1,099 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Sifrei Devarim, shown in source order. Page 21 of 23.
The ancient sages noticed this human tendency, too, and they saw it reflected in the relationship between Israel and the other nations. Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Book ...
A reader can get caught up in the moment, to think that the way things are now is how they'll always be. But Jewish tradition encourages us to look deeper, to see the hand of somet...
(Deuteronomy 32:29) says, "If they were wise, they would understand this." But understand what, exactly? The Sifrei Devarim (a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive ...
How can one person chase away a thousand? It sounds impossible. Well, Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the Book of Deuteronomy,...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Written and Oral Law of Sodom. What does that mean? The text dives right in: "Not as the authority you give us is the authority you give them." It’s a stark...
That feeling, that struggle… it’s ancient. And it’s right there in the Torah. Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, grapples with this very question. It's not ju...
It uses some pretty strong imagery to describe the leaders and righteous individuals within a community. The passage starts with a rather unsettling phrase: "Bitter clusters are th...
They found a pretty startling image to describe it. Imagine this: wine, normally a symbol of joy and celebration, transformed into venom. That's the core of an unsettling passage i...
The Jewish tradition grapples with these questions in powerful, sometimes terrifying, imagery. to one such image: the cup of retribution. It all starts with a verse from Psalms (75...
Consider this fascinating little passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. Here, we find a rather intriguing met...
Our tradition grapples with this too. The ancient text of Sifrei Devarim, a legal commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a powerful perspective on divine retribution and ult...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Rabbi Yossi Faces Judgment. The passage grapples with the idea of divine retribution, but in a way that's surprisingly nuanced. It points out a subtle diffe...
Jewish tradition actually has something insightful to say about that – especially when it comes to divine retribution and reward. Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim (r...
We see suffering, we experience loss, and we can’t help but wonder: where is G-d in all this? Does He even care? The ancient sages grappled with this too, and surprisingly, they fo...
Jewish tradition actually has a powerful image for that feeling, and it connects it directly to hope for the future. It comes from Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deute...
The Jewish tradition grapples with this very idea – the absence of an advocate, the void when mercy seems to have vanished. It's a scary thought, isn't it? Sifrei Devarim, a collec...
It's woven right into the fabric of our stories, even in the most sacred texts. to a tiny verse that packs a big punch: (Deuteronomy 32:37). The verse reads, "And he will say: Wher...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Israel Challenges the Nations About Their Commanders. He suggests that in some future reckoning, Israel will turn to the nations and demand, "Where are your...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Kingdom of Titus. Sifrei Devarim attributes a particularly audacious statement to Titus, interpreting the verse "he" as referring not to God but to the nati...
It’s a fascinating little passage, playing with the nuances of Hebrew grammar to make a profound theological point. The verse in question, ostensibly calling upon other gods for as...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found echoes of this very human experience woven deep within the words of the Torah itself. Take the verse, "I put to death and I bring t...
The ancient sages grappled with this very idea. The verse It states, "and there is no saving (from sin) from My hand." What does that even MEAN? The text unpacks this with brutal h...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the Book of Deuteronomy, grapples with this very issue. The verse in question, (Deuteronom...
We mortals are bound by seconds, minutes, years. But what about the Holy One, Blessed be He? The Sifrei Devarim offers a glimpse into this very question, revealing a profound diffe...
The Torah grapples with these emotions too, but on a cosmic scale. a powerful verse from Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, that speaks directly to divine ret...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Edom Before the Altar. So, what's going on when we read, as we do in Sifrei Devarim, "and My sword shall eat flesh"? The text immediately acknowledges the s...
The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, in the Sifrei Devarim, hints at a pretty profound and maybe unsettling answer: yes, it kind of does. The text speaks of exacting a price "for the ...
Sifrei Devarim 333, in a rather striking interpretation, suggests that all the punishments in Egypt are "pinned on Pharaoh's head" because he was the first to subjugate Israel. It ...
It's so much bigger. It's cosmic. The Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, opens up a fascinating vista on this idea. It suggests that, in the end, all peopl...
This verse in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, hits you right in the gut. It talks about divine vengeance, and not just a single ac...
Our tradition teaches us that the very earth can carry a burden, a responsibility for the people connected to it. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic inte...
Not just any song, but the song. The kind of song that echoes through eternity? Sifrei Devarim, in section 334, gives us a glimpse into this profound idea. It states, "Great is 'so...
It's about planting the seeds of wisdom deep within their hearts. In Sifrei Devarim, when it says Moses "spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people," it’s not just ...
Our tradition understands that truly absorbing wisdom takes more than just passively hearing. It demands our full attention – heart, mind, and soul. The book of Devarim (Deuteronom...
This question sits at the heart of a beautiful passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the Book of Deuteronomy. It revolv...
Because according to the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the Book of Deuteronomy, absolutely nothing in the Torah is empty or ...
It all starts with a verse from Deuteronomy – or Devarim, as we call it in Hebrew. It says, "…and by this thing you shall prolong days." (Devarim, Ibid.) But what is "this thing?" ...
The verse Now, the Rabbis of old weren't ones to let a phrase like "on this very day" slide by without a good look. Why the emphasis? What's so special about this particular "day"?...
In Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32:49, we find a fascinating little phrase: "Go up to this Mount Avarim." Simple enough. But the ancient sages, those masters of interpretation, saw so muc...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, tells us about this pivotal place. It wasn't just any mountain; it was the plac...
Being Moses, the man who led the Israelites out of slavery, parted the Red Sea, and received the Torah (the Law) at Mount Sinai. He’s literally spoken to God face-to-face! So, when...
The Torah touches on this, not directly, but in subtle glimpses. the story turns to how the death of Aaron, the High Priest, is described, and what Moses thought of it. We find thi...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Why Moses Was Denied the Land for His Trespass. Okay, fair enough. But the Sifrei Devarim doesn’t just leave it there. It digs deeper, offering a truly mind...
The familiar story centers on Moses. The great leader who led the Israelites out of Egypt, received the Torah at Mount Sinai. a figure of immense stature. But even Moses, the humbl...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Moses's Journey and the Wilderness. Did you ever wonder about the nuances of that denial? The text in Sifrei Devarim 341, a section from the ancient comment...
It turns out, even Moses, the ultimate law-giver, knew the importance of following up criticism with comfort. Moses is standing there, on the cusp of his own death, knowing he won'...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, points out this fascinating characteristic of the prophets. "And this is the bl...
That messiness, that delicious, complicated paradox, is exactly what grabs our attention in Jewish tradition too. Take the tale we find in Sifrei Devarim 342. It focuses on the pro...
