1,099 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Sifrei Devarim, shown in source order. Page 8 of 23.
What Happens to Property When a City Is Condemned is the question behind this passage from Sifrei Devarim. That's where our passage from Sifrei Devarim comes in. It's dissecting th...
What does "utterly destroyed" really mean? That's where the Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, steps in to provide some truly fascinating, and at times uns...
I’m talking about Jericho, the ancient city whose story is far more than just walls tumbling down. It’s about oaths, consequences, and a chilling fulfillment of prophecy. The famil...
This text, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, doesn’t just say "stay away from idols." It gets incredibly specific. The passage What do you do with t...
Sifrei Devarim, an early rabbinic commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, touches on just that. It explores the idea of reciprocity, of cause and effect in the spiritual realm. The ...
The Sifrei Devarim, a crucial text in Jewish tradition, offers a fascinating glimpse into this very question. It quotes the verse from Deuteronomy, instructing us "to do what is ju...
In Sifrei Devarim – specifically section 96 – we find some fascinating instructions on this very topic. It starts with a seemingly simple prohibition: "Do not lacerate yourselves" ...
That feeling is at the heart of a powerful idea in Judaism: the concept of being a chosen people. But what does it really mean? It’s a question that’s sparked debate and wonder for...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Yaakov and the King. The book of Sifrei Devarim – a legal midrash on the book of Deuteronomy – sheds some light on this. It quotes (Deuteronomy 18:5), which...
A single verse from Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy, to unlock a fundamental piece of that system. (Deuteronomy 14:6) tells us: "And every beast that has split hooves, entir...
Eliezer in Sifrei Devarim, there's a beast called a shesuah that fits that very description. A double-backed animal. It really makes you wonder what other marvels might be hidden a...
Sometimes, seemingly simple words unlock entire worlds of understanding. Take the word "abomination," for example. What does it really mean in the context of our relationship with ...
We can find some interesting hints in the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. One thing the Sifrei points out right away: there are mo...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Second Chances. Yourself back then. You're about to slaughter an animal for food, a significant act that connects you to both the divine and the natural wor...
You've got a whole flock – oxen, lambs, sheep, and kids of goats. Which ones do you choose? The Sifrei Devarim guides us, but it's not as straightforward as it seems. The verse rea...
It’s a vast ocean, filled with detail. to one particular corner of it, found in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations from the Book of Deuteronomy. The verse Seems ...
In Hebrew, the phrase Sifrei Devarim refers to the book of Deuteronomy. The passage The Torah explicitly lists certain animals as tamei (unclean) – the camel, the hare, the coney (...
Did Moses, standing there on Mount Sinai, suddenly become a zoologist specializing in every creature under the sun? We read in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 14:9, "This may you eat… and th...
One today, all thanks to a seemingly simple verse in Deuteronomy. (Deuteronomy 14:11) states, "Every clean bird you may eat." Okay, straightforward enough. But The Sifrei Devarim, ...
Bear with me. to a tiny passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early Jewish legal interpretations related to the Book of Deuteronomy, and see what we can uncover. The passage...
Jewish law has some pretty specific things to say about what we can and can't eat, and why. And sometimes, the reasons aren't exactly spelled out. That's where texts like Sifrei De...
Especially when it comes to something like. well, let's just say something you wouldn't eat yourself. What are the rules? Who can you give it to? The ancient text Sifrei Devarim, a...
It deals with some really particular rules about how we conduct ourselves with both gentiles and converts, and it all boils down to this idea of being a "holy people." Rabbi Yehuda...
Sifrei Devarim turns one repeated milk-and-meat law into a lesson about boundaries, covenants, and the precision of Torah language. Rabbi Yossi HaGelili begins with two verses side...
(Deuteronomy 14:22) tells us: "Tithe shall you tithe all the produce of your seed which goes forth from the field year by year." Sounds straightforward. But hidden in these words i...
Sifrei Devarim turns to The Hidden Code Behind Tithing Shall You Tithe. So, what exactly is this passage trying to tell us? It all revolves around the verse "tithe shall you tithe"...
In Jewish tradition, the concept of tithing, or giving a tenth of your produce, is a big deal. It's rooted in the idea that everything we have ultimately comes from a higher power,...
This particular section, Sifrei Devarim 105, gets down to brass tacks: what produce is considered edible enough to require the giving of a tenth, or ma'aser, to the Temple? The pas...
They’re there for a reason, of course. Take this one, from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. It’s a deep dive into the seemingly sim...
That tension, that push and pull, is at the heart of a fascinating little passage in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Eating Before God and the Chain of Tradition from Three Elders. It brings us to a fascinating little passage in Sifrei Devarim 106, a commentary on the Book...
It can seem like a maze of "do's" and "don'ts," but within these details lie profound insights into their relationship with the Divine. He tackles a seemingly simple question: Can ...
There's some fascinating reasoning hidden in there. to a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, and see how the Rabbis of ol...
Jewish tradition sometimes uses the most seemingly mundane laws to teach us profound lessons. to one. We find in Sifrei Devarim, a fascinating little discussion about firstlings – ...
The book of Deuteronomy – Devarim in Hebrew – touches on this very feeling. It's a book filled with laws and teachings, a kind of farewell address from Moses before the Israelites ...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Legend of Ishmael. One interpretation suggests that the initial verse speaks only about someone with abundant tithes. But what about someone with fewer tith...
Jewish law, particularly when it comes to tithes and offerings, can sometimes feel that way. The phrase Specifically, we're zooming in on the verse dealing with bringing money to "...
Torah gives Jerusalem pilgrims a surprisingly open-ended spending rule, and the rabbis of the Sifrei want to know exactly how open it really is. The verse says, "And you shall give...
It might sound mundane, but even the smallest details can open up a window into how our ancestors thought about holiness, resources, and community. Specifically, This wasn't given ...
It’s not always as straightforward as it first appears. to a fascinating corner of Jewish law found in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the book of Deuteron...
The verse in question, from (Deuteronomy 14:27), commands us: "And the Levite who is in your gate, you shall not forsake him." Sounds straightforward enough. But the rabbis of the ...
Sometimes, the Torah itself gives us a glimpse, a little peek behind the curtain. Sifrei Devarim 109, commenting on Deuteronomy, sheds a bit of light on this very topic. When the T...
"I might think, on Channukah..." the text begins. Channukah, the festival of lights, commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. But what's the connection to Deutero...
It could get complicated, fast. Sifrei Devarim is a collection of legal interpretations and expansions on the Book of Deuteronomy, offering us a glimpse into how the Rabbis of old ...
Jewish law, or halakha, sometimes feels that way – meticulously detailing every aspect of life. But hidden within these details, readers often find profound ethical and spiritual l...
Even in other years, the rules about tithing could get pretty complex. We find ourselves in the book of Sifrei Devarim, specifically section 109, diving deep into the nuances of th...
The core of this passage revolves around the first tithe, the ma'aser rishon. This was a portion of the harvest given to the Levites, the tribe dedicated to serving in the Temple. ...
It concerns the ma'aser ani, the poor-tithe. (Deuteronomy 14:29) instructs us to provide for "the stranger, the orphan, and the widow that are in your gates." Seems straightforward...
