508 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, shown in source order. Page 3 of 11.
That feeling, that tension, is ancient. And it's captured beautifully in a parable from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text that retells and expands upon bibl...
It’s a story The familiar version gives us, but the details, the serpent's strategy, are often overlooked. The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of Biblical stories ...
The familiar picture has a silent, almost dreamlike scene. But the ancient text Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer paints a much more vivid – and unsettling – picture. The serpent, not slither...
Jewish tradition definitely paints that picture. It's not just a distant Creator winding up the universe and letting it go. No, according to our sages, God’s been intimately presen...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval Jewish text, offers us a peek. It paints a vivid picture, drawing on biblical verses to flesh out the scene. The text brings us...
It's not exactly a question we ponder every day, but the ancient text Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer offers a fascinating, almost otherworldly answer. This text, a collection of stories an...
Sammael, often identified with the angel of death or a rebellious force, is cast down from heaven along with his legions. It’s a cosmic demotion, a fall from grace that resonates w...
The familiar story is this: in broad strokes: the expulsion from Eden, the toil, the hardship. But what about the details? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval Jewi...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a remarkable work of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), or interpretive storytelling, dives deep into this concept. In chapter 15, Rabbi Eliezer re...
The sages teach that sometimes, that very position – being between two good choices – is a blessing in disguise. Think about Samuel the Prophet. According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer...
Jewish tradition understands that struggle, that pull between good and… well, not-so-good. And it offers a surprisingly vivid image of the forces at play. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a...
Certain "cruel angels", yes, you read that right, cruel angels, get impatient. When someone, presumably a soul in judgment, doesn't listen to the initial angelic messengers, these ...
The rabbis of old, they pondered this question too. And they came up with a beautiful, elegant answer. It’s not just one thing, but a three-legged stool, each leg essential to keep...
Our sages pondered these questions for centuries, and their answers, preserved in texts like Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, might surprise you. It's not just about grand pronouncements or...
Those little acts of kindness, those traditions that bind us together… sometimes, the answer is more surprising than you think. Let's Think about a wedding. What do we do? We celeb...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to How Abraham's Marriage Customs Shaped Jewish Tradition. The text It's a treasure trove of expansions on biblical narratives, offering unique perspec...
Our sages certainly thought so, and they had some amazing stories to illustrate just that. to one, found in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, specifically chapter 16. It tells of Eliezer, Ab...
The servant finds Rebecca, and her family, Laban and Bethuel, are faced with a decision: Do they let Rebecca go with this stranger? What do they do? Their response, according to Pi...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Rebecca's Transgression of Isaac. Where was Isaac? Well, he had gone out to say the afternoon-evening prayer, the Minchah, "to meditate in the field...
Eliezer, Abraham's trusted steward. Who was this Eliezer, really? The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early collection of biblical stories and expansions, gives us an intrigu...
Sometimes, the answer lies tucked away in unexpected corners of our sacred literature. Take the tradition of the seven-day wedding celebration, the sheva brachot. Where did that co...
This ancient text paints a vivid picture of the bridegroom, and it does so by comparing him to… a king! A king is, ideally, someone admired, celebrated, and treated with utmost res...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Moses and the Torah of Omnipresent. It asks a simple question: How do we learn about the importance of showing loving-kindness – chesed (Lovingkindn...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, by the way, is a wonderful non-canonical Jewish text that retells and expands upon stories from the Torah. The passage begins with a teaching from Rabban Ga...
He wasn't just some figurehead in the ancient Israelite camp. He was a tzaddik, a righteous soul, who actively sought out harmony. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medie...
Sometimes, the source is more surprising than it first appears. The concept of showing loving-kindness, or chesed, to mourners. Where do we learn about the importance of comforting...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Saga of Saul. The text asks, "Whence do we learn (the duty of) showing loving-kindness to mourners?" In other words, where in our tradition do we fi...
It turns out, this isn't just a modern custom. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval Jewish text, touches upon this very tradition. It points to the verse in Proverb...
Take (Psalm 60:8), for instance: "Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver; Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe;...
Thirty years after the tragic deaths of Saul and his sons, a devastating famine grips the land of Israel. Not just for a season, but for three long years. Year after year, the skie...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer places King David in a drought and makes the land itself testify to Israel's moral condition. Year after year, the people of Israel make their pilgrimage, go...
It’s a concept that resonates deeply within Jewish tradition, and the story of King David’s actions after the death of Saul offers a powerful example. The text we’re exploring toda...
Rabbi Nathaniel tells us something remarkable: 300 years before Josiah was even born, his name was already being mentioned! The proof text? (1 Kings 13:2): "Behold, a child shall b...
Solomon, in his wisdom, understood the profound importance of chesed, acts of loving-kindness. He didn't just understand it, he wove it into the very fabric of the Temple itself. I...
Genesis tells us God spent six days creating the world. But what happened after that? The Book of Genesis tells us that God rested on the seventh day, but there's more to the story...
What do you do? Where do you turn? According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text, the sages responded with a beautiful, practical solution. They decreed th...
The creation of the heavens and the earth.. it's a story that resonates deep within Jewish tradition, filled with wonder and the sheer power of the Divine. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, ...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, if you aren't familiar, is a fascinating early medieval text that retells and expands upon stories from the Torah. It's full of amazing imagery and profound...
God rested. But what does that mean? The book of Genesis tells us, "And on the seventh day God finished his work" (Gen. 2:2). But according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating...
It’s a legacy. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text, offers a beautiful parable to explain why. Imagine a person with incredibly precious belongings, things of...
It’s a profound connection to the very act of creation, a weekly reminder of God's rest, and our own. The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text, offers a powerf...
It's about something far deeper, something woven into the very fabric of creation. the Torah tells us, "And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it" (Gen. 2:3). But what does ...
The Torah tells us, "Ye shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy unto you" (Exodus 31:14). But what does that "keeping" actually look like? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating earl...
If we look into the ancient texts, we find some pretty amazing answers. to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text that retells and expands upon biblical narrativ...
Our tradition teaches us that God doesn't just create; God chooses. He elevates. Think about the Sea of Galilee – the Yam Kinneret, that shimmering jewel in the north of Israel. Ac...
It's a portal, a time set apart. And according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a beautiful, almost novelistic Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), keeping Shabbat (the Sabbath) b...
The sun is beginning to dip, painting the sky in hues of orange and gold. It's the seventh hour of the day, according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 19, and Adam, the first human, is en...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Adam and the Fires of Gehenna of Gehinnom. The verse in question is from Psalm 92: "It is good to confess to the Lord." But who is doing the confess...
