508 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, shown in source order. Page 10 of 11.
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Phineas Takes Justice Into His Own Hands Before Moses. All the princes were with Moses, Eleazar, and Phineas, and together they witnessed this terri...
The biblical figure who takes decisive action in a moment of crisis. We find his story, filled with zeal and righteous anger, explored in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, specifically chapt...
He’s the one who, in a moment of righteous zeal, stopped a plague by taking decisive action against public immorality (Numbers 25). It’s a complex story, filled with passion and qu...
The tale centers around Phineas, a figure known for his zeal and righteousness. Rabbi Elazar of Modein tells us that Phineas took a dramatic step. He placed a ban – a serious prohi...
The story of the Midianites in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, chapter 47, really dives into that urgency. It's a fascinating, and at times, unsettling account of revenge and its consequen...
It all begins with Abraham. God Himself entrusted him with a profound secret, "the secret of the mystery of the Redeemer," as Howard Schwartz puts it in Tree of Souls. A heavy burd...
The backbreaking labor of the Israelites in Egypt, their cries lost in the dust and the relentless crack of the taskmasters' whips. It's a scene etched in our collective memory, a ...
Our ancestors wrestled with these questions too, and their stories offer profound insights. The story begins with Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, a towering figure in Jewish history, o...
The familiar version gives us the verse: "And they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years" (Gen. 15:18). But how does that square with other timelines we ...
The story starts with Rabbi Elazar, son of 'Arakh. He makes a rather pointed claim: God only told Abraham about his descendants’ future exile after Abraham was able to have childre...
Our story comes from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating text that weaves together biblical narrative, aggadic embellishments, and moral lessons. The Israelites are in Egypt. Not...
One tradition says the actual period of intense enslavement was far shorter than the familiar number suggests. Rabbi Jannai, a sage of the Talmudic era, offers a startling perspect...
The moments leading up to his birth were fraught with danger and a whole lot of divine intervention. The book of Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating text filled with stories and ...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to The Egyptian Princess Who Rescued Baby Moses. The story begins with his birth. Rabbi Simeon tells us he was called Ṭob, "good," because, as (Exodus ...
It paints a picture of a young Moses deeply connected to his people, even while living in Pharaoh's palace. Everyone in Pharaoh's household was involved in Moses' upbringing. Isn't...
The Torah tells us that Moses, having fled Egypt after, well, that incident, was trying to settle into life in Midian. But trouble seemed to follow him. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a f...
It begins with Moses and Aaron, standing before Pharaoh, delivering a message that must have sounded utterly insane: "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Let my people go" (Exo...
That's kind of what went down between Moses and the Egyptian magicians, according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text that explores biblical narratives. re...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Abraham Isaac and Jacob of Egypt. He tells us, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating and often imaginative collection of stories and teachings, t...
There's one in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Chapter 48, that's definitely worth exploring. Rabbi Joseph tells us a troubling tale about the Israelites' suffering in Egypt. It's a story ...
Not just any hand, but the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Ishmael, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (Chapter 48), unveils a fascinating idea: each finger on God's right hand i...
They stretch, bend, or take on a new form entirely. It's more than just aesthetics; according to Jewish tradition, these final forms, the sofit, hold a profound secret, a key to un...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating work of aggadic literature, gives us a glimpse, a chilling, visceral snapshot of their suffering. Rabbi Akiva, a towering figure in Jewish tra...
Rabbi José, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, paints a vivid picture – a stark contrast, really – of that momentous night. On one side, you have the Israelites. Picture them: finally free...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to The Acts of Kindness That Earned Israel Its Freedom. So, what qualities allowed them to be ready for redemption? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinati...
The story starts, as so many do, with a commandment. God tells Saul, the first king of Israel, to utterly destroy Amalek. Wipe them out. Erase their memory from under heaven. A pre...
Take the story we find in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, chapter 49. It’s a fascinating glimpse into how God, according to this ancient text, foresees the future and subtly orchestrates e...
Jewish tradition certainly has. Let’s consider a particularly potent example from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Chapter 49, a text filled with dramatic narratives and moral teachings. He...
Consider the story of Samuel and Agag. In Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Chapter 49, we learn that Samuel’s prayer was so potent, so utterly filled with devotion, that it shattered the po...
The divine is often remembered as existing outside of time, but Jewish tradition sometimes paints a different picture – one where even divine plans have a schedule, albeit a flexib...
Rabbi Abbahu, a sage from the Talmudic period, tackles this very question in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating text filled with stories and interpretations that illuminate bibl...
Rabbi Jonathan kicks things off by talking about Artaxerxes, the last king of Media who ruled in Babylon. He reigned for 32 years. How do we know? Well, Rabbi Jonathan points us to...
This wasn't just any palace. It's described in the Book of Esther itself (1:6): "Upon a pavement of porphyry, and white marble, and alabaster, and stone of blue colour." Can you ev...
The familiar version gives us the basic plot: a beautiful Jewish woman becomes queen and saves her people from annihilation. But what about Vashti, the queen she replaced? Why was ...
Chapter 49 offers us a particularly compelling example, focusing on the story of Esther and the hidden hand of merit. Rabbi Zechariah, the sage whose words are recorded in Pirkei D...
Rabbi Shema'iah, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (chapter 50), asks a pretty sharp question: Was Mordecai really the only Jew in the entire city of Shushan? I mean, ((Esther 9:1)5) clear...
It’s a powerful idea, one that the ancient rabbis explored deeply. Take Mordecai, the hero of the Purim story. His name, seemingly simple, becomes a doorway into understanding his ...
Our tale begins with a king, rattled from his sleep. He asks for water, a simple request. But something feels off. His servants, his eunuchs – the ones whose job it is to care for ...
Rabbi Phineas tells us about two incredibly wealthy and powerful men: Korah, within Israel, and Haman, among the nations. Both, in their own way, posed existential threats. But it’...
HAMAN wasn’t just a power-hungry villain; he was an astrologer! He meticulously cast lots – Pur, as the verse says – using the constellations to determine the most auspicious (or i...
A fascinating early medieval text, even kings aren't immune to those nights. The story centers on a pivotal moment in the Book of Esther, a moment thick with tension: King Ahasueru...
Can you feel the tension? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer elaborates on this already dramatic moment. Haman approaches Mordecai with the royal garments. “Arise,” he says, dripping with fals...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Esther — Haman and the Angels. It all starts with Zeresh, Haman's wife, and his astrologers. They recognize a looming threat. "Haven't you heard wha...
What happened next? Well, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating and often imaginative work of aggadah (Jewish storytelling and folklore), gives us a glimpse. Rabbi Eliezer tells us...
The Jewish tradition has never shied away from asking the big questions, and when it comes to the end of days, well, let's just say things get pretty interesting. One fascinating g...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, in chapter 51, paints a dramatic picture. It tells us that all living things will experience a kind of cosmic pause. For two days, "all its inhabitants shal...
We see them every day, these celestial bodies that seem so constant, so reliable. But what if I told you that, according to ancient Jewish tradition, they’re not quite as static as...
Rabban Gamaliel, a sage from the first century, certainly thought so. He delved into the symbolic meanings behind the offerings brought in the Temple, revealing layers of connectio...
