1,099 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Sifrei Devarim, shown in source order. Page 14 of 23.
when the Torah speaks of "two wives," does that only mean two? What if there are more? The answer, surprisingly, is right there in the plural form itself. The text points out that ...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Zeal of Elijah and the Firstborn. What happens when things get…messy? What if there’s only one wife? Can "loved" and "hated" even apply then? And what about...
Here, we're confronting a seemingly specific scenario: a man with two wives, one loved and one "hated" – though "less favored" might be a kinder, more accurate translation. The Tor...
It deals with the laws of the bechor, the firstborn son, and who exactly qualifies for this special status. " Simple enough. But the rabbis of old weren't ones for simple answers. ...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Inheritance Law and the Disputed Firstborn Status. " But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, immediately zoom in on a crucial point: "and not one whose fi...
First off "what there shall be to him": We are hereby taught that the son inherits what is anticipated as well as what is on hand." It's not just about what Dad has in the bank rig...
It all centers on a verse from Deuteronomy (21:17): "But the first-born, the son of the hated one, shall he recognize." But, as always, the rabbis dig deeper. The phrase "shall he ...
It can get pretty fascinating, especially when we explore the nuances of the b’chor, the firstborn son, and his right to a double portion. a bit, drawing from Sifrei Devarim, a col...
It's not always as simple as being the oldest, especially when we explore Jewish tradition. It first appears it's a straightforward thing – the eldest son gets the lion's share. Bu...
It’s a topic loaded with history, law, and fascinating interpretations. ! The passage It deals with the rights and privileges associated with being the firstborn. One of the key pe...
Sometimes, it's about navigating complex situations with fairness and wisdom. to a tiny little corner of Jewish legal thought, just a snippet from Sifrei Devarim, that opens up int...
Sifrei Devarim turns to The Rebellious Son and the Limits of Torah Law. The Torah (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) describes a son who is incorrigible, a glutton and a drunkard, and disobedi...
" The term sorer umoreh itself is fascinating. It appears in the Book of Deuteronomy (21:18-21), outlining a grim scenario. But what exactly does it mean to be "wayward and rebelli...
Sifrei Devarim turns the law of the rebellious son and the suspected wife into a debate over how far a Torah verse can reach. What exactly constitutes this "rebellious and defiant"...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Rabbi Meir in Jewish Tradition. Our text today comes from Sifrei Devarim 219, a rabbinic commentary on Deuteronomy. It focuses on a particular verse describ...
Ever stumble upon a passage in the Torah that just seems. strange? Like, where did that come from? to one of those passages today, found in Sifrei Devarim 219, dealing with the per...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Who Must Participate in Stoning the Rebellious Son. Our little puzzle comes from Seifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on th...
In Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations related to the Book of Deuteronomy, we encounter a fascinating discussion about the stoning of a rebellious son, a sorer um...
In fact, Jewish tradition grapples with this idea of removing evil, of cleansing the community, in some pretty direct ways. We find this in the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of lega...
Rabbi Eliezer asked the question nobody in the court could ignore: did Shimon ben Shetach not hang women in Ashkelon? The answer, preserved in Sifrei Devarim 221:2, is yes. He hang...
Sifrei Devarim turns a punishment verse into a narrow legal question: which executed person is also hanged? The verse in question, (Deuteronomy 21:22), states, "and you shall hang ...
In the book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, we find the verse, "and you shall hang him." But what does "him" truly mean? The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations, unpacks...
Like, "You shall not leave his body overnight on the eitz" – that's from the Book of Deuteronomy, and it’s something the rabbis grappled with intensely. What does it really mean? T...
It's a tough topic, no doubt, but one that reveals fascinating insights into how our ancestors wrestled with profound moral questions. The passage begins: "for the cursing of G-d i...
The Torah, in its profound wisdom, anticipates this very human dilemma. But it's not just about lost objects; it's about our responsibility to each other and to the land itself. to...
The Torah, in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 22:2, tells us, "You shall not see the ox of your brother or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You must take them back to your brother." S...
The Torah, in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), actually has something to say about this. It might surprise you. We find in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early legal commentarie...
The Torah, in Devarim (Deuteronomy), has something to say about this very situation. Specifically, it deals with finding a lost animal. But it goes way deeper than just "finders ke...
The Torah, in the book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew, grapples with this very question. Specifically, Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on Deuteronomy, d...
The familiar version gives us the right thing to do, but the Torah, in its infinite wisdom, dives into the nitty-gritty details. It’s not enough to just say, "Return it!" We need t...
The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, actually offers guidance on how to handle these situations, even extending to the care of someone else's belongings you might stumble upon. It's ...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this very idea when interpreting the Torah’s laws about lost objects and helping others. It all boils down to this: What level of loss compels us t...
Here, we find ourselves pondering a seemingly simple verse about helping someone with their animal. The verse speaks of "the ass of your brother," implying a duty to assist a fello...
The Torah, in its beautiful and often surprising way, actually addresses this very question. to a fascinating little corner of Jewish law, found in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of ...
Scripture, in its infinite wisdom, can find meaning in the seemingly mundane. a fascinating, and perhaps a little surprising, passage from Sifrei Devarim, specifically section 226,...
It might sound like an odd pairing, but stick with me! This seemingly simple passage from Sifrei Devarim – a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy – dives ...
Like…bird nests. Yes, bird nests! It's a mitzvah that seems almost… delicate. But within its few short lines lie layers of interpretation and insight, all designed to teach us some...
In Jewish tradition, even that seemingly chance encounter can spark a profound moral obligation. Where does this mitzvah apply? Is it everywhere? Sifrei Devarim, an early Halakhic ...
Ever stumble upon something in the Torah that just makes you pause and wonder, "Wait, what’s the story here?" I mean, seriously. A reader can skim over seemingly small verses, but ...
As we dig into the depths of Jewish tradition, we discover that even the most seemingly straightforward laws can hold profound ethical and spiritual insights. Our little puzzle tod...
Ever stumble upon a bird's nest and wonder, "What am I supposed to do here?" The Torah actually gives us some pretty specific instructions. It's all about balance, compassion, and ...
Sifrei Devarim turns to When Must You Send Away the Mother Bird. The Sifrei Devarim explores these questions with meticulous detail. Take the phrase "fledglings or eggs." The text ...
Ever stumble upon a bird's nest, maybe with a mother bird watching nearby, and feel that tug of... something? A moral question lurking beneath the surface? Well, Jewish tradition h...
A partridge sitting on another bird's eggs becomes a legal test case for how far the commandment of shiluach haken reaches. The passage Specifically, It's found in (Deuteronomy 22:...
Sometimes we get so caught up in the big stories, the grand narratives, that we miss the everyday wisdom tucked away in seemingly simple laws. Consider the verse in Devarim (Deuter...
A reader can get lost in the grand narratives, the sweeping commandments.. but sometimes, the Divine instruction comes down to something as simple as building a fence around your r...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Building a New Roof Railing and the Layers of Torah Safety Law. Like peeling an onion, there are layers here. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal inte...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Ishmael and the Torah of Rabbis. The verse in question (Deuteronomy 22:8) commands us to build a parapet around our roofs to prevent falls. Sifrei Devarim f...
