508 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, shown in source order. Page 8 of 11.
The story of Achan, found in the Book of Joshua, gives us a pretty stark answer. And it's a story echoed and expanded upon in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval t...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Joshua — The Ark of the Covenant. The story, as we find it in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, chapter 38, begins with Joshua in anguish. He tears his clothe...
It's a wild ride through sin, repentance, and the surprising grace that might just be waiting on the other side. Our first stop is the story of Achan. Remember him? He's the guy in...
Take the story from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, chapter 38 – it really brings this concept to life. The passage begins with a stark reminder of consequences. Remember the men of Jabesh...
They’re a group shrouded in some mystery, especially when we try to fit them into the neat categories readers often create for ancient peoples. The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascin...
It all started when the Israelites were exiled from Samaria to Babylon. The king, wanting to keep things running smoothly (and, let's be honest, to keep the tax money flowing), sen...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Ezra and the Holy Sanctuary. The text picks up as Ezra, along with Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, son of Jehozadak, get to work. Finally!...
Ezra, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak – powerful figures in their time – are leading a grand assembly. They’ve gathered 800 priests, 800 children, and – im...
Sometimes, digging into the details reveals surprising connections and enduring echoes. Consider a seemingly obscure passage in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Chapter 39. It starts with a...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), dives right into this question. It presents a somewhat… unusual… perspective on how...
The tradition turns to a text called Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a wonderful collection of stories and interpretations from around the 8th century CE. In Chapter 39, we find ourselves ...
Rabbi Ishmael reflects on a very specific moment. Ten times, the sons of Jacob addressed Joseph as "thy servant, our father." Ten times they repeated this strange formulation. And ...
Our tradition tells us stories of those who did just that. It speaks of three individuals who triumphed over their passions before God: Joseph, Boaz, and Paltê, son of Laish. Each ...
That was Joseph. The familiar story is this: Joseph, the favored son, sold into slavery, who rises through the ranks in Egypt. But have you ever stopped to consider just how remark...
That's just a glimpse into the incredible story of Joseph in Egypt, as recounted in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating ancient Jewish text. This isn't just the Joseph of the mul...
It was also about how he handled a massive food crisis. a famine grips the land, and everyone is flocking to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, who's now second-in-command to Pharaoh....
The familiar story centers on Joseph, the coat of many colors, and his rise to power. But what about the nitty-gritty details of how he saved an entire nation from starvation? Rabb...
The scene: Jacob is on his deathbed. He summons his beloved son, Joseph. This isn't just a goodbye; it's a moment of profound importance. Jacob says, "O my son! Swear to me by the ...
The scene: The Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, the ancient burial ground purchased by Abraham himself. Jacob, also known as Israel, has passed away in Egypt, and his sons are bringing...
Our tradition grapples with this question constantly. Take the story of Isaac and Esau, for example. It’s a family drama, a theological debate, and a reminder of the power – and li...
The answer, my friends, might be more profound than you think. The text And it offers a really powerful explanation. In this passage, God's choice of the thorn-bush, the sneh, wasn...
Not just any rod, but the rod. A rod created in the twilight of creation itself, before the first Shabbat (the Sabbath). Rabbi Levi, a sage from the Talmudic period, tells us its s...
Take the story of Moses and the staff. It all starts with a garden, a simple rod, and a curious shepherd-to-be. In Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text filled ...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to When Moses Stood Before the Burning Bush at Horeb. Then.. boom! The Holy One, blessed be He, reveals Himself in a burning bush. This isn't just any ...
God is calling to Moses from the burning bush. A pretty dramatic way to get someone's attention. And what's the message? "Go to Pharaoh and bring my people out of Egypt!" (Exodus 3...
That feeling, that sense of profound loss, isn't just a modern phenomenon. Our Sages wrestled with it too. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating and often imaginative work of Jewis...
The story begins with Moses, standing before God, asking for a sign, a mofet, to prove his divine mission. "Sovereign of all worlds!" he pleads, "Give me a wonder or a sign!" And G...
It's a symbol, layered with meaning, hinting at the complex relationship between Israel and the world. fire and thorns. Not exactly a match made in heaven. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, ...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to God's Voice. In Tree of Souls, God didn't use this specific voice to create the heavens or the earth. No, this voice was reserved for something far ...
We have this image of the tablets, the commandments, the booming voice… but the tradition holds so much more. It wasn’t just a simple transaction. It was a profound, transformative...
Chapter 41 gives us a glimpse into a rather… unique sales pitch, shall we say. Rabbi Tarphon recounts a scene where the Holy One, blessed be He, doesn't just give the Torah, but ac...
The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating and somewhat enigmatic work of aggadic literature, offers a glimpse into that pivotal moment. It paints a picture of the Torah's power, li...
Mount Sinai is one of those places. But did you know its name wasn’t always Sinai? Rabbi Elazar of Modein tells us in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer that from the very beginning, since the...
It might even have deep roots in Jewish tradition! Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text, gives us a glimpse into a very human moment surrounding one of the mos...
He paints a picture, a truly awe-inspiring one, of Moses standing on the mountain. But here's the thing: only his feet were actually on the ground. The rest of him? According to Ra...
The familiar version gives us Moses. The guy who led the Israelites out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, received the Torah on Mount Sinai. A towering figure of faith and leadership. ...
The story, as we find it in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 41, is quite fascinating. God, ready to proclaim the Torah, tells Moses to go down to the Israelite camp. "Go down, charge the pe...
The voice of the first commandment wasn't just a sound. It was an event. A cataclysm. "The heavens and earth quaked," the verse says. The natural world itself responded with terror...
Well, It wasn't exactly a gentle experience. In fact, it was so intense that, according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 41, the Israelites actually died – metaphorically, but also, perha...
Why from darkness? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating text of Jewish lore, gives us a glimpse into this mystery. The passage points out that when it comes to Moses, the Torah sp...
We open our mouths, make noises, and those noises carry meaning. The person listening hears us. But that's all they do. They hear. They don't see the sound. Unless. unless you were...
Rabbi Phineas paints a breathtaking picture. He suggests that everyone who heard that voice, the entire generation at Sinai, were elevated, transformed, made worthy of being like t...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Rod and Serpent of Egyptian. Rabban Gamaliel, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 42, paints a vivid picture of this moment of ultimate desperation. The Egypt...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Moses at the Red Sea Between Pharaoh and the Deep. It’s a raw, desperate plea. And the response is… well, pretty awesome. God sends Michael. Yes, th...
Moses, our leader, does exactly what God tells him to do. "Stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it," (Ex. 14:16). Simple enough. Except… it doesn't work. As Pirkei DeRab...
Rabbi Eliezer, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating work of Jewish aggadah (non-legal rabbinic narrative) and folklore, paints a breathtaking picture. It's more than just a sim...
The familiar story centers on the Exodus, of course. Moses, the pillar of cloud, the parting waters… But who was brave enough to actually take the first step into the unknown? In P...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to The Egyptians Drowned and God Did Not Celebrate. The scene? The dramatic climax of the Exodus. The Israelites have fled Egypt, the sea has parted, a...
