470 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Shemot Rabbah, shown in source order. Page 6 of 10.
The ancient Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, knew that feeling all too well. We find a fascinating glimpse into this in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on th...
Shemot Rabbah, a collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a fascinating insight into this very question, focusing on...
It all starts with the verse, "Then Moses…sang" (Exodus 15:1). The Rabbis connect this to (Proverbs 31:26), "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Moses Sings and the Bond Between God and Israel Endures. ” Rabbi Levi offers a powerful image: Usually, a bride is adorned and perfumed before being led to t...
" around the Passover table, I promise you that. Our Sages understood that the Exodus wasn't just a one-time event; it was a template for all future salvations. And music? Well, mu...
The story begins, as The familiar version gives us, with the parting of the Red Sea. A moment of unimaginable salvation for the Israelites, fleeing slavery in Egypt. Moses leads th...
What happens to the abandoned? What happens to the children left to the elements, victims of cruelty and fear? Sometimes, stories offer us the most profound answers. Think about th...
Our story comes from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It paints a breathtaking picture of divine intervention and the unwavering faith...
That feeling, that's what The text immediately tells us this refers to the Egyptians, and how God brought justice upon them in Egypt and at the Red Sea. But the how of that justice...
They found a surprising way to express it. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating reading of the verse, "Then Moses...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Gift of Prophecy of Isaiah. The rabbis in Shemot Rabbah offer a beautiful image. Think of a woman, they say. She experiences pregnancy, childbirth, and then…...
Shemot Rabbah, a rich collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a powerful reading of the verse "Then Moses…sang [thi...
It’s a concept that’s wrestled with beautifully in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The verse "I will sing to the Lord, for He is exal...
It all starts with the verse, "For He is exalted." The Rabbis ask, what does that truly mean? Rabbi Pappos offers a beautiful and subtle reading of the verse from (Song of Songs 1:...
Shemot Rabbah turns to The Horse and His Rider Cast Into the Sea. Shemot Rabbah, that rich collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, gives us a fascinating glim...
The Torah tells us they wandered, but the rabbinic imagination really kicks it up a notch. This wasn't just any desert. But it's not just the abundance of creepy crawlies, it's the...
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous escape from Egypt, certainly did. The book of Exodus tells us, "Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went out to the wilderness of...
Rabbi Yehuda tells us that the Israelites reasoned, "The Holy One, blessed be He, only took us out of Egypt for five things!" What were those five things? First, to give us the plu...
It might seem a little.. unflattering At first. But as with so many things in our tradition, there's a depth and beauty to be found when we dig a little deeper. Shemot Rabbah, a cl...
Those passages are easy to skim place names, assuming they're just… well, places. But sometimes, they're so much more. Consider the phrase "the wilderness of Shur," which pops up i...
Shemot Rabbah turns to God Rains Down Bread From Heaven for Israel. Think about the manna, that miraculous bread that sustained the Israelites in the desert. In (Exodus 16:4), God ...
Rabbi Simon, quoting Rabbi Eliezer, starts with a verse from Hosea (12:6): “The Lord is the God of hosts [tzevaot], the Lord is His designation.” The word tzevaot, "hosts," is key ...
We dole things out with a closed fist, hesitant, as if we're afraid of running out. But what about the Divine? Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book o...
The story starts with a grumble. "The entire congregation of the children of Israel complained" (Exodus 16:2). They were wandering in the desert, fresh out of Egypt, and their port...
Jewish tradition says a resounding "YES!" And one of the most beautiful examples of this is found in the stories surrounding the manna, that miraculous bread from heaven that susta...
Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash on the book of Exodus, tackles this very question, and the answers are, frankly, . It starts with a verse from Psalms: "There is none...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Manna as Bread from Heaven Earned Through Torah. Here's a question: Why did the Israelites sing praises over the well but not over the manna? Seems a bit unf...
The ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound hope in the story of the Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we ...
The verse Sounds simple. Just gather your daily bread, or manna. But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, see so much more woven into these words. They connect it to (Psalm 68:20)...
Remember the manna, that miraculous bread from heaven? God instructed the Israelites to gather only what they needed for each day, except on Friday, when they were to collect a dou...
The Torah tells us in Exodus (16:29), "See that the Lord has given you the Shabbat (the Sabbath); therefore, He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Remain each man where...
It's called Shabbat, the Sabbath. It’s powerful. The mystics teach us that keeping Shabbat is more than just refraining from work. It's about entering a different dimension of time...
Rabbi Levi makes a staggering claim in Shemot Rabbah: a single, perfectly observed Shabbat (the Sabbath) could bring about the Messiah. He says, “If Israel observes Shabbat properl...
The Jewish people know that feeling all too well. In fact, there's a fascinating passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, that uses...
The Israelites certainly did. In the book of Exodus, right after the incredible miracle of being freed from Egypt, they find themselves wandering in the desert, thirsty and complai...
Take the story of the war against Amalek in (Exodus 17:9). Moses tells Joshua, "Choose men for us and go out and wage war with Amalek; tomorrow I will be standing on top of the hil...
This week, It uses the story of Yitro, Moses' father-in-law, to explore the nature of true friendship and kinship. Then, it immediately connects this to a verse from Proverbs: “Do ...
The Book of Exodus gives us a powerful example in the story of Yitro, Moses' father-in-law. And the midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Shemot Rabbah, offers u...
It’s a recurring theme in Jewish tradition, and one particularly striking example comes to us from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. Re...
A single event, a powerful moment, that resonates far beyond its origin. The Book of Exodus, or Shemot in Hebrew, tells us that "Yitro heard.." (Exodus 18:1). But what exactly did ...
The verse “Yitro…heard” (Exodus 18:1) sparks a fascinating connection to a seemingly unrelated verse from Job: “The stranger does not stay the night outside” (Job 31:32). What’s th...
He appears in the narrative, offers Moses some crucial advice, and then… well, what do we really know about him? The Book of Exodus tells us, “Yitro heard…” (Exodus 18:1). But hear...
It all revolves around Yitro, Moses' father-in-law. The verse But the Rabbis, in their ingenious way, connect this to a verse from Ecclesiastes: “Cast your bread upon the water, fo...
In Jewish tradition, names aren't just labels. They're packed with meaning, hinting at a person's essence, their journey, their very destiny. Take Yitro, Moses' father-in-law. He's...
That sparks a whole chain of thought, linking it to the verse, "Heed the word of the Lord, house of Jacob" (Jeremiah 2:4). So, what’s the connection? Well, Rabbi Nechemya, as quote...
Not just any mountain, but Mount Sinai itself, the very place where God met Moses. It’s a mind-bending image, isn't it? That's how some of our tradition describes the moment of rev...
The familiar story is this:, but the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of scripture, explore the details, revealing layers of mea...
The Shemot Rabbah, a classical collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, gives us some fascinating answers. "The Lord called to him from the mountain, saying.."...
