738 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Midrash Tanchuma, shown in source order. Page 12 of 16.
It is written (in Prov. 3:9), “Honor the Lord with your wealth.” Thus if you are handsome, do not be uncontrolled in sexual matters, lest people say, “So and so is handsome but not...
Another interpretation: "As those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to soothsayers and augurs." Jeremiah the prophet said (Jeremiah 10:11), "Thus shall you say to the...
It happened that one of R. Akiba’s disciples heard the following in a dream: “You will die in the month of Adar, you will not see the month of Nisan; and what you sow you shall not...
And Noah, the husbandman, began and planted a vineyard (Gen. 9:20). Noah degraded himself when he began to till the soil. R. Judah the son of R. Shalum said: At first Noah was call...
Prior to the verse After these things scripture states: And Abraham heard that his brother was taken captive (Gen. 14:14). Was Lot actually Abraham’s brother? No, indeed! This stat...
And the Lord remembered Sarah, as he had said (Gen. 21:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that H...
And Isaac trembled very exceedingly (Gen. 27:33). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: The fear of man bringeth a snare; but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord sh...
Take heed to thyself that thout speak not to Jacob either good or bad (Gen. 31:24). From this episode we learn that the merit acquired from labor may be helpful even when the influ...
As for Asher, his bread shall be fat (Gen. 49:20). That is, his daughters shall be beautiful, as it is said: For my daughters make me happy (Gen. 30:13). Blessed be Asher above son...
3:1). R. Levi stated: Everyone about whom it is written was, his beginning and his end were proper. R. Johanan said: Everyone about whom it says was, fed and sustained others. Othe...
Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water (Exod. 7:14). Thus the Lord said: Through this (water) you shall cause him to know that I am the Lord. I will ...
And it shall be when thy son asketh thee tomorrow: “What is this?” (Exod. 13:14). Sometimes tomorrow means the next day, and sometimes it means the time to come. In the verse When ...
The horse and his rider (Exod. 15:1). Was there only one horse? (Of course not!) All the horses were considered by Him as one, as in the verse When thou goest forth to battle again...
And the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace (Exod. 19:18). What furnace? Perhaps it is comparable to this furnace? Therefore Scripture says: And the mountain burned wi...
If thou lend money to any of my people (Exod. 22:24). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: He that hath an evil eye hasteneth after riches, and he knoweth not that ...
This is the thing that thou shalt do unto them (to hallow them … take one young bullock and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread) (Exod. 29:1). You shall do it for them, ...
Bezalel the son of Uri (Exod. 31:2). He was one of the seven descendants of Adam called by various names. Jesse was called by four names, Bezalel by six, Joshua by eight, Elijah by...
"This is the law of the burnt offering" (Leviticus 6:2): And what is [the meaning of] burnt offering (olah, literally that which rises)? Rather, it is that it rises in front of the...
(Lev. 19:23:) “When you come into the land.” Solomon said (in Prov. 31:16), “She sets her mind on a field and acquires it.” Come and see. Whatever Abraham thought about in his hear...
(Lev. 22:28:) “In the case of an animal from the herd or the flock, [you shall not slaughter] it and its offspring on the same day.” This text is related (to Prov. 12:10), “A right...
(Numb. 2:2:) “Each with his standard.” This text is related (to Deut. 32:10), “He found him (i.e., Jacob) in a desert land.” [It was] a great find, [when] the Holy One, blessed be ...
(Numb. 7:1:) “So it came to pass on the day that Moses had finished.” This text is related (to Prov. 27:18), “The one who tends a fig tree shall eat its fruit.” The Holy One, bless...
(Numb. 20:18:) “But Edom said unto him, “You shall not pass through me.’” This text is related to Ps. 120:7), “I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.” Where is it show...
(Numb. 23:11-14:) “And Balak said to Balaam, ‘What have you done to me; to curse….’ And Balaam answered and said, ‘Is it not that that which God places into my mouth….’ And Balak s...
