470 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Shemot Rabbah, shown in source order. Page 2 of 10.
The verse in question comes from (Exodus 3:15): "God said further to Moses: So shall you say to the children of Israel: The Lord, the God of your fathers, God of Abraham, God of Is...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Moses Gathers the Elders With a Secret Sign. Why the elders? Shemot Rabbah emphasizes the vital role elders play in upholding Israel. It draws a parallel to ...
In the book of Exodus, specifically (Exodus 3:19), God tells Moses, "And I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, except by a mighty hand.” It's a pretty direct warning. ...
In (Exodus 3:20), God says, "I will extend My hand, and smite Egypt with all My wonders that I will perform in its midst; after that he will let you go." Shemot Rabbah unpacks this...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Moses and Creation of Israelites. The story begins, as we know, with God commanding Moses to go to the Israelites in Egypt. But Moses, ever the reluctant lea...
It's often because the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw connections we might miss. Take the story of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus, chapter 4. God gives him three signs ...
That feeling isn't exactly new. In fact, we see it playing out in one of the most pivotal moments in the Torah: Moses's reluctance to answer God's call. It all unfolds in the book ...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Moses Says He Cannot Speak and God Replies Who Made Your Mouth. In Shemot Rabbah, the great collection of Midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) (inter...
Something that makes you think, "Surely, there's someone better suited for this!" Well, you're not alone. Even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, had a moment of reluctance. to a f...
The familiar story is this: God commands Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites. But Moses hesitates. He protests, famously declaring, "I am not a man of w...
The ancient rabbis saw that struggle playing out in the life of Moses, as he stood on the cusp of his world-changing mission. The book of Exodus (4:18) tells us, "Moses went and re...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Moses's Transgression of Jethro. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) suggests a powerful principle: when you embrace a mitzvah, a good deed, it le...
Even some of the biggest figures in Jewish history felt that way. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Covenant of Yitro. The Rabbis offer a compelling explanation: Moses first went on a mission for God, and then "returned" to Yitro. But that raises another qu...
The Torah touches on this very human act in some surprising ways. We find a fascinating exploration of brotherly love, and the significance of a kiss, in Shemot Rabbah, a collectio...
It wasn't just a random event, a quirk of fate. According to Rabbi Ḥama, there was a very specific, almost divinely orchestrated reason. Moses growing up comfortably in his father'...
Shemot Rabbah turns to The Light Of The Torah. Think about the very beginning. "Let there be light," God said in (Genesis 1:3). But what was that light? Some say it wasn't just any...
A seemingly insignificant phrase can carry immense weight, altering the course of destiny. to a curious observation from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on ...
The verse says, "The Lord said to Moses in Midyan: Go, return to Egypt; as all the men who sought your life are dead" (Exodus 4:19). Simple enough. But the Rabbis of the Midrash (r...
(Exodus 4:20) tells us, "Moses took his wife and his sons, and mounted them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand." Simple enou...
The Torah tells us, "The Lord said to Moses: When you go back to Egypt, see all the wonders that I have placed in your hand and perform them before Pharaoh; but I will harden his h...
The answer, they suggest, might lie in the seemingly simple phrase, "I will harden his heart." What does it mean to harden someone's heart? According to Shemot Rabbah, a collection...
The great Moses himself had such an experience. As we read in (Exodus 4:24), on the road one night, Adonai, God, encountered Moses and sought to kill him. Why would God, who had ju...
So, Moses is on his way to Egypt. He’s got his family with him. (Exodus 4:24) tells us, "It was on the way at the lodging, the Lord met him, and sought to kill him." Yikes! What’s ...
The book of Exodus tells us that God spoke, but the how… that’s where the Jewish tradition gets truly wondrous. Our exploration starts with a seemingly simple verse: “The Lord said...
The ancient Jewish texts explore this very idea, and one particular passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a powerful insi...
The Torah tells us, "Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord that He had sent him, and all the signs that He had charged him" (Exodus 4:28). Seems straightforward. But Shemot Ra...
The verse According to Shemot Rabbah, "Aaron spoke all the words" means he acted in accordance with God’s command: "He will speak for you to the people" (Exodus 4:16). And "perform...
Shemot Rabbah turns to The Warrior God. Think about the Exodus story. It’s not just a tale of liberation; it's a cosmic showdown. Remember the moment when the Egyptian magicians ha...
The familiar story is this:, but Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) – interpretations and expansions – on the Book of Exodus, offer...
That feeling isn't new. It goes all the way back to Moses and Aaron facing down Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. They’re walking into the lion's den, asking the most powerful ruler o...
That feeling, that frustration, it's ancient. It's woven into the very fabric of our stories. Think about Moses and Aaron standing before Pharaoh, demanding freedom for the Israeli...
The familiar story centers on the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the triumphant journey to freedom. But was it really the entire nation that crossed over? Pharaoh, in his...
It wasn't pretty. And it certainly wasn't subtle. Our story picks up right after Moses and Aaron deliver their fateful message: "Let my people go!" (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh, predictab...
That feeling is all over the story of the Exodus, and it really hits hard in the early chapters of the Book of Exodus. to a moment of crisis, as understood by the ancient Rabbis in...
In the Book of Exodus, we read, "The foremen of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, saying: Why have you not fulfilled your appointed...
That feeling... well, it's not new. It echoes all the way back to ancient Egypt, to the very dawn of the Israelite nation. We find ourselves in the book of Exodus, Shemot in Hebrew...
It’s a moment of raw honesty from Moses himself. The story begins after Moses relays God's message to Pharaoh – the one demanding freedom for the Israelites. Instead of freedom, Ph...
It's one of those burning questions that lingers after you read the Book of Exodus. We celebrate Passover every year, retelling the story of the Exodus, and Moses is the central fi...
Our sages explored this very human tendency in fascinating ways, especially when looking at the stories of Solomon and Moses. Our journey begins with a verse from Exodus (6:2-3): “...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver, felt that way. Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers us a fascinating glimpse into a moment where Mo...
This particular passage, Shemot Rabbah 6, uses a parable to illuminate a fascinating aspect of Moses' relationship with God. Rabbi Meir offers a vivid analogy. Imagine a king marry...
This very human experience echoes in the ancient texts, specifically in a powerful passage from Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. " Go...
(Exodus 6:9) tells us, "Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they did not heed Moses because of lack of spirit, and because of hard labor." Can you blame them? They’d been...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought words held immense power, for good and for ill. to a fascinating interpretation of a verse in Exodus, as explored in Shemot Rabbah, a compilati...
The Book of Job, that epic poem of suffering and faith, contains a verse that hints at this: "Behold, all these God will do, twice, three times to a man" (Job 33:29). The Midrash (...
Shemot Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) compilation – a collection of interpretations and expansions on the Book of Exodus (Shemot in Hebrew) – gives ...
Rabbi Levi starts us off with a parable. Imagine a king who owns a beautiful orchard. Now, in this orchard, he plants not only fruit-bearing trees – the kind that give you deliciou...
