Parshat Acharei Mot

182 related texts · Page 17 of 21

The Yom Kippur service, the scapegoat ritual, laws against consuming blood, and forbidden relationships. Leviticus 16:1-18:30.

Splendor of the Heights and Avtinas

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 6:4

We often focus on the architecture, the rituals, the sheer scale of it all. But sometimes, the most fascinating stories lie in the details, in the dedication of the people behind t...

HeavenHell/GehennaMosesSolomon

Kingdom of Solomon and Lebanon

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 10:4

The ancient rabbis did, and they found clues in the most unexpected places, even in the love poetry of the Song of Songs! We're diving into Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a rabbinic comment...

CreationHeavenNoah & FloodMoses

Joshua: Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 6:1

It turns out, the ancient rabbis thought about this a lot, especially when it came to the relationship between humanity and God. Let's delve into a fascinating interpretation of a ...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsSolomon

Wisdom of Moses and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 1:15

Vayikra Rabbah, the great Midrash on the Book of Leviticus, dives right into this question with a startling statement. It says that a Torah scholar without sense – meaning, without...

HeavenJosephMosesTorah

Humility of Moses and Yitzchak

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 3:1

The book of Leviticus, specifically chapter 2, opens with the laws of the minchah, the meal offering. "When a person presents a meal offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of ...

JosephMosesSolomonMessiah

Levi's Offering and Aaron

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 3:6

Take, for example, the instructions for bringing a minchah, a meal offering, found in Leviticus. It might seem like a simple act, but the Rabbis find layers of meaning and insight ...

Noah & FloodPatriarchsJosephMoses

Moses: Aaron in Joseph's Time

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 21:7

That feeling, that ache of separation, is what this week’s portion of Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah) touches upon. It centers around a seemingly simple phrase in Leviticus 16:2:...

JosephMosesKing DavidDaniel

Saul and the Lawgiver

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 22:6

It teaches us that even the smallest injustice can have enormous consequences, echoing through the world and even impacting our relationship with the Divine. Our jumping-off point ...

MosesSolomonTorahTemple

Divine Presence and Shiloh

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 78:13

Specifically, it grapples with the story of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, and its eventual abandonment in Shiloh. "And he brought them to his holy mountain," Midrash Tehillim tells ...

Noah & FloodKing DavidTempleHoly Land