1,099 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Sifrei Devarim, shown in source order. Page 23 of 23.
It all starts with understanding the power of fulfilling God's will. In Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal and ethical teachings supplementing the Book of Deuteronomy, we find a...
The tradition turns to the ancient text of Sifrei Devarim to unpack this a bit. It speaks of Joshua, Moses' successor, in rather poetic terms, saying, "and the horns of a re'em are...
The Torah doesn’t exactly shout it from the rooftops, but there are clues. Little hints dropped here and there that paint a picture of a formidable people. Take Adoni-bezek, for ex...
Sifrei Devarim traces Zebulun's blessing backward into Joseph's presentation of his brothers before Pharaoh. What's so special about Zevulun in this context? The text points us bac...
Moses blesses Zebulun for going out, and Sifrei Devarim reads that movement as trade in service of Torah. The verse So, why "going forth"? Sifrei Devarim tells us that Zevulun was,...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Foreign Traders Who Converted After Visiting the Mountain. Sifrei Devarim is a collection of legal interpretations and expansions on the Book of Deuteronomy...
The ancient text Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a fascinating possibility, linking the tribes of Yissachar and Zevulun to this very concept. The ve...
Some get fertile fields, others rolling hills, but Zevulun? They get… the sea. Naturally, they weren't thrilled. As Sifrei Devarim 354 tells it, Zevulun essentially says, "Hey, God...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Pharaoh — Joseph and the Lawgiver. We turn to the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), specifically chapter 33, verse 20. It speaks of the tribe of Gad. But the t...
A blessing: "Blessed is He that broadens Gad." What does it mean? Simply put, the passage teaches us that the territory allotted to the tribe of Gad expanded eastward. But the stor...
Death is often remembered as an ending, a final curtain. But what if it's not? What if the impact of a life, especially a life dedicated to wisdom and teaching, continues to resona...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Miriam's Well and the True Meaning of Tzedakah. The Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a fascinating perspective. It asks, "...
Take the blessing of the tribe of Dan in Deuteronomy, for example. It but the rabbis of old saw layers upon layers of significance packed into just a few words. The verse in questi...
" You might be thinking, "Okay, who’s Naftali and why should I care?" Good question! The text itself poses that very question: "Why is this written?" It's a fair point. We're jumpi...
The biblical tribes is often remembered as these monolithic entities, but they were families, prone to squabbles and reconciliation just like us. Take the tribe of Asher. What made...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Reuben Claims the Birthright but Levi Wins the Priesthood. Sifrei Devarim tells us that Asher steps in and "reconciled his brothers." Because of this act, t...
The book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) describes the blessing to the tribe of Asher with the phrase, "and he shall dip his foot in oil" (Deuteronomy 33:24). But what does that mean? The...
Sometimes, the most profound truths are whispered in the echoes between our words and the response of the Holy Spirit. One intriguing idea comes from (Deuteronomy 33:25): "Iron and...
How do we, bound by earthly limitations, even begin to fathom the celestial realm? The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuterono...
A scribe’s nightmare? Perhaps. A treasure trove of textual insights? Absolutely! According to Sifrei Devarim 356, that's exactly what happened. And the differences weren't major pl...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal and ethical teachings connected to the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a powerful image. It speaks of being "beneath the strong arms of the wo...
While definitive answers might elude us, Jewish tradition offers tantalizing hints and comforting assurances. Our exploration begins in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal and et...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a beautiful interpretation of a seemingly simple phrase: "...
The moment your soul separates from your body. According to the Sifre on Deuteronomy 357, that very day is your day of judgment. But you're not alone. These aren't just any angels....
It’s a timeless human experience, and it’s something the ancient rabbis wrestled with too. In the book of Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on th...
It wasn't just a panoramic view of the Promised Land. According to our tradition, it was so much more. "From the plains of Moab," the verse says. (Sifrei Devarim 357). But what's s...
The Torah tells us that God showed him "the entire land" (Deuteronomy 34:1). But what exactly does "the entire land" mean? The ancient rabbis grappled with this question, and their...
The Book of Deuteronomy, or Sifrei Devarim in Hebrew, actually delves a little deeper. It's not just a geographical overview; it's like a vision through time. Consider the verse "A...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Jordan River in David's Court. The book of Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the book of Deuteronomy, offers us a glim...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Until the Western Sea - Moses Sees Peace and Oppression. That’s not all. There's another interpretation, a play on words, a drash that opens up a whole new ...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Sodom and the King. The Sifrei Devarim, an ancient commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers us some astonishing insights into this pivotal moment. It w...
Our text comes from Sifrei Devarim (a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the book of Deuteronomy). It speaks of a vision granted to Moses, a vision...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Marriage of Lot. what everything, exactly? Well, the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal commentaries on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers so...
You can almost feel his anticipation, his heart swelling with hope. Then… the hammer drops. "This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," God tells Moses, as we rea...
They tell us of Moses' death. But… wait a minute. How could Moses himself have written about his own demise? It's a question that's puzzled Jewish scholars for centuries. The Sifre...
The verse says that Moses, "the servant of the L-rd," died "by the word of the L-rd" (Deuteronomy 34:5). But the ancient rabbis saw layers of meaning here. The Sifrei Devarim, a le...
The answer, well, it's more mystical than you might imagine. The book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), the last book of the Torah, tells us, "And He buried him in the valley, in the land ...
It’s something the Sages of the Talmud were keenly aware of, and it pops up in the most unexpected places. Take the very end of Moses’ life. "And Moses was one hundred and twenty y...
When we look to our sacred texts, sometimes we find the answers are…surprising. Take Moses, for example. The familiar version gives us Moses. The guy who led the Israelites out of ...
Our journey starts with the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal commentaries on the Book of Deuteronomy. It asks a simple question about a seemingly simple phrase: "thirty days."...
There's a fascinating idea tucked away in Sifrei Devarim that illuminates this. It says, regarding the Israelites following Moses's command, "and they did as the L-rd had commanded...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a fascinating, almost mystical, glimpse into that pivotal ...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Pharaoh and the Dreamer of Egypt. The text explores (Deuteronomy 34:11): "In all the signs and the wonders which the L-rd sent him to do in the land of Egyp...
