470 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Shemot Rabbah, shown in source order. Page 3 of 10.
Shemot Rabbah turns to Moses and the Dreamer of Aminadav. Take, for instance, the passage in Exodus (6:14): "These are the heads of their fathers' houses; the sons of Reuben the fi...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Moses Set as God Before Pharaoh and Aaron as His Prophet. The story takes an unexpected turn. We're transported to the time of King Solomon and the construct...
Spoiler alert: it doesn't end well. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash (interpretive stories) on the Book of Exodus, dives deep into this very idea. It identifies four ...
The Book of Exodus tells us the what – ten devastating plagues – but it's the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient rabbinic interpretations, that explore the h...
It's all there in the book of Exodus, chapter 7, verse 9: "When Pharaoh will speak to you, saying: Provide a wonder for you; then you shall say to Aaron: Take your staff, and cast ...
In the story of the Exodus, a staff becomes a symbol of divine power, a tool for liberation, and, surprisingly, a way to deal with really stubborn people. The book of Shemot Rabbah...
Unthinkable. Yet, that's precisely the level of focus the Sages expected during prayer. The Mishna Berakhot (5:1) tells us that even if a king greets you, or a serpent wraps around...
It's a direct confrontation, a symbolic smackdown, if you will. Pharaoh saw himself as a god, the supreme ruler of Egypt, unshakeable and all-powerful. But Shemot Rabbah draws a li...
It might seem trivial, but sometimes, the order of things speaks volumes. Think about when Moses and Aaron first approach Pharaoh. The verse in (Exodus 7:10) tells us, "Moses and A...
His reaction to Moses and Aaron's miracles in Egypt, as described in Shemot Rabbah, is a masterclass in insecure overcompensation. The familiar story is this: Moses and Aaron come ...
The ancient Rabbis certainly thought about that feeling, and they found it in a surprising place: the showdown between Moses and Pharaoh's magicians. The verse in (Exodus 7:12) tel...
The book of Exodus tells us, "Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had spoken." (Exodus 7:13–15). But Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpr...
There's a deeply considered, almost… merciful… method to the madness. The Book of Exodus (7:16-17) sets the stage: "You shall say to him: The Lord, God of the Hebrews, has sent me ...
A reader can see them as just divine punishment, but Jewish tradition often digs deeper, searching for layers of meaning. one fascinating idea from Shemot Rabbah, a classic collect...
The Torah tells us, "The magicians of Egypt did so with their spells; and Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had spoken” (Exodus 7:22). But what does "...
The Torah isn't always explicit about timing, and sometimes, a seemingly simple phrase can unlock a whole world of debate. Take (Exodus 7:25): "Seven days were completed, after the...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating, and frankly chilling, comparison ...
(Besides driving us crazy, of course!) Well, Jewish tradition has a fascinating answer, one that goes all the way back to the plagues in Egypt. The Book of Exodus recounts God's co...
Shemot Rabbah turns to The Deeper Meaning Behind the Plague of Frogs. Here, in Shemot Rabbah 10, the rabbis are unpacking the verse "Behold, I will smite [nogef]". Now, nogef can m...
It sounds almost…silly. But when you dig into the Midrash, these plagues become far more than just annoying inconveniences. They become targeted, almost surgical strikes against th...
In the Book of Exodus, we read, "The Lord said to Moses: Say to Aaron: Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to asc...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Birth of Pharaoh of Moses. Let’s zero in on one of those moments, found in Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exo...
Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, gives us a fascinating take on the plague of frogs. We all remember the story: Egypt is overrun with ...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Why Aaron Not Moses Struck the Dust for Lice. Rabbi Tanchum offers a powerful explanation. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to Moses, ‘It is not proper that...
Sometimes, it's not about luck at all, but about seizing the moment. And in Jewish tradition, the story of Moses and Pharaoh offers a powerful lesson in just that. In (Exodus 8:16)...
Take the story of the plagues in Egypt. It's not just about showing off God's power; it's a complex tapestry woven with themes of justice, redemption, and even a little bit of…well...
The Book of Exodus gives us a glimpse into just that, with the plague of the swarms descending upon Egypt. We pick up the story in (Exodus 8:20): "The Lord did so; and heavy swarms...
Jewish tradition often sees a deeper, more poetic justice at play. Take the plague of pestilence, for example. We read in Exodus (9:2-9:3): "For if you refuse to let them go, and c...
A reader can see them as just divine punishment, but the rabbis found layers of meaning, justice, and even hidden miracles within each one. the story turns to the plague of boils a...
The verse in (Exodus 9:10) tells us, "They took soot of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it heavenward; and it became boils erupting into blisters upon man an...
The scene: Moses is tasked with confronting Pharaoh yet again. God tells Moses, "Rise early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him: So said the Lord, God of the H...
The Torah tells us, "Behold, I will rain down tomorrow at this time very severe hail, that there has not been like it in Egypt since the day it was founded until now" (Exodus 9:18)...
In the book of Exodus, we read, "The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens, and there will be hail throughout the land of Egypt…" (Exodus 9:22). It seems straight...
The Book of Exodus tells us, "Moses extended his staff toward the heavens and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the lan...
Him is often remembered as this monolithic, unyielding villain. But what if there were moments of genuine, albeit fleeting, remorse? The Book of Exodus tells us that after the deva...
It turns out, even a seemingly simple verse about crops can open up a whole world of midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretation. Take (Exodus 9:31-32): “The flax a...
The verse in question: "Moses emerged from the city, from Pharaoh, and spread his hands to the Lord; the thundering and hail ceased, and the rain did not pour upon the earth" (Exod...
It all begins with the verse, "The Lord said to Moses: Come to Pharaoh, as I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, in order to place these signs of Mine in their ...
Like stacking the deck. Well, Shemot Rabbah, the great collection of interpretations on the Book of Exodus, wrestles with just that. One fascinating reading hinges on a verse from ...
The Torah is full of stories that confront these very questions, and one passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, really dives into...
It wasn't just about remembering the events, but about understanding the deeper meaning behind them. The Torah tells us, "And so that you will relate in the ears of your son, and o...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Pharaoh — Moses and the Holy Sanctuary. Pharaoh's advisors, sensing the impending doom, had pleaded with him to release the Israelites after yet another deva...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Moses in Battle of Pharaoh. Take the plague of locusts, for instance. In (Exodus 10:12), God tells Moses to stretch out his hand so that locusts would swarm ...
That agonizing tease of liberation is a feeling the Israelites knew all too well as they stood on the brink of freedom from Egypt. We find ourselves in the thick of it in (Exodus 1...
In (Exodus 10:21), God tells Moses to stretch out his hand, and the text says, "there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, and the darkness will be tangible." Tangible! What do...
"Moses extended his hand toward the heavens, and there was a thick darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another, and no one rose from his place...
A reader can see them as simply divine punishments, but Jewish tradition often delves deeper, searching for layers of meaning and nuance. the story turns to the plague of darkness,...
It's so much more than just a simple "Let my people go!" narrative. Take, for instance, the exchange in (Exodus 10:24-29). It's a masterclass in negotiation, divine will, and maybe...