(Numb 28:2:) “Guard to offer it to Me at its set time.” This text is related (to Prov. 13:25), “The righteous man eats to satiate his soul.” This is Eliezer who said to Rebekah (in...
(Numbers 35:11:) “You shall provide yourselves with places to serve you as cities of refuge.” And it is written (in (Numbers 35:13-1)4), “six cities of refuge shall there be for yo...
(Deut. 14:22:) “You shall surely tithe.” This is related to the verse (in Prov. 31:21), “She is not afraid for her household because of snow, for all her household are dressed in s...
When you go out to war and you see horse and chariot, a people more numerous than you (Deuteronomy 20:1): This is what is stated in the verse (Proverbs 21:31), "The horse is readie...
And he planted a vineyard (Gen. 9:20). Noah was one of four men who introduced four things. Noah introduced planting, as it is written: And he planted a vineyard; cursing when he s...
Midrash Tanchuma on the portion of Lech Lecha opens this teaching by reading God's reassurance to Abraham through the lens of a distant verse in Psalms. The Torah records, "The Lor...
And the Lord remembered Sarah, as he had said (Gen. 21:1). May it please our master to teach us: What is considered ona’ah (wrong doing)? Our masters teach us: A man is forbidden t...
A song of ascents. I will lift up mine eyes to the mountains (Ps. 121:1). Scripture alludes here to the verse Who art thou, O great mountain before. Zerubbabel? Thou shalt become a...
Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth (Gen. 49:27). Scripture states elsewhere: For the Lord will do nothing, but He revealeth His counsel unto His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). At ...
And he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness (Exod. 3:1). In answer to the query Why did he go into the wilderness? R. Johanan said: He went into the wilderness becau...
And the Lord said unto Moses: “Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh from the water” (Exod. 8:16). Why did Pharaoh go to the waters early in the mor...
And it shall be for a sign upon thy hand (Exod. 13:16). Upon thy hand refers to the biceps. Between thine eyes refers to the top of the forehead. Where is that located? The school ...
The Song at the Sea declares "The deeps cover them" (Exodus 15:5), and the Tanchuma pauses on the word. Were there truly deeps at the place of the splitting? After all, the floor o...
And God spoke (Exod. 20:1). May it please our master to teach us: What things have their reward in the world-to-come? Thus do our masters teach us: These are the things whose inter...
If thou lend money to any of My people (Exod. 22:24). Scripture states elsewhere: He that augmenteth his substance by interest and increase, gathereth it for Him that is gracious t...
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense (Exod. 30:1). What do the letters in the word ketoret (“incense”) stand for? The kuf stands for kedushah (“sanctification”), tet for ta...
And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of speaking (Exod. 31:18). R. Tanhuma began the discussion with the verse: Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but unto us c...
Another interpretation: "Command Aharon [.]" (Leviticus 6:2) This is what is written (Psalms 51:20), "With Your will, do good to Zion," and afterwards (Psalms 51:21), "Then You wil...
(Lev. 19:23:) “And plant [any tree for food], you shall count (rt. 'rl) [its fruit] as forbidden (literally, as foreskin, rt. 'rl)….” [This verse] is teaching about an infant: (ibi...
(Lev. 22:29:) “And when you sacrifice an offering of thanksgiving to the Lord.” R. Pinhas, R. Levi, and R. Johanan said in the name of R. Menahem of Galilee, “In the future to come...
Another interpretation (of Numb. 2:2), “Each with his standard, under the banners.” This text is related (to Cant. 2:4), “He brought me unto the banquet house, [and His standard (d...
[(Numb. 7:1), “So it came to pass on the day that Moses had finished.” This text is related (to (Numb. 24:5), “How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your Tabernacles O Israel.” If...
(Numb. 20:22:) “Then setting out from Kadesh, the whole congregation [of the Children of Israel came to Mount Hor].” This text is related (to II Chron. 20:37), “Because you have jo...
(Numb. 23:21:) “No one has beheld falsehood in Jacob […].” Balaam said, “He does not pay attention to the transgressions in their hands, He only pays attention to their merit.” (Nu...
