738 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Midrash Tanchuma, shown in source order. Page 8 of 16.
R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi, “There are four things that the evil drive would refute [as irrational], and for each of them is written [the word,] huqqah (i.e.,...
(Numb. 22:20:) “Then God came unto Balaam at night.” This text is related (to (Job 33:15-1)7), “In a dream, a vision of the night […]; Then he uncovers a human ear […]; To turn a p...
(Numb. 27:1:) “Then came forward the daughters of Zelophehad.” In that generation the women were fencing that which the men were breaching. Accordingly you find that Aaron said to ...
"And much cattle" (Numbers 32:1). This is [the meaning of] that which is stated by the verse (Ecclesiastes 10:2), "A wise man’s heart is to his right," that is Moshe; "but a fool’s...
"Command the Children of Israel" (Numbers 34:2:). This is what is stated in the verse (in (Numbers 23:1)9), "God is not a man to be deceitful," [meaning] a man will not make God de...
All of the commandment that I command you today (Deuteronomy 8:1): Any commandment that you do, say [that] it is as if you heard it today at Sinai from Moshe; as so is it written, ...
When the Lord cuts down (Deuteronomy 12:29): The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "By your lives, I will conduct your wars and write about you that you killed them." Come a...
(Deut. 16:19:) “You shall not turn aside justice; you shall not show partiality.” [Here is] a warning for the prince not to place one suited to be low, high; and one suited to be h...
Remember that which [Amalek] did to you, etc. (Deuteronomy 25:17): Here it is written, "Remember," and with Shabbat (the Sabbath) it is written, "Remember." Both of them are equal....
And the Lord said: Behold, man has become like one of us (Gen. 3:22). May our master teach us the punishment inflicted upon one who speaks evil? Thus do our masters teach us: One w...
And God spoke to Noah, saying: “Go forth from the ark” (Gen. 8:15). May our master instruct us whether one is permitted to place saliva upon an ailing eye on the Sabbath. R. Hiyya ...
And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel (Gen. 14:1). May it please our master to teach us whether a slave obtains his freedom if his owner assigns all his property to him as a ...
And the two angels came to Sodom at evening (Gen. 19:1). What is written before this verse? And Abraham drew near and said, “Wilt Thou sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (G...
And Abraham took another wife (Gen. 25:1). What is written previously concerning this matter? And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent (Gen. 24:67). You learn from this t...
And it came to pass that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim (Gen. 27:1). Scripture states elsewhere: A gift (bribe) is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it; w...
And God remembered Rachel (Gen. 30:22). May our master teach us whether a man may recite the prayer “May it be Your will that my wife give birth to a son” if she is already pregnan...
And God said unto Jacob: “Arise, go up to Beth-El” (Gen. 35:1). May our master teach us: How many times is a man’s “account book” open? Thus did our masters teach us: A man’s accou...
But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife (Gen. 39:8). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord (Jer. 17:7). You fi...
Jacob said unto his sons: “Why do ye look one upon another?” (Gen. 42:1). Jacob told his sons: Since you are strong and handsome, do not enter through one gate, nor stand together ...
And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together (Isa. 65:25). Observe that whomever the Ho...
And Jacob called unto his sons (Gen. 49:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: He removeth the speech of men of trust, and taketh away the sense of the elders (J...
And she opened it, and saw it, even the child; and behold, a boy that wept (Exod. 2:6). The verse does not say “And behold, a child that wept” but rather a boy. This informs us tha...
Another comment on Who is the King of Glory? (Ps. 24:10). He is the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who apportions honor to those who fear Him. Therefore it is written:...
And the people took their dough before it was leavened … upon their shoulders (Exod. 12:34). This indicates that the dough did not have sufficient time in which to leaven. Similarl...
And he took six hundred chosen chariots (Exod. 14:7). Whose beasts drew the chariots? If you should say they belonged to the Egyptians, has it not already been said: And all the ca...
In the third month (Exod. 19:11). May it please our master to instruct us: May one cure a pain in his mouth on the Sabbath? Thus do our masters teach us: One who has a pain in his ...
If thou lend money to any of my people (Exod. 22:24). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely riches k...
And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8). On which day did He relate to Moses the portion relating to the Temple? It was on the Day of Atonement. ...
Pure olive oil beaten for the light (Exod. 27:20). You find that a person standing in the dark can observe what is transpiring in a lighted place. However, anyone standing in a lig...
When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel (Exod. 30:12). R. Judah said in the name of R. Samuel the son of Nahman: This may be compared to a king who has many silk garment...
And Bezalel made the ark of acacia-wood (Exod. 37:1). Because it was known to Him-who-spoke-and-the-world-came into-being that Israel will sin at Shittim, the Holy One, blessed be ...
The tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). This refers the Torah in which they labored. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Because of the Torah and the sacrifices, I will rescu...
And He called to Moshe: And why does it say, "And He called?" Rather it is is because it stated above (Exodus 40:35), "and Moshe could not come to the Tent of Meeting" - when the D...
(Lev. 8:1-2:) “Then the Lord spoke [unto Moses]…, ‘Take Aaron and his sons along with him, the vestments […].’” This text is related (to Ps. 65:5), “Fortunate is the one You choose...
Three things Moses found difficult and the Holy One, blessed be He, showed them to him with a finger and these are them: The making of the menorah, the moon, and creeping things. I...
(Lev. 13:2:) “When anyone has on the skin of his flesh.” This text is related (to Hab. 1:7), “Terrible and dreadful [is that one].” This verse is speaking about the first Adam, abo...
That there are eleven days between one menstrual period and another is a law from Moshe at Sinai. Its explanation is that the law transmitted to Moshe at Sinai is like this: From t...
(Lev. 16:1:) “Now the Lord spoke unto Moses after the death [of Aaron's two sons].” This is what Elihu said (to Job 37:1), “At this also my heart trembles and leaps.” Elihu was obs...
(Lev. 19:23:) “When you come into the land and plant.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, Even though you find it (i.e., the land) full of all bounty, you shall not say, ...
(Lev. 22:27) “When a bull or a sheep or a goat.” R. Jacob bar Zavday in the name of R. Abbahu opened [his discourse] (with Ezek. 29:16), “And it shall no more be a source of satisf...
(Numb. 1:1) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses in the Sinai desert.” What did He say to him (in vs. 2)? “Take a census (literally: raise [rt. ns'] the head) of the whole congregation ...
(Numb. 6:22–23:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, “Speak unto Aaron and unto his children, saying, ‘Thus shall you bless the Children of Israel.’” Let our master instruct u...
(Numb. 16:23–24:) “And the Lord spoke […], ‘Speak unto the congregation, saying, “Get away from about [the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram].”’” Although Moses heard it from t...
(Numb. 19:2, cont:) “That they bring unto you [a red heifer without blemish].” R. Jose bar Hanina said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses. ‘To you I am revealing the reas...
(Numb. 22:20:) “Then God came unto Balaam at night.” This text is related (to Exod. 12:42), “That was for the Lord a night of vigil.” All miracles which were done for Israel and wh...
(Numb. 27:5:) “Moses brought their cause [before the Lord].” Some say that [God] made this become too hard for Moses, as there are righteous people that become [overly] proud in ma...
(Numb. 34:2:) “When you come into the land.” What is written above the matter (in Numb. 33:52)? “You shall dispossess all the inhabitants of the land from before you.” This text is...
At that time, the Lord said to me, "Carve out two tablets of stone like the first ones" (Deuteronomy 10:1): This is what the verse stated (Jeremiah 2:20), "For long ago you broke y...
