerful exploration of this very feeling, wrapped in a story about snakes and the proph...
She was celebrated as a prophetess, a leader, a woman of immense faith. The book of Exodus (15:20) tells us, “Miriam the prophetess took a timbrel…” and led the women in joyous son...
The story revolves around Miriam's affliction with tzara'at, often translated as leprosy, after she and Aaron speak critically of Moses. When Moses witnesses his sister's suffering...
The Jewish tradition certainly does. In fact, it links our speech directly to our relationship with the Divine. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy,...
I’m talking about amen. (Deuteronomy 28:1) promises, "It will be if you will heed the voice of the Lord your God to observe, to perform all His commandments that I am commanding yo...
" The first part, “Happy is the person who heeds me,” isn’t just about listening, but about intention. The Holy One, blessed be He, says it’s about making our Torah study and disco...
Water, wine, honey… it's a veritable feast of metaphors! But what's the meaning behind it all? Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, explor...
The rabbis of old grappled with this very question. They asked: Is it better to be ignorant of the Torah’s demands, or to know them intimately and then… ignore them? It’s a tough o...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on Deuteronomy, unpacks this verse in a beautiful way. Rabbi Yitzhak suggests that being "blessed in the city" is a reward ...
The ancient rabbis did, and their answer, found within the pages of Devarim Rabbah, is both surprising and deeply comforting. The verse from Deuteronomy (28:12) sets the stage: “Th...
Jewish tradition teaches us that we have far more influence than we might realize. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Deuteronomy, illuminates ...
Take reading from the Torah, for example. The verse From this, the Rabbis ask: if someone's reading from the Torah, what's the fewest number of verses they're allowed to read? Is t...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, tackles this very question. It starts with a verse from Proverbs (2:1): "My son, if you take my sayin...
The Torah touches on this very human struggle. In (Deuteronomy 29:3), Moses says to the Israelites, "But the Lord has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to he...
Devarim Rabbah turns to How Israel's Clothes Never Wore Out for Forty Years. That's exactly what Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings and interpretations on the book ...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a powerful and surprising answer, focusing on God's relationship with the Israelites during t...
We've all been there. So, what do we do? How do we make sure we still fulfill our obligation to connect with the Divine? That's exactly what Devarim Rabbah 8 explores. It explores ...
It seems so natural, so ingrained in Jewish practice, that we might not even stop to ask why. But the Rabbis of old, they were always asking. They wanted to know the source, the re...
Devarim Rabbah 8 opens with a quote from Proverbs: "Wisdom is lofty to a fool; at the gate, he will not open his mouth" (Proverbs 24:7). But what does it really mean? Rabbi Tanhuma...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, opens our eyes to just how deeply Torah can impact us. It starts with a verse from Proverbs (4:22): “...
In Jewish tradition, the answer might surprise you: it's the Torah. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a powerful idea: God says that if we...
In (Deuteronomy 30:12-14), we find the verse, "It is not in the heavens… It is not beyond the sea… Rather, the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you...
Devarim Rabbah turns to The Torah Is Nearer Than You Think According to Moses. He tells a story, a mashal. Imagine a king, see? This king has a daughter, a princess, kept hidden fr...
In (Deuteronomy 31:14), God says to Moses, "Behold, your days are approaching to die; summon Joshua, and stand in the Tent of Meeting and I will command him." This verse, "Behold, ...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, explores the meaning of a verse from Ecclesiastes (9:11): "I again saw under the sun that the race is...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, digs deep into the verse from Ecclesiastes (8:8): “There is no person who rules the spirit, to retain...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver, felt it. In Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, we find a poignant moment where Moses pleads with God. He...
Death is often remembered as the great leveler, the fate that awaits us all. But Jewish tradition suggests that for some, like Moses, the end is… different. Special. Moses, the man...
Well, Jewish tradition offers a powerful, and frankly heartbreaking, story about just such a predicament involving Moses himself. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic teaching...
