1,099 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Sifrei Devarim, shown in source order. Page 4 of 23.
The ancient rabbis pondered this very question. And their answer? A resounding yes! According to R. Yossi Hameshulam in Sifrei Devarim, the Land of Israel, Eretz Yisrael, doesn't j...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, wrestles with this very idea. it first appears the rain would just wash away the light mountai...
Our source for today is Sifrei Devarim, a fascinating collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. It teaches us that the way the land receives wa...
It goes deep into how we understand divine favor and the very nature of Torah itself. water is life. But not all water is created equal, at least not symbolically. Our text from Si...
(Deuteronomy 11:12) tells us that it is "a land which the L-rd your G-d inquires after." But wait a minute. Does that mean God only cares about Israel? Doesn't seem quite right, do...
When it comes to the divine, the question of watchfulness, of attentiveness, becomes even more profound. The ancient text Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, w...
A storm raging, the earth trembling... It's a primal feeling, isn't it? The Psalmist certainly understood it. Psalm 29 paints a vivid picture of G-d's voice thundering across the l...
It suggests that the very act of inquiry, of delving into the Torah, brings its own reward. The Torah itself testifies that reward comes from inquiry. How so? It connects the act o...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, presents us with a fascinating paradox. It cites (Deuteronomy 11:12), which says, "Always the ...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, explores this very question. Specifically, it looks at the verse that promises blessings "from...
A reader can chalk it up to bad luck, but Jewish tradition suggests there might be something more at play. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of ...
Here, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a towering figure in Jewish mysticism – tradition ascribes the authorship of the Zohar to him – uses a powerful analogy to illustrate our relationshi...
What would it look like? What would it represent? Our sages pondered this very question, and the answers they gave are both beautiful and a little bit chilling. In Sifrei Devarim, ...
Specifically, the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early Jewish legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, tackles this head-on. It all stems from a verse in Deuteronomy (11:...
That feeling isn't new. Our ancestors wrestled with it too, especially when it came to learning and observing mitzvot (commandments), commandments. to a passage from Sifrei Devarim...
The ancient text, Sifrei Devarim, offers a powerful insight. It poses a simple yet profound question about the verse, "And you shall learn them and you shall heed them to do them" ...
The ancient sages felt that way too, and they saw it reflected in the very fabric of their society. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal and ethical teachings connected to the...
They had some pretty strong ideas about the root cause. Jeremiah, in the book that bears his name, cries out (Jeremiah 9:11-12): "Who is the wise man who will understand this, and ...
They're in the house of Nitzah in Lod, deep in conversation, when a question arises, one that echoes through the ages and resonates even today: What is greater – learning or doing?...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Moses and the King of Sanhedrin. Sifrei Devarim, in section 41, opens our minds to this very idea, taking us on a fascinating chain of transmission. It all ...
The verse from Song of Songs (7:5) reads, "Your eyes are like the pools in Cheshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim." What could this possibly mean? The text explains that "Your eyes" r...
What is the engine that drives Torah study? Sifrei Devarim tackles the question head-on. It all revolves around the verse in Deuteronomy (6:5), the very heart of the Shema: "to lov...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, digs deep into what it truly means to "serve Him." We find a fascinating discus...
It happens to the best of us. But what if that distraction could actually impact something… sacred? That's what Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations...
Our tradition has a powerful image for that feeling, and it all revolves around… rain. Specifically, rain in its proper time. (Deuteronomy 11:14)." The yoreh, the early rain, and t...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Queen Hilni Keeps the Sabbath. The phrase Simple enough. But what does it really signify? The Sifrei Devarim explains that "in its time" refers to the perio...
The book of Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, that wise and sometimes cynical exploration of life, touches on this very feeling. "The lover of silver will not be sated with silver," it tells ...
Sifrei Devarim turns to The Sacred Timing of the Early and Late Rains. The passage focuses on two specific rains: the yoreh and the malkosh. The yoreh, we learn, falls in Marcheshv...
It all stems from the Book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew, specifically a verse about gathering in the harvest: "and you shall gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oi...
There's a fascinating little passage in Sifrei Devarim that wrestles with this very tension. " It sounds chaotic, doesn't it? But it's not just a random occurrence. It speaks to a ...
Sifrei Devarim reads the blessing of abundance as a promise so rich it threatens to overflow every ordinary measure. The verse But it's not just about a good harvest. It's about so...
Our ancestors certainly understood that struggle. But what if I told you there's a promise woven into the Torah, a promise of abundance right where you are? to a fascinating little...
Sometimes, those little asides open up a whole world of understanding. Take this one, from Sifrei Devarim 43, connected to the verse "And I shall give grass in your field to your b...
That’s right. to a fascinating passage from Sifrei Devarim 43, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. It starts with the seemingly straightforward phrase...
Why Satiety Leads to Rebellion Against God is the question behind this passage from Sifrei Devarim. It’s a fascinating idea, isn’t it? It suggests that it’s not hardship that neces...
The Sifrei Devarim offers a fascinating, and perhaps unsettling, perspective. It wasn't just about being "bad." It was about something far more insidious: complacency born of abund...
The familiar version gives us the basic story: humanity, united, decided to build a tower reaching to the heavens, and God, displeased, scattered them, confusing their languages. B...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the Book of Deuteronomy, illuminates this. It wasn't just some abstract evil, but somethin...
Stories like the one we find hinted at in Sifrei Devarim 43. It all starts with Lot, Abraham's nephew. Remember him? We find him in Bereshith (Genesis) 13:10, choosing to settle in...
It’s a very human experience, and something our Sages grappled with constantly. Let me tell you a story from the Sifrei Devarim that captures this perfectly. Once upon a time, Rabb...
The story of Rabbi Akiva and the fox on Mount Scopus perfectly captures that feeling. A group of scholars is making their way to Jerusalem. As they reach Mount Scopus, a place offe...
It’s a timeless struggle, this battle for our attention, our devotion. And according to ancient Jewish wisdom, the stakes are incredibly high. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of l...
The ancient text, Sifrei Devarim, in its commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, touches on this very human experience, this potential for straying. "And you go astray," it says. Bu...
Rabbi Yossi, in Sifrei Devarim 43, asks a pointed question: why are idols even called elohim – "gods" in Hebrew? It's not just a matter of labels. He explains that it's precisely t...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Anything Can Become a Molech If It Rules Over You. R. Chanina b. Antignos, quoted in the Sifrei Devarim, offers a fascinating perspective. Why, he asks, is ...
Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, paints a picture that really sticks with you. It's a parable, a mashal, about a father and son. The familiar version gives ...
In Jewish tradition, the consequences for straying from the path aren't just personal; they can ripple outwards, affecting the entire community and even the land itself. It all cen...
The book of Sifrei Devarim – a collection of legal interpretations on the book of Deuteronomy – tackles a tough scenario. It discusses what happens when, G-d forbid, the Jewish peo...
